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

SAS/CONNECT

Local Host Tasks

User or Applications Programmer

To connect an OS/2 local host to a remote host, perform these tasks at the local host:

Consider the requirements of the remote host that you are connecting to.
If you connect to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha or VAX remote host by means of the spawner program, configure the spawner in the SERVICES file, as necessary.
If you connect to a remote host by means of a spawner, set security, as necessary.
Configure the local and remote hosts' names and Internet addresses in the local HOSTS file or through the domain server.
Specify the communications access method.
Specify the remote node name.
Identify the script file to be used for signing on and signing off, as necessary.
Sign on to the remote host.

Remote Host Connection Considerations

If you are connecting to a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT remote host, you must connect by means of a spawner program that is already running on the remote host. If you are connecting to an OS/2, a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha remote host, you optionally may connect by means of a spawner program, that also must already be running on the remote host. A spawner program allows the encryption of userids and passwords when passed through the network. Without a spawner, readable userids and passwords are passed through the network, which may present a security risk. See Spawner Programs for information about starting the spawner on the remote host.

You may also sign on to the remote host with a script file. If you do not sign on with a script file, as a security measure, set the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement, which is passed to the remote host, allowing a local host connection.

Note: Setting the Version 7 TCPSEC variable at the local host will also work. [cautionend]

If the -NOSCRIPT option is set at the spawner invocation, sign on with a script is prohibited. Ask your network administrator whether the -NOSCRIPT option is set at the spawner invocation.

For all other hosts, you will sign on with a script.

Configuring the Spawner Service in the SERVICES File

To prepare for local hosts that connect to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha remote host with the spawner program, configure the spawner service in the SERVICES file at the local host. See Configuring the SERVICES File for more information.

Setting Security for Local Hosts

If you are not using a script file to sign on to the remote host, 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 Providing Client Identification in a Version 8 Session.

For Version 7 security behavior, if you set the TCPSEC option 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 TCPSEC option, see Providing Client Identification in a pre-Version 8 Session.

Configuring Local and Remote Host Names and Internet Addresses

You must specify the names and Internet addresses of the local and remote hosts in the HOSTS file or through the name server. A name server program supplies name-to-address translation, mapping from domain names to IP addresses. The name server often runs on a dedicated processor, and the host itself is referred to as the name server.

The format for a HOSTS file entry follows:

Internet-address host-name optional-alias

Example:

172.20.10.200       monarch       local
172.20.10.201       omega         remote

Specifying the TCP/IP Communications Access Method

You must specify the TCP/IP 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.

TCP (short for TCP/IP, which is an acronym for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is an example of remote-host-id.

Example:

options comamid=tcp;

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

Specifying the Remote Node Name

To make a connection from an OS/2 local host to a remote host, use the following syntax:

OPTIONS REMOTE=node-name.<service-name>;

The value for node-name that you specify is based on the type of remote host that you are connecting to.

If you are connecting to a Windows NT, a Windows 95, a Windows 98, or an OS/2 remote host that is running the PC spawner program, use the name of the node on which the PC spawner is running. See PC Spawner Program for more information.
If you are connecting to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha host that is running the spawner program, use a two-level name in the form of node-name.service-name, where node-name specifies the node on which the spawner program is running and service-name specifies the port on which the spawner is listening for a connection request.
See Spawner Programs for information about the spawner program and Starting the UNIX Spawner Program for information about configuring the spawner service in the SERVICES file.
If you are connecting to any other remote host platforms that use a sign-on script, use the node name of the remote host. The remote host must be defined in a local HOSTS file or in a domain name server.

The value of the REMOTE= option must be a valid SAS name. See SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for details about SAS naming rules.

Example:

options remote=node-name;

If you use an Internet address (or some other invalid SAS name), you must assign the address to a macro variable, then specify the macro variable for the value of the REMOTE= option.

Example:

%let node=Internet-address;
options remote=node;

Do not choose a macro name that is also a valid host name on your network. SAS first attempts to reach a network host of the REMOTE= option value (in this example, MYNODE).

