OS/2 Shareware BBS: 8 Other/08-Other.zip/pagdemo.zip/tutpag.inf

OS/2 Help File | 1994-11-12 | 20KB | 464 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Chapter 1 - Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

HODstar Pager quickly and easily permits users to leave a message on today's
standard pagers.  It's the perfect addition to your OS/2 electronic personal
information manager, or for when you need to add paging functionality to any of
your other OS/2 applications!

HODstar Pager runs from either the OS/2 Desktop or from the command-line.
Pager can also create (build) separate standalone paging procedures that can be
called from any OS/2 batch file, application, or REXX program.

Pager works with all AT-command set compatible modems and FAX modems.  The
HODstar Pager user database integrates cleanly into the HODstar common database
used by all our products.

This Tutorial covers configuring Pager, working with user profiles, paging
users, as well as some advanced topics like batch loading and creating
procedures.

The following sections will be covered in the Tutorial:

o Configuring HODstar Pager
o Adding User Profiles
o Paging Users
o Advanced topics

   - Using Procedures
   - Using a central database

As you go through this Tutorial, the next and previous lesson will be
highlighted. If you need to go back to the previous lesson, just select
Previous Lesson.  If you are comfortable that you have finished the lesson,
select Next Lesson. Click on Begin Tutorial - Configuration to start.

Remember that on-line help is always available when using Pager. Just select
HELP->Reference or F1 to get additional information about Pager.

Consideration:  README files override everything reasonable. Congress, and
especially the GOP, is one big README.  So peruse ours.  It covers install
stuff and things that didn't make the current release.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Chapter 2 - Configuring HODstar Pager ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Before you can begin using HODstar Pager, you must first create or have access
to a database to store the user profile information and you must configure the
modem.

Consideration:  You may already have the HODstar common database on your
network!  After completing this tutorial contact your system administrator to
determine if they are using other HODstar products and, if so, whether you
should use their database for day-to-day use.

o Lesson 2.1 - Building a Database will take you through building a local
  standalone database to store your user profile information for this tutorial.

o Lesson 2.2 - Configuring your modem will take you through setting up your
  modem definitions for Pager.

o Next Lesson - 2.1 Building a database
o Previous Section - Introduction


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Lesson 2.1 - Building a database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes how to build your first Pager database of user profiles.
This lesson will describe how to build an Independent Standalone database which
will allow you to create a sample database for the tutorial. This database can
only be used on the machine where it is created, although the database files
themselves can be copied between PCs.

Lesson 5.2 describes how to access a DB2/2 local or shared database.

Recommendation:  In order to use the HODstar products together in a network
environment, HODstar recommends using a shared DB2/2 database. This is
especially true if you have multiple platforms such as Windows NT, *IX, and
Mainframe DB2 as well as OS/2.

To build a Pager database, do the following:

 1. When you start Pager for the first time, you will get an error because you
    do not have a database of user information.

 2. Run the Maintenance Panel object from the HODstar folder.

    This will display the Configure Database panel.

 3. Select the Independent Standalone button

   User table name     Specifies the database table name for the user
                       information
   Path to database    Specifies the path for the independent Standalone
                       Databasefiles to be stored.

 4. Accept the User table name and Path to database values as they are.

 5. If you need to reset the values to the shipped defaults, press the Defaults
    button.

 6. Press the Build new button to create the independent standalone database.

 7. Select Yes on the verification window that you do want to create a new
    database.

 8. If the Path to database does not exist you will get a message asking if you
    want to create the subdirectory.  Select Yes.

    You will see the status of the new database displayed on the Status line
    above the buttons.  You will get a message stating "New HODstar database
    successfully completed"

 9. Close the Configure Database window.

You have now created a local independent stand-alone database to store your
user profile information. Your next lesson will cover configuring your modem
for Pager.

o Next Lesson - 2.1 Configuring your modem
o Previous Section - Configuring Pager
o Related Lesson - 5.2 Accessing a Shared database


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Lesson 2.2 - Configuring your modem ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In addition to having access to a database, HODstar Pager must have information
about your modem in order to dial out over the telephone to activate a pager.
This section describes how to setup Pager to access your modem.

