ISPF Client/Server - Part I: Download and Startup
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SYSTEM BY ROBERT SIMPSON STRATEGIES ISPF Client/Server - Part I: Download and Startup his article begins a four-part series on the client/server feature of ISPF Version 4. Normally, ISPF panel display functions are han- dled by ISPF code running on the mainframe. The panels are T transmitted in a 3270 data stream to a terminal or to a PC running a terminal emulation program. In client/server mode, the panel display func- tions are handled by a program that is shipped with ISPF, but which runs on a The client/server feature PC under OS/2 or Windows. The data is transmitted to this client program using of ISPF Version 4 offers APPC or TCP/IP communication protocols. the same features as previous versions, but Note: Testing for preparation of this article pushbuttons which allow the correspond- adds new functionality was performed on a host system running MVS, ing commands to be executed with a single TSO, and ISPF Version 4.1. The clients for mouse click. through Graphical User testing were PCs running OS/2 Version 2.1, OS/2 Warp Version 3, and Windows 3.1. This ■ You can cut and paste between input Interfaces. article is not intended as a tutorial on either fields using Shift-Delete and Shift-Insert TCP/IP or APPC, so a working communica- (but since multiple line input areas are tions connection is assumed. displayed with one input field for each The most noticeable difference between line, this works for single lines only). the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the traditional terminal emulation interface is ■ In split–screen mode, each screen appears with the “look and feel” of the ISPF panels. as a separate window containing a full 24 Standard panels appear as windows with a x 80 (or larger) display area. white background containing colored text and various GUI controls, including input ■ You can switch between ISPF windows fields, push buttons, and check boxes. Dialogs using the mouse or Ctrl-Esc, even when and messages are displayed in separate windows there is no PF key assigned to the SWAP of various sizes. This has both advantages command. However, this is not the same and disadvantages: as doing the SWAP command; for exam- ple, SWAP will clear the command line of Advantages: the window being displayed, switching to the window with the mouse will not. ■ The GUI interface. ■ ISPF Version 4.2 will allow up to 32 – The mouse can be used to position separate ISPF windows. the cursor to input fields and other GUI controls. ■ The window dimensions can be specified, allowing window sizes larger than model 4 – Check boxes can be selected (44 x 80) or model 5 (28 x 132) terminal and deselected using the mouse. screens. For example, you can specify a window size which takes up the entire – The action bar works as a PC screen area without having scroll bars, pull-down menu. or you can specify a full 134–column width and do horizontal scrolling on the – PF key descriptions in the function key PC rather than with ISPF LEFT and area and “point-and-shoot” fields appear as RIGHT commands. TECHNICAL SUPPORT APRIL 1996 Disadvantages: see this by comparing how the Insert ■ When you exit ISPF, the client window key operates in a Windows Properties ma y not close as exp e c t e d . If the window ■ There are no keyboard equivalents to the dialog box and on an OS/2 Settings remains with a clo c k curso r , swi t c h to the new line key (Return is used as the Enter notebook page. This makes it somewhat emu l at o r wi n d o w and page through any key) and a few other 3270 functions such more difficult to use the Windows remaining TSO messages or output by as Erase Input. interface than the OS/2 or traditional pressing Enter at the “***” prompt until terminal interface (imagine having the TSO READY prompt is displayed and ■ The up and down cursor keys can move to use a terminal with insert mode the window is closed. only between adjacent input fields. This always on). makes it easy to move the cursor to the Another difference is that the client ■ Having it simply beep and display the last job in SDSF held output queue by program displays only ISPF output; TSO message in a background emulator win holding down the down arrow key, but output still appears in the terminal emula- dow rather than overlaying the screen can be annoying at other times. tor window. When running in terminal with the NOTIFY message when a job mode, TSO output is displayed automati- completes is nice, but it takes a few more ■ Because output fields appear as static text cally and you simply hit Enter (or right keys t ro k es to swi t c h to the backg round on the window background, the cursor Ctrl) at the “***” prompt to return to emu l a tor window when it has been com- cannot be positioned to output fields. This ISPF. In client/server mode, you must pletely covered by other windows. Keep makes it impossible to scroll a line to the switch to the terminal emulator window pa r t of the emul a tor window showing so top or bottom using cursor positioning in to see TSO messages (including job you can swi t c h windows with a single the SDSF LOG or output display (use SE submission and completion messages) mouse click. instead of S) or in BROWSE (use VI E W or output from TSO commands. This has instead of BROWS E ) . a few side effects: ■ You must swi t c h to the terminal emul a tor w i n d ow to rep ly to a prompt for input ■ You can’t mark and copy/paste multiple to a TSO command, s u ch as the lines as in the terminal emulator. responses to a TSO RECEIVE com- The most noticeable m a n d, or when running a progra m , ■ In addi t i o n , the cursor cannot be positioned difference between the s u ch as QMF, wh i ch uses GDDM to an output field by code in the panel instead of ISPF display serv i c e s . or in the program which displays the Graphical User Interface panel. Instead, the cursor is positioned (GUI) and the traditional PREREQUISITES to the first input field. For example, when Obviously, some communications software executing a FIND command on terminal emulation is needed to provide the connection between the BROWSE or SDSF LOG screen, the interface is with the the mainframe and the PC. For an OS/2 client, cursor is positioned on the command line you need either Communications Manager/2 rather than on the text that matched the “look and feel” of the for an APPC connection or IBM TCP/IP for search string. In terminal mode, the ISPF panels. OS/2. For Windows, you need IBM TCP/IP cursor is placed on the matching text, and for DOS with corrective service level 2.1.0.4 if the search is repeated without moving or higher, or version 4.1 of Novell’s LAN the cursor using a PF key which has been ■ You can continue working in the ISPF Workplace for DOS.We attempted to use the assigned the RFIND command, the next window without having to scroll through Windows ISPF client with a Windows TCP/IP occurrence of the search string will be all of the TSO output. You can switch to package, specifically SuperTCP Version 2.13 located. In client/server mode, the same the emulator window at any time and f rom Frontier Te ch n o l ogies Corp o rat i o n operation repeatedly finds the same text then scroll through the output by hitting ( F T C ) , and sure enough, it didn’t wo rk . on the first line of the screen, because Enter (right Ctrl) at the “***” prompt. Finally, APPC and/or TCP/IP must be running RFIND starts searching from on the mainfram e . Be sure the prer equisites are the beginning of the screen when the cur- ■ In some cases, when there is enough out met befor e proc e e d i n g . sor is on the command line. put to fill the TSO output buf fer , you must There are three steps to getting the ISPF respond to enough of the “* * * ” pr ompts to GUI working: download the client code, set ■ Although IBM recommends doing get the TSO command to complete before up the PC to accept a connection, then start IND$FILE file transfers only from the the next ISPF panel will be displayed. the GUI from the mainframe. TSO READY prompt (see information AP AR II06984), some terminal emul at o rs , ■ When the TSO command completes, the DOWNLOADING THE CLIENT CODE such as CM/2, can transfer files from th e ISPF panel is redisplayed whi c h brings it Although ISPF provides option 3.7 to ISPF “TSO Command” panel (option 6). to the for egrou n d , often while you are still d ownload the client code to a PC with In cli e n t / s e r ver mode, there is no menu lo o k i n g at the TSO output. For example, T C P / I P, an FTP server daemon (FTPD) option to initiate file transfers. Another do a TSO LISTALC STATUS and imme- must be running on the PC.