OS/2 Shareware BBS: 8 Other

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OS/2 Help File | 1995-05-23 | 24KB | 586 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Overview ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ TERMINAL MANAGER is a software package designed to run under the OS/2 Operating System allowing multiple users to be connected to a central OS/2 system through the use of low-cost terminals. The key features of Terminal Manager are - allows connection of up to 32 terminals to each PC, either locally or remotely. Monochrome terminals, colour terminals or DOS PCs are supported most OS/2 text-based applications are able to run on terminals the optional Multi-User DOS facility allows MSDOS programs to run on terminals supports standard COM1-COM8 ports in addition to third party multi-port adapters each terminal can be configured for multiple sessions support is provided for printers attached to terminals most DOS, KBD and VIO application program calls are fully supported terminal programs are able to use the facilities offered by IBM DB2/2, Communications Manager, LAN Server, REXX etc allows MSDOS PCs to act as terminals permitting MSDOS users to take advantage of the power of OS/2 applications ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Hardware and Software Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminal Manager works hand-in-hand with out-of-the-box OS/2 versions 1.x, 2.x or 3.0 (Warp). It does not require you to replace or modify the version of OS/2 supplied, warranteed and supported by your PC manufacturer. Terminal Manager will run on IBM PC/AT and compatible ISA or EISA computers or on IBM PS/2 Micro-Channel systems and compatibles. Memory and disk capacities very much depend upon the type of applications being run, however, a minimum of 8 megabytes of RAM is recommended. If the software is to run under OS/2 2.0 or later, the computer must have an Intel or compatible 80386, 80386SX, 80486, 80486SX or Pentium processor. The optional Multi-User DOS facility requires OS/2 2.0 or later. Terminal Manager is supplied as a software-only package. Users are able to purchase any of the supported terminals, communication adapters and cabling either from ourselves or from any suitable supplier. Qiiq offers the S-Link 4-port adapter at UK╨¼65 (US$105). Up to three S-Link adapters may be installed in a PC. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Terminals Supported ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Many of the terminals currently available on the market offer a PC mode of operation in conjunction with the option of having a PC-style keyboard layout. The PC-style keyboard layout allows the keyboard to have the same feel to the operator as the PC keyboard itself and overcomes the confusion normally caused by different keyboard layouts when moving between a PC and a terminal. The PC mode of operation available in these terminals allows the keyboard to generate the same scan codes as the PC itself whenever a key is pressed or released. An application program designed to use features of the PC keyboard such as the function keys, ALT keys, CTRL keys etc will thus run quite happily on a terminal working in PC mode. Although PC mode terminals are preferred, Terminal Manager also provides support for regular ASCII terminals such as the VT220 and WYSE 50. Terminal Manager provides special support for the low-cost Wyse WY-325 colour terminal. This allows terminal users to benefit from applications running in colour while still retaining the compatibility and cost benefits of PC mode terminals. Terminal Manager will support any industry-standard PC mode terminal, however, special support is built into the software for the following specific terminals - IBM 3151 Wyse WY-55 Wyse WY-60 Wyse WY-120 Wyse WY-325 (colour) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. MSDOS PCs as Terminals ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The DOS-TERMINAL feature, included with the Terminal Manager package, allows MSDOS-based PCs to be connected in place of standard terminals. The MSDOS PC functions in exactly the same way as a terminal. If the MSDOS PC has a colour screen, OS/2 and DOS applications will run on the MSDOS PC in colour. File transfer capability is provided between an MSDOS PC and the host system allowing local or remote transfer of data. The file transfer feature is invaluable for supporting remote sites. The DOS-TERMINAL software may be run on any number of MSDOS PCs connected to a Terminal Manager system. No additional charge is made for this facility. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Attachment Of Terminals ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminals are connected over low-cost RS232 lines to asynchronous ports on the PC. Terminals may be located remotely from the PC site, connected via modems, since Terminal Manager fully supports the modem interface. The software has facilities for sending modem initialisation and reset data to attached modems. Automatic logging off of terminals upon disconnection or timeout ensures only authorised users are able to access the system. The ability to have remote terminals connected over dial-up or leased lines provides a level of flexibility in system design not available in LAN-based systems, where all workstations must be sited in relatively close proximity to each other. Terminal Manager supports any intelligent or non-intelligent communication adapter provided with an OS/2 device driver. In addition, it has optimised, built-in, high-speed support for the following adapters - PC/AT System PS/2 Systems COM1 & COM2 COM1 to COM8 Digiboard PC/4 Digiboard MC/4 PC/8 & PC/16 MC/8 & MC/16 Hostess 4/8 Hostess MC 4/8 Hostess 550 4/8/16 Hostess 550MC 4/8/16 Technology Concepts CC8 Technology Concepts CC8/2 AST Four-Port ACCENT ASYNC-4 Qiiq S-Link 4-port Terminal Manager will support any adapter supplied with a standard OS/2 device driver, however, the software contains its own device drivers for the range of communication adapters named above. These drivers have been specifically designed to be highly efficient and optimised for