Setting Default System Connection Rules

From TDiWiki

You have a group of users at your ConsoleWorks site and you all want to use the same Terminal Emulator(s).

You've spent time working out the command line strings to start your favorite Terminal Emulator. Maybe you've also set your preferences to use different TE's for specific Consoles. Now you want to share the results of your work with your co-workers. Can you do this globally from within ConsoleWorks? As of version 4 the answer is yes you can.

You've always been able to "teach" your co-workers how to do this, as well as copy and paste, and send the strings required to start the applications to them. Now however you can do the work one time, and then set a System Default for the rest of your team to use right inside ConsoleWorks.

This information assumes the use of the "External Application" method for using 3rd party Terminal Emulators.

The steps for doing this are as follows:

To prepare your users, have them go to their >Consoles >Connection Rules and save any command strings they have defined that you aren't prepared to add globally. Next have them Remove those rules. After you've provided the Global Rules they may add their rules back. If they don't have any they're good to go.

Before creating the System Defaults, prepare yourself by performing the following:

Work out the commands and strings to properly start your Terminal Emulator for the given consoles or as the Default Terminal Emulator. Determining the "Application Parameters", is most often a process of elimination. You need to find what program is used to start your Terminal Emulator. Usually, you can find this information in the Shortcut that is created when the program is installed on your PC. Then go to the cmd prompt in Windows via >Start, Run, type CMD and press enter. Go to the installation directory for your emulator and type the exe you found in the shortcut. If the program starts normally, then try it with the <host name>:<port_num> or <IP address>:<port_num> and see if it "does the right thing"... If so, then you should be able to subsitute our [CONSOLE] [HOST] [PORT] variables for External Application. Look at our presets to see what the proper syntax is.

If it doesn't "do the right thing", you will need to do a bit of research within the programs documentation. Searching for "command line" often returns favorable results. Once you do have the appropriate values, the next test is to try your values with the External Application method.

Now in ConsoleWorks:

1 - Create a new user with console_manager profile. (Global_Prefs for example). If you never login as the Console_Manager user, you can use that account as well. Just be sure there are no rules already created for the account used. (See Figure - 1)

2 - Log in with the above account and go to the >Consoles >Connection Rules section

3 - After you've had succesfull testing, based on the preparation above, you can now set up the Connection Rules section so that it can be shared with your co-workers.

• A) go to >Consoles >Connection Rules and click >Add (See Figure - 2)
• B) For Host use *. (When "adding" a Connection Rule, this will be pre-populated with YOUR PC's IP address because the assumption is being made that you will be using this rule from your PC. Since our purposes are to create a Global preference the * is used).
• C) For Console either use * so ConsoleWorks will always use this Terminal Emulator, making it your sites default, or type the exact name of a Console that you want to use this TE with.
• D) For Name, type the name and version of the TE used. ie "Reflection 14" or TinyTerm 3 etc. (May also add a brief description on this line)
• E) For Type, select External Application.
• F) Leave Preset blank
• G) This is where the values you worked out in step 3 above get pasted in when using the External Application Method.
• H) Click Save

4 - Repeat step 4, A thru H if you have other specific consoles to define. (You only need to define other specific consoles, if you want to use a different Terminal Emulator for them. Most users find one TE that they like and use it as their default).

Now to set these Rules as System defaults.

Go to >Users >Preferences and click Set As System Default.

Have your users login and check their >Consoles >Connection Rules. If they see your definitions GREAT, you're finished. If not, have them go to THEIR >Users >Preferences screen and see if they have a Key named CONNDEFAULTPROGRAMSTRING. If so, have them delete this key. They will need to confirm the delete. Next they need to Log out and Log back in. Now they should see your System Defaults!