The default settings for Pager are suitable for most true AT-compatible modems.
Some modems may have unique capabilities not used by these defaults.  Consult
your modem documentation to determine if you need these additional
capabilities.

Important Feature:  HODstar Pager works with both local and shared network
modems!

 1. Select Configure->Modem.

    The Configure Modem panel displays.  The fields are:

   Modem Port            The communications port connecting the modem to your
                         PC.
   Hangup string         Commands to have your modem disconnect from the
                         telephone line.
   Initialization string Commands determining how your modem initiates and
                         manages the session on the telephone line.

 2. If needed, make changes to the values and press the Save button to save the
    changes.  If you need to reset the values to the shipped defaults, press
    the Defaults button and then press Save.

 3. Close the Configure Modem window when you have finished reviewing or
    changing the values.

Important Feature:  All changes to this panel are not permanent until you click
the Save button.  Even after saving you can reset back to factory values using
the Default button.  You can always recover no matter what changes are made to
your environment!

You have now defined your modem for use with Pager.  The next lesson will
discuss adding users and sending pages.

o Next Section- 3.0 Working with User Profiles
o Previous Lesson - 2.1 Building a database


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Chapter 3 - Working with User Profiles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In order to be easy to use, HODstar Pager stores information about users in its
database.  This allows you to only enter the information once and access it
many times as you page people.  The database can be a local or use your
network's shared HODstar common database.

o Lesson 3.1 - Adding users will take you through creating an example user
  profile, and discusses changing and deleting existing user profiles.

o Next Lesson - 3.1 Adding users
o Previous Section - 2.2 Configuring your modem


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Lesson 3.1 - Adding users ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This lesson describes how to create user profiles.  HODstar Pager uses this
information to display a list of people to you for easy selection.

 1. From the Pager Panel, select Users -> Add

    The Add new user profile notebook will appear.

 2. Fill out the Main page.  You must fill in the Alias field.

    Note:  If you selected the "Show users with pager number's only" check box
    on Configure Database, only users with pager numbers are added to the list
    of total available users.  Disable this feature if you want a full list of
    all users in your database.  You may want to show a full list if you need
    to modify user profiles.  Users without pager numbers cannot be added to
    the list of Users to be Paged.

    If you would like to add additional information for this user, fill out the
    Contact page.

 3. Press the Add button to add the user information to the database.

    The status line will display "User profile successfully added" when the
    information has been stored in the database and the window will change to
    the "ALIAS - Change User Profile".

 4. Press the Clear panel to continue to add users to the database.  Otherwise,
    close the ALAIS - Change User Profile notebook.

Recommendation:  Add at least four users, even if they are all using the same
pager number.  This will help you in the next section when defining a page.

After you have added one or more names to your database, you should now see a
list of names in the list of available users on the left side of the panel.

To Change a user, select the user from the Users with pagers list and select
Users -> Change.  After you have made your changes, select the Change button to
store your changes to the database.

To Delete a user, select the user from the list and select Users -> Delete.

Consideration:  Use the View option when you just want to quickly refer to a
user profile.  View disables the buttons used to change a user profile, and is
intended to prevent accidental change of a profile.

o Next Lesson - Paging Users
o Previous Section- Working with User Profiles


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Chapter 4 - Paging Users ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes how to page a user using Pager.

Reminder:  Make sure you added user profiles with valid pager numbers in the
previous section.  Also make sure that you have configured your modem
correctly, and that the modem is turned on and its telephone line available.

o Lesson 4.1 - Defining a Page will take you through selecting multiple users
  to a page list, and paging those users.

o Next Lesson - 4.1 Defining a Page
o Previous Section - 3.1 Adding users


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Lesson 4.1 - Defining a Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Defining a page involves selecting one or more users to move or Add from the
list of Available Users to the list of Users to Be Paged, and then specifying a
return phone number or message.

