Hi folks!
 
Here is a question on VMS-MPE/iX  connectivity to integrate two
applications.
 
We have MM/3000 an MRP II system on a 3000 and Beckman LIMS running on a
VAX.
 
We need to transfer information between both systems in the following
scenario.
 
As material is received, it is entered in the 3000. When samples are
withdrawn from the MM3000 application, the samples data must be transferred
to the VAX. Once there, a batch processor on the LIMS application will enter
the data on the LIMS database.
 
As soon as the Quality Operations department approves or rejects material in
LIMS, a transaction has to be transferred to the 3000.  Once there, it will
load the information into MM3000 in the same way as in LIMS, that is,
through a batch processor part of the MM3000 application.
 
The problem is how to transfer the data from one system to the other without
using a delayed batch process. We want this to happen immediately after the
transaction is entered, as part of the data entry process.
 
Both machines will have TCP/IP. We have considered until now several
possibilities.
 
1. Use file transfer services to copy an ascii file with the transaction
information between the VAX and the HP3000 and use the corresponding batch
processor. The problem is that we do not want the delay involved in this
approach.
 
2. I do not know how feasible is this one ($$$), but another option is to
get NFS for both hosts and have the application access both file systems. We
still have to find out what file structure Beckman uses on the VAX.
 
3. Get the necessary tools to access both hosts on a client/server approach,
and create a client screen with enough information to generate the ascii
file needed for both batch processes and write it to both hosts.
 
4. Buy a third party interface that already does this.
 
If there are any comments with or without estimated $$$, please reply back
to:
 
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