1) Decide which machine is your VU target. Also decide which machine you want to be the controller, in other words where to run Script Picker. You can run Script Picker from the target machine, the VU Host or any other machine, as long as all machines are on the same logical AppleTalk network, for example the Apple Engineering Network.
2) Drag the CHAT User 1.1.sea file to your controller (Script Picker) machine and expand it. Again, this can be on the VU target or some other machine.
3) Install Agent VU 2.1.4a1 on your intended VU target and restart the target.
4) Launch Script Picker from inside the CHAT User Interface folder.
5) If Script Picker asks "Where is FaceSpan Extension?", choose the file named "FaceSpan Extension", which should be in the same folder as Script Picker. This should happen only the first time you launch Script Picker, if it happens at all.
6) If Script Picker asks "Where is Host Connect?", choose the file named "aete VU Xtool", which should be in the same folder as Script Picker. This should happen only the first time you launch Script Picker, if it happens at all.
7) Script Picker will ask you to "Choose the 'Host Connect' application on a nearby CHAT Host:". At this point you need to find the nearest CHAT Host. Your CHAT DRI will know where this is.
8) Once you tell Script Picker where the CHAT Host is located, it will ask you for a name and password.
Name: chat
Password: (try no password, or, ask your CHAT DRI)
9) The Script Picker window opens and there is a brief pause while it gathers the list of scripts and initializes itself.
Note for newer versions of CHAT: Not every CHAT host supports all the features that Script Picker needs. Some of them have not been updated with the latest CHAT Host software, or they are development hosts that only support development versions of Script Picker. When you first connect, if your CHAT Host does not support this version of Script Picker, you will not be able to continue. Choose a different CHAT Host, or talk to your local CHAT DRI to find a solution.
Note: Script Picker supports Help Balloons! Try them out...
10) Choose Preferences from the File menu. The Preferences window should open.
11) If you want the results file mailed to you, check the Mail Results To: checkbox and enter your Internet mail name into the space provided, then click OK. (Leave off the domain - apple.com is assumed). If you do not want the results mailed to you, uncheck the checkbox, then click OK.
12) To build a list of commonly used target machines, select Choose Machines... from the CHAT menu. Script Picker will open the Choose Machines window.
13) Select a zone to search for VU Target machines. For best performance, and to be as friendly as possible to the shared network, it is best to use targets that are in the same zone as the CHAT Host. This zone is abbreviated as "*" to indicate the "default" or "CHAT Host" zone. Script Picker will select the "*" zone for you the first time you open the window.
14) Select one or more targets from the Available Machines list. If there are no VU targets in the zone you selected, check the zone carefully, and then check if your target is set up properly.
15) Once you have selected targets, click the Add To List button. The targets are added to the VU Target Machines list at the bottom of the window. You can add any number of machines to the VU Target Machines list.
16) Bring the Script Picker window to the front and select a target from the list of VU Target Machines. Like the older versions of CHAT, you may only select one target for each assignment.
Note: You do not have to run Script Picker from the target, it can be used from any machine that can connect to the CHAT Host.
13) If you want to set custom parameter values for one or more scripts, see the section titled "HOW TO SET VU SCRIPT PARAMETERS WITH CHAT".
14) Select the script(s) you want to run, and click Start when you are ready to start. Or, you can just double-click a script to run it.
15) To cancel an assignment, click Stop while the assignment is running. Wait for "Ready" status before trying to select other scripts and targets.
16) Start thinking about what kind of scripts YOU want to run with CHAT.
HOW TO SET VU SCRIPT PARAMETERS WITH CHAT
CHAT allows you to use custom VU Script Parameters for the scripts you run, or to use the default values if you want. Each script may or may not have any script parameters. If you do not make any changes, the default values in the scripts are used.
Whether or not you ever set the parameters, CHAT *always* sends the full list of script parameters to the CHAt Host.
1) If Script Picker is already running, choose Set Script Parameters from the CHAT menu.
2) The VU Script Parameters window opens. If you had previously opened it with the same Script Picker, the window will be in the same place as before, with the same selection.
3) Select a script from the Script popup menu.
4) The parameters for that script are displayed in the window.
5) Edit the parameter values.
Note: Script Picker passes parameter values to VU as strings. Parameter values are not validated until the CHAT Host tries to run the script.
6) For any parameter or contiguous selection of parameters, if you click Use Default Value, the values are replaced with the default values from the script.
7) The next time you run that script, it will use the list of parameters as it last appeared in the VU Script Parameters window.
Technical Note: When you first connect to a CHAT Host, Script Picker downloads the available script names and their versions. Then it looks in the Script Picker Cache folder to see if it has script parameters for those versions. If not, it asks the CHAT Host for the parameters of scripts it doesn't have. The cache files contain the parameter names, their default values, and your editable copy of the values.
HOW TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CHAT HOST
You can connect to another host any time Script Picker says Ready in its status bar. Different hosts might support different sets of scripts, or different versions of Virtual User. Hosts are located as close as possible to the target machines, at least in the same zone.
1) If Script Picker is already running, choose Choose Host from the File menu. When it asks "Are you sure you want to choose another CHAT Host?", click OK.
2) If Script Picker is not already running, just launch it normally. When it asks you to enter a name and password, click Cancel. This will bring up the host chooser window.
CONTACTS FOR QUESTIONS
Questions? Call Stuart at 4-8166 or send mail to automan@apple.com.
Add bugs and feature enhancements to the CHAT 1.0 Radar component.
