Channel-to-channel adapter

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In IBM mainframe technology, a channel-to-channel adapter (CTCA)[1][2] [3] is a device that connects two input/output channels on (usually) two separate computer systems.[4]

The adapter allows one computer system to be treated as an input/output device by another. It is used "to link the processing units in a loosely coupled multiprocessing system.[5]

Virtual channel-to-channel adapters (VCTCA) are often used to communicate between two virtual machines in the z/VM operating system. The Virtual Machine Communication Facility (VMCF), and later Inter User Communication Vehicle (IUCV) are now often used in place of VCTCAs because they provide a simpler interface and improved performance.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ IBM System/370 Special Feature Description: Channel-to-Channel Adapter (PDF) (First ed.). IBM. March 1972. GA22.6983·Q.
  2. ^ Enterprise Systems Architecture/390 Channel-to-Channel Adapter for the System/360 and System/370 I/O Interface (2nd ed.). International Business Machines Corporation. October 1991. SA22-7091-01.
  3. ^ Enterprise Systems Architecture/390 ESCON Channel-to-Channel Adapter (1st ed.). International Business Machines Corporation. October 1990. SA22-7203-00.
  4. ^ IBM Corporation (1968). IBM System/360 Model 65 Functional Characteristics (PDF). p. 10. A22-6884-3.
  5. ^ IBM Corporation (23 January 2003). "System/370 Model 158". IBM Archives. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Jensen, R.M. (1979). "A formal approach for communication between logically isolated virtual machines". IBM Systems Journal. 18 (1): 71–92. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.91.1907. doi:10.1147/sj.181.0071.