The concepts underlying Entire Connection are aimed at delivering state-of-the-art functionality in a user-friendly manner. The following topics give an overview of these concepts:
Each host session is shown in a separate terminal application window.
Each session has a unique name and its own session properties. Session properties are all data required to open and run a session. Examples of these properties are: session type (e.g. TN3270), communication parameters, font and color scheme.
For TrueType fonts, the size of the display font is calculated using the size of the current terminal application window.
The size and position of each terminal application window is saved. When a window is closed and then opened again, it shows up in the previous position and size.
Entire Connection supports the LU1 (SCS) and LU3 protocol. Under Windows host printers can be emulated. It is thus possible to route host printouts to network printers or via FTP to other printers not connected to your network. Dedicated host printers are no longer required.
Host printer LU support is implemented as a Windows service. It and can be started and stopped using in the Windows Control Panel. The print LU can be monitored using the Entire Connection Host Printer Manager.
The Entire Connection data model is based on an object-oriented data concept.
In terms of Entire Connection, an object is a collection of related data or properties. These data appear as one unit stored in the configuration file (known as the "share file", as it is shared by all Entire Connection users). Examples of objects are:
Color Schemes
Key Schemes
Host Sessions
Users
There are public and private objects. Public objects are maintained by the administrator and can be used by all users. Private objects are created and maintained by the general user. Private objects can only be used by their owners. However, the administrator can change a private object to a public object, thus making it available for all users.
Each object is uniquely identified in the share file by object name and object type. A public object is further identified by the user group it belongs to. A private object is distinguished by the user ID of its owner.
The administrator can display a list of all public objects. A general user can also see his or her private objects, as well as those public objects accessible to the user group of which he or she is a member.
Note:
If there is both a public and a private object with the same
name, the user can only see the private object.
The group concept is used to control user access to public objects without the need for individual user authorizations. Users can be members of a group, and objects can be made accessible to a group. This means that a user can only access (or see) an object if he or she is a member of a group authorized for the object.
The following rules exist for groups:
A group has a unique name (or ID).
There can be up to 32000 groups in one installation (one share file).
A user can be a member of up to 32 groups.
An object can be made accessible to up to 32 groups.
To simplify user administration of Entire Connection in a LAN, predefined objects are supplied as part of the package. All these objects belong to the group EVERYONE. For the simplest possible installation, the administrator only has to define the users and assign them to the group EVERYONE. For this group, the following rules apply:
All system objects belong to the group EVERYONE.
The group EVERYONE cannot be deleted or renamed.
Using the Configuration Manager, the administrator can maintain all types of objects. The administrator can easily control what a user is authorized to do. In the extreme case, a user may not even be authorized to create private objects at all.
After Entire Connection has been installed, the administrator normally defines the following object types in the following sequence:
This object type is available for the administrator to modify the properties that affect all users and to define default values for properties.
System preferences are set once by the administrator. These default values are used as initial values in other object types where they can then be modified. This means: whenever a new object is created, some of its properties receive the default values of the system preferences.
System preferences include (among others):
Language
Keyboard table
Date and time formats
Maximum host response time
Procedure directory
Log/trace directory
This object type is available to maintain user definitions.
User definitions include (among others):
User ID and password
whether a password is required at logon
National language and keyboard table
Procedure directory
Log/trace directory
Startup and shutdown tasks
Date and time formats
This object type is used by the administrator to define host sessions for all users.
In the communication-specific dialog boxes, the parameters required for a communication method can be set.
An object of type host session contains all parameters needed to open and run a session. It also uses other objects (color schemes and key schemes). These objects are linked with the host session object.
This object type is available for the administrator to maintain user groups.