IGNITe/400 is an international organization. I am located in Southern California, while my partner Bleddyn Williams and our machines are located in Ascot, U.K. We partner with IGNITe/400 members and iSeries software developers around the world to bring new software and sample code to our system for our members to try out and learn from.
To do this, we make extensive use of IBM's NetServer/400 to provide remote users access to the IFS Root directories, which store HTML, Net.Data macros, Java, XML and other resources that are used on the site.
IBM's NetServer/400, a free server bundled and shipped with OS/400 for several releases and enhanced through V4R5, provides a Windows NT-like file-and-print sharing capability that connects with any Windows/95/98/NT/2000 client. You need only have Windows on the client along with an Internet connection and appropriate security software. It is strongly recommended that you use a virtual private network (VPN) connection to the machine running NetServer; be sure to block Netserver's ports with your firewall.
You must use Operations Navigator. Click on the Integrated File System and create "SHARES" for directory structures you wish to allow your users to access. These are controlled by OS/400 security, and users must have proper authorization to access the shares. A share is a name that appears on the client Explorer Window or File Manager Window when a user accesses NetServer/400.
You can find PTFs and instructions at IBM's NetServer Web site. Be sure you are current on the PTFs.
You will most likely need an entry in the Windows LMHOSTS file (do a FIND on LMHOSTS.SAM). Create an entry and save it as LMHOSTS (no extension).
You may find encounter issues logging on. Here are the rules:
1. Windows 2000 -- Should be no problem. Windows will allow you to enter the user-ID and password of your choice that matches a valid AS/400 user profile on the machine running Netserver. When you change your AS/400 password, be sure to have a 5250 or Operations Navigator session active. Due to a glitch in Windows, it may take as many as five or six attempts after a password change for Windows to send the new password you type and for Netserver to recognize this. IBM is working on this problem. They are convinced that this is a Windows issue. Windows doesn't always send the new password, but may send the cached password. It will eventually work. Unfortunately, if you are set to disable the user profile after three failed log-in attempts, you will have to re-enable the user profile once or twice during the change password process.
2. Windows 95/98 -- The ideal situation is for your Windows User-ID and Windows password to match your AS/400 user profile and password. With this situation, Windows and Netserver talk to each other politely and the login is successful. The absolute rule, however, is this: Your Windows user-ID and AS/400 profile must always match. You cannot log in if this condition is not true. If the passwords are different, Windows should bring up a log-in dialog box where you can enter the password and log in successfully.
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About the author: Bob Cancilla is managing director of IGNITe/400, an electronic iSeries 400 Internet users group. He is also author of the book Getting Down to e-business with AS/400.
