Chapter 2: Introduction

This chapter covers features of Remote Software Facility and considerations for users of RSF. If you are already familiar with these topics, you may skip to chapter 5, Remote Software Facility Menus.

In general, before you can send objects to another machine, you must create an RSF package to define the objects you are sending.

Similarly, before you can retrieve objects from another machine, an RSF package must exist on the remote machine which defines those objects to the RSF software.

See chapter 8, Packages, for more information about RSF packages. See Appendix B for a description of the RSFTOOLS library and more information about how you can send and retrieve objects without having to create a new RSF package each time. See Remote File Copy for more information about sending and retrieving data base file members that are not part of a package.

If you will be using RSF with LAN, TCP/IP, X.25, or leased SDLC connections, be sure to see Appendix C, Using RSF with Pre-Configured Connections.

Features

Remote Software Facility is a communications utility for the IBM iSeries and AS/400. With RSF you can instantly communicate with any other AS/400 that has RSF installed. Remote Software Facility has many powerful features that allow you to:

• High Availability/Mirroring.  You can replicate libraries, IFS directories, user profiles, system values and more.
   
• Communicate with other AS/400s without prior configuration or setup.
   
• Send objects to, and retrieve objects from other machines.
   
• Copy database file members to and from other machines.
   
• Send spooled files to, and retrieve spooled files from other machines.
   
• Pass-through to other machines on the spur of the moment.
   
• Transmit objects between AS/400s graphically. Using an attached PC running RSF Express, send and retrieve objects by dragging from one window to another.
   
• Build your own tools with a feature that allows you to call programs on remote machines, passing input/output parameters.
   
• Send messages to users on remote machines.
   
• Monitor output queues, and automatically forward spooled files to other machines.
   
• Centrally monitor and respond to system messages on any number of "satellite" AS/400s.
   
• Synchronize dependent tasks running on multiple machines, conditioning the execution of some tasks on the successful completion of others.
   
• Broadcast objects to many remote machines.
   
• Poll many remote machines and retrieve objects from each one.
   
• Schedule transmissions for a future date or time.
   
• Link data queues on your machine to data queues on remote machines, automatically forwarding data queue messages to the remote queue as they show up on the local queue.
   
• Dial into your iSeries from remote PCs using RSF's PPP support.
   
• No need to purchase any hardware. RSF can use the Electronic Customer Support (ECS) communications line and modem.
   
• Nothing to configure. All controller, device and line descriptions are created dynamically by RSF.
   
• Both dial-up and leased line connections supported. SDLC, Token Ring, Ethernet, X.25 and TCP/IP connections supported. You can even transmit encrypted files and other objects over the Internet.
   
• Automatic callback feature allows you to reverse the phone charges when contacting a remote machine in a dial-up setting.
   
• Send or retrieve any AS/400 object that can be saved in a save file.
   
• Associate cover letters with RSF data transmissions.
   
• Convenient list, menu, and CL command interfaces to all RSF functions.
   
• Complete control over which remote machines may retrieve data from, send data to, call programs on, or pass-through to your machine.
   
• User exits built into the RSF software allow you to customize RSF to fit your needs.
   
• Retrieve catalogs of available RSF packages from participating Remote Software Facility servers.
   
• Retrieve software fixes from leading vendors.
   
• Complete logging of all RSF requests received by your machine.
   
• On-line help text is accessible throughout RSF by pressing F1.

Considerations

Consider the following when using RSF:

• When using RSF in a dial-up setting, the physical communications resource you use to dial out with RSF (as a requester) cannot be used by any other system job concurrently. For example, this same line cannot be used to receive PTFs with Electronic Customer Support while the RSF transaction is being processed. When the RSF transaction has completed, the resource is available for general use.
   
• When using RSF in a dial-up setting, the physical communications resources you use to receive incoming RSF requests (as a server) cannot be used by any other system job concurrently. For example, these same resource names cannot be used to receive PTFs with Electronic Customer Support for the entire time that the RSF server function is enabled.
  
  However, these lines and resources can be used to initiate outgoing RSF requests.
  
  In order to answer the phone for incoming requests, the server function must be started. The server function is ended explicitly by the user when you no longer want RSF to answer incoming calls on the line. When the RSF server function is ended, the resources are available for general use.
   
• In order to start the RSF server function, you must have created user profile RSFSRV. If you follow the recommended installation procedure, the profile is created for you. See Creating User Profile RSFSRV for more information about creating this user profile.
   
• The time required to transmit data between machines depends on the amount of data being transmitted, the speed of the connection or modems being used, the processor speed, etc. The following table offers some guidelines.