terminal traffic. Baud rates up to 57600 are supported. Currently, Terminal Manager allows a maximum of 32 terminals to be connected to a single PC. In common with all multi-user systems, the actual number of terminals that may be usably supported by Terminal Manager varies according to a number of factors including - type of PC processor e.g. 80486 speed of the PC processor e.g. 66 MHz mix of application programs running in other sessions on the PC and terminals I/O characteristics of the terminal programs i.e. do they update the screen intensively processor usage of the terminal programs baud rate of connected terminals use of an intelligent or non-intelligent communication adapter If a single PC is unable to support the required number of terminals, the option exists to connect a number of the terminals to other PCs across a LAN. The operator at each terminal does not need to be aware of which PC the terminal is physically connected to. All terminals logically appear to be connected to the same system, however, the application and terminal processing load is shared between the interconnected PCs. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Terminal Printers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Most terminals allow attachment of a printer to a secondary port on the terminal and all MSDOS PCs are provided with a printer port. These printers may be used by application programs running at the terminals. Terminal Manager controls the routing of print data to the terminal-attached printers by multiplexing print data and screen and keyboard data along the same RS232 communication link; the application program does not need to concern itself with control of the terminal and printer. This feature greatly increases the number of printers able to be connected to a system and provides for remotely-sited print stations. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Multi-tasking On The Terminal ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Each terminal may be configured to have access to a number of individual sessions in much the same way as OS/2 on the PC itself. The terminal operator is able to select the required session by the use of a hot-key (Ctrl+ESC or Alt+ESC) on the terminal keyboard. This feature is particularly useful for temporarily leaving one program pending while calling up another program, possibly to perform an urgent update or enquiry. The terminal sessions operate entirely independently of each other and background terminal sessions continue to run while the operator is interacting with the foreground terminal session. In the same way as an OS/2 session on the PC, terminal sessions may be running multiple OS/2 processes each of which may comprise one or more threads. A terminal session may run both OS/2 and MSDOS programs allowing the operator to intermix the usage of both types of program. Since each terminal may have up to eight concurrent sessions, MSDOS applications may be multi-tasked on a single terminal. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. OS/2 Application Program Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminal Manager supports most application programs written to work in the text mode of OS/2. These applications are similar in operation to their MSDOS counterparts in that they display data as text, possibly using the PC's extended character set to draw limited graphics such as boxes and menu bars etc. Provided that a program does not use any of the more esoteric keyboard and video functions provided by OS/2, it will run on a terminal with no modification required. Programs written to use the facilities offered by Presentation Manager are not able to run on a terminal. However, most well-behaved text-mode applications will run happily in a window under Presentation Manager. Thus, an organisation wishing to maintain maximum flexibility is able to design programs capable of running in any of the three environments - on the PC in a full-screen text mode session on the PC in a Presentation Manager window on a terminal under Terminal Manager If true Presentation Manager graphics operation is required in certain circumstances, it may be worth incorporating a selectable text-mode facility so that all options are kept open. An organisation designing its business applications with the above considerations in mind, ensures maximum flexibility for future expansion of the application system. A program might start life being used by a single user and may be subsequently upgraded to multi-user by either running it in another PC on a LAN or by adding a terminal and running under Terminal Manager. Of course, both approaches may be intermixed. Users requiring access to just the business data processing applications could be equipped with dumb terminals, while others might require a PC for running personal applications as well, thus justifying the use of a networked PC. The organisation is always able to choose the best solution for the requirement in hand and in all cases, from a single user through to an intermix of networked PCs and terminals, the application program need not be modified. Many off-the-shelf text-based packages will run under Terminal Manager even though they were never explicitly designed to. Most OS/2 programs are safe to use in a multi-user environment since all programs must provide for record locking and/or file locking because, even though OS/2 is normally a single-user system, the operator is able to run multiple copies of the same program or other programs which may all wish to use the same files concurrently. If an application is not safe to run multi-user on a terminal, it is not safe to run single-user on a stand-alone PC. As a general rule, if multiple copies of an application program can be safely run in multiple sessions, that program is an ideal candidate for running under Terminal Manager. