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New Features in Verastream Host Integrator 6.6
Technical Note 10080
Last Reviewed 11-Sep-2008
Applies To
Verastream Host Integrator version 6.6
Summary
Technical Note 10080
Last Reviewed 11-Sep-2008
Applies To
Verastream Host Integrator version 6.6
Summary
This technical note describes the new features and enhancements in Verastream Host Integrator (VHI) version 6.6.
What’s New in Version 6.6
Verastream Host Integrator version 6.6 includes the following new features.
Model Import
Design Tool supports the ability to import entities, patterns, attributes, recordsets, operations, tables, and procedures from other models. This feature helps reduce redundant work, and enables multiple developers to work in parallel and later assemble a complete model.
Native .NET Connector
The .NET Connector (pure C# managed code) can be deployed and managed as part of your .NET client application code and no longer requires a separate installation. The .NET Connector is also no longer dependent on the COM Connector, so does not require the latter to be installed. The connector supports .NET Framework versions 2.0 and 3.0. Note: If you are using .NET 1.1, see Technical Note 40037.
WS-I Compliant Web Services
The Java and .NET Web Services that are generated by Web Builder are now WS-I compliant. For more information on WS-I interoperability, go to http://www.ws-i.org/. Note: If you are running an existing Web Service generated with an earlier version, see Web Services Compatibility in Technical Note 40031.
FIPS 140-2 Validated Crypto Libraries for SSL
If you use SSL Telnet encrypted communications between the session server and host, you can enable use of FIPS 140-2 validated TLS version 1 encryption library. For more information, see Technical Note 10068.
Platform Support
The latest Windows platforms are supported:
- Server Kit supports Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
- Development Kit installs and runs on Microsoft Windows Vista.
For more information on supported platforms, see Technical Note 10030.
Session “High Water Mark” Tracking
A daily informational message indicates the peak number of concurrent sessions that have been in use since the session server was started. This event (ID# 143) is available for e-mail notification, SNMP, and server logging. The message reports both peak “active” sessions used by clients, and peak “total” sessions connected to the host (including initialized sessions in session pools). This enhancement enables understanding of server usage to optimize product licensing and load balancing.
Fixes in Version 6.6
In addition to the new features above, version 6.6 includes the following fixes and enhancements.
Security and Performance Updates
- When the session server is connected to 3270 or 5250 host applications, after model operations are executed, the entity signature pattern recognition scanning process now begins after the host re-enables the keyboard. This fix prevents operations from failing due to unrecognized entities after improved session server performance was introduced in version 6.0. With this fix, you typically no longer need to configure manual synchronization by adding WaitForKeyboardEnabled commands at the end of model operations. Note: To retain behavior from earlier versions, see the 6.5 Keyboard Lock Compatibility setting in Technical Note 40023. [282593]
- Session server discards invalid WCP data and logs appropriate errors. (WCP is the control protocol used between VHI components, such as connectors and session servers.) This change improves session server stability when corrupt packets are received in unhealthy network environments. [304327]
- Keep Alive operation (configured in Advanced Entity Properties) no longer runs if there has been recent activity (within the Keep Alive Inactivity Timeout configured in Model Properties). [299599]
- On non-Windows (UNIX) platforms, session server runtime stability is no longer affected if the Server Properties is modified to use multiple Server Processes (in Administrative WebStation console). Only a single server process instance is used. [306779]
- When an Administrator user logs into the Administrative WebStation console, and accesses the Model Variable List (MVL) List Entries in Config Mode, the “hidden” variable values (typically host passwords) are no longer displayed. This change enhances security in environments with multiple administrators. [301604]
Web Builder Updates
- Web Builder now properly runs on a system that has Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 installed. This fix resolves the “String index out of range” error described in Technical Note 10077. [303639]
- In a rejuvenation session (in a .NET Web Application generated by Web Builder), Aid keys are not sent to the host while the session is still busy processing a previous Aid key. This fix resolves errors when users quickly press multiple Aid keys. [304036]
- When using a Java or .NET Web Application generated by Web Builder, input field values are no longer padded with unnecessary spaces before they are sent to the host, thus avoiding various host application errors. Instead, the cursor is positioned in the host field and an Erase End Of Field command is sent before setting the user-entered data. [307707]
To restore the space-padding behavior present in earlier versions:
- .NET: In the appSetting section of the Web.config file, add
<add key="padWithSpaces" value="true"/>- Java: In the deployed Web application located in the WEB-INF\classes\<projectName>Session.properties file, add
padWithSpaces=true- Improved display of host colors in rejuvenation sessions (Java or .NET Web Application generated by Web Builder), such as “high intensity” red in input fields. The host terminal screen field attributes are converted to appropriate colors defined in the stylesheet (style.css) for all shipping themes (Classic, Silver, and Seattle). [303486]
- In a rejuvenation session (in a Java Web Application generated by Web Builder), international accented characters entered by users are properly transmitted to the host. This fix resolves the Rejuvenation Exception “Unprotected field not found at specified location for inserting string.” [303084]