Important Feature:  There are several ways to select users!  Use the Ctrl key
along with the mouse and its left button to select individual users.  Or click
on one profile and, while holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse
pointer down the list.  Or use just the keyboard cursor keys to move up and
down the list, and the spacebar to select and deselect specific users!  The
Ctrl-/ key combination selects all users, and Ctrl-\ deselects all users.

 1. Select one or more names from the Users with Pagers list and press the
    Add==> button.

    The name will move to the Users to be paged list.

    Important Feature:  There are several ways to select menu options also!
    Move the mouse pointer of the Available Users list and click the right
    mouse for a popup menu.  Or click on the Configure menu option on the
    Action bar.  Or use the Shift-F10 key combination to activate the menu!

 2. Repeat the previous step to page a list of users.

 3. In the Phone Number/Message field enter the return phone number and/or
    message to be sent.

    Consideration:  You can enter letters and special characters in the Phone
    Number/Message field, but your pager distributor must support this type of
    non-numeric information. If you're unsure if your distributor supports text
    messages then just enter a phone number since all pager distributors
    support numbers as a valid message.

 4. Press the Page! to issue the page.

    When the page is complete the Users to be paged list will be cleared.

o Next Section - Advanced topics
o Previous Section - Paging Users


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Chapter 5 - Advanced topics ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section includes information about using some of the advanced features of
Pager.  You will learn how to add user profiles to Pager using a batch import
feature, how to use Pager to create stand-alone procedures that you can run at
any time to page someone, and how to configure Pager for integration with LAN
or enterprise databases.

Most casual users of HODstar Pager will not need to refer to this section.  The
information presented here primarily affects LAN or enterprise network
environments, administrators migrating or integrating HODstar products, or
environments wanting to add paging functionality to their other applications.

Select the topic you would like to cover:

o Working with Procedures
o Using a central database


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Lesson 5.1 - What is a Procedure? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Procedures provide your staff a way to automatically page one or more users
just as one does from within the HODstar Pager application itself, but without
having to use the actual HODstar Pager application.

A procedure is essentially a standalone REXX program that is built by HODstar
Pager and that can be copied to another location and executed by any OS/2 batch
file, REXX program, or other OS/2 program such as the HODstar Supporter.

o Next Lesson - Building a procedure


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Lesson 5.1.1 - Building a Page Procedure ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use HODstar Pager to create a list of users to be paged just as you did in
Chapter 4 - Paging Users.  When the list is completed and a return number
entered in the Return Number/Message field then select the BUILD button.

At the prompt enter the name you wish to give the procedure, and optionally a
drive and path where the procedure will be stored.  Use eight characters or
less for the procedure name, and do not specify an extension.  HODstar Pager
will truncate any specified name to this format.

Example:  You might specify D:\HODSTAR\LANADMIN for a list of LAN
administrators to be paged with a phone number or message.  The procedure's
final file name will be LANADMIN.CMD, stored in the D:\HODSTAR\ directory.

Consideration:  Any modem options specified within HODstar Pager at the time
the procedure is built will be hard-coded into that procedure.  If your modem
settings or port name change then the procedure will need to be rebuilt.  The
procedure does not hard-code any database options since user names and pager
numbers are also hard-coded into the procedure.  Test the final procedure
before integrating it into your other programs.  Pager does not validate these
modem settings since the environment where the procedure will finally be used
will probably be different then that of the PC used to build the procedure.

Consideration:  Procedures cannot be just copied to diskette and then copied to
another PC's hard drive.  See the online Reference for considerations when
copying procedures to another PC.

Example:  You might specify D:\HODSTAR\LANADMIN

o Next Lesson - Running Your Procedure
o Previous Section - What is a Procedure?


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Lesson 5.1.2 - Running Your Procedure ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To run a procedure, first make sure that your modem is connected to the test PC
as configured for by HODstar Pager, and that the modem is turned on and its
phone line available.

