PASSPORT 5250 Emulation

PASSPORT 5250 emulation is extremely cost effective. Zephyr provides a subscription based licensing program that can reduce your 5250 emulator acquisition cost and maintenance costs significantly. This makes upgrading from an older terminal emulator a very attractive proposition.

 

PASSPORT Terminal Emulator Highlights

• Provides access to IBM mainframe, AS/400 and UNIX host applications
• TN3270, TN3270E, TN5250, TN5250E, VT420, VT220, VT100, SCO ANSI and Wyse 60 terminal emulation
• Standalone FTP client and integrated FTP file transfer within terminal emulation session
• Windows 7 compatible
• PASSPORT PC to Host® is Certified for Windows Vista® and PASSPORT Web to Host® has received the "Works with Vista" designation from Microsoft
• Advanced SSL security available for each host session
• Advanced SSH security available for each UNIX host session
• Secure FTP file transfer using SSL and SSH security
• IND$FILE file transfer to IBM mainframe
• Supports Citrix Password Manager
• HLLAPI available to reuse existing screen scraping applications
• Attachmate-compatible Object API that lets you reuse existing screen-scraping applications written for Attachmate EXTRA!®
• VB Script to record, edit and run productivity enhancing macros
• Host printing supported through the TN3270E or TN5250E client
• Pass-through printing available for VT or SCO ANSI client
• Ability to open multiple host sessions, uniquely configure each session
• Customizable keyboard layout, mouse buttons, keypads, toolbars, hotspots, colors, fonts, cursor and more

Deployment Options

There are actually two AS/400 5250 PASSPORT emulation packages. Each product uses a different method of deployment for the 5250 host access software.

PASSPORT PC to Host® is desktop based TN5250 emulation. This product is similar to other desktop Windows programs. PASSPORT is installed with a Windows setup program. It can also be deployed using SMS, MSI, Citrix or Microsoft Terminal Server. PASSPORT PC to Host® and IBM AS/400 Client Access are both desktop based products.

PASSPORT Web to Host® is a thin client web based 5250 terminal emulator deployed from a web server, generally a Microsoft IIS Server, and provides an administrator program for centralized configuration and administration. All software and configuration files reside on the web server.

When the 5250 emulation is run, an ActiveX applet is downloaded from the web server to the client desktop and run inside of Internet Explorer. For organizations or users with strict IE security settings, PASSPORT Web to Host offers the ability to use MSI to download and install the PASSPORT Web to Host client.

The ActiveX component is only downloaded the first time a session is launched, or whenever the server version of the ActiveX component changes to a newer version. The ActiveX 5250 terminal emulator running inside Internet Explorer makes a direct TN5250 connection to the IBM iSeries (AS/400) system.

5250 Host Connections

The PASSPORT 5250 emulator supports all telnet host access features defined in the IETF 1205 (5250 Telnet Interface) and IETF 2877 (5250 Telnet Enhancements) specifications. Telnet is terminal emulation that uses the TCP/IP Internet protocol for communication between a telnet client and a telnet server. PASSPORT is compatible with all TN5250 and TN5250E telnet servers that support these IETF specifications.

These TN5250 telnet servers include the IBM AS/400 Communication Server that is provided with the OS/400 operating system and the IBM Communication Server.

PASSPORT TN5250 emulation provides connection to generic, dedicated and specific LU pools. Auto-reconnect is configured to automatically re-establish the 5250 emulator session after a telnet logoff is performed. Hot back up for connection to alternate IP host names is also provided.

Host Sessions

PASSPORT supports TN5250 display and TN5250E host printer sessions. New sessions can be easily created, opened and saved. A layout of multiple sessions can be saved as a desktop icon. When this icon is activated, multiple 5250 emulator sessions are started at one time. A menu security feature allows an administrator to decide what features are allowed and which are not.

Telnet SSL Support

PASSPORT implements advanced security features using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Version 3 server authentication and encryption providing secure data access across TCP/IP networks. With the built-in security of SSL, your 5250 host sessions are now protected from eavesdropping, tampering, or message forgery over TCP/IP. This feature can be critical for those organizations that use 5250 host access remotely across the Internet to access sensitive data on AS/400 midrange systems.

