Terminal Emulation Software - PASSPORT PC TO HOST®

Frequently Asked Questions

PASSPORT PC TO HOST® Windows-based TN3270, TN5250, VT100, VT220, VT420, SCO ANSI and Wyse 60 terminal emulation and FTP file transfer

What types of terminal emulation are provided?

PASSPORT provides the following terminal emulation:

• TN3270 and TN3270E
• TN5250 and TN5250E
• VT420, VT220, VT100 and VT52
• SCO ANSI
• Wyse 60

What screen sizes are supported?

TN3270 Screen Sizes

• Model 2 - 24 x 80
• Model 3 - 32 x 80
• Model 4 - 43 x 80
• Model 5 - 27 x 132

TN5250 Screen Sizes

• Model 2 - 24 x 80
• Model 5 - 27 x 132

VT420, VT220, VT100 and VT52 Screen Sizes

• 24 x 80
• 24 x 132
• 32 x 80
• 32 x 132

SCO ANSI Screen Sizes

• 25 row x 80 column
• 25 row x 132 column
• 38 row x 80 column
• 38 row x 132 column

Wyse 60 Screen Sizes

• 24 row x 80 column
• 24 row x 132 column
• 25 row x 80 column
• 25 row x 132 column
• 42 row x 80 column
• 42 row x 132 column
• 43 row x 80 column
• 43 row x 132 column

Is full 132 column screen display supported?

Yes, PASSPORT does give you the ability to view 132 columns of host information. We do, however, recommend using a higher resolution Windows display in order to have the option of using a more readable font. 1024 x 768 is a good place to start. 132 column display is supported in TN3270, TN5250, VT, SCO ANSI and Wyse 60 terminal emulation.

Is mainframe graphics terminal emulation supported?

Yes, IBM® APA mainframe graphics are supported for the TN3270 emulator, as are IBM® Programmed Symbol Sets A-F. In doing so, PASSPORT lets you emulate a combination of features found in the older 3279 S3G, 3179G and newer host graphics terminals. Though few mainframe applications incorporate the use of graphics, there are some such as SAS/GRAPH® from SAS® Institute and IBM®'s GDDM.

Is SSL security available for secure host access?

Yes, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the de facto Internet security standard originally developed by Netscape, is supported and available as an option in PASSPORT. Beginning with PASSPORT 2007, the Microsoft Secure Channel (SChannel) security package is included with the emulator and is available royalty-free.

Every host session can be configured for SSL security. SSL provides both authentication and encryption to prevent eavesdropping and tampering with your TN3270E, TN5250E, VT, SCO ANSI or Wyse 60 host session. In order to use this feature you must be connected to a host server that also supports SSL security.

What options are available for SSL security certificates?

The following configurable SSL options are provided:

• Client authentication
• Accept self-signed certificates
• Accept expired certificates
• Accept not yet valid certificates
• Accept invalid certificates
• Accept host name mismatch

Is SSH security supported?

Yes, PASSPORT supports Secure Shell (SSH) for VT, SCO ANSI and Wyse-60 terminal emulation sessions, as well as FTP file transfer. In order to use the PASSPORT SSH feature, you must connect to a host system that supports the SSH Secure Shell protocol. Secure Shell provided by PASSPORT is based on the PuTTY implementation of SSH for Win32.

Is light pen emulation supported?

Yes, light pen emulation for TN3270 host access is supported. The light pen emulation key (Cursor Select key) can be mapped to a mouse button. Also, the Alt + F9 key combination is the Cursor Select key for the standard PASSPORT keyboard map.

Are hotspots supported and are they customizable?

Yes, PASSPORT provides the ability to detect certain areas of a screen as a hotspot area. The default hotspot text strings are ENTER, CLEAR, MORE, PA1, PA2, PA3, PF1 - PF24, FP1 - FP24, F1 - F24 and 1= - 24=.The user can move the mouse to the this text and then double click a mouse button to send the appropriate host key back to the host. Hotspots can be made visible or invisible. If visible, the hotspot text will appear similar to a Windows dialog box button to indicate the text is a hotspot.

