To all the denizens of the list who are now thoroughly confused over what this thread might have to do with what they understand as "USS", we actually happen to be talking here about the real and original "USS", namely VTAM's Unformatted System Services which has been around since the mid-seventies rather than what is usually implied by "USS" in this list, namely "UNIX System Services", very much a Johnny-come-lately.
I felt that was worth an airing given how infrequently we encounter a thread dealing with genuine "USS". - Yan Ying Exploiting the 3270 data stream, which is what you are really asking about, can be a rather complex topic. It needs a quite detailed understanding of how the 3270 data stream works. The first point to get out of the way is that the format of the USS messages about which you are asking is the 3270 format. I see that you include the @@@@@@@@@IPADDR text which implies that you are using the USS table in the context of the TN3270 server rather than purely VTAM. You have the opportunity these days to use USS messages in 3270 data stream format or SNA Character String (SCS)[1] format. It's only when you use the 3270 format that you can play with colours.[2] I guess the second point to get out of the way is that the details of the formatting characters has very little - not quite nothing - to do with VTAM or the TN3270 server. Thus you will look in vain in Communications Server (CS) documentation for an explanation of how to enhance the presentation of your USS messages. If you are very persistent in reading through the CS IP Configuration Guide manual - I used the V1R9 edition, SC31-8775-12 - you can find a reference to the manual John Chase suggested, namely the "3270 Data Stream Programmers Reference" manual. The following hierarchy of section titles takes you to the relevant text: - Chapter 10. Accessing remote hosts using Telnet - TN3270E Telnet server - Using the Telnet Solicitor or USS logon panel - Using the Telnet USS and INTERPRET support - Creating a USS table: <quote> - Both the 3270 data stream and the SNA character stream (SCS) formats are supported. For more information, see 3270 Data Stream Programmers Reference and the table samples. </quote> - Now a short introduction to what you want to do: First of all, given the USS message 10 you put in your post, you should already be seeing colours in what is shown on your presumed TN3270 emulator window. The following is the relationship between colours and 3270 data stream field attributes: protected normal: blue unprotected normal: green protected intense: white unprotected intense: red Thus "IBM z/OS SYSTEM V1R9", "IP Address = @@@@@@@@@IPADDR", VTAM Terminal = @@LUNAME" and "STARTED DATE : 2008-03-27" will appear in white since the attribute byte which applies, positioned at row 24, column 80, - after wrapping from the last character to the first character - is "protected intense". (I haven't checked X'C8' is indeed "protected intense" since I am relying on the comments.) The only other attribute byte you have is the one positioned at row 23 column 80 which is "unprotected normal" and so the command text which you key will appear in green. Had I been faced with what you want to do using real 3270 display terminals and associated controllers, say, 20 years ago, the only enhancement regarding the use of colour I would feel was appropriate might be to set all the unchanging text to "protected normal", hence blue, and arrange for the variable text to be "protected intense", hence still white so that it stood out. Setting up some text in an "unprotected" field just so that it would appear in red is not a source of possible confusion I would impose on my end users. The reason I would not be any more adventurous is the reason given by John Chase in that I would not have been certain that the combination of display and controller in the case of a CUT display or the display itself in the case of a DFT display supported anything other than the basic attribute bytes as described above. Today with clever TN3270 client programs running on PCs and the like I would expect that you could step up to the next level of colour exploitation and use the extended attribute bytes and hence use any of the colours, red, green, blue, turquoise, pink, yellow and white, to your heart's content. Your organisation probably has a standard for TN3270 client and so you can probably simply check your USS messages with your own PC to be sure that the messages will appear correctly on any of your organisation's PCs. It's now that I'm afraid I have to contradict Pat O'Keefe. As I, in effect, just said, when I exploited colours in my USS messages long, long ago, I limited myself to the colours which translate to the basic attributes. However, I had a colleague running another set of classes who was somewhat bolder. His USS messages - probably just his USS message 10 - was set up to exploit the full range of 7 colours. Thus, not only would I expect use of the extended attributes to be possible on theoretical grounds, I've seen it! - Incidentally, I do like your way of setting the buffer position number in your "set buffer address" sequences. This is so much better than having to look up all the addresses in the "3270 Buffer Address Codes" booklet. I believe it relies upon a more advanced option than was available to me with the devices I worked with long ago but it is surely valid with the 3270 emulators of today. - It's a shame that the TN3270E RFC, 1647, is deficient in not promoting a proper way of supporting the SSCP-LU session using the "SYSREQ Function". If it did I could offer you a way of much improving your help desk support based on suggesting that you add USS message 5 - at least - to your USS message 10. - Another point you should watch out for is in the use of the "@@LUNAME" text substitution. According to the manual this text will not be substituted in the case of TN3270 as opposed to a TN3270E logic because of the difference in when the secondary APPL statement name is selected between the two cases. - I said earlier that "details of the formatting characters has very little - not quite nothing - to do with VTAM or indeed the TN3270 server". I found the following in the description of the USSTCP statement in the CS IP Configuration Reference: <quote> Telnet does not modify or translate the message text. </quote> This is (should be) almost correct. When you use the USSMSG TEXT operand as opposed to the BUFFER operand for specifying your USS messages - something that used to be necessary in order to benefit from variable substitution - the OPT operand applies. By default the OPT operand removes what it imagines are extraneous blank characters. When using 3270 data stream formatting of the message, buffer position 0, row 1, column 1, using the original method for the "set buffer address" sequence, was represented as two blanks. If the TN3270 server were faithfully to follow the rules of USS message handling it would have been obliged to reduce these two blank characters to one - and thoroughly mess up the formatting of the USS message! Scars like that are not forgotten! Talking about extraneous blank characters, I see that you do have rather a lot of extraneous blank characters in your text. You might like to be more precise with your "set buffer address" sequences in order to reduce them. You do not always have to start in column 1 of the specified rows. - If you decide to be very colourful and you need more help, please post again. I used to know how to set up SFE and SA sequences so perhaps rereading the manual will bring it all back! Chris Mason [1] SCS can also be found expanded to SNA Character Set, the SNA Formats manual for example, or SNA Character Stream, the Communications Server IP Configuration Reference manual for example. The 3174 Establishment Controller Functional Description, GA23-0218-11, expands SCS to SNA Character String and so that seems the most appropriate interpretation given the context. [2] Being a custodian of the "pure" language, that is, having as little as possible to do with the mangled version used across the Atlantic, you will note that I spell the word relating to the key feature of this thread correctly! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
