¥تتتت General questions

¥تتتت API questions

¥تتتت Terminal questions

¥تتتت Printing questions

 

General questions

 

¥تتتتتت What is IATE?

 

¥تتتتتت What system platforms does IATE support?

 

Gateway questions

 

Gateway Pre-Sale questions

 

¥تتتتتت What types of systems & CPUs are recommended for the Gateway?

 

¥تتتتتت What types of Airline Hosts and Networks does the Gateway support? ت

 

¥تتتتتت What line protocols does the IATE Gateway support?

 

¥تتتتتت What are the Gateway's maximum host line speeds?

 

¥تتتتتت How many host connections can be made with one Gateway?

 

¥تتتتتت How many client connections can be made with one Gateway?

 

¥تتتتتت Is the terminal emulator included in the price of the Gateway?

 

¥تتتتتت Will I need to purchase the InnoSys interface card?

 

 

Gateway Installation & Configuration questions

 

¥تتتتتت What are the requirements for connecting the IATE Gateway

تتتتتتت to the host line (modem)?

 

¥تتتتتت Can communication be established between two host connections,

تتتتتتت on two separate Gateway machines?

 

¥تتتتتت Can the NT Gateway run as a Service?

 

¥تتتتتت Can IATE provide reservation host access using a web browser?

 

¥تتتتتت Can the IATE Gateway terminate inactive client connections?

 

¥تتتتتت Can IATE restrict PNR access?

 

¥تتتتتت Can the IATE Gateway maintain a database of host transactions?

 

¥تتتتتت Is there anything I should know about configuring a Gateway

تتتتتتت for a particular Host Type?

 

¥تتتتتت Can I configure the gateway for use with QReader?

 

 

Gateway Technical Support questions

 

¥تتتتتت I started an IATE Gateway and it doesnصt work.ت What should I do now?

 

¥تتتتتت The IATE Gateway issues error messages.ت What do they mean?

 

¥تتتتتت Why do I not see Restart Complete after starting the X.25 Bridge?

 

API questionsتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتتت

¥تتتتتت What platforms & programming languages does the IATE API support?

 

¥تتتتتت Is the IATE API thread-safe?

 

¥تتتتتت Can the IATE API be used with Visual BASIC?

 

 

Terminal questions

... TBD ...

 

Printing questions

... TBD ...

 

 

تتتتتتتتت IATE Questions & Answers

 

Question:
What is IATE?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway software communicates with reservation

host systems (GDS/CRS) over an airline data network using

TCP/IP, ALC, or AX.25 protocols.

 

IATE (the InnoSys Airline data Transport Environment) comprises a

complete, extensible suite of products built around the IATE Gateway.

Through the Gateway, IATE Client software communicates with the

host system. Client software can include InnoSys terminal and

printing software, or custom applications developed using the IATE API.

 

IATE Gateway configurations support multiple physical (modem)

connections to multiple types of host systems, and can scale-up to

support large numbers of TAs (Terminal Addresses).

 

 

Question:
What system platforms does IATE support?

 

Answer:

The IATE Gateway runs on the following platforms:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT4

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Sun Solaris (version 2.4 or later)

 

 

IATE client solutions (terminal workstations and printing programs)

are available for the following platforms:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT4

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows Millennium

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Sun Solaris (version 2.4 or later)

 

ت

For custom solution development, the IATE API

can be used on the following platforms:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT4

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows Millennium

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Sun Solaris (version 2.4 or later)

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Red Hat Linux (version 6.2 or later)

 

The IATE API is available for the following languages:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت C

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Visual BASIC

 

 

تتتتتتتتت Gateway Questions & Answers

 

Question:
What types of systems and CPUs are recommended for use

with the IATE Gateway and the InnoSys PCI communications card?

 

Answer:

Please refer to the Hosts and Hardware page for information about

system requirements. See also the IATE Gateway Reference Manual.

 

 

Question:
What types of Airline Hosts and Networks does the IATE Gateway support?

 

Answer:
IATE supports numerous TCP/IP, ALC, and X.25 hosts and networks.

Supported ALC and X.25 hosts include SABRE, Worldspan, Galileo,

Apollo, Air New Zealand, and others. We support TCP/IP for SABRE,

and Galileo/Apollo, and Worldspan MATIP. تتتتتتت

 

Please refer to the Hosts and Hardware page for additional information

on the host types currently supported.

 

Note: Future IATE Gateway revisions may support TCP/IP connectivity

to additional types of hosts if there is sufficient customer interest.

InnoSys invites your company to contact us if interested in future

تTCP/IP support enhancements.

 

 

Question:
What types of line connection protocols does the IATE Gateway support?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway supports TCP/IP, ALC, and X.25, host line protocols.

ALC and X.25 connections use InnoSys network interface hardware,

which connects to the host line modem or PAD (not supplied by InnoSys).

TCP/IP host connections use a system network interface (typically an

Ethernet card, not supplied by InnoSys).