FTP File Transfer

The FTP (File Transfer Protocol) file transfer is provided to transfer files between a PC and an IBM AS/400 5250 host system. This protocol does not use the host session. Instead, an FTP server must be present on the AS/400 host system.

The FTP file transfer is actually a separate PC program and can be launched from the menu command or from the Windows Start->Programs menu. Transferring of files can be initiated in multiple ways, including drag and drop and cut/copy/paste.

The FTP client has the look and feel of Windows Explorer with a menu bar, toolbar, status bar, three window panes (PC directory structure and file list, host directory structure and file list, connection log and error messages) that can be interactively resized and displayed as icons, details or list.

The PASSPORT FTP client program adheres to full compliance with the IETF RFC 959 (File Transfer Protocol) specifications.

Macro Scripting Language

The macro scripting language, provided with PASSPORT program is based on the Microsoft Visual Basic scripting language. Macro scripts are used to automate common repetitive tasks. A macro script can be assigned to a key on the keyboard, keypad, toolbar, button bar or mouse button. A macro script can be run when hotspot text is clicked on with the mouse. A start-up logon macro can be configured to automatically run after connection when the host session is established.

When a macro command is executed, PASSPORT runs a separate program that is actually a HLLAPI application. This HLLAPI application utilizes both the Microsoft VB Script and the PASSPORT HLLAPI module to run the macro.

To use Zephyr's PASSPORT terminal emulation as an alternative to Attachmate's EXTRA!® terminal emulation, we have created an Attachmate Macro Conversion Tool that automatically converts Attachmate macros into a format that can be used with PASSPORT. Hundreds, or even thousands, of Attachmate macros can now be collected, converted and delivered to Zephyr clients in a manner of days. The Attachmate EXTRA!® Macro Conversion Tool is not sold, but is offered as a free service for Zephyr clients with 500 or more licensed units under an annual Subscription License. For more information, please contact us.

5250 APIs for Screen Scraping Applications

PASSPORT includes 2 APIs for screen-based legacy integration: PASSPORT HLLAPI (High Level Language Application Program Interface) and PASSPORT Object API.

HLLAPI is an older industry standard method for writing PC based programs that need to communicate with an IBM AS/400 system using a 5250 terminal emulation program. Typical HLLAPI applications can present users with a more friendly user interface to host applications and can be used to automate routine functions such as file transfer. The PASSPORT 5250 emulation program supports 32-bit application programs, but does not support 16-bit HLLAPI or DOS HLLAPI programs.

PASSPORT also provides an Object API (Application Programming Interface) for new screen scraping projects. Both Zephyr PASSPORT PC to Host® and PASSPORT Web to Host® include the Attachmate-compatible Object API that lets you reuse existing screen-scraping applications written for Attachmate EXTRA!®. In most cases, the Attachmate EXTRA! screen-scraping applications can be used 'as-is' with the Zephyr PASSPORT alternative terminal emulation software.

The PASSPORT Object Interface provides compatibility with the Attachmate EXTRA! OLE automation support and exposes terminal emulation objects such as the entire group of sessions, a single session, screen, area, OIA, keypad, etc. Applications that require host access and need to control multiple host sessions can use the Object API.

C++, Visual Basic, VB Script, Java Script or any language that can use the Microsoft COM object interface can be used for development. Developer assistance is provided to customers and opportunities with 100 or more units of the PASSPORT terminal emulation. The PASSPORT Object Toolkit, a time-saving developer resource, is available to no charge for customers or prospects with 500 or more units of the PASSPORT software.

Complete Access to Everything You Need

Everything you need to fully evaluate PASSPORT Web to Host® AS/400 web access as a potential replacement for your existing 5250 emulator, or to use or support PASSPORT on an ongoing basis, can be found in this web site, including Technical Requirements, Quicktrial, Pricing, Free Trial Download, Documentation, Knowledge Base, FAQ, Support, and the ability to Order Online.