The first file is a clear text XML file. The second one is the binary (secure) version of the same file. After having recorded the navigation, verified it and saved it, you can delete (or copy to a safe location) the clear text file and keep only the binary one. The .NET Pool Manager Services needs only the binary file for it to operate. This allows complete security of the navigation sequence on the host including any host username and password.

When you want to edit the navigation, there is no need to copy back the clear text file as long as the binary file is available. You can also have only the clear text file to edit the navigation. The Pool Explorer will always recreate a binary version of the file if it did not exist, and you can always see the clear text file for reference. You can also edit the file directly (although you must be cautious when doing so) and then re-use it to modify the navigation. The usage of the binary navigation file is introduced in Hot fix 5 (for version 403) for the integration components.

The Pool Manager Service and the Pool Explorer will continue to work with navigation files generated with prior versions, given that the old files (version 3.5.x and 3.6.x) will be migrated to the new version automatically.

The following is an example of the XML configuration file:

<configuration>
  <appSettings>
    <hostFront.pooling>
      <listeningChannel port="30000" />
      <poolInfo>
        <Pool Name="Atlas" StartAtStartup="False" TracePool="False" SerialStart="False" 
Poll="30" UseCluster="True" Emulation="HFA">
          <Users OneLogin="True" DefaultUser="AQAAANCMnd8BFdERjHoAwE/Cl+sBAAAAo/
keC0WS+UKrtPR+Sr07YQQAAAACAAAAAAADZgAAqAAAABAAAAAR39ldNVokPXWmcPG8qo/
6AAAAAASAAACgAAAAEAAAAABd7TKgdPzTyAI9YkA3zogIAAAA6S76E6rO92gUAAAA3pX4bpKqfBrWfPw55i8UZt0c5hM=" 
DefaultPassword="AQAAANCMnd8BFdERjHoAwE/Cl+sBAAAAo/keC0WS+UKrtPR+Sr07YQQAAAACAAAAAAADZgAAq
AAAABAAAACRMbiCnlB2rhrjMDIFM5FjAAAAAASAAACgAAAAEAAAAB3Da+LHTrQ+y8Q5PLy9Fy4IAAAAcGqThHyVFyEUAAAAXYG8T8/
PvSYXwlYdgp6wbaTdSvM=" ServerIP="192.168.1.123" Port="20000" DefaultSessions="1" />
          <Profiles />
          <HFNavigation xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" 
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" Name="Navigation" 
Emulation="HFA" StartAction="Connect" EndAction="Disconnect" xmlns="http://HFNavigation/Navigation.xsd">
            <Screen Name="Sign On" HasAutoEnter="false">
              <PutField Data="ATLAS" Row="6" Col="53" Source="Explicit" />
              <PutField Data="VANLINES" Hidden="true" Row="7" Col="53" Source="Explicit" />
              <PushKey Key="32778" />
              <Branch Name="Display Program Messages">
                <Screen Name="Display Program Messages" HasAutoEnter="false">
                  <PushKey Key="32778" />
                  <Definition>
                    <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                      <LeftFieldContent Row="1" Col1="28" Col2="51" />
                      <RightValue>Display Program Messages</RightValue>
                    </SimpleExpression1>
                  </Definition>
                </Screen>
              </Branch>
              <Definition>
                <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                  <LeftFieldContent Row="1" Col1="36" Col2="42" />
                  <RightValue>Sign On</RightValue>
                </SimpleExpression1>
              </Screen>
              <Screen Name="Communications Menu" HasAutoEnter="false">
                <PutField Data="2" Row="4" Col="31" Source="Explicit" />
                <PushKey Key="32778" />
                <Definition>
                  <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                    <LeftFieldContent Row="1" Col1="25" Col2="50" />
                    <RightValue>Agent Communications Menu</RightValue>
                  </SimpleExpression1>
                </Definition>
              </Screen>
              <Screen Name="Sales" HasAutoEnter="true">
                <PutField Data="12" Row="19" Col="53" Source="Explicit" />
                <Definition>
                  <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                    <LeftFieldContent Row="5" Col1="36" Col2="74" />
                    <RightValue>  Sales/Registration                   </RightValue>
                  </SimpleExpression1>
                </Definition>
              </Screen>
              <Screen Name="Estimate Number" HasAutoEnter="false">
                <PutField Data="8831" Row="8" Col="43" Source="Explicit" />
                <PushKey Key="32778" />
                <Definition>
                  <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                    <LeftFieldContent Row="8" Col1="21" Col2="35" />
                    <RightValue>Estimate Number</RightValue>
                  </SimpleExpression1>
                </Definition>
              </Screen>
              <Screen Name="Input" HasAutoEnter="false">
                <Definition>
                  <SimpleExpression1 Text="Condition 1" NegativeOp="false" Operator="Equal">
                    <LeftFieldContent Row="1" Col1="31" Col2="51" />
                    <RightValue> ATLAS Mini Estimate </RightValue>
                  </SimpleExpression1>
                </Definition>
              </Screen>
            </HFNavigation>
          </Pool>
        </poolInfo>
      </hostFront.pooling>
    </appSettings>
  <configuration>

The next section examines the different XML setting tags that are used within this configuration file.

- <hostFront.pooling>
<listeningChannel port="30000" />

This is the port used by the server side of the remote channel. The listeningChannel port is the minimum information that the configuration file must contain in order for the Pool Manager service to start.

You can specify the Port number that you want in the <listeningChannel port="30000" /> tag.