 

 

Question:
What are the IATE Gateway's maximum host line speeds?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway supports host-line connection speeds of up to

64 Kbps for X.25, and up to 19.2 Kbps for ALC. TCP/IP data rates

depend upon the system's network interface and available bandwidth

(e.g., up to 100 Mbit/s on today's typical 100baseT Ethernet network

connections); and may also depend on the available bandwidth and

load on the system, the network, and the IATE Gateway.

 

 

Question:
How many host line connections can be made with one Gateway?

 

Answer:

Depending on the system environment, the Gateway can

support up to several hundred TCP/IP connections.

 

For ALC and X.25 connections on Windows NT and Sun PCI systems,

each installed InnoSys PCI communications card supports up to

four (4) physical lines (i.e., 4 modem connections). Multiple cards

can be installed in PCI slots (if available) to support additional lines.

 

For Sun S-bus systems: The legacy IATE communication card for S-bus

supports 2 ALC connections or 1 X.25 connection per card.

(InnoSys recommends PCI systems for new installations.)

 

The IATE Gateway may be configured to use multiple X.25

Virtual Circuits (logical channels) or ALC IAs (Interchange Addresses)

on each line, in accordance with host configuration.

The Gateway can use any or all TAs (Terminal Addresses)

that the host provides on each available circuit or IA.

 

 

Question:
How many client line connections can be made with one Gateway?

 

Answer:

IATE Gateway systems can typically handle up to several hundred

TA connections through each InnoSys PCI card. We currently

recommend configurations using no more than a maximum of

(approximately) 400 TAs per card, for best performance and reliability.

 

 

Question:
Is the terminal emulator included in the price of the Gateway?

 

Answer:
Yes, the Gateway software includes terminal and printer software.

The Terminal (client workstation) software license is unlimited.

You may have the software loaded on any number of client machines,

and you may connect as many simultaneous client sessions

as the Gateway license and configuration allow.

 

 

Question:
Will I need to purchase the InnoSys interface card and cable?

Answer:
If the host connection(s) use ALC and/or X.25 lines, then at least

one InnoSys communication card and multi-port cable will be required.

The card and cable are not required for host connections using

TCP/IP protocols.

 

 

Question:
What are the requirements for connecting the IATE Gateway to the host line (modem)?

 

Answer:
For ALC and X.25 connections, the IATE Gateway documentation

provides information on modem-cable pinout and signal requirements

for the Gateway and the InnoSys communications card. However,

modem installation and cabling will require technicians at the

customer site. At the normal support level, InnoSys does not

participate in modem installation, beyond providing information

about IATE product requirements.

 

Important:
ALC and X.25 connections to IATE gateways require an RS-232

electrical interface. (In certain cases, the ALC or X.25 modem or PAD

may require an interface conversion adapter to establish the RS-232

connection.) The RS-232 cable connected to an InnoSys PCI card

should not exceed 20 feet in length.

 

For TCP/IP connections, the Gateway uses the system's network interface

(typically an Ethernet card), with standard connection requirements

defined by that interface (not by InnoSys). Consult system documentation

or your network administrator for details.

 

 

Question:
Can communication be established between two host connections,

on two separate Gateway machines?

 

Answer:
Remote client applications communicate with the gateway over a TCP

network. If you intend to establish communications between gateways,

this would require an intermediary client, which the IATE customer

or custom software developer could create using the IATE API.

 

For communication between two or more clients, the Peer-to-Peer and

Shared TA features of the API may be of use. Please refer to the

API reference manual.

 

 

Question:
Can the NT Gateway run as a Service?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway for Windows is a Console Application, not a Service.

 

It is possible to have the Gateway application start automatically at

system startup.ت It is also possible to set up a service to start the

application (using a utility such as AUTOEXNT or SRVANY,

which are available in the Windows Resource Kit).

 

For Solaris systems, it is also possible to start the Gateway as a

background process at system startup.

 

 

Question:
Can IATE provide reservation host access using a web browser?

 

Answer:
IATE software does not support web browsers directly, but customers

may choose to build a browser-based client using the IATE API toolkit.

 

 

Question:
Can the IATE Gateway terminate inactive client connections?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway and IATE client software support a configurable

timeout feature, to terminate any client session that remains inactive

for specified time period.

 

Note:
If you wish to prevent new connections from a particular client,

this may require additional custom client functionality, which the

IATE customer or custom software developer could create using the

IATE API.

 

 

Question:
Can IATE restrict PNR access?

 

Answer:
Accessibility to PNRs is entirely governed by the CRS.

As far as we are aware, the only way to restrict access involves

separate Pseudo-Cities for each client, although this could

severely restrict the benefits of pooled TAs.

 

While our products offer a layer of partial security for such

transactions, it should not be considered full security ذ

particularly when the transaction is conducted over the Internet.

Access restriction and security issues may best be addressed

through custom functionality, which the IATE customer or

custom software developer may need to create using the IATE API.

 

 

Question:
Can the IATE Gateway maintain a database of all host transactions conducted through it?

 

Answer:
This would be custom functionality, which the IATE customer

or custom software developer may need to create using the IATE API.

 

 

Question:
Is there anything I should know about configuring the gateway for a particular Host Type?

 

Answer:
Please refer to Gateway documentation for detailed information

about configuration considerations specific to various host types.

