Configuring an FTP system connection

You must have an FTP or z/OSMF connection to use the views in the z/OS perspective. By default, the FTP connection uses the secure forms of the protocols, FTP over TLS. If the secure connection is not successful, the connection is reattempted without security.

Before you begin

You must have at least one connection credential before you can connect to a system. A credential is a repository for a user ID and password combination. For more information, see Defining connection credentials.

Note: For z/OS® Explorer to successfully obtain the required spool files, the FTP.DATA configuration file for the Server must specify JESINTERFACELEVEL 2. For more information about the JESINTERFACELEVEL parameter, see your System z/OS documentation.

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 the 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 z/OS FTP category and click Add. The Add System z - FTP Connection window opens. A screen capture showing the Add System z - FTP Connection window.
  3. In the Host name field enter the FTP 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. Optional: You can specify a different name by overtyping the name in the Name field.
  5. Complete the other fields as appropriate for your organization, and click OK The connection is saved and displayed in the Host Connections view.
  6. 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 displayed 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.