Frequently Asked Questions


What are the main components of HostFront?
HostFront has two components, a Visual Studio .NET plug-in and a runtime server. The HostFront plug-in gives developers a drag-and-drop interface within Visual Studio .NET to create Web services and .NET classes that access mainframe and iSeries hosts. At runtime, the services communicate to the legacy application using the HostFront server.

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What host applications does HostFront communicate with?
HostFront communicates with IBM mainframe and iSeries platforms.

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What are the hardware and software requirements for HostFront Server?
The hardware and software requirements for HostFront Server are as follows:

  • An industry-standard PC, 256 MB of RAM, and 100 MB of free hard disk space Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server with Service Pack 1 or Windows 2003 server
  • Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000 or Microsoft SNA Server Version 4.0 with Service Pack 2
  • An industry-standard Windows NT/2000/2003-based Web Server such as Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, which must be installed on the same Server PC as HostFront Server
  • An SNA or TN5250E connection to System i (AS/400) platform or a TN3270 to mainframe platform

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Does HostFront encrypt data transactions?
Yes. HostFront’s built-in 128-bit bi-directional encryption capability ensures that data is securely transmitted between the client and HostFront Server. This capability deprives hackers of the ability to gain access to the host by “sniffing” the network connection. In addition, HostFront provides support for industry-standard Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs) such as SSL 3.0/RSA-based encryption or SecureID token-based authentication, among others.

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Does anything need to be installed on host platform?
HostFront is non-invasive - no software or hardware needs to be installed on your host platform to use HostFront.

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Do I need my own SQL server?
No. HostFront comes with SQL Express, which is installed and configured automatically when HostFront is set up. However, you can also use your own SQL server if you wish.

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What languages can I program with?
You can use HostFront’s with VB.NET, C# or C++ .NET.

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Does HostFront run with Visual Studio 2005?
Yes, HostFront supports Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. When it detects a Web project In Visual Studio 2005, HostFront provides an additional button on its toolbar that lets you select the language of the generated code (C# or VB.NET).

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Can I upgrade from my old applications created with previous versions of HostFront to the latest version of HostFont?
Absolutely. There is only a minor modification to be made to the code to connect to the newest version of the server. For more information about migrating your old code look in the “Migrating Code” section of the developers guide.

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Do you offer any sample code to help me get started?
To view sample code, follow these steps after you have installed HostFront:

  1. Go to HFDOWNLOAD.HTM page in your browser
  2. Type the following link in the browser: HTTP://CLUSTERSERVICEADRESS/HFCS/HFDOWNLOAD.HTM
  3. Click on the samples.zip file to download the sample code.

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Can I use your tool to extract data from tables that span more than one page in my iSeries or mainframe application?
Follow these instructions to define a table that may have its rows spread over more than one page (multi-page tables):

  1. While recording and when on the screen that has the table, define a loop for the specified screen by clicking on the Define a loop screen button on the toolbar.
  2. Defining the end condition for the loop:
    • Using the Property grid, set the end condition of the loop so that you stop at the last page (or wherever you need in the middle). The end condition must be independent from the data in the table.
    • You can also define a maximum number of loops you want to execute. For example, if you want data from the first two screens only, put 2 in the MaxScreens field.
    • At run time, the loop will stop when any one of the above two conditions is met (for example: if your table spans 10 screens but you put 2 in the MaxSctreen field, the loop will execute 2 times only. If your table spans 10 screens and you put 15 in the MaxScreens field, the loop will end when the end condition is detected on the 10th screen).
  3. Set the key required to scroll down the table from the Key field in the property grid.
  4. If need be, you can set a delay after every page down key pressed by typing the delay amount in milliseconds in the Delay filed in the properties.
  5. Drag your table and drop it over the loop node to define what we call a loop table. As a result, the table will collect data from all the consecutive screens of the loop until the end condition is met. The content of the table will be returned by the resulting code to its calling object as a System.Data.DataTable. See “Tables in Loops” in the developers guide for more information.

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