When ready merely enter the procedure name at a command line, i.e. LANADMIN.
The procedure will validate the modem port, and then make sure it is a true
AT-compatible modem.  As the PC passes these tests HODstar Pager will then go
on to page your listed users.

Consideration:  Shared network modems may be tied up by other network users.
Contact your system administrator to help you secure a modem for full
availability if you have a business need to prevent interruptions. A good
example is a help desk requiring immediate pager access to critical personnel.

Important Feature:  HODstar Pager procedures use errorlevel return codes.
These return codes are important when using OS/2 batch and REXX files to
automate paging since they 'tell' the calling file whether the procedure
succeeded or failed.  HODstar Pager v1.0 returns an errorlevel of 0 if
successful, and a 1 if it encountered a problem.  Future versions may add more
errorlevels to help your batch files more accurately identify automatically
what problems Pager encountered.

o Next Lesson - Using a Centralized Database
o Previous Lesson - Building a Page Procedure


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Lesson 5.2 - Using a Centralized Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you have a network environment, this lesson describes how to access a shared
database. In order to take this lesson you may need to contact your
administrator for access to and information about the central database.  This
central database may be the HODstar Standalone Database shared on a network
drive, or a DB2 database on a central database server.  Only a system database
administrator can grant you access to create, load, or modify a database on a
DB2 server. In a large network environment, the database may be a server to all
users of HODstarPager or of other HODstar products.

For DB2 environments, this lesson assumes that you already have DB2/2 installed
and have authority to create local databases. A HODstar Standalone Database
does not require DB2, nor does it require any special logon IDs.

Recommendation:  HODstar strongly recommends not changing the default values
for table name, qualifier id, database name for DB2 platforms.  Changing these
values could impact integration or migration of other HODstar products.  Only
qualified system database administrators should change these fields, and then
only when they collide with or prevent integration with other DB2 database
structures.

Recommendation:  HODstar Pager v1.0 should use the IBM DB/2 database engine for
shared network access.

Consideration:  The HODstar standalone database engine in this version can be
shared over a network, but be aware that you risk loss of database integrity in
this environment.  This is a fundamental consideration for any network
environment where multiple users are simultaneous modifying the same actual
data file.  The DB2 environment is preferable since network users go through a
single program (the database server program) for access to the physical file,
rather than all users directly updating that actual file, and therefore that
single server program can guard against file corruption.  File corruption is
less critical if there is only one user updating the database, and the
remaining network users are merely viewing data.

DB2/2 provides the highest performing and most stable platform for
cross-network, multi-platform data access and should be considered if your
environment values these features.

o Next Lesson - Configuring a Centralized Database
o Previous Lesson - Running Your Procedure


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. Lesson 5.2.1 - Configuring a Centralized Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To define Pager to access a shared database, do the following:

 1. Select Configure -> Database from the menu bar.

   o This will display the Configure Database panel.

 2. On this panel, fill out the database type.  If you are sharing the HODstar
    Standalone Database for shared network access (you do understand the
    issues, right?!) then set the database path to a shared network drive ID.
    For the DB2 database make sure that you are logged on with a user ID
    defined by your system database administrator as granting create access.
    Select the Save button after making any needed changes.

 3. Select Build New to build the database.  Note that for DB2 environments
    this option requires that you be on the actual DB2/2 server.  This step is
    not required if you are connecting to an already established HODstar common
    database.

 4. Close the Configure Database panel.  At the HODstar Pager Control Panel
    select the Refresh button.  For DB2 environments this connects you to the
    server before pulling down a list of users to display in the Available
    Users list on the left of the screen.

o Previous Lesson - Using a Centralized Database


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Trademarks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

HODstar Pager is a trademark of HODstar(TM) Support Solutions.

HODstar Supporter is a trademark of HODstar(TM) Support Solutions.

HODstar Monitor is a trademark of HODstar(TM) Support Solutions.

Database2 (DB2), Database 2/2 (DB2/2) and Operating System/2 (OS/2) are trade
marks of International Business Machines, Inc.