How PASSPORT WEB TO HOST Works

The PASSPORT website consists of a series of HTML files that provide easy to find information on launching a web based terminal emulation session. The following sections are included in the client website:

Download – provides a link for users to download and install the ActiveX client manually
Launch – starts a host session or lists sessions for a user
Support – how to contact the site administrator for support
Documentation – general overview information and on line help documentation

The default PASSPORT website can be accessed at the following URL: http://YourWebSite/pec/ on Windows Servers or from http://YourWebSite/passweb/Eclient/Index.htm on Java Application Servers (WebSphere, BEA WebLogic, and so on). The launch section of the PASSPORT website can start a mainframe session in one of the following ways:

Display a list of sessions for a user
Start a TN3270 or TN3270E terminal emulation display session
Start a TN3270E printer session
Start a TN5250 or TN5250E terminal emulation display session
Start a TN5250E printer session directly
Start a VT52, VT100, VT420 or SCO-ANSI terminal emulation display session
Start a Wyse 60 terminal emulation display session

When the user displays a list of terminal emulator sessions, the user can then select the terminal emulator session to start from the list. These sessions must have been previously configured and assigned to the user by the administrator. When the user starts a terminal emulator session directly, the session profile is directly specified by the user. When the session is launched, an ActiveX component is downloaded to the client’s PC from the Web server. The ActiveX component is only downloaded the first time a session is launched, or whenever the version of the ActiveX component changes to a later version. In addition to the ActiveX component, the configuration information for the host session is downloaded to the client’s PC as well.

Once downloaded and running in the client’s Web browser, a connection is made to the mainframe system and a logon screen appears. PASSPORT has its own toolbar and button bars. PASSPORT menus are merged with the Internet Explorer menus. The client cannot reconfigure any of the host connection configuration information. All configuration information is stored on the Web server and can only be modified by the website administrator. The administrator can grant permissions to individual users or groups of users to modify keyboard layouts and attribute information. This user information is stored on the user's local PC.

Advantages of PASSPORT WEB TO HOST

Easy to Use

PASSPORT software is designed to be the easiest Web-to-Host solution to setup, configure and use. The PASSPORT Administration Configuration Program has the same look and feel as Microsoft Windows Explorer and Microsoft BackOffice products. PASSPORT merges its menus with Internet Explorer using the same method as Microsoft’s Word and Excel and sports the same look and feel as an extension to Internet Explorer.

Fast and Compact

The compressed cab file for PASSPORT ActiveX component is very small. Other ActiveX and Java Web-to-Host solutions can be as high as 4 to 5 times larger in size. PASSPORT is not a re-packaging of a fat client. It was designed from the ground up to be lean and mean. Since Java is an interpretive 8-bit byte code language, Java based Web-to-Host solutions will always execute slower than 32-bit ActiveX based solutions. Also, because ActiveX components are only downloaded once every time a version change is made, Java Web-to-Host solutions can add to network congestion.

Reliable

Because PASSPORT is an ActiveX component, there is a seamless integration with Internet Explorer and Windows operating system. Java based solutions run on top of a Java virtual machine that translates Java byte code into instructions the Windows operating system can understand. Because of Java virtual machine inconsistencies, there can often be unpredictable results with large complex Java programs such as terminal emulation programs. Rocket Software uses the latest development technology, including the latest Microsoft Visual Studio C/C++ compiler, NuMega Technologies Bounds Checker and the ACT ITF testing tools to ensure the highest quality code possible. Rocket Software has been in business for over 20 years and has an impressive base of corporate and government clients.

Secure

PASSPORT provides advanced security features using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version 3 (TLS) server authentication and encryption providing secure data access across TCP/IP networks. With SSL, your host sessions are protected from eavesdropping, tampering, or message forgery over TCP/IP. This feature can be critical for those organizations that use Web-to-Host remote access across the Internet to access sensitive data on corporate mainframes. SSL is an optional feature.

Centralized Administration and Text Based Session Profiles

One of the major advantages of implementing a Web-to-Host based solution is centralized administration. This eliminates the need to install and setup the software on individual client PCs. All session profile configuration is performed at the Web server. All configuration data is stored on the Web server in a text format that can be viewed by any text editor. System administrators with advanced technical skills can generate configuration files using scripting languages such as VBScript if desired.

Standard Keyboard Maps and Keyboard Customization

PASSPORT software provides standard keyboard maps compatible with the Attachmate EXTRA! Personal Client, Wall Data Rumba, and IBM eNetwork Personal Communications programs. This can ease the migration from one of these thick clients to PASSPORT. PASSPORT also provides the ability to re-map the entire keyboard, including keys like the right and left Ctrl keys. Java Web-to-Host solutions do not have complete access to the Windows keyboard; therefore some key combinations cannot be re-mapped.

Support for all TN3270E Servers that are IETF RFC 2355 Compliant

PASSPORT supports all TN3270E servers developed by IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, Novell, and others that are fully compliant with the IETF RFC 2355 specification. Rocket Software was one of the first companies to fully implement the TN3270E standard and is an active member of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) TN3270E Working Group.

Java vs. ActiveX

Java and ActiveX are the two most popular solutions for providing Web-to-Host access. Although Java is designed for platform independence, it does so at a great cost to users of Windows based PCs: performance, reliability and usability. Because of additional layers of software involved with the Java virtual machine, Java based solutions will always be slower than ActiveX solutions. Java solutions do not have complete access to all of the Windows functions. Java solutions can have reliability problems because of Java virtual machine inconsistencies. The repetitive downloading of Java applets adds to network congestion, whereas ActiveX are downloaded only once for every version change.

Uninstall

To Uninstall PASSPORT WEB TO HOST Client ActiveX Component at the Desktop

If PASSPORT is running, select the File>Close command to exit.
Start Internet Explorer.
For Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, select the Tools>Internet Options menu command.
Click Settings in the General tab.
Click View Objects.
Highlight the PASSPORT Document under the Program Files by clicking the mouse on top of the selection.
Right-click to bring up the floating pop-up menu and then select Remove.
Click Yes when prompted "PASSPORT Document will be removed. Are you sure?".

Note: For Windows 7, Vista and Windows 2008, this is done under Tools>Internet Options>Programs>Manage add-ons>Downloaded ActiveX Controls (32-bit).