How do I connect to an IBM Mainframe?

How do I connect to a x3270 IBM Mainframe using the GNOME Terminal? I am not sure how to do this. Is there any documentation on it?

Solution 1:

You need to use Telnet. Lucky for you there is a tool for this called x3270 - IBM host access tool.

 x3270  opens  a  telnet  connection  to an IBM host in an X window.  It
       implements RFCs  2355  (TN3270E),  1576  (TN3270)  and  1646  (LU  name
       selection), and supports IND$FILE file transfer.  The window created by
       x3270 can use its own font for displaying characters, so it is a fairly
       accurate  representation  of  an  IBM  3278  or 3279.  It is similar to
       tn3270(1) except that it is X-based, not curses-based.

       The full syntax for host is:
              [prefix:]...[LUname@]hostname[:port]

Installation (x3270 )

sudo apt-get install x3270

According to the information in Ubuntu Software Center you will need to install the x3270 fonts manually since they are required (xfonts-x3270-misc ):

sudo apt-get install xfonts-x3270-misc

Solution 2:

Another tool that you can use is c3270.

c3270 opens a telnet connection to an IBM mainframe host in an Xterm window or Virtual Console. It can also connect to an IBM AS/400 as a 5250 terminal using the AS/400's 3270 emulation.

c3270 is similar to tn3270(1), and x3270(1) except that it is curses-based, not X-based.

c3270 implements RFCs 2355 (TN3270E), 1576 (TN3270), and 1646 (LU name selection), and supports IND$FILE file transfer.^UA

To install click c3270

Or, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open Terminal. When it opens, run the command(s) below:

sudo apt-get install c3270

For the c3270 manual, see here