Connection templates

Overview: Connection templates

Connection templates are server files (INI files) that contain fundamental information for establishing an emulation connection, for example:

• Accessibility of the host system (IP address and port number..)
• Detailed information about the emulated terminal (terminal type and font..).

As an administrator, you create connection templates

• either for all users
• or limited to a specific user group.

These templates are used when a user wants to start a session.

The connection wizard described here supports you when creating, changing or deleting these templates.

Note:

• The access over the LogWeb/Ajax server must often be specifically granted by the host.
• You therefore need to coordinate your tests with your host system administrators.

Starting the wizard

You start the wizard using the LogWeb/Ajax Administration.

Select one of the following actions:

• Create a new connection
• Change an existing connection
• Delete an existing connection

and click Next >.

Creating a new connection template

You can either

• create a completely new connection template;
  to do this, select Connection Type, for example "5250" or "UNIX",
• or copy and change an existing template.
  Select the template to be copied by specifying the Group and the File Name.

Next, select the user group for the new template and enter the file name and the description for the new template.

Modifying a connection template

Select the template that you want to change; to do this, enter the Group and File Name.

The current Description of the connection template is displayed; you can change this if necessary.

If you want to view or change connection details or LOG-WEB settings, select the corresponding fields.

Then, click Next >.

Deleting a connection template

Select the template that you want to delete; to do this enter the Group and File Name.

The Description of the connection is displayed.

If you want to view the connection details again before you delete the template, select the corresponding fields.

Then, click Next >.

Connection details: UNIX (xterm, VT, 97801)

For UNIX connections, you can enter the following connection details:

• With IP address, Port Number and, if applicable, the Telnet Protocol, you specify the accessibility of the UNIX host system.
• With Terminal Type and font, you specify the properties of the terminal emulation.
• If required, you can also pass the UNIX environment variable to the host system during startup. Your UNIX host system can automatically evaluate this variable in a login script.
  • The system variable USER is normally used for automatic login to the UNIX host system. If you enter *, the user name of the current user is automatically entered.
  • If you are not using environment variables, leave these fields blank.
  Note: The meaning of the system variable must correspond with your UNIX application.

Connection details: Mainframes (3270, 5250, 9750)

For mainframe connections, you can enter the following connection details:

• With IP address, Port Number and, if applicable, Telnet Protocol you specify the accessibility of the mainframe system.
  These specifications have priority over any settings in your LOG-WEB server.
• With Idle Timeout, you ensure that inactive connections are automatically disconnected when this time period is exceeded.

Depending on your mainframe application, further information can be required, for example, the Terminal Type or specific rules for converting National Characters.
The Station Name identifies the terminal; see also our notes.

If you want to share a printer with your mainframe application, enter this in the following fields:

• Printer Station Name: Identifies the printer.
  See also our notes.
• National Characters: Specifies how to convert the national characters received by the host server.
• Output Format: Specifies the format for print output, for example, output as a PDF document.

Note about the station name, Printer Station Name and pooling:

• Many mainframe applications require unique station names or printer station names to identify or authenticate the dialog terminal or printer.
• If your application does not require this information, leave the corresponding fields blank.
• If your application uses a specific name for each user, you must leave the corresponding fields blank in the connection file. Instead, enter the specified names for all users in their user files, for example:

  StationName=DSPMET7808
  PrinterName=PRTTK7808
  

  for the user UR7808 in the user file ur7808.ini.
• However, if your application supports "station pooling", these names are unique, independent of the user, and created in sequence according to a pattern, for example: TERM0001, TERM0002..
  • You can copy this pattern through automatic counting using the LOG-WEB pool variables $POOL_xxx$.
  • The four-digit pool variable

    $POOL_LU$
    

    is predefined for this purpose.
  • If you require further pool variables, you can specify these in the LOG-WEB configuration file pools.ini.
• You do not need to individually enter pool names for every user in their user file. This is easier if you do enter the names directly in the connection template, for example, using

  TERM$POOL_LU$
  

  for the dialogue station name or

  PRNT$POOL_LU$
  

  for the printer station name.
• For IBM 3270 and 5250 connections, you can explicitly set a specific terminal type in special circumstances. It is entered before the station name and separated from it by the @ symbol, for example

  IBM-3278-2-E@TERM$POOL_LU$
  

  Without such information, the default terminal types are automatically used:
  • for 3270 dialog terminals: IBM-3278-2-E
  • for 5250 dialog terminals: IBM-3477-FC
  • for 3270 und 5250 printers: IBM-3287-1

Connection details: LOG WEB (only for mainframes)

Internally, all mainframe connections use the LOG-WEB server. You usually do not need to enter any information; in special cases, you can enter the following details for the LOG-WEB connection:

• LOG-WEB server: Enter the IP address and the port number of the LOG-WEB server.
  The default setting is 127.0.0.1:5000
• LOG-WEB user name: You usually leave this field blank: if required, the name of the logged in user is automatically used.
  In special cases, you can enter a user name defined in LOG WEB instead, for example, demo.
• LOG-WEB password: If you have explicitly entered a LOG-WEB user name above, you can enter a corresponding password here.
  In all other cases, leave the field blank.
• LOG-WEB application file: The LOG-WEB application file is normally entered automatically, for example

  appl/ajax/5250-ajax.ini
  

  In special cases, you can enter another application file here instead.

General parameters

When starting the Ajax session, you can pass the following parameters:

• Language: Note that your language selection only affects the menu parts of the terminal emulation. You cannot alter the language for the host system or the host application with this parameter.
• Status Line Text: The text entered here is shown in the status line of the terminal emulation.
• Session may be suspended: If you select this option, users can suspend a session when required. Instead of ending it normally, the host session is kept maintained in the background by the server, until the same user starts it afresh (or until it is ended, for example, by the host system or administrator).
• With the Trace Settings, a runtime log can be created for every session started in this way.
  Alternatively, you can turn on the runtime log in the session overview specifically for a running session only.

In certain situations, it may be practical to individually set additional information such as "LU name" or "UNIX environment variable" when starting the application.

The procedure is described in "login adjustment".