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. MSDOS Application Program Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The Multi-User DOS facility is an optional software product which allows MSDOS programs to be run on terminals. The facility is available only on computers running OS/2 version 2.0 or later. Multi-User DOS utilises the OS/2 multiple DOS session feature and supports most MSDOS applications written to work in text mode. The programs may use the PC's extended character set to draw limited graphics such as boxes and menu bars etc. Multi-User DOS extends OS/2's DOS session feature to include support for the special requirements of multi-user terminal operation. When an MSDOS program is run on a terminal, a special Settings file may be associated with the program. The Settings file is able to define the following options - A colour map for mapping of colours displayed by the program to the colours, or monochrome combinations, available on the terminal. A lock name to prevent other MSDOS programs from running at the same time which might try to access the same data without using any form of record locking. A CPU index value to control the number of MSDOS programs able to run concurrently. This feature ensures that the system will always maintain the required level of responsiveness when multiple terminals are running multiple MSDOS programs. A list of the DOS Settings to be applied to the DOS session. DOS Settings are normally defined in the Settings notebook for a Workplace Shell DOS program icon. This option extends the DOS Settings facility to terminal programs allowing them to run in the required DOS environment. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Control of Terminals ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminal Manager requires information on the environment in which it is running and the configuration of the terminal network to be supported. This information is supplied in the file TRMMAN.INI. TRMMAN.INI is a text file in the standard format of other OS/2 .INI files such as IBMLAN.INI. Statements in TRMMAN.INI inform Terminal Manager of the number of terminals to be handled, baud rates, terminal type and many other items of information. The following is a sample TRMMAN.INI file for a one terminal system - [SYSTEM] ; ; The SYSTEM section specifies parameters ; affecting all terminals ; ; The Shell statement names the first program ; to be loaded for each terminal ; SHELL=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE ; ; The KEYBOARDCP statement names the file ; from which keyboard code page tables ; will be read ; KEYBOARDCP=C:\OS2\KEYBOARD.DCP [PORT] ; ; PORT sections tell Terminal Manager details ; of the communication adapters to be used ; PORTNO=1 ;Assigns a logical number to the port ADAPTER=COM1 ;Specifies type of adapter [TERMINAL] ; ; Terminal sections give information ; about a terminal connected to the system ; TERMNO=20 ;Assigns a logical terminal number ;to the terminal PORTNO=1 ;Identifies the PORT to which the ;terminal is attached LOCATION="Sales Office" ;Allows text comments ;to be displayed TERMTYPE=WYSE325 ;Specifies type of terminal MAXSESSIONS=4 ;Sets the maximum number of ;sessions for the terminal BAUD=9600 ;Specifies the baud rate IDLETIMEOUT=15 ;States that the terminal ;be logged off after 15 ;minutes of inactivity Many other statements are possible in the TRMMAN.INI file allowing very flexible control over terminal configuration. Once Terminal Manager is running, the TermView module of the software allows the operator on the PC to control terminal activities such as - displaying terminal status activating and deactivating terminals logging users off terminals closing down the system displaying activity logs Whenever a terminal comes on-line, Terminal Manager loads the program named as the shell program for the terminal. The name of the shell program is specified either in the [SYSTEM] section of the TRMMAN.INI file or in a [TERMINAL] section if a specific program is to be used for a particular terminal. The shell program would normally request a user name and password and possibly display some menu of application choices. Shell programs are the same as any other OS/2 application, however, they would usually be designed for terminal-only use since they might call Terminal Manager for terminal-specific operations such as the TrmStartSession function which starts a new session in the terminal. The ability for users to create their own shell programs allows application systems to be built with any desired level of security mechanism. The software includes a facility called SVIEW which allows a supervisor at a terminal or at the host console to view the screens of the sessions at any of the other terminals. The sessions are viewed in real time with any changes to the viewed screen being immediately updated on the supervisor screen running the SVIEW program. Another facility, TCONTROL, works in a similar way to SVIEW but allows the controlling terminal to enter keystrokes on behalf of the other terminal. The SVIEW and TCONTROL facilities are useful for remote support of applications software and for training. In addition, they allow the central supervisor to determine the status of a terminal and to take over a terminal left in the middle of an application and to close it down gracefully. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Use of Other Components of OS/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ The OS/2 programs running on terminals under Terminal Manager are, in every respect, full OS/2 protect-mode applications. These programs are therefore able to use many of the facilities available to OS/2 programs running on the PC. In particular, terminal programs may use the facilities provided by - IBM Database 2 (DB2/2) IBM LAN Server IBM Communications Manager REXX Procedures Language When used in conjunction with the IBM LAN Server, Terminal Manager provides a flexible base on which powerful multiple terminal systems may be built. If the network is so configured, a terminal attached to one PC is able to access network databases contained on other PCs. Thus even dumb terminals are able to share the use of the local area network. Although the number of terminals attached to a single PC is currently limited to 32, larger terminal systems may be built by networking a number of PCs together, each running Terminal Manager. To the user the system appears as a