Browser based terminal emulation

Terminal emulation in a browser isn't new. There are a lot of solutions out there. However, Flynet Viewer achieves this in a unique and flexible way.

Flynet Viewer offers a general set of benefits.

  • Easy remote access to your host screens via a web browser.
  • No desktop terminal emulation to install or maintain.
  • Centralised configuration.
  • Web standards.

The Flynet Viewer ASP.NET Terminal Emulator in a browser gives you a high performance terminal emulation. You install the software on to a web server, configure your host settings and general look and feel. This all takes no more than 10 minutes. You can then point a web browser at the web server and interact with your host screens.

It maintains the security of your host system, but opens up access. Call centres, remote workers and traditional office workers can access the host without needing any software installed locally.

Flynet Viewer ASP.NET Terminal Emulator is written using the same technology that is the backbone of Flynet Viewer. The terminal emulator can be seen as the first step of a journey that offers a smooth transition into modernising the screens.

So how does Flynet VIewer differ from alternative solutions? Terminal emulation (TE) in a browser traditionally fell into three camps. They are screen-to-plug-in, screen-to-HTML and pre-compiled.

The traditional routes to TE in a browser
The screen-to-plug-in camp distribute a Java or ActiveX plug-in that sits in the web page. The plug-in is usually a cut down traditional emulator (with traditional emulator looks) stuck in the middle of a web page.

The emulator plug-in typically opens a permanent connection back to your web server which relays the normal emulation protocol back and forth over the network.

You are left with what is a clunky desktop style emulator sitting in a browser.

Then there are those solutions that use screen-to-HTML. This is the amazing art of the live conversion of IBM Mainframe and iSeries screens into normal HTML forms. Note that this solution doesn't work very well (if at all) with UNIX (VT) host screens.

Performance suffered with this type solution. Network traffic is greatly increased over normal emulation and keeping the disconnected web page in sync with the host screen could cause headaches.

The pre-compiled packages could be described as the least effective route. These solutions are tied to a specific platform, or even a specific host application.

These systems either come with or need to generate fixed web pages for each screen on your host system or application. It produces the same style of interface as the screen-to-HTML converters with an awful lot of up-front work and continued maintenance.

Flynet Viewer's emulator in a browser.

Flynet Viewer ASP.NET Terminal Emulator renders the host screens in HTML. This eliminates the need to download a clunky terminal emulator plug-in.

It uses XML over HTTP to send back and forth the screen updates and key presses. This minimises the network traffic while keeping to open web standards.

It also uses an XML over HTTP connection to ensure that the screen you see in the browser is in sync with the host.

The emulator in a browser is written in the same package as the rest of Flynet Viewer. You can seamlessly start introducing new interfaces and other great new features. You can intermingle the old with the new at your own pace.