Configuring Dynamic Workstations

mvBase allows for dynamic configuring of the mvBase Workstation. Configuration changes can be made to a running mvBase Workstation and the changes take effect without the need to stop and restart the mvBase Workstation.

The mvBase Administration Utility is used to create, modify, and/or delete configurations. The mvBase Workstation creates clients whose behavior is governed by a configuration. The effect of a change to a configuration of the mvBase Workstation on the corresponding client differs depending on which properties of a configuration have been changed. All mvBase Workstation configurations have a common set of properties as well as unique properties according to the type of configuration.

The common properties of all configurations and the effect of applying changes to a running client is discussed first.

NOTE	The clients are not affected by any changes until either the Apply or OK button is selected. The Cancel button only cancels changes made since the last Apply or OK.

mvBase Server Name

The mvBase Server to which the client establishes a connection. If this property is changed and applied to an active client, the changes do not take effect until the client has disconnected from the server to which it is currently connected–unless the client is a Telnet server.

Changing the Server Name property on an active Telnet server client takes immediate effect (new Telnet connections are serviced by clients that connect to the changed server name, existing Telnet connections are unaffected).

Line Number

Line Number is the mvBase Line Number on the server that this client is to acquire. If this property is changed and applied to a connected client, the change does not take effect until the client has disconnected from the server unless the client is a Telnet server client.

Changing the Line Number property on an active Telnet server client takes immediate effect, but has no effect on Telnet clients created by the Telnet server client. This change takes immediate effect on a disconnected client.

Enabling/Disabling the Configuration

The property, Enable/Disable the Configuration, is handled differently for each type of client when it changes, such as a currently:

Enabled serial port client becomes disabled once the client is in a disconnected state.
Disabled serial port client becomes immediately enabled.
Enabled printer client becomes disabled once there are no open print jobs.
Disabled printer client becomes immediately enabled.
Enabled Telnet server client immediately stops accepting connections, but all current connections established by the Telnet server client are not affected.
Disabled Telnet server client becomes immediately enabled and begins accepting connections.

Each of the mvBase Workstation configuration types has properties specific to the type of configuration. The effect of changing these properties on an active client is discussed in the next topics.

Configuring the Serial (COM) Port

Interoperability Features

Changes to the interoperability properties take immediate effect on a connected serial port.

Connect on Startup

The Connect on Startup property, when checked, causes a serial port client to establish a connection with the defined mvBase Server when the mvBase Workstation is started. If this property is changed from unchecked to checked on a disconnected client, then the client establishes a connection with the server defined by the configuration. Changing this property on an already connected client has no effect on the client.

Disconnect on Logoff

The Disconnect on Logoff property, when checked, causes the client to disconnect from the server when the mvBase process logs off. Changing this property on a connected client takes affect the next time the client logs off.

Suppress Connect Message

The Suppress Connect Message property, when checked, prevents the client from displaying a response message to the serial port when a connection is attempted. Changing this property on a connected client has no affect until the client disconnects and then reconnects.

Disconnect Character

The Disconnect Character property defines the character that, when entered by the user, causes the client to disconnect from the server. Changing this property on a connected client takes effect immediately.

Serial Printer

The Serial Printer property, when checked, defines the client as an output-only client. Changing this property on a connected client does not take effect until the client has disconnected the current session.

Configuring the Printer

Printer Name

The Printer Configuration property defines the name that a printer has been assigned within the Windows environment. Changing this property on a connected client takes effect once the client has no open print job.

Raw

The Raw property, when checked, indicates that the data sent from the mvBase process to the client is to be sent directly to the printer. Changing this property on a connected client takes effect once the client has no open print job.

Configuring the Telnet Server

Telnet server configurations are special configurations in that they do not necessarily have a one-to-one mapping of a workstation client to an mvBase line as in the case of serial port and printer configurations.

The client that the configuration properties are applied to is actually a Telnet listener client. This client waits for Telnet connections and then spawns a new Telnet connection client and passes on the configuration properties to the new client. Configuration property changes made to a Telnet server client are passed on to the child Telnet connection clients depending on the nature of the configuration property.

TCP Port

The TCP Port property defines the TCP port number that the Telnet server client is to listen on for incoming connections. Changing this property on an active Telnet server client takes immediate effect. The Telnet server client ceases listening on the old port number and begins listening on the new port number. Active child Telnet connection clients are not affected by a change to this property.

Interoperability Features

Changes to the interoperability properties take affect immediately and are passed on to child Telnet connection clients.

Serial Printer

The Serial Printer property, when checked, indicates the Telnet client server spawns output-only Telnet connection clients. Changing this property on an active Telnet server client takes effect immediately but is not passed on to any active child Telnet connection clients.

Suppress Connect Message

The Suppress Connect Message property, when checked, prevents a child Telnet connection client from displaying a response message to the Telnet user when a connection to the mvBase Server is attempted. Changing this property on an active Telnet server client takes immediate affect but has no relevance to already connected child clients.

Adding New Configurations

In addition to changing the configuration properties of existing mvBase Workstation clients, configurations may be added or deleted while the mvBase Workstation is running. Adding a new configuration causes a new client within the mvBase Workstation to be started providing the Disabled check box is not checked.

Deleting Existing Configurations

The effect of deleting a configuration while the mvBase Workstation is running depends on the type of configuration that is deleted.

Deleting a serial port (terminal or printer) configuration does not affect a connected client. When the client disconnects from the server, the client then terminates itself.

Deleting a printer configuration causes the printer client to terminate once it has no open print jobs.

Deleting a Telnet server configuration causes the Telnet listener client for that configuration to stop listening for Telnet connections and terminate itself. Already-connected child Telnet connection clients, created by the Telnet server client being deleted, are unaffected.