- When using a .NET Web Application or Web Service (generated by Web Builder), the model is configured to use certain code pages (international character set in Terminal Setup), and model variables are configured to “Initialize variable at host connect,” any user-entered international characters are now properly transmitted to the host. [306483]
- When using Web Builder to generate a Java or .NET Web Application, you can select the default operation from the model (Project Properties > Screens > Operations). The default operation becomes the first button on the generated web page. (You no longer need to use _DEF in the operation name in the model.) [299094]
- When using Web Builder to generate a Java or .NET Web Application, in the Project Properties dialog, you can control the display of recordsets and recordset fields (instead of naming them with _HIDE suffixes in the model). (In version 6.5, you could only control the display of entities, attributes, and procedures.) [299093]
- When using Web Builder to generate a .NET Web Application, the controls in the generated .aspx files now have ID properties defined. Thus, when opening the .aspx pages in Microsoft Visual Studio (design mode), warning errors are no longer displayed. [299092]
- When using Web Builder to generate a Java or .NET Web Application, the application will successfully build when a model procedure begins with a lowercase letter and/or the second character is uppercase. This fixes the errors described in Technical Note 10076. [287017, 307833]
- When a model SELECT procedure has no output filters, Web Builder no longer generates error “CS0127: Since '<name>' returns void, a return keyword must not be followed by an object expression”. [301587]
- Web Builder now successfully generates a .NET Web Application from an HP host model. This fix resolves the build failure message “error ASPRUNTIME: The 'src' attribute cannot be an empty string.” [307364]
- When using Web Builder to generate a Java Web Application, and Require Secure Connection is enabled in the project properties, the requireSecureConnection property is now set in the generated application. (This option forces encrypted communication between the connector and session server, even if the server is not configured to require a secure channel.) [284752, 306911]
Installer and Java Updates
- Setup on Windows installs a newer version of Java 5 (JVM 1.5.0_15), which includes Daylight Saving Time updates. For accurate time stamps in logs, you no longer need to run tzupdater as described in Technical Note 2171. [305132]
- If necessary, Setup on Windows prompts to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package runtime components (vcredist_x86.exe). This change resolves the error “Setup could not install AADS service. Please contact Attachmate technical support.” Note: The Microsoft redistributable displays as a separate entry in Add/Remove Programs. Removal of this item will impact the VHI uninstall process. [304721, 304991]
- Setup on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 successfully communicates with AADS. This resolves Setup hangs when installation is 45% or 47% complete. [302947]
- The Java Connector version can now be identified in the Manifest file. For more information, see Technical Note 10008. [304954]
- The downloadable product uses a different self-extracting zip technology. See also Installing the Product on Windows below.
Other Updates
- Thai character set support (code page 838) has updated character mappings for 3270 and 5250 host types. [305414]
- When using the Verastream interface for Microsoft BizTalk Server, host values containing ampersand (&) or less than (<) characters are properly handled in the output XML. [306943]
- In Design Tool, when a 5250 host system restores the terminal screen (after sending PF12 key to the host), the following error no longer occurs: “An attempt to access display memory out of bounds. Please document the sequence of events that led to this error, exit Host Integrator and contact WRQ Technical Support.” [286528]
- When the model uses a regular expression for an entity pattern, matching text that wraps multiple lines is now properly handled. [307330]
- Updated libraries for session server SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). These are internal changes; your third-party Network Management Station does not need any updated vhi.mib file, since it is unchanged.
- SNMP GETs separately report the arguments that are contained in the event message text. This change enables remote statistics monitoring. For more information on configuring SNMP, see Technical Note 40011. [303200]
- When re-deploying a model package that includes a session pool model variable list, existing session pool idle sessions are disconnected and re-connected appropriately and consistently. This change ensures new client sessions will use the new configuration (such as changed host user names or passwords in the model variable list, or changed logging level). [287836]
Obtaining Your Product Upgrade
Maintained customers are eligible to download the latest product releases from the Attachmate Download Library web site. For more information on using the Download Library, see Technical Note 0200.
Installing the Product on Windows
When you run the downloaded Verastream Host Integrator Windows Server or Development Kit, you are prompted for a folder to unzip the files to.
Note: In the unzip location, a subfolder is created. For example, if you unzip the Development Kit to your Desktop, then files are unzipped to a vhidev-prod-w32 folder on your Desktop.
After the installation files are unzipped, the setup.exe program starts automatically.
For information about upgrading an existing installation on Windows, see Technical Note 40031. For additional installation information, see the Installation Guide at http://support.attachmate.com/manuals/vhi.html.
Installing the Product on Linux/UNIX
Unpack the downloaded Server Kit file using the tar xvf command on your Linux/UNIX system.
For information about upgrading an existing installation on Linux/UNIX, see Technical Note 40030. For more information on running install.sh, see the Installation Guide at http://support.attachmate.com/manuals/vhi.html.
