Plug-ins identify themselves to iSeries™ Navigator by supplying information in the Windows® registry when the plug-in software is installed on the Windows desktops of your users.
The registry entries specify the location of the plug-in code and identify the classes that implement the special iSeries Navigator interfaces. You can supply additional registry information that lets iSeries Navigator determine whether the plug-in's function should be activated for a particular iSeries system. For example, a plug-in may require a certain minimum release of i5/OS® , or it may specify that a certain product needs to be installed on the iSeries server in order for it to function.
When a user clicks on an iSeries server in the iSeries Navigator hierarchy tree after installing a plug-in, iSeries Navigator examines the iSeries server to determine whether it is capable of supporting the new plug-in. The software prerequisites (specified in the plug-in's registry entries) are compared against the software installed on the iSeries server. If the plug-in's requirements are satisfied, the new function will be displayed in the hierarchy tree. If the requirements are not met, the plug-in's function will not appear for that iSeries server, unless the registry file specifies otherwise.