Creating or Modifying a Remote Node Definition

The remote node definitions contain information for remote Connect:Direct® nodes that the local Connect:Direct node communicates with.

To create or modify a remote node definition in the network map:

  1. Select Admin > Netmap to open the network map.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • To add a node, select Netmap > Insert and type a node name in the Name field.
      Important: Characters used in Netmap Node Names (or Secure+ Node Names or Secure+ Alias Names) should be restricted to A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and @ # $ . _ - to ensure that the entries can be properly managed by Control Center, Sterling Connect:Direct Browser User Interface, or IBM® Sterling Connect:Direct Application Interface for Java™ for Java (AIJ) programs.
    • To modify an existing node, double-click the node name in the Netmap window.
  3. Define information in the following fields for the remote node you are configuring on the Main tab. Refer to the following table for information on each field:
    Field Name Description Valid Values

    Name

    The name of the remote Connect:Direct node. If you are modifying a node, this field cannot be edited.

    A 1- to 16-character alphanumeric string

    Operating System

    The operating system for the remote node.

    OpenVMS | OS/390 | OS/400 | Tandem | UNIX | VM | Windows

    Max Pnode Sess

    The maximum concurrent connections for all remote nodes when the local Connect:Direct node originates the Process. This field is limited to the lesser of the values defined in the initialization parameters file and the network map definition for a given node.

    A numeric value from 0–255. The default is 1. For a workstation version of Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows, this field is limited to 1.

    Max Snode Sess

    The maximum concurrent connections, where the local Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows, node is the partner, or secondary, node cooperating with a remote Connect:Direct node to execute a Process. The maximum number of concurrent sessions is limited to the lesser of the values defined in the initialization parameters file and the network map definition for a given node.

    A numeric value from 0–255. The default is 1. For a workstation version of Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows, maximum SNODE sessions are limited to 2.

    Default Class

    The default session class used to start session managers. A Process executes on the specified class or any higher session class. This value overrides the equivalent value for this node in the initialization parameters.

    A numeric value from 1 to the value of maximum concurrent local node connections (sess.pnode.max). The default value is 1. The value cannot be greater than the maximum number of local sessions with primary control.

    Short Term Retry Attempts

    The number of retry attempts if a short-term connection failure occurs. Long-term retry parameters are used after the number of short-term attempts you specify has been reached.

    A numeric value from 1–255. The default is 10.

    Short Term Retry Interval

    The amount of time to wait between each short-term retry attempt.

    A 24-hour time value formatted as hh:mm:ss. The maximum value is 23:59:59. The default is 00:00:10 or 10 seconds.

    Long Term Retry Attempts

    The number of retry attempts after all of the short-term retry attempts are used.

    A numeric value from 0–255. The default is 10.

    Long Term Retry Interval

    The amount of time to wait between each long-term retry attempt.

    A 24-hour time value formatted as hh:mm:ss. The maximum value is 23:59:59. The default is 00:03:00, or 3 minutes.

  4. To configure TCP/IP settings, click the TCP/IP tab and set the TCP/IP attributes. Refer to the following table for definitions of the fields:
    Field Name Description Valid Values

    Host/IP Address

    The host name or IP address of the remote node. Alias names are not supported.

    A numeric value in the format
    nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn (IPv4) or
    nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:
    nnnn:nnnn:nnnn (IPv6) or the host name.

    Port/Service

    The communications port number for Connect:Direct if it differs from the default value specified in the initialization parameters.

    A numeric value in the format nnnnn, where nnnnn is a positive integer from 0–65535.

    Mode Override

    Select the name of the network map TCP/IP communications mode definition record used when communicating with this remote node. If this parameter is not specified, its value defaults to the last TCP/IP mode in the list.

    Name of a defined TCP/IP communications mode.

    Alt Comm Outbound

    The alternate communication address (communication path) used for outbound Processes. This parameter provides the alternate addresses for a remote node that has multiple NIC cards. When the local node is the PNODE, the alternate addresses are tried (starting with the first IP address listed) if an initial attempt to the primary address fails. After a connection has been established, if the connection is subsequently lost, attempts to reestablish the connection through the retry mechanism use the same address as the initial connection.

    When the local node is the SNODE, the alternate addresses are used in the Netmap check.

    Note: This parameter should not be used in a outbound Process if the SNODE is Connect:Direct/Plex.

    Fully qualified host name or IP address and port number.

    A comma separates the list of alternate communication paths as shown in the following example:

    salmon;9400, 10.20.40.65;9500

    The list is processed from the top down.

    Alternate Comminfo

    Provides support for establishing netmap-checked sessions with high-availability (especially load balancing) systems with multiple IP addresses, such as Connect:Direct/Plex for z/OS. Use this parameter to list all IP addresses or host names that are part of the multiple IP address environment.

    For Connect:Direct/Plex, this list should include the address of each Connect:Direct/Server with a different IP address from the Connect:Direct/Plex Manager.

    If a remote node has more than one outgoing IP address (as in a load balancing environment), specify all of the remote node's possible outgoing addresses in the Alternate Comminfo field so that those outgoing IP addresses are contained in the local node's netmap entry for that remote node. This configuration allows netmap checking to succeed when the remote node connects to the local node using any of the possible outgoing IP addresses specified.

    hostname1/IP address, hostname2/IP address, hostname3/IP address

    host name—Host name associated with the IP address. For example:

    hops (where hops is a machine on the local domain)

    hops.domain.com (fully-qualified host name)

    nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn or nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:
    nnnn:nnnn:nnnn:nnnn—IP address of
    a machine running Connect:Direct

  5. To identify the communications path, click the Communication Paths tab.
  6. Perform the following actions as required:
    • To add a path defined in the network map, select a path name from the Available Paths box and click the right arrow button.
    • To view the properties of a path, select the path from the Available Paths box and click Properties.
    • To add a new path to the network map, click New.
    • To delete a path, select the path in the Available Paths box and click Delete.
    • To select all available paths, click Add All.
    • To remove a selected path, select the path in the Selected Paths box and click the left arrow button.
    • To remove all selected paths, click Remove All.
  7. To add a description of the node, click the Description tab. Connect:Direct does not use this information. Refer to the following table for a description of each field:
    Field Name Description Valid Values

    Name

    The name of the Connect:Direct administrator or operator for the remote node.

    A 1- to 49-character alphanumeric string

    Phone Number

    The phone number of the administrator or operator for the remote node. Do not use blanks in this string.

    A 1- to 39-character alphanumeric string

    Node Description

    Any additional information you want to include specific to the remote node.

    A 1- to 127-character alphanumeric string

  8. Click OK.