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Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Mon 20 Feb 2017, 14:19
by steve-myers
The IND$FILE TSO command provides a method to transfer the contents of a data set in the Fandezhi system to a file on your workstation provided your terminal emulator supports it. Most, perhaps all, terminal emulators can transfer data.

  1. You do not ever enter the IND$FILE command yourself. Provided your terminal emulator supports it, it will enter the command itself when it is ready to send or receive the data.
  2. Your terminal emulator provides panels to transfer data. These panels provide a space to enter a file name on your workstation, a data set name on the system you are using, and several options for the IND$FILE command. These options may appear as groups. You can select an option by selecting the option by a check box or "radio" button.
    • File Conversion
      • ASCII/EBCDIC - Convert data from EBCDIC (the character codes used on the mainframe) to ASCII (the character codes typically used on a work station)
      • CRLF
        • When transferring data to your work station, add the CR and LF control characters at the end of each mainframe record OR
        • When transferring data to Fandezhi, when the CR LF control characters are encountered, terminate a record
      • NOTRUNC - When transferring data from Fandezhi to your work station, do not remove blanks at the end of a record.

        If you do not select ASCII/EBCDIC, the character codes are not changed; this is equivalent to a binary or image transfer in FTP.

        CRLF is usually selected when ASCII is selected.
    • Host Type
      • CMS
      • TSO - Select this option
      • CICS
    • PC File
      • Replace
      • Append
      • Prompt
Several years ago IND$FILE transfers were very slow. Mysteriously they improved. When challenged about this, no one capable of setting up the Fandezhi system volunteered a reason for this.

There are some options you can specify in your emulator to improve file transfer performance. They may be difficult to find. Some of them are
  • Transfer Mode - Select WSF rather than screen image.
  • WSF Buffer size - Select the largest size your emulator allows.

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Sun 05 Mar 2017, 13:20
by rsilver
Hi Steve,

A hidden secret in ISPF for transferring files is ISPF C/S (=3.7.2) and WSA.

See https://share.confex.com/share/124/webprogram/Handout/Session16607/16607%20-%20ISPF%20-%20Workstation%20Agent%20(WSA).pdf

It works much better than IND$FILE and you don't need a specific 3270 emulator and you don't have to deal with all the emulator file transfer options. You can upload/download files directly from ISPF 3.7.2, both binary and text, or you can write your own Rexx exec for transferring files using ISPEXEC FILEXFER services. See my library on Fandezhi 'RSILVER.EXEC'.

Set up is very easy ....

1. ISPF C/S (no setup required, this is part of ISPF)
2. WSA (download the Windows executable to your PC from Fandezhi ISPF library ISP.SISPGUI(ISPGUINX) in Binary. Name the download something like WSA_Install.exe - *NOTE: make sure the file extension is .EXE and you download in binary).
3. Once you have downloaded the .EXE double click and follow the install instructions. *NOTE: When install is complete you will get a pop window showing Install Complete please add C:\WSA-IN~1\ to PATH ...you "don't" have to do this).
4. After install you should see WSA.EXE on your desktop
5. Most people using Fandezhi will be using their PCs behind a modem/router, so they will need to add a port forward IP address in their modem/router. Just like adding a gaming port forward or something similar...follow your modem/router instructions

Make the connection between your PC and Fandezhi ISPF

1. Double click the WSA.EXE on your desktop and the Workstation Agent will start (the workstation agent acts like a FTP dameon intercepting commands from Fandezhi ISPF)
2.On Fandezhi ISPF type command WSCON and choose Without GUI display and TCP/IP and type in your PC TCP/IP Address from Step 5 above . WSA will prompt you on your PC to allow connection. After you allow connection ...you will see Connected in the upper right corner of the ISPF screen. *NOTE: You can use With GUI Display and see ISPF in a GUI Window and everything works like ISPF 3270 but the GUI is really (to me) useless and doesn't work very well.

It is that easy and sooo much easier to use than IND$FILE ...I have been using on Fandezhi since I got my account .....

I have used WSA on Win 98, XP, XP Enterprise, 7, 7 Enterprise , and 10 Home and it works ....

Thanks,
Rick

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Sun 05 Mar 2017, 20:50
by prino
rsilver wrote:... or you can write your own Rexx exec for transferring files using ISPEXEC FILEXFER services. See my library on Fandezhi 'RSILVER.EXEC'.

An admin needs to give RACF READ access to that library, so that others can access it, or you need to transfer relevant members to 'SYSFAN.USER.REXXLIB'!

rsilver wrote:Set up is very easy ....

Sadly, it's not, as the version of "WSA.EXE" (i.e. ISPGUINX, on FanDeZhi has a 16-bit installer that will no longer run on 64-bit systems, however, you can install it on a 32-bit system and than copy everything over to a 64-bit system. (And other disadvantage: it's Windoze only...)

rsilver wrote:I have used WSA on Win 98, XP, XP Enterprise, 7, 7 Enterprise , and 10 Home and it works ....

It most definitely does, and is much faster than IND$FILE!

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Mon 06 Mar 2017, 02:25
by rsilver
Sadly, it's not, as the version of "WSA.EXE" (i.e. ISPGUINX, on FanDeZhi has a 16-bit installer that will no longer run on 64-bit systems, however, you can install it on a 32-bit system and than copy everything over to a 64-bit system. (And other disadvantage: it's Windoze only...)