single, multiple terminal system. An organisation considering implementing a large terminal network might find significant cost and performance benefits in a PC-based network-clustered terminal approach when compared to a single central mainframe or minicomputer system. This approach also offers a degree of fault-tolerance. Combining Terminal Manager with IBM's DB2/2 provides a transaction processing environment on which resilient business applications may be built. The sophistication of these products rivals many of the database offerings available on minis and mainframes. The Client/Server Architecture used by these database systems, and the use of Structured Query Language (SQL), are ideally suited for the database access requirements of terminal-based programs. IBM Communications Manager is another OS/2 component offering great scope for innovative terminal-based applications. Communications Manager features such as the SNA Gateway facility allow true distributed applications to be designed encompassing mainframe, PCs and terminals. The system designer is able to build networks with the freedom to choose the appropriate workstation for the job. Some workstations may need to be full PCs running Presentation Manager applications accessing the mainframe database, while others might be low-cost terminals for routine mainframe enquiry and update. The REXX Procedures Language, which is a standard part of OS/2, may be used to write terminal programs. REXX is a powerful and easy-to-use language able to interface to other OS/2 components such as DB2/2. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Future Product Enhancements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminal Manager continues to be enhanced to take advantage of new features of successive releases of OS/2. Each registered Terminal Manager user is kept informed of product updates and is able to upgrade to new releases at minimal cost. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Pricing and Ordering Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Terminal Manager licence pricing is based on the number of concurrent users, not on the number of communication adapter ports configured. The number of users is in addition to the operator of the host PC's screen and keyboard. As an example, a 4-user system might be configured to handle 8 terminals, only 4 of which are able to log on at any one time; if a 5th terminal attempts to log on, it will be suspended until one of the other terminals logs off. The number of users may be upgraded at any time by replacing a single file for one supporting the required number of users. The upgrade price is the difference between the two original package prices. The following table details the package prices. The Users column is the licensed number of concurrent users. Price is the total package price. Users Price 1 UK╨¼125 (US$200) 4 UK╨¼245 (US$390) 8 UK╨¼395 (US$630) 16 UK╨¼595 (US$950) 32 UK╨¼995 (US$1590) A fully-functional Evaluation Edition, complete with documentation, is available at UK╨¼25 (US$40) which can be upgraded later for the just the price difference. The Multi-User DOS facility is included in the prices listed above and allows MSDOS programs to run on any of the terminals. The Qiiq S-Link 4-port adapter for AT-bus (ISA) computers may be ordered at a price of UK╨¼65 (US$105). All prices quoted are exclusive of carriage and any Value Added Tax payable (United Kingdom only). Purchasers within the European Union, who are registered in their own country for Value Added Tax, should quote their VAT registration number with the order. Carriage is charged on a per-item basis where the Terminal Manager software is one item and the S-Link adapter is another item. The item carriage price is as follows - UK Europe Outside Europe UK╨¼3 UK╨¼5 UK╨¼9 (US$15) Any local taxes or import duties are the responsibility of the purchaser. You may order the software, and any associated hardware, as follows - by mail to Qiiq Ltd Elm House 17-19 Claygate Lane Thames Ditton Surrey KT7 0DL United Kingdom by voice telephone to +44 (0)181 339 0739 by FAX to +44 (0)181 398 8443 We accept Visa and MasterCard credit cards in payment for the software and any hardware ordered. If you are paying by credit card, please quote the following - the name as shown on the card the card number the expiry date the address at which the cardholder is registered Credit card payments will be billed in sterling and will be converted to your own currency by your credit card company. The US dollar prices quoted are an approximate price, however, the sterling price will always be adjusted to maintain the approximate US dollar price at the current sterling/dollar exchange rate. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Order Form (for printing) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ Purchase Order to Qiiq Ltd. Please supply the following to the shipment address below - Qty Product Unit Price Price UK╨¼ (Unit Price x Qty) === ======================= ======== =========== 1-user Terminal Manager 125.00 4-user Terminal Manager 245.00 8-user Terminal Manager 395.00 16-user Terminal Manager 595.00 32-user Terminal Manager 995.00 4-user Evaluation Edition 25.00 S-Link 4-port adapter 65.00 ============================================== Total Goods Carriage x no. of items - within UK 3.00 Europe 5.00 outside Europe 9.00 ============= Sub Total VAT @ 17.5% of sub-total (UK only) ============= TOTAL UK╨¼ ============= I authorise you to charge the above total amount to my VISA / MASTERCARD account as follows - Card number - Cardholder name - Cardholder address - Expiry date - Cardholder's signature - Shipment Address ================ Name - Organisation - Address - Address - Address - Address - Town/City - State/County/Province - Zip/Post Code - Country - European Union Value Added Tax Registration number (if applicable) - ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Copyright Notice ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ (c) Copyright 1995 Qiiq Ltd. All rights reserved. June 1995. The Terminal Manager software is (c) Copyright 1990-1995 Qiiq Ltd. All rights reserved.