multiprotocol transport network (SNA) (MPTN)

The Multiprotocol Transport Network (MPTN) is an IBM approach to integrating SNA in heterogeneous networks.

With MPTN, the fixed connection of an application to a specific transport protocol is resolved. The missing connection is closed by an adaptation module that fulfills a gateway function and is inserted between the network and higher layers.

With MPTN, the user no longer has to rely only on the SNA/ APPN stack; other protocols can be built on top of Advanced Peer to Peer Networking (APPN), making APPN the unified backbone.