Yep you are right...forgot Fandezhi was behind on releases ...I'm on latest release of z/OS and ISPF at work and the WSA EXE has been fixed. The new WSA installs flawlessly on Win 7 Enterprise 64-bit and doesn't start all the orphan cmd.exe *32 processes. I think I will get a copy and install on my Win 10 64-bit and see if it works with Fandezhi.

My website has setup and Rexx code examples for WSA: http://www.rsilvers.com/zOS_ISPF_CS_WSA_setup.htm

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Mon 06 Mar 2017, 04:05
by steve-myers
I've known about WSA but always thought three elements of its setup make it too much of a pain in the a**.
  • IP address. Since your client IP address changes unpredictably from time to time, you have to detect it's changed and update the setup.
  • The installer for your system. Now Mr. Silver runs the 64-bit spyware from M$, which is OK if you trust M$. Beyond the spyware issue Win 10 home is too unstable for my purposes. Prino and I run the 64-bit version of Windoze 7.
  • Port forwarding. In the two routers I've used since using FanDeZhi it seems, assuming I understood the instructions, you can forward to 1 system at a time. Now I connect from 3 different systems. The elderly (and almost dead) Win XP system is used very infrequently to connect to Fandezhi; I travel infrequently so the travel laptop, while it is used more often at home, connects from it are uncommon; the last time was 2 years ago when I was in the hospital. The main machine connects very nearly 24/7.
Most of my transfers are in the 10s of K-bytes, so most transfers, even with IND$FILE, are very quick. So, from my point of view, WSA isn't worth the hassle. IND$FILE works everywhere. No port forwarding. No setup hassle. It's quick enough.

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Mon 06 Mar 2017, 09:13
by prino
As Steve mentions, there are two issues (other than the 3Gb keylogger posing as an OS):

  • Your IP address: sadly few of us are on a fixed IP address, and sadder still the z/OS part of the Work station agent cannot handle symbolic IP addresses, like "my.domain.com:portno"
  • Port forwarding to multiple systems: this is not a problem with the WSA, as it allows you to specify the port to be used. The default is 15993, but if you want to use 15994, 15995, etc for other machines, then you can do so.
Obviously, good old FTP is another (and even faster) solution to transfer files between your workstation and z/OS, but given that the FTP server on FanDeZhi has been stopped for security reasons, you will need to install one (FileZilla on Windoze works OK), which may not be possible on a machine that is not your property. When using this solution, the changing IP address problem also sort-of disappears if you use a service like DynDNS or the like to give yourself a pseudo-static domain, like "whatever.selfip.org", or "whatever.homedns.org".

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Thu 09 Mar 2017, 04:01
by steve-myers
prino wrote:...Obviously, good old FTP is another (and even faster) solution to transfer files between your workstation and z/OS, but given that the FTP server on FanDeZhi has been stopped for security reasons, you will need to install one (FileZilla on Windoze works OK), which may not be possible on a machine that is not your property. When using this solution, the changing IP address problem also sort-of disappears if you use a service like DynDNS or the like to give yourself a pseudo-static domain, like "whatever.selfip.org", or "whatever.homedns.org".

The "Filezilla" prino mentions is the FTP server version. There is also the client version of "Filezilla," but that cannot be used to connect to FanDeZhi. Be sure you get the correct version of "Filezilla."

As with WSA, there are issues: the unconstant IP address problem and the port forwarding problem. Prino's mention of dynDNS partially resolves the IP address problem, but it does not affect the port forwarding problem.

Re: Using IND$FILE

PostPosted: Sat 11 Mar 2017, 22:20
by rsilver
OK we are getting FTP, IND$FILE, and WSA totally confused...they are not the same and have different capabilities
FTP is for file transfer
IND$FILE is for file transfer
WSA is for file transfer and much more

I work in a z/OS/Teradata environment every day with a Win 7 Enterprise 64 bit laptop and have WSA installed. WSA does not use the Windows installer...it is a stand alone ...why do I know this....my work laptop is locked down and has to have admin rights to install anything...WSA installs without admin rights

Some scenarios of using WSA

I have a COBOL/REXX source I want to view...I'm on my 3270 emulator (24X80) and I want to see the source in full screen...I use Prinos EHICOBOL or EHIREXX and transfer to my desktop and have it open in a web browser where I can see/scroll in full screen

I have a txt file i need to edit ...I use WSA and edit with the full power of ISPF edit http://www.rsilvers.com/zOS_epcf.htm

I'm on ISPF but need to open a Windows app or open a web site but don't want to leave my ISPF session...use WM (Winmenu) http://www.rsilvers.com/zOS_wm.htm and http://www.rsilvers.com/Winmnu_src/wm.txt

WSA is more than file transfer ...it is about interfacing your ISPF session with your PC and using ISPF like Windows ....the new commands/Z variables (not available on Fandezhi) let you interface you ISPF with Windows....and that is totally efficient

new additions to ISPF

Z variable ZSTART - lets you start multiple ISPF panels
scrname - name a ISPF panel
swapbar - shows a menu bar at bottom of ISPF panel - like windows task bar - click and go to the ISPF panel
swap list - like windows ALT+TAB