Connection network support

A connection network allows APPN support to find addressing information about another system on a LAN when a connection needs to be established. The connection network is an enhancement of automatic configuration since the iSeries system determines addressing information for outgoing calls and automatically creates the associated controller description. Without connection network support, one of the two systems making a connection would be required to have the other system's LAN address and other controller information manually configured. The main benefits for using connection network support are:

• It requires less manual definition of controller descriptions.
• It provides direct, any-to-any connectivity with other systems that are defined to the same connection network instead of using intermediate routing.
• It reduces the amount of information in the APPN topology database and decreases the number of topology updates sent to other systems.

For Information about how to take part in a connection network see Requirements to participate in a connection network. The page, Connection network configuration considerations gives you some points to keep in mind when configuring your connection network.