Example:

%let mynode=172.20.10.200;
options remote=mynode;

Identifying a Script File for Signing On and Signing Off

Note: If you use the spawner NOSCRIPT option, you will not use a script file. In the absence of a script file, be sure to set security. For information about setting security, see Setting Security for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE. See Spawner Programs for full details about starting the spawner. Because there is no script file, you will not define an RLINK fileref statement. [cautionend]

To use one of the sample script files that is supplied with SAS/CONNECT for signing on and signing off, assign the RLINK fileref to the appropriate script file, based on the remote host that you are connecting to. The sample scripts are installed at !SASROOT\CONNECT\SASLINK. You must customize the sample scripts to accurately reflect your site logon process. Failure to do so will produce errors.

The FILEREF syntax follows:

FILENAME RLINK '!sasroot\connect\saslinkscript-name';

where script-name specifies the appropriate script file for the remote host.

The following table lists the scripts that are supplied by SAS Institute:

OS/2 TCP/IP SAS/CONNECT Sign-on Scripts
Remote Host Script Name

CMS TCPCMS.SCR

CMS (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol) TCPCMS32.SCR

OS/390 (with TSO) TCPTSO.SCR

OS/390 (without TSO) TCPMVS.SCR

OS/390 (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol) TCPTSO32.SCR

OpenVMS TCPVMS.SCR

OS/2 TCPOS2.SCR

UNIX TCPUNIX.SCR

Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 TCPWIN.SCR

***OS/2 TCP/IP SAS/CONNECT Sign-on Scripts***
Remote Host	Script Name
CMS	TCPCMS.SCR
CMS (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol)	TCPCMS32.SCR
OS/390 (with TSO)	TCPTSO.SCR
OS/390 (without TSO)	TCPMVS.SCR
OS/390 (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol)	TCPTSO32.SCR
OpenVMS	TCPVMS.SCR
OS/2	TCPOS2.SCR
UNIX	TCPUNIX.SCR
Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98	TCPWIN.SCR

Example:

filename rlink '!sasroot\connect\saslink\tcptso32.scr';

Note: If you connect to an OS/2, a Windows NT, a Windows 95, or a Windows 98 remote host by means of a TELNET daemon, then your script must invoke the SASDMR program in the TYPE statement that starts the remote SAS session. If you connect to an OS/2, a Windows NT, a Windows 95, or a Windows 98 remote host by means of a PC spawner program, then your script must invoke the SAS program in the TYPE statement that starts the remote SAS session. You use the same SAS options with the SASDMR or SAS program as you would in the SAS command. The SASDMR command invokes a special version of the SAS program that redirects the output from the remote SAS session back to the local SAS session. Otherwise, if you connect to an OS/2 remote host, your script must invoke the sas.exe file. [cautionend]

To secure the remote host, set security using an approved method. See Setting Security for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE. For information about the spawner, see Spawner Programs.

Should you want to prevent sign ons with a script, set the NOSCRIPT option in the PC spawner invocation command. See PC Spawner Program for details about the NOSCRIPT option. Because there is no script file, you will not define an RLINK fileref statement.

Signing On to the Remote Host

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

signon user=_prompt_;

To set security at the remote host, specify valid values for the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement. For details, see Providing Client Identification in a Version 8 Session.

An example of signing on without a script to a Windows NT remote host follows:

signon user=_prompt_  noscript;

Local Host Example

The following example illustrates the statements that you specify in an OS/2 local host SAS session to connect to a remote host with the TCP/IP access method.

filename rlink '!sasroot\connect\saslink\tcptso.scr';
options comamid=tcp remote=rmtnode;
signon;

The first line identifies the script file that you use to sign on to an OS/390 remote host. The script file contains a prompt for a userid and a password that are valid on the remote host. The TCP/IP communications access method is declared with a connection to the remote host RMTNODE.

Remote Host Tasks

System Administrator

Before a user on a local host can sign on through a spawner program to either an OS/2, a UNIX, a Windows NT, a Windows 95, or a Windows 98 remote host, perform the following task:

Start the spawner program at the remote host, as necessary.

Starting the PC Spawner Program

Note: Running the PC spawner program on an OS/2 remote host is optional. [cautionend]

Optionally, you invoke the PC spawner program on the OS/2 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. See PC Spawner Program for information about starting the PC spawner program.

Remote Host Example

Set the following options to restrict port access in the remote host AUTOEXEC file to ports 5020 through 5050:

options tcpportfirst=5020;
options tcpportlast=5050;

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