Environment
Verastream Host Integrator version 7.5
Situation
This technical note describes product enhancements and fixes for Verastream Host Integrator (VHI) version 7.5.70, which released December 2012. If you are using a previous version, we recommend that you review this information before upgrading.
Note: For information about features in Verastream Host Integrator 7.5 Service Pack 1, see KB 7021325.
This technical note is organized into the following sections:
Resolution
What's New in Version 7.5?
This release includes the previous 7.1 SP1 and SP2 updates (described in KB 7021585), plus the following new updates:
Platform Support
- Windows 64-bit support for Server and Development Kits. Note the following:
- This version cannot be installed on 32-bit Windows platforms. If you still need support for 32-bit Windows, please install version 7.1 SP2 in your environment. (For information about model deployment in mixed-version environments, see KB 7021329.)
- If you upgrade an existing 32-bit installation (version 7.1.x or earlier), the 64-bit files are installed to the existing folder in C:\Program Files (x86)\Attachmate. However, for new installations of version 7.5, files are installed in C:\Program Files\Attachmate folder (not x86).
- Server Kits on UNIX/Linux platforms still run as 32-bit programs. For more information about supported platforms and 64-bit support, see KB 7021532.
- Support for new Windows platforms Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. Note: Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and IBM AIX 5.3 are no longer supported platforms in this version. For more information about supported platforms, see KB 7021532.
Web Application Improvements
- New terminal emulation web applications: You
can quickly and conveniently connect to your IBM hosts in a web
browser—without configuring a model in Design Tool or generating a Web
Builder project.
- On Windows, "3270 Terminal Session" and "5250 Terminal Session" shortcuts are installed in Start > All Programs > Attachmate Verastream > Host Integrator.
- From any system, you can open the URL http://vhiservername:8081/Terminal3270/ or http://vhiservername:8081/Terminal5250/.
- The built-in Terminal3270 and Terminal5250 web applications provide mobile-friendly HTML5 web interface features described below.
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Figure 1. Sample Terminal3270 web application. Host screen has clickable hot spots and drop-down function keys. Displayed on Apple iPad.
Figure 1. Sample Terminal3270 web application. Host screen has clickable hot spots and drop-down function keys. Displayed on Apple iPad.
- New "HTML5 Web Application" project type in Web Builder provides multiple user experience and runtime improvements:
- Modern look and feel for both form and terminal pages in your project.
- AJAX-based web application provides improved runtime performance.
- Optimized for use with mobile devices, such as Apple iPad (iOS), Samsung, Windows, and Motorola tablets.
- Terminal pages display as full browser width and are resizable.
- Easier entry of host function keys in terminal pages with a "tuck away" transparent on-screen keyboard. Tap or click the "Fn" graphic in the upper right.
- "Hotspots" automatically display clickable buttons for function keys on terminal pages. Hot spots are displayed by matching text displayed by the host application. For more information about configuring hotspots in your project, see http://docs2.attachmate.com/verastream/vhi/7.5/en/topic/com.attachmate.vhi.webbuilder.help/html/reference/about_hotspots.xhtml.
- Easy selection of procedures with a drop-down in the upper right of form pages.
- If you need to create new projects that use the previous project types (".NET Web Application" or "Java Web Application"), they are still available on the Legacy tab. Note: The legacy project types do not provide the HTML5 improvements listed above.
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Figure 2. Sample form-based web application generated by Web Builder, with procedure drop-down list. Displayed on Apple iPad.
Figure 2. Sample form-based web application generated by Web Builder, with procedure drop-down list. Displayed on Apple iPad.
- VHI Web Server is now installed on all platforms. (In versions 7.0 through 7.1 SP2, UNIX Server Kit for Linux, Solaris, and AIX did not include a web server to run web applications generated by Web Builder.) For information about deploying HTML 5 web application projects to non-Windows platforms, see http://docs2.attachmate.com/verastream/vhi/7.5/en/topic/com.attachmate.vhi.webbuilder.help/html/reference/html5_deploy_apps.xhtml.
