Visara LINCS Features - Manual (Page 46)

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LINCS Features
707021-001
ADU
The ASCII Definition Utility is a Central Control utility that modifies:
• Device Definition: The ASCII Definition Utility (ADU) defines tables to customize up to
seven display stations and plus some additional ASCII printer features that are not currently
supported by the LINCS so that you can use them with a LINCS node.
• Character Set: Customization: ASCII devices communicate with LINCS through the use
of ASCII data characters and ASCII control sequences. ASCII data characters are used to
pass displayable data to and from LINCS. ASCII control sequences are used by ASCII
terminals to request functions from LINCS. ASCII control sequences are used by LINCS to
request presentation functions on the ASCII devices. You can modify or define new tables
in LINCS that are used to translate ASCII host data to/from CUT type terminals and printers.
• Printer Secondary Transparency Option: LINCS can embed control sequences into the
3270 datastream for LU1 and LU3 prints, to control printer functions such as formatting.
Defining Unsupported Devices
There is no standard set of sequences that all ASCII devices can support. Each ASCII device
type that LINCS supports has its own control sequence table allocated in memory that enables
LINCS to communicate with it. The ADU feature allows you to customize these tables, so
they support devices that LINCS does not currently support.
To use unsupported ASCII devices, you customize the following tables that provide information
to the LINCS:
• Transmit sequence to perform 3270 function tables - These tables enable LINCS to know
the transmit sequence to perform 3270 functions at the ASCII device.
• ASCII to 3270 keyboard function sequence tables - These tables enable LINCS to recognize
which functions you want to perform with each keyboard control sequence you enter.
• Inbound and outbound character translate tables - These tables affect how data is interpreted
from the device and how the data is displayed or printed at the device.
LINCS supports a maximum of 32 displays types. There are currently 25 predefined displays
and the predefined displays cannot be changed.
Changes you make to user-defined displays are saved on disk and any previous entries are
written over and not saved. Changes made to the user-defined printer parameters are also
saved on disk and write over any previous entries.
Character Set Customization
There are two sets of EBCDIC to ASCII and ASCII to EBCDIC translate tables for displays,
and two EBCDIC to ASCII translate tables for printers. The display set and the printer set
have their respective default values which remain on disk. You can modify both sets and the
modifications are saved to disk, but the original versions are still accessible by defaulting the
tables during ADU. See LINCS Configuration for instructions on how to update these tables
to customize ASCII devices.
Secondary Transparent Order
Secondary Transparent Print Order is a new print order supported by the ADU in LU1 and
LU3 prints. It is used to embed escape sequences in the host datastream in a format commonly
used by protocol converters currently on the market.