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HOT TIPS: PC Support (3 Tips)

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PC Support

PC Support Auto Sign-on

The regular PC Support/400 sign-on sequence requires that a Common User ID be specified (either by direct entering or by auto-prompt) and that a password be entered in order to get to the shared folders, from where the user gets his/her AS/400 sign-on screen, virtual printing, and other functions.

In some situations it is desirable to get around the Common User ID/Password prompt and let the PC bring up the AS/400 Workstation Function directly. To do this, make sure that the CONFIG.PCS file (in the PCS directory, if one is running DOS) has a line that reads as follows:

RTCU

...where ID is the current Common User ID in use. This stops PC Support from asking for a Common User ID.

And in the STARTPCS.BAT file in the same directory, the STARTRTR line needs to be changed to read:

ECHO | STARTRTR > NUL

...where PW is the password associated with the Common User ID.

The pipe '|' operator is powerful. It allows one to pipe the password (which is echoed) into the STARTRTR command. In the meantime we send the output of STARTRTR to NUL (i.e., nondisplay).

As a result, the end user never sees the prompt, and never has to answer it.

- Ignatius Wong

One-Time File Transfer Made Easy

Use shared folders to transfer one time only files to the AS/400 when you don't have the file description file (.FDF) available. Copy the file from the PC to the shared folder and then use CPYFRMPCD to copy the data into your AS/400 file.

- Greg Prior

Hot Keys in PC Support

To keep from flipping through all of your PC Support sessions with Alt-ESC, define Alt-1 in PC Support to be [Hotkey 1]. This will transfer you immediately to session 1. This works for sessions 1-5, with [Hotkey D] transferring you directly to the DOS session. Define your DOS hotkey to be Alt-' (reverse apostrophe).

- Greg Prior

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