ASTRAC AS Client Connections

Connecting AS to all your client systems

ASTRAC AS Client Connections provides the connectivity layer between ASTRAC AS on the host mainframe and your client systems. Various connectivity options are provided for numerous operating system platforms including Microsoft Windows, Red Hat Linux and many more.

ASTRAC AS Client Connections also provides a programming API for developers to create their own applications using a variety of programming languages with plenty of sample applications provided. ASTRAC can assist with client development or can develop your applications for you.

Connection protocols provided include ODBC, FTP, TCP/IP, APPC, SRPI.

ASTRAC AS Client Connections v6

Client Connections v6 introduces 2 new programming interfaces as well as updating the existing ActiveX object and C-API. As a result ASTRAC Client Connections v6 ships in 3 independent “flavours” which can be installed separately or together on one system:

1. AS Client Connections - Microsoft Windows Edition
   
   The Microsoft Windows Edition provides the classic C-API, ActiveX control, Command Client and Visual Studio Version 6 developer tools as provided by earlier versions of Client Connections.
    
2. AS Client Connections - Microsoft .NET Developer Edition.
   
   The Microsoft .NET Developer Edition provides the .NET class libraries and developer tools to build ASTRAC AS connected applications on Windows based client systems.
    
3. AS Client Connections - Java Developer Edition.
   
   The Java Developer Edition provides the Java class libraries and developer tools to build ASTRAC AS connected applications on multi-platform client systems, including Windows, Unix and Linux Servers etc.

Common Updates

All flavours of Client Connections v6 provide support for new features in ASTRAC ASv6:

• Long Column Names. The maximum length of an AS Table column has been increased to 32. Client Connections v6 also supports this increased length.

• Hand Shaking Support. Client Connections and ASTRAC ASv6 now exchange handshake signals periodically to ensure the connection is alive and responsive. This means that both Client Connections v6 and ASTRAC AS handle network disruption graciously - making your data safer and your application more responsive.

ASTRAC AS Client Connections v6 Java and .Net Editions

The new Java and .NET class libraries introduced in Client Connections v6 provide new possibilities for client connectivity with ASTRAC AS. Client Connections v6 support ASTRAC AS Versions 5.3 and later. New benefits in the Java and .NET editions of Client Connections v6 include:

New Platforms True multiplatform support with the new Java Class libraries. Access your ASTRAC AS data from ANY operating system supporting Java. Please Note: ASTRAC has tested and fully supports Client Connections Java Edition on Microsoft Windows platforms and RedHat Linux 7.2 and above. All other operating systems will be supported on a best efforts basis. Improved software productivity through compatibility with Microsoft Visual Studio and IBM Websphere / Rational Application Developer. Vastly improved Support for web development, web services and Smart Clients; enabling ASTRAC AS to be presented to your users wherever they may be! Better performance The Java and .NET Class libraries in Client Connections v6 offer increased performance over Client Connections 5.3 with applications accessing AS data between 2 and 8 times faster depending on the situation. New Connection Methods (NEW IN 6.2!) FTP Connection: Uses FTP on the mainframe to start AS. This is easier to configure than REXEC as FTP is usually already available on the mainframe system. IPC Connection: This is a Java and .NET implementation of the TCPIP connection method in the Windows Edition of Client Connections v6. It connects to the Intermediate Protocol Converter shipped with ASTRAC AS. This has the benefit of being more "firewall friendly" than either the REXEC or FTP connections.

Java Command Client (NEW IN 6.2!) The Java Command Client is a port of the Command Client application in the Windows Edition of Client Connections v6. It allows a PC user to execute, edit and debug AS command tables on any Java enabled platform. It also allows the exporting of data to common PC formats (CSV, HTML and XML). It can also be scheduled to run in the future using its command line options in conjunction with a scheduling utility (such as Windows scheduled tasks). New features Writing data to your ASTRAC AS tables has never been easier. Client Connections v6 now allows one step table creation and one step updates for your AS tables using a single method call on its new Table objects. XML Configuration files. Client connections v6 includes a new Configuration application, backed by XML files to make configuring your connection to ASTRAC AS easier than ever before. Client Connections Configurations can be defined for all users by an administrator or individually by each user. Migrate your Client Connections Windows Edition DASPWAPI.ini files to Client Connections .NET and Java edition XML format with the enhanced Configuration Utility. (NEW IN 6.2!) Caching of your ASTRAC AS table data. The new Table objects in Client Connections v6 hold the data you have downloaded from ASTRAC AS on the client - allowing you to work with local data before updating AS. They even allow for working on your AS data whilst disconnected from ASTRAC AS.

• New Graphical User Interface components which allows you to combine standard forms and dialogs to quickly build applications for accessing your ASTRAC AS data

• The .NET edition of Client Connections v6 includes NDoc help which can be integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio allowing quick access to the reference information for the Class Library. The Java edition ships with JavaDoc reference information which can also be integrated with IBM WebSphere / Rational Application Developer.

New Samples Client Connections v6 ships with the TableGrid Sample Application (Enhanced IN 6.2!) which combines the standard forms available in Client Connections v6 to enable you to view and edit your ASTRAC data tables and also run your procedures, viewing results on your PC. Web Samples The ASTRAC Bookstore sample application (Java Version only) shows how you are able to use the data in ASTRAC AS as a back-end to a web based application. The ASTRAC Table Grid Web Sample allows users to browse their AS data and command tables as well as their DB2 tables from the web and to download data to the client. (Enhanced IN 6.2!) The ASTRAC WebMenu sample enables the execution of AS command tables via a web interface. No need for users to log on to the mainframe. This application builds an HTML menu based on tables on the host which enables a user to interact with AS. It displays the AS output to the user and enables users to download the resulting data. Users can leave there sessions to execute and come back later to pick up the results. (New IN 6.2!) These web samples are available to try out on the ASTRAC demonstration server. ASTRAC are continually developing sample applications demonstrating the capabilities of client connections. Please email us if you have any ideas for a sample which would be useful to your organisation.

Detailed instructions for installing the Client Connections v6 .Net and Java editions

Below are detailed instructions for installing the Client Connections v6 .Net edition and the Client Connections v6 Java edition on the Windows platform.

For detailed instructions for installing the Client Connections v6 .Net edition then click here.

For detailed instructions for installing the Client Connections v6 Java edition then click here.

Java and .Net Articles

ASTRAC will be producing a series of articles / tutorials to guide users on the new features available in Client Connections 6 Java and .NET editions. The currently available articles are listed below:

ASTRAC AS Client Connections v6 Microsoft Windows Edition

The Microsoft Windows Edition of Client Connections v6 is an update to Client Connections 5.3 to provide support for new features in ASTRAC ASvv6. The Windows Edition support ASTRAC ASv5 and above including ASTRAC AS Version v6.

Client Connections v6 Microsoft Windows Edition contains the following components:

AS Command Client

The AS Command Client is a workstation application that allows you to create, store and run AS command tables from your workstation. It sends the command table to AS on the mainframe for execution. You can use it to manipulate and analyze data from any of the sources AS can access.

AS ODBC Driver

The AS ODBC Driver can be used by applications that support ODBC, such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Lotus Notes and so on. Applications that support ODBC can access data on the mainframe via AS and can use the power of AS to manipulate and reduce the data brought down to the workstation.

AS ActiveX Control

The AS ActiveX Control is a component of Client Connections which allows AS to be easily integrated into the client environment. It acts as an intermediary between AS and any ActiveX compliant application, such as Microsoft Office, Visual Basic or Visual C++. This provides a simple method of developing your own client applications to interface to AS.

For more information, follow the links below:

Last Updated: September 05, 2007