IBM RPA internal provider

Learn the requirements and steps to connect to the terminal emulator with the IBM RPA internal provider. This provider is the IBM RPA default provider that is provisioned by the product, and you can use it to start and connect to host sessions over the 3270 protocol.

Before you begin

You must have the following data to connect to a host session through the terminal emulator:

  • Server address
  • Port
  • Optional: Logical unit (LU)
Note:The IBM RPA internal provider supports connecting to terminals with screen dimension of 24x80 only.

Procedure

Use the IBM RPA Studio's recorder to connect with IBM RPA internal provider by starting the terminal recorder, or add the Connect to Terminal (terminalConnect) command directly to your script.

In the connections' fields, select Internal TN3270 emulator, and provide the server address, port, and optionally, logical unit (LU).

In the following example, the Connect to Terminal (terminalConnect) command connects to a terminal emulator over 3270 protocol with IBM RPA internal provider.

defVar --name terminalName --type String --value Terminal
defVar --name terminalServer --type String --value "www.example.com"
defVar --name port --type Numeric --value 60
defVar --name connectionSuccess --type Boolean
// Connects to a terminal emulator over 3270 protocol with IBM RPA internal provider.
terminalConnect --name "${terminalName}" --provider "Internal" --hostname "${terminalServer}" --port ${port} --usessl
if --left "${connectionSuccess}" --operator "Is_True"
	// Logs a message in IBM RPA Studio if the connection is established.
	logMessage --message "Connection to the \"${terminalServer}\" host established." --type "Info"
endIf
// Disconnects from the terminal.
terminalDisconnect --name "${terminalName}"

Tenants that are FIPS 140-2 compliant restrict connections that don't use TLS. Enable the Use TLS option when you connect to a terminal by using the IBM RPA internal provider. For more information about FIPS 140-2, see Planning for FIPS 140-2.

If you use the terminal recorder and lose the connection, you can click the Terminal is disconnected. Click here to reconnect... button to reconnect with the same credentials.
However, if you aren't connected and enter an incorrect credential, that button prompts you to enter new credentials.

In versions before 23.0.7, the terminal recorder uses the same credentials to reconnect. In this case, restart the terminal recorder to provide new credentials.

What to do next

Learn how to record screen data from the terminal emulator based on the actions that you take on it and how to inspect fields on it. For more information, see Recording actions on the terminal emulator and Inspecting fields with the recorder.