Differences in transaction pipes

IMS LTERMs and UNIX pipes both provide a one-way flow for message traffic. An OTMA transaction pipe provides a two-way flow.

The concept of a transaction pipe is applicable to any protocol. In a general way, the transaction pipe replaces the IMS LTERM because:

Processing is full duplex.
Multiple flow-control mechanisms are possible.
The logical output entity (in other words, the LTERM) is dissociated from the node of the actual user.
The transaction pipe is implemented as a protocol rather than as an API, which facilitates a client/server architecture.
The transaction pipe sets up a data-control mechanism independent of session characteristics, and is therefore transaction specific.