 

 

Question:
Can I configure the Gateway for use with QReader?

 

Answer:
The IATE Gateway can be used along with QReader in some

configurations.ت QReader is an Xmax product. InnoSys does not

provide technical support for QReader.ت Please contact Xmaxت for

QReader product information or support.

 

 

Question:
I started an IATE Gateway and it doesnصt work. What should I do now?

 

Answer:
Both the ALC Gateway (iate_server) and the X.25 Bridge (x25gate)

have built-in diagnostics, which you may activate by using the -v option

on the command-line that starts the Gateway. Following the -v,

specify a verbosity level in hexadecimal, with no intervening spaces.

For example:

 

تتت iate_server -vff -fconfig_file_name

 

The verbosity level can range from ش1ص to ش1ffffص (hexadecimal).

A good level to start with is -vff for ALC and X.25, or -v100ff for TCP.

 

Please refer to the Gateway documentation for a detailed description

of the various verbosity levels, or use the -h option to display the

Gateway's command-line help information:

 

تتت iate_server ذh

 

At this writing, the debugging bit-mask values are as follows:

 

تتت Mask valueتتتت Debugging output

تتت __________تتتت ________________

 

تتتتت 0x0001تتتتتت Data to/from host

تتتتت 0x0002تتتتتت Server initialization phase

تتتتت 0x0004تتتتتت Server internal activity

تتتتت 0x0008تتتتتت Client specific server activity

تتتتت 0x0010تتتتتت X.25 activity

تتتتت 0x0020تتتتتت Text of data messages between API & Gateway

تتتتت 0x0040تتتتتت Error messages

تتتتت 0x0080تتتتتت Warnings

تتتتت 0x0100تتتتتت Timing information

تتتتت 0x0200تتتتتت TLI activity

تتتتت 0x0400تتتتتت Character translations

تتتتت 0x0800تتتتتت Changes in message designation & routing activity

تتتتت 0x1000تتتتتت Buffers passed between API & Gateway

تتتتت 0x2000تتتتتت Buffer-queue debugging information

تتتتت 0x4000تتتتتت Information particular to Windows NT/2000/XP

تتتتت 0x8000تتتتتت Very verbose output

تتتت 0x10000تتتتتت TCP/IP activity

 

When the ALC gateway is started with the debugger turned on,

a lot of information is printed to the screen.

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Lines that begin with a شCص are Comments.

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Lines that begin with a شWص are Warning messages.

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Lines that begin with a شEص are Error messages.

 

The debugging information can also be piped to a file by adding

a ش>ص character and a filename at the end of the gateway startup

command line:

 

تتت iate_server -vff -fconfig_file_name > alc_logfile

 

(In that example, the output log file will be زalc_logfileس,

a plain text file located in the زalc_gateس directory. )

 

If you require technical assistance, please email a gateway

log file and all related configuration files to InnoSys tech support.

If it is possible to reproduce the problem (by repeating the actions

that led to the observed difficulty), please do so while the Gateway

is creating its log file.ت The resulting log file may help us to diagnose

message traffic and events that may be related to the problem.

 

 

Question:
The IATE Gateway issues error messages what do they mean?

 

Answer:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Please click here to read current information about Gateway error messages.

 

 

Question:
Why do I not see RESTART-COMPLETE after starting the X.25 Bridge?

 

Answer:
There are several possible reasons why the X.25 Restart-Complete

may not occur:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت The X.25 network may be down.

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت The modem may not be connected with the correct

تتتتتتتتتتتتتتت cables or adapters, or may not be using an RS-232

تتتتتتتتتتتتتتت electrical interface port.

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت the host line is not plugged into the correct port
تتتتتتتتتتتتتتت (specified by the PORT_NUMBER option

تتتتتتتتتتتتتتت in Gateway configuration files),ت or

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت the cable is not well seated in the socket, or

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت the INSCC-QP board may be defective.

 

 

تتتتتتتتت API Questions & Answers

 

Question:
What system platforms and programming languages does the IATE API support?

 

Answer:

For custom solution development, the IATE API can be used on the

following platforms:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT4

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows Millennium

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Sun Solaris (version 2.4 or later)

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Red Hat Linux (version 6.2 or later).

 

The IATE API is available for the following languages:

 

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت C

تتتتتتت ¥تتتتتت Visual BASIC

 

 

Question:
Is the IATE API thread-safe?

 

Answer:
The C-language IATE API is thread-safe in Windows only

(including Windows XP, 2000, NT4, 98, 95, and Millennium).

The API is not thread-safe on any other platform at this time.

 

 

Question:
Can the IATE API be used with Visual BASIC?

 

Answer:
Yes, the IATE API is available for Visual Basic. Currently, the

programming interface uses exported DLL functions

(not ActiveX objects). A simple example program is provided.

 

 

Question:
My application was written to use a Lanyon Gateway.

I now need to use a TCP/IP host connection.

Can the InnoSys Gateway/API help me to solve this problem?

 

Answer:
Yes.ت Customer experience indicates that a well-structured program

written to the Lanyon SMTBF API can be ported to the InnoSys API

without difficulty.