Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE Software

SAS/CONNECT

Local Host Tasks

User or Applications Programmer

To connect a Windows local host to a remote host, perform these tasks at the local host:

Set a userid and a password, as necessary.
Specify the communications access method.
Specify a remote host to connect to.
Sign on to the remote host.

Setting the Remote Host Userid and Password

If the PC spawner program is running in secure mode, you must also set the remote host's userid and password at the local host. Set the -SECURITY option in the PC spawner invocation command to secure the server.

Set security at the local host using either of the methods explained in Setting Security for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE. For Version 8 security behavior, specify the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement. For details, see USER= and PASSWORD= Options in Selected Statements.

For Version 7 security behavior, if you set the SASPASS and SASUSER options at the local host, either specify a userid and a password that are valid on the remote host or specify _PROMPT_ to supply the userid and password when connecting to a remote host. For information about setting the SASUSER and SASPASS option, see SAS/CONNECT SASUSER and SASPASS Options.

See PC Spawner Program for information about starting the spawner on the remote host.

Specifying the NetBIOS Communications Access Method

You must specify the NETBIOS communications access method to make a remote host connection. Use the following syntax:

OPTIONS COMAMID=access-method-id;

where COMAMID is an acronym for Communications Access Method Identification. access-method-id identifies the method used by the local host to communicate with the remote host. NetBIOS (an acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System) is an example of an access-method-id.

Example:

options comamid=netbios;

Alternatively, you may set this option at a SAS invocation or in a SAS configuration file.

Specifying the Remote Host Name

To make a connection from a Windows local host to a remote host, use the following syntax:

OPTIONS REMOTE=network-name;

where network-name is the -NETNAME option to the PC spawner program that was started on the remote host.

Example:

options remote=sasrem;

Alternatively, you may set this option at a SAS invocation or in a SAS configuration file.

See PC Spawner Program for more information about the -NETNAME option.

Signing On to the Remote Host

To complete your signon to the remote host, enter the SIGNON statement, as follows:

signon;

Note: Sign-on script files are not needed with the NetBIOS access method because the PC spawner program directly invokes the remote SAS session and replaces the need for a script file. [cautionend]

Although no errors are produced if you specify a script file, you do waste processing time. If you defined the RLINK fileref before establishing a connection, when you sign on, SAS/CONNECT processes and loads the script file that is identified by the fileref, but the NetBIOS access method will ignore the script.

If you do not want to omit the RLINK fileref but you want to avoid wasting processing time, use the NOSCRIPT option in the SIGNON and SIGNOFF statements, as shown here:

options comamid=netbios  remote=sasrem;
signon noscript;
.
.
.
signoff noscript;

Local Host Example

The following example illustrates the statements that you specify in a Windows local host SAS session to connect to a remote host with the NetBIOS access method:

options set=vqmlinks 3 set=vqmconvs 3;
options comamid=netbios remote=sasrem;
signon user=_prompt_;

This example assumes a connection to a PC spawner that is running in secure mode. The NetBIOS communications access method is declared with a connection to the remote host SASREM. SASREM is the name that is specified in the -NETNAME option that the PC spawner uses to communicate with the local host. The USER= option in the SIGNON statement specifies that the connecting local host be prompted for a userid and a password that are valid on the remote host.

Remote Host Tasks

System Administrator

To allow a local host to make a remote host connection, perform these tasks at the remote host:

Start the PC spawner program.
Set several remote host options, as needed.

Starting the PC Spawner Program

You must invoke the PC spawner program on the Windows NT, Windows 95, or Windows 98 remote host to enable local hosts to connect to it. The spawner program resides on a remote host and listens for SAS/CONNECT client requests for connection to the remote host. After the spawner program receives a request, it invokes the remote SAS session.

For Windows NT only, setting the -SECURITY option in the PC spawner invocation command secures the spawner.

The spawner will then verify the userid and the password that are specified by means of the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement.

See PC Spawner Program for information about starting the spawner on the remote host.

Setting Options at the Remote Host

Although sign-on script files are not used for the NetBIOS access method, you may set remote host options at the remote host. It is recommended that you set these options:

NO$SYNTAXCHECK

allows the continuation of statement processing at the remote host regardless of syntax error conditions.

This option is valid as part of a configuration file, at a SAS invocation, or in an OPTIONS statement.

NOTERMINAL

specifies whether a terminal is attached at SAS invocation. If NOTERMINAL is specified, requestor windows are not displayed.

Setting NOTERMINAL at the remote host is advisable so that no terminal is associated with the remote session. This option prevents SAS from displaying error messages and dialog boxes on the remote host, which requires user intervention.

This option is valid as part of a configuration file or a SAS invocation.

See SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for details about this option.

NOXWAIT

Note: applies only to OS/2 or Windows remote hosts. [cautionend]

specifies whether you have to type EXIT at the DOS prompt before the DOS shell closes. Setting NOXWAIT at the remote host is recommended to prevent SAS from displaying a dialog box on the remote host. Such a display requires that you explicitly type EXIT at the remote host and gives the appearance that the REMOTE SUBMIT command is hung.

This option is valid as part of a configuration file, at a SAS invocation, or in an OPTIONS statement.

See SAS Companion for the Microsoft Windows Environment for details about this option.

Remote Host Example

The following example illustrates the statements that you specify in a Windows NT or a Windows 95 remote host's configuration file to prepare for a connection from a supported local host with the NetBIOS access method:

-dmr
-comamid netbios
-no$syntaxcheck
-noterminal
-noxwait

An example follows of how the PC spawner is invoked on a Windows NT or a Windows 95 remote host:

c:\sas\connect\sasexe\spawner -comamid netbios -netname sasrem 
                              -file mysas.cmd

The spawner is invoked and the NetBIOS access method is specified. The -NETNAME option specifies the name of the network (SASREM) that the PC spawner program uses to communicate with the local host. The -FILE option executes the MYSAS.CMD file, which invokes a SAS session.

See PC Spawner Program for information about the contents of a command file and executing the PC spawner. Options that are set through the spawner may override options that are set in a remote host configuration file.

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