Security Updates
- SSL security is enhanced with support for SHA-256 certificates using 2048-bit keys. This feature meets updated US federal government information processing standards. Note the following:
- The new SHA-256 certificates are generated for a new installation of version 7.5+ only. When you upgrade from version, existing certificates are kept.
- This feature is not available on the AIX platform.
- This feature applies to the following communication: HTTPS to web services, HTTPS to VHI Web Server, between connector and session server (when security is enabled), between Administrative Console and management server, and replication between management servers in a cluster. Also, when using Telnet SSL, Design Tool and session server accept SHA256 certificates from hosts.
- When you access VHI web services or web applications over HTTPS, your web browser may report that the security certificate is not trusted or not issued by a trusted certificate authority. You may either proceed through the warning, or install the VHI self-signed certificate in your trusted CA store.
- On Windows Server 2003, when you attempt to access VHI web services or web applications over HTTPS, your web browser may not be able to display the web page or report an “Invalid Server Certificate†error. For more information, see KB 7021250.
- VHI Web Server now supports HTTPS: VHI Web Server, which runs web applications generated by Web Builder, supports encrypted HTTPS on port 8443, in addition to HTTP on port 8081. In previous versions, only HTTP was enabled.
- VHI Web Server no longer uses Tomcat/AXIS, thus addressing multiple security vulnerabilities. VHI Web Server is now based on Jetty servlet engine libraries. Note: After upgrading, you must rebuild any existing pre-7.5 Java Web Application projects; see also KB 7021330.
- Java 7 (JDK 1.7) is installed and supported, thus addressing multiple security vulnerabilities in earlier Java versions. For more information about security updates, see https://support.microfocus.com/security/. For more information about specific JDK versions installed with VHI, see KB 7021532.
Additional Updates
- IPv6 support: VHI uses IPv4 by default, but you can enable IPv6 support if you have an IPv6 network. For information about how to configure VHI to enable IPv6, see page 6 of the Installation Guide at http://docs2.attachmate.com/verastream/vhi/7.5/en/topic/com.attachmate.vhi.help/install_guide.pdf. Note: If you enable IPv6, it must be enabled for all components in your installation environment. Also, when you upgrade to a later version (hotfix or major release) in the future, be aware that the edited .conf files may revert to defaults.
- Session server configuration backup: The session server valid configuration file (sesssrvr.config) is automatically backed up when changes are made, such as deploying a model package or making changes in Administrative Console. If the session server configuration becomes unexpectedly corrupted and cleared (no deployed models, pools, etc.), it can be restored from the sesssrvr.config.backup file. Note: In this scenario, the backup should be restored immediately (by stopping the session server and copying or renaming the files). The valid backup file will be overwritten and lost if you restart the session server service without copying or renaming the backup file.
- Session server NAT support: Connectors, Design Tool, and model deployment utilities can connect to the session server through a Network Address Translation (NAT) device. The sesssrvr.config file must be manually edited (after temporarily stopping the session server service) to set the ApptrieveServer/Server property to the fully qualified host name or IP address as the server is known on the client's side of the network. Without both this update and configuration, connection attempts by the connector result in error 4701 "Server services not running†and the session server logs error 3152 "Allocated session timed out waiting for client connection."
- For multi-column recordsets using the scrolling option "Host overlaps records across screens," behavior has been corrected. In version 7.1 SP2 and earlier, the last record of a column was always assumed to be continued at the top of the next column, thus improperly merging multiple records into a single record.
- If you are using model event handler scripting, clientConnected() is now properly called on subsequent client connection attempts.
- "Full" privacy mode further limits administrators' ability to use certain tools that can capture host communications.
- In Design Tool, "Deploy to Test Server" has been changed to "Deploy to Remote Server."
Obtaining Your Product Update
Customers with a current maintenance plan are eligible to download Verastream Host Integrator 7.5 from the Attachmate Download Library at https://download.attachmate.com/Upgrades/.
For more information on using the Download Library, see KB 7021965.
Note: The product download is a full product package that can be used for new installations or to upgrade existing installations.
Installing Your Product Update
For more information about installing the update on an existing installation, refer to the appropriate Technical Note: