About Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface

The IBM® Sterling Connect:Direct® Browser User Interface allows you to create, submit, and monitor Sterling Connect:Direct Processes from an Internet browser.

You can also perform Sterling Connect:Direct system administration tasks, such as viewing and changing the network map or initialization parameters, from the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface if you have the appropriate authority. The specific administration tasks that you can perform depend on the Sterling Connect:Direct platform that your browser is signed on to, in addition to your security level.

Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface Functions

The Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface uses standard browser functionality to create, submit, and monitor Processes and perform system administration. The following sample Submit Process page shows the layout of a typical Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface page.

When you sign on to the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface, functions are available in the menus at the top of the screen. The functions available vary according to the following criteria:

The Sterling Connect:Direct authority for the user ID that you signed on with. For example, if the user ID does not have authority to submit Processes, the Submit Process function is not displayed.

The Sterling Connect:Direct platform and release you are signed on to. For example, IBM® Sterling Connect:Direct® for z/OS® administrators cannot update user proxies.

Whether you are signed on. Most functions are not displayed until you sign on.

Clicking User Functions displays the following user functions. This table also shows the applicable platforms for each function


Function	Description	Sterling Connect:Direct for z/OS	Sterling Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows	Sterling Connect:Direct for UNIX	Sterling Connect:Direct for HP NonStop
Submit Process	Submits a predefined Process. You can specify various processing options, such as start date and start time, processing priority, security and accounting information, and variables.	X	X	X	X
Copy File	Builds and submits a Process to transmit a file from one Sterling Connect:Direct node to another. You can then save the Process for future use.	X	X	X	X
Process Builder	A graphical interface that you use to build new Processes or modify existing ones.	X Release 4.4.00	X Release 4.2.00	X Release 3.6.00	X Release 3.4.00
Select Process	Shows summary and detail status for one or more Processes. You can also change, delete, or suspend a Process from this function.	X	X	X	X
Select Statistics	Shows summary and detail Process statistical information.	X	X	X	X
Process Control	Enables you to change Process parameters, suspend Processes, or delete Processes.	X	X	X	X

Clicking Admin Functions displays the following system administration functions. This table also shows the applicable platforms for each function.


Function	Description	Sterling Connect:Direct for z/OS	Sterling Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows	Sterling Connect:Direct for UNIX	Sterling Connect:Direct for HP NonStop
Netmap	Displays network map (Netmap) information.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later	X	X Release 3.5.00 or later only	X
	Adds, changes, or deletes network map information.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later	X	X Release 3.5.00 or later only	X
	Adds, changes, or deletes communications modes.		X		X
	Adds, changes, or deletes communications path information.		X		X
Initparm	Displays initialization parameters.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later	X	X Release 3.5.00 or later only	X
	Updates initialization parameters.		X	X Release 3.5.00 or later only
Native Command	Issues Sterling Connect:Direct commands.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later			X
User Auth	Displays, adds, changes, or deletes user authorities.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later	X	X Release 3.6.00 or later only	X
Proxy	Displays, adds, changes, or deletes user proxies.		X	X Release 3.6.00 or later only	X
Tracing	Displays and updates Sterling Connect:Direct tracing parameters.	X Release 4.3.00 (with maintenance) or later	X	X
Trans. Table	Displays, adds, and changes a Sterling Connect:Direct translation table.		X
Typekey	Defines file attributes for new files on Sterling Connect:Direct for HP NonStop systems. These attributes are used when you specify a particular typekey as part of a COPY statement in a Process.				X
Configuration	Configures the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface. Access to this function is restricted by user ID and password.	X	X	X	X

Clicking Message Lookup functions. This table also shows the applicable platforms for each function.

Clicking Help displays the following system administration functions. This table also shows the applicable platforms for each function.

International Language Support

Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface is distributed with English language displays, messages, and Help. The IBM Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface Configuration Guide describes how to add support for additional languages.

About Processes

A Sterling Connect:Direct Process is a series of statements that allows you to transfer files, run programs, and submit jobs or other Processes.

Processes contain parameters that control Process attributes such as Process name, Process execution start time, user notification, security, and accounting data. These Process parameters can be specified within the actual Process or you can specify them when you submit the Process. Any parameters you provide when you submit a Process override the parameters coded in the Process.

You can submit a Process to any Sterling Connect:Direct node. Typically, the primary node (PNODE) is where the Process resides. The secondary node (SNODE) is the other node that the Process connects to. The two nodes work together to execute the Process.

Exchange text or binary files with other Sterling Connect:Direct nodes using the COPY statement.

Start executables or send jobs to queues on a z/OS, OpenVMS, i5/OS, HP NonStop, Microsoft Windows, or UNIX server using the RUN JOB or RUN TASK statements coded within a Process.

Execute Microsoft Windows or UNIX commands as if they were entered on the system console by using the RUN TASK statement coded within a Process.

Submit a Process to another Sterling Connect:Direct node.

See the IBM Sterling Connect:Direct Process Statements Guide for Process examples.

User Security and the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface

The Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface user signs on using a Sterling Connect:Direct ID and password. This ID and password is passed to the Sterling Connect:Direct server, which identifies what tasks the user is allowed to perform on the server.

For example, if Sterling Connect:Direct for z/OS security does not permit a user to perform a SELECT STATISTICS task in Sterling Connect:Direct for z/OS, that user cannot perform this task through the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface. The Sterling Connect:Direct security must be modified to give the user the necessary permissions.

For more information about Sterling Connect:Direct user security, see the documentation for the appropriate Sterling Connect:Direct platform.

There is an administrative user ID and password that you use to configure the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface. This user ID and password is part of the Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface and are separate from any security associated with a Sterling Connect:Direct server.