D NET,APING performs a VTAM-based Advanced Peer to Peer Networking (APPN) Ping test from the originating host to the remote host. The D NET,APING command is the VTAM-based equivalent of the TCP/IP Ping command. D NET,APING is used to diagnose APPN availability and response time issues for a specific APPN Transmission Group (TG) that may be defined between two APPN endpoints, or to test network connectivity of Enterprise Extender links.
The D NET,RTPS Route Test provides the ability to quickly perform a VTAM-based RTP (Rapid Transport Protocol) Route Test across the ‘HPR or RTPS pipe’ for any Enterprise Extender (EE) connection to a specific RTP endpoint. In most EE environments this endpoint will usually be the same destination as the previously defined VTAM Cross Domain (CDRM) and associated Control Point (CP). The new RTP data transport, however, uses UDP and IP between both endpoints instead of SNA.
EE leverages the tactical combination of SNA (Systems Network Architecture) and APPN/HPR (Advanced Peer to Peer Networking/High Performance Routing) on each end of a connection along with TCP/IP. The data is transported quickly and efficiently through the use of UDP over the IP topology network located between the two endpoints. In a corporate environment there may be several different RTP endpoints defined for one EE link. In addition, as with any network link, there may be situations in which you need to determine if a specific EE link is connected and communicating. It is also helpful to know the routing path the link is using, especially when the link may transverse multiple nodes or control points.
The D NET,RTPS Route test is comparable to the TCP/IP-based Tracerte command because it sends multiple “route test” messages that “wrap around” as they reach each node along the pipe’s path. This behavior is similar to the Time-to-Live (TTL) feature of the tracert command. As a result of this “wrap-around” behavior, you can easily measure ‘internodal’ transit times, which can be very helpful in determining current network-based response times going through a specific EE link. From this response time data you can identify any network bottlenecks that may exist in the RTP’s path.
Note: The D NET,RTPS Route Test function is only available in z/OS V.1.2 and later. If you are using an earlier version, the D NET,RTPS Route Test will only return a display of the current status of all RTPs. You can utilize the D NET,APING command to test EE connectivity for an APPN Transmission Group regardless of the z/OS version you are using.
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