Introduction
In this guide you will learn how to use Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation.
This guide is primarily of use to terminal users or operators who wish to:
- Use Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation as a replacement for a hardware terminal or other terminal emulation product.
- Gain access to the host (mainframe or mini computer system) and use the relevant applications provided by the computer system.
As a user of Flynet Viewer, it is important to understand that the delivery of the terminal emulation functionality is designed to work with all popular browsers including Internet Explorer 6 (and all newer IE versions), Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera.
Flynet Viewer also detects touch-capable devices such as tablets and provides web-based entry fields (for virtual keyboard support), larger icons and support for portrait and landscape modes if you access it on this type of device.
Flynet Viewer uses standards-based HTML and JavaScript with no plug-ins required.
The main Flynet Viewer installation is server-based, which means that you, as the user of a client computer, have no installation requirements, as long as you have a functional Web browser available / installed.
Requirements
Before starting, the following components are required:
- An existing installation of Flynet Viewer Server, configured and working.
- Internet Explorer 6 or above or some other browser running on a computer that has access to the above.
- Relevant security authorization.
(Most of the above environmental specifics should be provided by your system administrator before starting this guide.)
Guide
On most devices from iPad to desktop computer (Apple, Microsoft or Linux):
1. In your computer’s browser, enter the url of the server running Flynet Server, such as:
http://myserver/FVTerm/ (where myserver is the name of the Flynet Server provided by your system manager).
2. You should then see the Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation page, which will either be:
a. A set of “tiles” offering a host to connect to (Figure 1Tiles without Auto Start)
b. The host login screen or similar. This will happen where your system administrator has set up an automatic connection (Auto-Start Default Host Connection). (Figure 2Host logon with Auto Start)
Figure 1 - Tiles without Auto Start
Figure 2 - Host logon with Auto Start
3. In the case of a. where you are presented with tiles offering (possibly) different hosts, click on the tile indicating the host you wish to connect to. This should take you to the host login as in b.
The same result as b. is achieved by clicking on the “Connect Session” icon:
This will connect to the default or only host (as in b. above).
It is possible that some hosts may take longer to respond, in this case you may see this message before the host log on screen:
4. From here you should be able to log on and use your host application as normal.
5. After logging out of you host or closing the host application, you may be returned to the selection tiles directly or via a session closed message:
In this case, simply click on the message to return to the selection tiles.
If logging out of the host or host’s application does not close the session, clicking on the “Close Session” icon:
will return you to the selection tiles.
6. At this stage it is safe to close the browser or start another session.
Whilst at the selection tiles, other browser controls will operate as normal as this is just a Web page, after all! However:
Be careful using the "back-button" in your browser while accessing the emulation screens. If you do, remember to reposition your screen with the "forward-button" or the 
Refresh Icon which will re-synchronize your browser page with the active host screen.
If your keyboard isn't working, you have moved off of the browser and not properly re-positioned "focus" on the active emulation page - simply click your mouse onto the emulator window and this should reconnect your keyboard to the emulation.
Further Information
Flynet Viewer is as compatible with "standard" terminal emulators as is possible in the browser environment. Like many terminals and terminal emulators, there are a number of settings that you may have control over that alter how the terminal emulation is presented. For example, you can change the way the entry fields appear (and work); you can select between an emulation mode (no "box" and each keystroke "overstrikes" the cursor position character) and a browser mode (each entry field has a "box" and by default is in insert mode with a thin-line vertical cursor). There is also a status bar with information, sometimes, found on standard terminals and a good deal that is not.
These controls and status bar information are described and documented in the further reading suggested in the summary below.
Summary Status Bar – description of icons and status messages. Including links to:
User preferences (inc. Connection and Keyboard Status), Printing, Keyboard Mapping, Host Keys, Help, Macros
Status Bar: Screen Name [??] "READY", Connection and Keyboard Status, Internal Log (client side WS log),
