Profile schemes example

Scenario

You have configured your users so they can make and save their own display and keyboard mapping customizations to their BlueZone Mainframe Display sessions. However, you are now required to change the IBM 3270 Mainframe Host IP Address (or DNS Name).

Not using the profile schemes feature

If you are not using the profile schemes feature, you must modify your top-level BlueZone configuration profile by changing the IP address (or DNS name). Then, you must instruct all of your users to rename their current .zmd file. The next time they run BlueZone Web-to-Host, the modified .zmd file is downloaded. This accomplishes the task of changing the host IP address but all of your users’ personalized customizations like display, font, or keyboard mapping changes are lost, unless you teach your users how to export these settings from their old renamed .zmd file and import them into the new .zmd file that was just downloaded.

Using the profile schemes feature

When using the profile schemes feature, your .zmd file already has the profile schemes options configured to allow the importation of a TN3270E dialog-level configuration profile (.tn3). The .tn3 file contains all of the BlueZone Mainframe Display TN3270E configuration settings like Host IP Address (or DNS Name) and TCP Port. Using the Wizard, modify your .zmd file by modifying the Host IP Address (or DNS Name). Then save the TN3270E dialog settings as a dialog-level configuration profile. It automatically has the same name as your .zmd file, a file extension of .tn3, and is written to the proper location on your computer or web server.

After you add the new .tn3 file to your downloaded file list, the new .tn3 file is automatically downloaded to all of your users the next time they open BlueZone Web-to-Host.

When this new .tn3 file is downloaded to your users, only the TN3270 settings in your users’ .zmd file are overridden, leaving all of the their personalized customizations intact.

Summary

• Using the profile schemes feature, it is possible to allow your users to make BlueZone configuration customizations, yet still allow the BlueZone administrator make configuration modifications without overwriting the users’ customizations.
• You must have the Allow Local Save? feature enabled in order for the profile schemes feature to work.
• You must preconfigure your top-level configuration profile in advance by selecting the feature or features that you want to be able to override.
• The Web-to-Host Control Module never allows the overwriting of a top-level BlueZone configuration profile (.zmd file).
• The profile schemes feature works by a downloading a dialog-level configuration profile which overrides values stored in the users’ top-level configuration profile. In other words, you have a constant top-level configuration profile that never changes, and you modify it by adding dialog-level configuration profiles that override values in the top-level configuration profile.
• A dialog-level configuration profile is a subset of a top-level configuration profile.
• There are as many as nine (9) dialog-level configuration profiles for a single top-level configuration profile.