Personal Communications

Version 5.9 Features

Personal Communications is a key component of both IBM Host Access Client Package and IBM WebSphere® Host Integration Solution. It helps enable secure access to mission-critical business systems for virtually every user.

Announcing new features for WebSphere Personal Communications Version 5.9.

Productivity

• Page Header and Footer: Add a header and or footer to printed pages on print screen and print screen collection jobs.
• Windows GDI print capability for VT host printing: Use the Windows print driver for VT host printing. This functionality adds to the existing PDT printing capability.
• Concurrent IPv4 and IPv6 connections for EEDLC: Configure and run both an IPv4 and IPv6 connection concurrently for Enterprise Extender configuration (EEDLC).

Security

• Kerberos service ticket auto-signon: For 5250 display and Data Transfer sessions, this feature provides automatic signon capability to iSeries based hosts, using logged-on user credentials.
• Telnet-negotiated security: TLS security can be configured to be negotiated between the host and Personal Communication as part of the Telnet negotiation process.

Technology

• Windows x64 platform support: Personal Communications Version 5.9 provides non-SNA platform support for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition and Enterprise x64 Edition. This x64 support is in Compatibility mode and does not support SNA.
• Policy enhancements: Additions to the Personal Communications Policy support allow administrators control over the user's ability to modify a sessions view or to minimize, maximize or close a session. By editing the Windows group policy, you can hide the session window tool bar, menu bar, and expanded operator information area (OIA) and restrict the user's ability to maximize, minimize, or close a session.
• IBM Tivoli License Manager Readiness: This feature enables installation and usage detection of Personal Communications using the IBM Tivoli License Manager (ITLM).

Usability

• Collect print jobs for 5250 printer sessions: This feature provides the ability to collect multiple print jobs and print them as a single print job or in a group. Functions associated with this feature can be mapped to the keyboard, popup keypad, mouse button, or toolbar buttons.
• Best Fit option in Page Setup: Best Fit print scaling is now available for 3270 display and printer sessions as well as VT display sessions.

Serviceability

• IBM Support Assistant: The IBM Support Assistant provides an easy, consistent user interface which enables customers to resolve software questions themselves. Personal Communications, as well as many other IBM software products, provides a plug-in which makes its product information available to the user through the Support Assistant. Support Assistant provides three components: a Search component, a Service component, and a Support Links component.
  

  The search component allows customers to search IBM&s database for technotes and other documents which may help solve a problem or provide additional information about the product. The Service component assists customers who choose to submit a problem by providing access to the Electronic Service Request web site. The Support Links component offers a consolidated list of IBM web links organized by brand and product. Help desk personnel and Personal Communications administrators might want to install Support Assistant in order to better support end users. You can download the Support Assistant from the following Web site: http://www.ibm.com/software/support/isa/index.html

• CSTrace buffer enhancements: The ability to utilize multiple trace buffers for tracing via the CSTrace utility ensures maximum protection against missed trace records during high-load tracing activity.