Configuring a system connection

Before you can view any information, you must establish a connection with your host system by providing details about the system connection, the system location, and authentication requirements. By default, connections attempt to use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. If the SSL connection is not successful, the connection is retried without SSL.

Before you begin

You must define at least one connection credential before you can connect to a host system. For more information about defining credentials, see Defining connection credentials. Before proceeding, ensure that you have all your system connection details, that you have the correct level of authorization to connect to your system, and that you are connected to your company's network.

Note: The connection categories you see in the Host Connections view vary depending on the connection types that are available to you.

If your system administrator preconfigured your connections, you can view the details in the Host Connections view.

If the connections are not configured, or you want to add a connection, perform these steps:

Procedure

  1. Click Window > Manage Connections from the workbench menu bar. The Host Connections view is displayed.

    If your connections are preconfigured, you see the connections listed under the categories in the view. If not, the categories are empty. The following example screen shows the Host Connections view in the CICS Explorer. One connection is defined in each category type. Each connection is associated with a credential, with the exception of the z/OS FTP connection. The credential is shown in brackets after the connection name.

    A screen capture of thee Host Connections view with one connection defined in each category type. Each connection is associated with a credential, with the exception of the z/OS FTP connection. The credential is shown in parenthesis after the connection name.

  2. In the Connections section select the category for the connection you want to add and click Add. The Add Connection window opens.

    The following screen shows an example of the Add z/OSMF Connection window. Other connection types might have additional fields. For more information about connection-specific fields, see the documentation for the product or plug-in.

    An example screen showing the Add z/OSMF Connection dialog.

  3. In the Host name field enter the TCP/IP host name of your server . As you type, the characters up to the end of the first qualifier are inserted in the Name field. So if your host name is myserver.example.ibm.com then the name would display as myserver.
  4. Enter the port number. As you type, the port number is also appended to the Name field, so the name is displayed as something like myserver:20332.
  5. Optional: You can specify a different name by overtyping the name in the Name field.
  6. Complete any other fields that are required by the connection type and click OK. The connection is saved and displayed in the Host Connections view.
  7. Optional: You can choose to associate a credential with the connection at this time. Right-click the connection name and hover over Set Credentials to show the credentials available. Click the credential you want to use for the connection.

Results

The connection and associated credential are shown in the Host Connections view.

What to do next

You can now connect to the system by right-clicking the connection name and clicking Connect. Alternatively select the connection name and click Connect. If the connection is not already associated with a credential, you can choose an existing credential or create one at this time.