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SAS/CONNECT

OpenVMS VAX and Alpha Platforms

Digital Equipment Corporation offers the OpenVMS operating system on VAX and Alpha platforms. In most ways, SAS runs the same on both hardware platforms. However, certain differences in the hardware require SAS to operate somewhat differently on the two platforms.

The OpenVMS Alpha spawner program that is documented in OpenVMS Alpha Spawner Program runs on the OpenVMS Alpha platform only and cannot be run on the OpenVMS VAX platform.

Local Host Tasks

User or Applications Programmer

To connect an OpenVMS local host to a remote host, perform these tasks at the local host:

1. Consider the requirements of the remote host that you are connecting to.

2. If you connect to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha remote host by means of the spawner, configure the spawner service in the SERVICES file, as necessary.

3. If you connect to a remote host by means a spawner program, set security, as applicable.

4. Configure the local and the remote hosts' names and Internet addresses in the local HOSTS file or through the domain server.

5. Specify the communications access method.

6. Specify a remote host to connect to.

7. Identify the script file to be used for signing on and signing off, as necessary.

8. Sign on to the remote host.

Remote Host Connection Considerations

If you are connecting to a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT remote host, you must connect by means of a spawner program that is already running on the remote host. If you are connecting to an OS/2, a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha remote host, you optionally may connect by means of a spawner program, which also must already be running on the remote host. A spawner program allows the encryption of userids and passwords when passed through the network. Without a spawner, readable userids and passwords are passed through the network, which may present a security risk. See Spawner Programs for information about starting the spawner on the remote host.

You may also sign on to the remote host with a script file. If you do not sign on with a script file, as a security measure, set the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement, which is passed to the remote host, allowing a local host connection.

Note:   Setting the Version 7 TCPSEC variable at the local host will also work.  

If the -NOSCRIPT option is set at the spawner invocation, sign on with a script is prohibited. Ask your network administrator whether the -NOSCRIPT option is set at the spawner invocation.

For all other hosts, you will sign on with a script.

Configuring the Spawner Service in the SERVICES File

To prepare for local hosts that connect to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS remote host with the spawner program, configure the spawner service in the SERVICES file at the local host. See Configuring the SERVICES File for more information.

Setting Security for Local Hosts

If you are not using a script file to sign on to the remote host, set security at the local host using either of the methods explained in Setting Security for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE. For Version 8 security behavior, specify the USER= and PASSWORD= options to the SIGNON statement. For details, see Providing Client Identification in a Version 8 Session.

For Version 7 security behavior, if you set the TCPSEC variable at the local host, either specify a userid and a password that are valid on the remote host or specify _PROMPT_ to supply the userid and password when connecting to a remote host. For information about setting the TCPSEC variable, see Providing Client Identification in a pre-Version 8 Session.

Configuring Local and Remote Host Names and Internet Addresses

You must specify the names and Internet addresses of the local and the remote hosts in the HOSTS file or through a name server. A name server supplies name-to-address translation, mapping from domain names to IP addresses. The name server often runs on a dedicated processor, and the host itself is referred to as the name server.

The format for a HOSTS file entry follows:

Internet-address host-name optional-alias

Example:

172.20.10.200      monarch       local 172.20.10.201   
  omega         remote

Specifying the TCP/IP Communications Access Method

You must specify the TCP/IP communications access method to make a remote host connection. Use the following syntax:

OPTIONS COMAMID=access-method-id;

where COMAMID is an acronym for Communications Access Method Identification. access-method-id identifies the method used by the local host to communicate with the remote host. TCP. TCP (short for TCP/IP, which is an abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is as example of access-method-id.

Example:

options comamid=tcp;

Alternatively, you may set this option in a SAS command or in a SAS configuration file.

Specifying the Remote Node Name

To make a connection from an OpenVMS local host to a remote host, use the following syntax:

OPTIONS
REMOTE=node-name.<service-name>;

The value of node-name that you specify depends on the type of remote host that you are connecting to.