Strings of text, menu commands, execute a Windows application commands, the ability to switch keyboard or keypad instantly, and the ability to switch the toolbar, hotspot, or color scheme instantly can be mapped to any hotspot.

Is the toolbar customizable?

Yes, the toolbar is fully customizable. Strings of text, menu commands, execute a Windows application commands, the ability to switch keyboard or keypad instantly, and the ability to switch the toolbar, hotspot, or color scheme instantly can be mapped to any button. The text beneath the toolbar button icon and the tool tip text can be configured, and custom bitmaps can be imported and used as toolbar buttons.

Are keypads customizable?

Yes, keypads are customizable. Strings of text, menu commands, execute a Windows application commands, the ability to switch keyboard or keypad instantly, and the ability to switch the toolbar, hotspot, or color scheme instantly can be mapped to any button. Keypads can also be docked to any size of the PASSPORT window.

Is the window title customizable?

The Options->Window Title is a new menu command that allows customization of the PASSPORT session title bar. The following items may be displayed on the title bar:

• HLLAPI Short Name (with our without parentheses)
• HLLAPI Long Name
• Session Profile Name (Short or Long format)
• Custom Session Name
• Session Dimensions
• Separator

What cursor types are supported?

The standard PASSPORT alpha cursor can be configured to be either blinking or non-blinking or configured as a block cursor or an underline cursor. There is also a cursor ruler that can be turned on which displays a cross hair cursor on the screen.

Is the blinking attribute supported?

PASSPORT currently does not support the blinking extended attribute. However, it is possible to configure PASSPORT to display host text that would normally blink as reverse video. To configure this option on the client workstation, choose the Options->Miscellaneous menu command and enable the "Display Blinking Fields as Reverse Video" option.

What fonts are supported?

PASSPORT includes two raster fonts, PASSPORT Terminal Font and PASSPORT Thin Font, and one true type font, PASSPORT True Type Font. Any Windows or third-party fixed pitch fonts (true type or raster) can be used with the PASSPORT software.

Does PASSPORT support double byte character sets?

Currently, PASSPORT does not support double byte character sets.

What types of cut, copy and paste are supported?

As a true Microsoft Windows application, PASSPORT allows the mouse or shifted arrow keys can be used to select a rectangular area of text. This selected area can then be cut or copied to the Windows clipboard using the Ctrl + "X" or Ctrl + "C" keys respectively.

In addition to the standard Cut, Copy and Paste commands, the Copy Append and Paste Continue commands are also supported. Both block and stream paste modes are supported. The cursor can optionally be moved to the end of the pasted text. Auto copy to the Windows clipboard can also be configured. PASSPORT also provides the ability to copy and paste hex characters '1c','1d' and '1e' from Notepad into a PASSPORT unprotected field.

Advanced cut and paste features are a unique feature of PASSPORT.

Does the VT emulation support extended colors?

Yes, PASSPORT supports the extended VT colors for both text foreground and background including black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan and white. Both normal and bold color intensities are supported.

Does the VT emulation support double height and double width characters?

Yes, double height and double width characters are supported.

Is the VT scroll back buffer supported?

Yes, PASSPORT supports a VT scroll back buffer. When enabled, the user can scroll back a specified number of lines. Although the default buffer is 24 lines, this may be set to any number between 24 and 2000.

Can the VT scrolling speed be configured?

Scrolling speed can be configured using the Options->VT menu command.

Is VT420 terminal emulation supported?

Yes, PASSPORT offers VT420 terminal emulation.

Download a Copy Now

Download a fully functional trial copy of the PASSPORT PC TO HOST® TN3270 Emulator. The evaluation copy can be downloaded and running in minutes, and offers fully functional TN3270, TN5250, VT100, VT220, VT420, SCO ANSI and Wyse 60 emulation with a built-in expiration date. Once your evaluation is complete, you can convert the trial copy of the software into a production version with a simple electronic code.