One of the big items in the local agency office is the question of moving to an ethernet connection for your AS/400! There is a lot of talk about this so we thought we could shed a little light and confusion of our own. So, here goes...

If you already have Twinax cabling for your AS/400 and 5250 emulation cards in your PCs, then it is very questionable if there is any advantage moving to an ethernet connection for all your PCs. If you are moving your office and don't want to rewire for Twinax, there may be cost advantages in adding an ethernet card to you AS/400 and using ethernet to gain access to the AS/400.

Ethernet will not work on your dedicated IBM terminals. They are designed to work on Twinax cables. There are some newer terminals that will support ethernet networking with an AS/400.

Q. If I want to add an ethernet card to my AS/400, what other hardware do I need to make it work with my PCs?

A. You will need Category 5 cabling for your AS/400 and all the PCs and printers you intend to connect to your local area network (LAN). A network hub will be required to provide connectivity to each device on the network. Each PC requires an ethernet card (similar to a 5250 emulation card, but cheaper) and the communications protocols to support TCP/IP and IPX/SPX. These protocols are generally available from any of the Microsoft Windows or NT operating system products.

A. It is possible for you to do this yourself if you are a savvy PC users and have some experience doing this. However, if you are not, I would leave it to a professional to setup for you.

A. Yes, there are a number of alternatives that are equally as good, and some that are less expensive. This is software that is designed to provide 5250 emulation using an ethernet card (almost any ethernet card).

A. It depends on what kind of software you are running on the PC. It also depends on whether or not you are using a 5250 emulation card or an ethernet card in your PC. If you use insurance rating software from other vendors, you might find Windows 98 or ME more compatible, as many of these are still DOS applications. If you are using only Farmers products, such as Field Data, than Windows 2000 Pro is a good choice. Windows XP Home edition should be avoided and Windows XP Pro has some connectivity issues.

Farmers is providing a PC to each agent that signs up for it. These PCs will be delivered on a staggered basis over the next few months. They are initially free to the agent but remain the property of Farmers while in the agents possession. After three years, Farmers has indicated they will turn over the PC to the agent, crediting the agent for the market value of the PC at that time.

This is certainly a good deal for many agents and helps Farmers by getting everyone on-line with the Dashboard. With e-Folio and other such support items, this will reduce the operating costs to Farmers over a short period of time.

For the "free" PC, there are a limited number of hardware changes that will be permitted by Farmers or that are covered by the DELL extended warranty. Make sure that you understand what you can and can not do with this computer over the next three years.

Remember that the hardware and software of your "free" PC belongs to Farmers and they have a right to tell you what you can and can not do with it. Also consider your e-mail. What e-mail you receive or send on this machine may be audited and, in some instances, may be the legal property of Farmers. If you want to protect your e-mail, have an e-mail account other than Farmers, use your own machine and a non-farmers provided network connection to send and receive your e-mail! This will help protect your rights to your e-mail.

A. No, but we can speculate. Computer hardware is generally depreciated over 5 years. It assumes that there is some fair market value to the equipment at the end of that period and allows you to depreciate what remains. Given that ownership passes to the agent at the end of three years, the value should be its then remaining life (2/5 of its original cost), assuming Farmers is not using a different method of transferring the machine to the agent.

The agent gets support from lots of sources. But once you get that machine into your office, you need to find a source of reliable support for your internal needs. Farmers and the various vendors that they do business with will only provide so much support and than it becomes the agents responsibility.

Each agent needs to look for reliable support from vendors or professionals in their geographic area that are experienced in supporting agencies and understand the particulars of supporting Farmers agents.

Not long ago, AS/400 connectivity was over a slow, dedicated connection through AT&T WorldCom. Last year, plans were laid and executed to convert those dedicate 9600 Kb lines to Internet capable 56 Kb lines. At first, the new line was only meant for the AS/400. But that quickly changed. Now we see Farmers/AT&T providing additional equipment and allowing local PCs to connect directly to this new line. What are the implications of this? (The following only applies if you have an AS/400)

If you have a small agency or your needs to access Internet sites, such as Agency Dashboard, are relatively limited, then this provides an easy way of getting there without the additional cost for telephone lines and DSL services. But remember that this is an "IF" response.

You must also remember that you are sharing the line with the AS/400 and that you are not getting 56 Kb while you and the AS/400 are active.

You have been provided with a HUB. A HUB provides connectivity for devices which support IEEE 802.3 protocols and TCP/IP. All of the Windows operating systems provide this functionality. You just need to know how to configure it in each operating system. When connected to the hub over category 5 cable, each PC can talk with all the other PCs on the network.

You can also share one or more printers on the network, making it accessible to all the other PCs on the network.

The HUB you now have is also connected to a Router. A router is a device that connects two or more networks together. You need to think of the Internet as one network and you local equipment as another network. The router brings them together so that they can talk to one another. By connecting the HUB to the router, you give the local area network (LAN) access to the Internet via the router.

The AS/400 is also connected to the router. Although it provides connectivity between the Farmers systems and the AS/400, it does not provide communications between the AS/400 and the PC network.

The following diagram shows one potential layout for a typical Farmers Agency. This is not the only option the agency has. If the 56 Kb connection does not provide enough bandwidth for your specific needs, other options are available. They include:

(If you have other questions you think should go here or have a question you want an answer to, please e-mail us and let us know what the question is.)

Q: I currently have a local area network. How does that affect my office PCs and their ability to connect to the Agency Dashboard and other agency support sites.

A: It depends on what you do. If you continue to use your local area network (LAN) just the way it is without connecting it to the new Hub, than nothing should change. Remember, you get your Local AS/400 sessions from the Twinax cables and the 5250 cards installed on your PC.

A: You are not required to change. If you require additional bandwidth (greater than 56 Kb) for Internet access, or your current provider gives you more than just access to the internet (i.e.: additional disk space for Web pages, e-mail accounts, etc.), than it may not be advisable to discontinue your account with them. If you do not get any of these things or you do not use them or need them, and 56 Kb access is sufficient for you download needs, than you could cancel your service in favor of the dedicated line provided by Farmers.

A: If you are trying to share a printer that is locally connected to a PC and the PC is a member of the network, than you can share that PC with all other PCs on the network. It requires a change in most of the operating systems' network configuration and the loading of the appropriate printer drivers on al the machines that will access it. The PC with the printer must be up and running for others on the network to use it.

There are also devices that allow you to connect printers directly to the network, without using a PC. They are called "Print Servers" and are made by a number of vendors. Other printers, such as some HP and Lexmark printers, can be configured with an internal ethernet card that provides just such connectivity in a single package. Please be aware that not all printers will work this way. Some of the Xerox Document Center devices are not network capable.

Q: Farmers indicates that they will only support the AS/400, System 36, Modem, Router and Hub. Can I do the internal work myself or do I need to seek professional help?

A: Some people have a proficiency for computers and computer related technologies. If you are one of those, than supporting this environment will not be too difficult. However, if you are not, or if you do not have the time to spend doing it, I would recommend that you get a competent professional to support your agency.

A: Some newer AS/400s were initially equipped with ethernet cards. This provides access to the AS/400 from a PC through TCP/IP and the use of a standard ethernet network card rather than using 5250 cards and Twinax cable. You probably have a Hub already, if you access it from more than one PC. This eliminates the need for both Category 5 and Twinax cable in order to provide dual access (AS/400 & the Internet).