TN5250e Support Coming to Core
Buoyed by customer response as well as the desire to stay on the cutting edge of connectivity,
Core Technology (Lansing, Mich.) announced it has updated its CTCBridge 5250 for Java to include printing support for TN5250e protocol. Version 2.03 will also include support for the TN5250e protocol.
"Right after TN5250e printing came out, requests started pouring in from customers who wanted the printing capabilities for CTCBridge5250," says Angela Bailey, marketing specialist at Core. "We haven't seen any companies with TN5250e printing protocol out there, so we feel we're ahead of the curve."
A full-featured Web-to-host solution, CTCBridge 5250 for Java provides Internet or intranet access to AS/400s via Core's MultiBridge 32-bit communications server for Windows NT.
Device Naming capabilities are now available in the emulation as well. With version 2.03, the Telnet Printer Pass-Through (TPPT) is provided with printer identification for terminal type IBM-3812-1 for single byte printers. The AS/400 Host Print Transform (HPT) option can be used to select the printer type, driving it as an actual printer rather than an emulated one, enhancing transaction data stream quality because nothing is lost in translation.
"This is valuable for our large customers because it enables them to get users signed on more quickly and applications up and running," Bailey says. "It also gives better workload distribution."
Core Technology has added another new feature to CTCBridge5250 for Java--Visual Underneath. Version 1.00 of Visual Underneath, which will be generally available early October 1999, is a filtering tool that gives users easy control over access, appearance and content of 5250 emulation screens. Using point-and-click implementation and immediate view of editing results, Visual Underneath enables customization of AS/400 data displays at the client level with no changes required on the host.
Visual Underneath's filters fall into three basic types: face-lifting filters, which enable adding buttons and moving fields and text; ease of use filters, which make it easier for end users to operate host programs by creating menus, automating common functions and automatically navigating to specific screens; and transaction control and security filters, which allow administrators to keep unauthorized users from certain transactions and screens.
In other news, Core Technology announced new enhancements to its MultiBridge Windows NT-based communications server software. A modular, 32-bit, client/server management tool, MultiBridge Windows NT 2.03 consists of a communications server program, Stations Interface Modules (SIMs) and host transports. MultiBridge is designed to provide communications between an AS/400 or Unisys host and client machines.
Specific enhancements to MultiBridge Windows NT were made in an improved user interface, added security for administrator functions, automated password management, improved documentation and single station disconnect.