• If you are connecting to a Windows NT, a Windows 95, a Windows 98, or an OS/2 remote host that is running the PC spawner program, use the name of the node on which the PC spawner is running. See Spawner Programs for more information.

• If you are connecting to a UNIX, an OS/390, or an OpenVMS Alpha host that is running the spawner program, use a two-level name in the form of node-name.service-name, where node-name specifies the node on which the spawner program is running and service-name specifies the port on which the spawner is listening for a connection request.

  See Spawner Programs for more information about the spawner program and Configuring the SERVICES File for details about configuring the spawner service in the SERVICES file.

• If you are connecting to any other remote host platforms that use a sign-on script, use the node name of the remote host. The remote host must be defined in a local HOSTS file or in a domain name server.

The value of the REMOTE option must be a valid SAS name. See SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for details about SAS naming rules.

Example:

OPTIONS REMOTE=node-name;

If you use an Internet address or some other invalid SAS name, you must assign the address to a macro variable and specify the macro variable for the REMOTE value, illustrated as follows:

%let node=Internet-address;
options remote=node;

Do not choose a macro name that is also a valid host name on your network. SAS first attempts to reach a network host with the REMOTE option value (in this example, MYNODE).

Example:

%let mynode=172.20.10.200; options remote=mynode;

Identifying a Script File for Signing Off and Signing On

To use one of the sample script files that is supplied with SAS/CONNECT for signing on and signing off, assign the RLINK fileref to the appropriate script file, depending on which remote host you are connecting to. The sample script files are located in !SAS$ROOT:[TOOLS]. You must customize the sample scripts to accurately reflect your site logon process. Failure to do so will produce errors.

The fileref format follows:

FILENAME
RLINK '!SAS$ROOT:[TOOLS]script-name';

where script-name identifies the script that corresponds to the remote host that you want to connect to. Names of scripts that are supplied by SAS Institute follow:

OpenVMS TCP/IP SAS/CONNECT Sign-on Scripts

Remote Host	Script Name
CMS	TCPCMS.SCR
CMS (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol)	TCPCMS32.SCR
OS/390 (with TSO)	TCPTSO.SCR
OS/390 (without TSO)	TCPMVS.SCR
OS/390 (using full-screen 3270 TELNET protocol)	TCPTSO32.SCR
OpenVMS	TCPVMS.SCR
OS/2	TCPOS2.SCR
UNIX	TCPUNIX.SCR
Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98	TCPWIN.SCR

Note:   You will not use a script file if you are signing on to a UNIX or a PC spawner program that was invoked with the -NOSCRIPT option. Consult with your network administrator to find out whether the spawner was invoked with this option.  

Signing On to the Remote Host

To complete your sign on to the remote host, enter the SIGNON statement, as follows:

signon user=_prompt_;

To set security at the remote host, specify valid values for the USER= and PASSWORD= options in the SIGNON statement. For details, see Providing Client Identification in a Version 8 Session.

Local Host Example

The following example illustrates the statements that you specify in an OpenVMS local host SAS session to connect to a remote host running the spawner program configured for the TCP/IP access method.

In the OpenVMS local host SAS session, specify the following:

filename rlink '!sasroot:[tools]tcpunix.scr';
options comamid=tcp remote=rmtnode.unxspawn; 
signon;

The first line identifies the script file that you use to sign on to the UNIX remote host. The script file includes a prompt for a userid and a password that are valid on the remote host. The TCP/IP communications access method is declared with a connection to a remote UNIX spawner, which is identified by the two-level name RMTNODE.UNXSPAWN. The SIGNON statement performs the sign-on process.

Remote Host Example

You may set the following variables to restrict port access in the remote host configuration file:

/tcpportfirst=5020
/tcpportlast=5050

These statements restrict access to ports 5020 through 5050.

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Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.