Uploading to z/OS or OS/390 HTTP server

The BlueZone Web-to-Host web server files can be served up from any web server including the IBM HTTP server that ships with Z/OS and OS/390. The IBM HTTP server is based on Apache and runs in Open MVS.

On an IBM HTTP web server, all HTML files (all files that end in .htm) and the fixActiveX.js file located in the \shared folder, must be uploaded to the Mainframe as ASCII so they are converted to EBCDIC properly. All other files must be uploaded as binary data.

This procedure is written under the assumption that HTTP services are already configured and running on the host. This procedure only covers the transfer of the BlueZone Web-to-Host web server files to the HTTP web server. It does not cover the configuration of BlueZone Web-to-Host.

In the following exercise, commands to be entered are shown on a separate line. It is necessary (but not shown) to send an ENTER after each command.

Step 1: Uploading the Web-to-Host web server files to the web server

Configure BlueZone FTP or another FTP client to connect to your Mainframe.

Change to the MVS Open Edition (OMVS) file system directory. On the Rocket Software mainframe this is accomplished by changing the directory to /USR1/ by issuing the following command:

cd /usr1/

Create a directory for BlueZone Web-to-Host called /bluezone/ by issuing the make directory command:

mkd bluezone

Switch to the new BlueZone directory by issuing a change directory command:

cd bluezone

On the Windows platform where the Web-to-Host Wizard is installed, locate the place where your Web-to-Host web server files are stored. This would be the place where you stored all the sites that you created with the Web-to-Host Wizard.

On the Mainframe host, upload each site including the entire sub file structure that was created by the BlueZone Web-to-Host Wizard to the new folder that you just created. Upload all HTML files (all files that end in .htm) as ASCII. Upload all other files as binary.

CAUTION

You must not change the file structure of the Web-to-Host web server files. All folders and subfolders including all their files must be uploaded to the web server just as they were created by the Web-to-Host Wizard. If anything is changed, you run the risk of the site becoming inoperable.

For example, if you created a site called MySite, upload it to the bluezone folder:

\bluezone\mysite

By uploading the entire contents of the MySite folder, you will automatically be uploading all the launch folders that were also created by the Wizard. Your directory structure should look something like this:

\bluezone\mysite\myfolder

Step 2: Configuring the web server

Once all the directories and files have been uploaded to the host, the permissions on those directories must be set and the httpd.conf file must be changed to allow access to BlueZone Web-to-Host.

Change the permissions on the BlueZone Web-to-Host directory:

Using a BlueZone Mainframe Display or other terminal emulator, connect to the Mainframe hosting the web server.

From the ISPF Primary Option Menu, enter MVS OpenEdition (OMVS). To do so, type:

The Additional IBM products Panel will display. To enter OMVS, type:

At the OMVS prompt type:

cd /usr1/

The prompt will change to /usr1: >

At the prompt type:

chmod -R 755 bluezone

To change the directory to /usr1/bluezone/, type the following at the prompt:

cd bluezone

To change the permissions on the files and directories in /usr1/bluezone/, type the following at the prompt:

chmod -R 755 *

Update the web server configuration file httpd.conf:

From the OMVS prompt change directories to the IBM HTTP server directory. On the Rocket Software Mainframe this is accomplished by typing:

cd /web/httpd1/

Your directory may be different.

List all of the files in the directory and look for httpd.conf. At the prompt type:

ls -1

Open the http.conf file for editing to add the BlueZone Web-to-Host PASS directive. At the prompt type:

oedit httpd.conf

Search the httpd.conf file for the PASS directive by typing the following on the command line:

F PASS 1

Use F5 to find more instances of PASS.

To insert three (3) blank lines, at the beginning of the line for the next to the last PASS directive type:

In the second blank line type:

PASS /bluezone/* /usr1/bluezone/mysite/myfolder/*

This allows the URL users type to be:

http://yourhostname/bluezone/default.htm

rather than:

http://yourhostname/usr1/bluezone/mysite/myfolder/default.htm

Press F3 to save and exit.

CAUTION

If you plan to access BlueZone Web-to-Host through a dial-up connection, the HTTP server OutputTimeout value must be increased from the default value of 2 minutes to 10 minutes. The HTTP server must be restarted for these changes to take effect. The OutputTimeout value can be found under the Timeout Directives section of the httpd.conf file.

Step 3: Testing the uploaded files

From a Windows workstation, launch your browser.

Type in the URL of your web server, followed by /bluezone (or whatever you called the folder where BlueZone Web-to-Host is installed). For example:

http://63.69.143.23/bluezone

http://www.myhost.com/bluezone

If your web server is set up properly, the default.htm page will launch the correct launch page.

The Web-to-Host control module will download and install. Then, a web page with a BlueZone launch pad will be displayed. The launch pad will contain icons for one or more BlueZone emulation clients.

Continue the test by launching a BlueZone emulation client session by double clicking one of the icons.

If you have both Internet Explorer and Netscape users, be sure to test with both browsers.

Note

When conducting browser tests, it’s okay to run IE and Netscape at the same time however, you can not launch a BlueZone display session from one browser then launch the same BlueZone display session from the other. The second session will not launch. You must close down the first BlueZone session (not the browser) before launching the same BlueZone session with the other browser.