Setting up a workstation to use Open Systems

Note: This information applies to version 6.x of Open Systems

OSAS is designed for each user to have a unique terminal ID number. This is helpful in that each user may then have customized settings for colors, printers, defaults, and certain software options. This setup procedure explains how to add a new user to a networked system. There are a couple of DLL files that need to be copied to the windows folder of the workstation in order to run OSAS, and a unique icon needs to be established for the user to access the software. Everything we need is already sitting on the server under the OSAS subdirectory in a setup folder. After the terminal has access to OSAS, the user will want to set certain defaults to suit their needs.

Establish the drive mapping

You must first make sure that the workstation (computer) is mapping a drive back to the server that has the OSAS system. You can use the [My Computer] icon on your windows desktop to see if the system is already mapping a drive back to the server. You may also want to check an existing workstation to see how it is mapping the drives. I often map the O: drive to the server for use with Open Systems, but your configuration may be different. (Your drive letter may not be O:, but something else.)

Use the [Network Neighborhood] icon to browse the network and establish the drive map you desire. Make sure to check the box Reconnect at Logon so that the mapping takes place every time you start the computer.

Run Setup.exe

From your [Start] menu, choose Run. You may use the browse function to look for the setup program. Browse to the drive letter you established above and look for the OSAS folder. The folder may be called: OSAS6 or OSAS61. Open that folder and look for the Setup folder. Open the setup folder and select the setup.exe program (it has a blue computer icon). Say OK to run the setup program.

On the introduction screen, simply press <enter> or select NEXT to continue the setup.

On the next screen leave the check box checked and press <enter> to finish the first phase and launch the workstation setup program.

You will be given a choice of Setup Terminals, Edit Terminal List, or exit. Remember that each workstation must have a unique terminal ID. If you do not know what terminal Ids have already been assigned, then try the Edit Terminal List function. You may pull‑down the arrow next to the terminal ID and see the list of numbers that are in use. On some workstations the edit function does not work. Refer to the section at the end of these notes about looking at the config.bbx file to see what terminal numbers are already in use.

Double-click on Set up Terminals in order to start the terminal setup.

The first dialog box will have a bullet in the New Program Group. Click OK, and OK a second time to accept the name of the program group (OSAS v6.1). The program will create the new group. The new group will open as an empty box in Windows. This box may be in your way of seeing the next dialog box. The next dialog box you are looking for is New Program Item. If you do not see this box, then minimize the new program group, and you will see the new program item dialog. Click OK, to proceed with setting up the new program item. The program item details box will appear with most of the screen already filled in.

You should not need to edit any of the lines that are automatically filled in. You will need to add the terminal ID and description. Move down to the terminal ID and enter the desired number. This number should always be two digits in the range of 01-99 and should be unique for this workstation. Note: The program will tell you if the number has been used already. Enter the user’s name in the description, and click OK.

The program will ask you if you want to modify the config.bbx file.

You should say YES to modify the file.

After you say YES the setup is complete, but the program does not end automatically. It returns to the New Program Object dialog box and prompts if you want to create a new item. You can CANCEL out of this dialog box, and then close the setup window to complete the process.

You should still have the new program group open or minimized at the bottom on your task bar. You will find the new icon for OSAS in this group. You can right-click and drag this icon out onto your desktop, let it go, and select Copy Here. This will place a copy of the new icon on your desktop for convenience.

You may also access the new icon by going to your Start menu, Programs, then find the new OSAS v6.1 group, and select the new icon.

Installing BBX Fonts

There are some screen fonts that help the application display. The system will work fine using the standard Courier New font, but many users like the BBX font as it appears thicker and easier to read.

To install these optional fonts, go to your Control Panel from the Settings item on your Start menu. In the Control Panel, select Fonts. With the fonts open, pull down the File menu from the top and select Install New Font. Change the drive selection to be the drive where OSAS is installed, and open up the appropriate OSAS folder where your system is installed. Under the OSAS folder you will find the Setup folder. Open the Setup folder. You should see several fonts in this folder.

Click on the Select All button, then click OK. This will copy all of the fonts onto your workstation. You can then exit and close the control panel.

Enter OSAS for the first time – Establishing Defaults

Use your new icon to enter OSAS. You may be asked the first time for a company ID. Select the company ID you normally work with. You should then get to the OSAS menu.

Now that you are in the system, the first place you should go to is the Resource Manager, Workstation Configuration, Defaults. If you are starting out with the graphical interface, then you must use the mouse to make your selections. The default in v6.11 of OSAS is to start with the graphical interface. As described below, I recommend turning off the GUI functions and using the standard text menu.

The defaults screen has the following information:

There is a difference between v6.0 and v6.1. The later version has the graphical screen option. I generally recommend the settings as above with the exception that I would set the GUI Functions to Inactive, and the Menu style to text. These settings are terminal specific, and each user may make their own choices.

Setting the Font/Size for the Text Menu

In the upper left corner, you can pull-down the Settings menu and select Fonts/Size. In this box you can change the settings that control which font is used in displaying OSAS, and what size it will take. The best settings here depend on your video card and display monitor.

You can set the font name to be BBX. The size generally falls in the range of 13, 15, or 17, with 15 being the most common setting. Always click on the 80x25 button then click OK to try your settings. You should maximize the box and make sure that you can see everything in the box. If parts of the box are cut-off, then lower the number, and if the screen is too small, increase the setting.

The CONFIG.BBX file

The config.bbx file is the configuration file that holds all the specific information about your terminals and printers. This file a text file that is located in the \OSAS61\PROGRM subdirectory. You can look at this file by using Wordpad or Notepad, but I would only edit this file using the Resource Manager within OSAS. (To edit the file from OSAS, you go to Resource Manager, Workstation Configuration, Devices.)

You can look at this file to see what terminal Ids are already setup.

To interprete what you see in this file, you must know that each terminal ID can have 10 sessions. The sessions are numbered 0-9. So in looking at the file, the alias lines that have syswindow are the ones defining the sessions. Alias T000 is the definition for terminal 00 session 0. Alias T001 is the definition for terminal 00 session 1. By looking at this file, you can see what terminal Ids are used by your system. Do not edit this file with a text editor unless you have experience in this area or backup the file before you make any changes. Use the Resource Manger if you need to make changes.