Scenario: Configure a PPP dial-up connection through AGNS

Situation

Suppose you are responsible for maintaining an iSeries™ server for MyCompany, a small manufacturing company in Boone, Iowa. As part of providing this support, you need to establish a connection between IBM® electronic customer support and MyCompany's iSeries server. Since MyCompany does not have an Internet network connection, you can create a connection from your iSeries server through a dial-up point-to-point (PPP) using your internal modem. Because you do not need to provide connections for other systems, you do not need to consider providing connections for other servers or partitions.

Solution

Create a Universal Connection to IBM through AT®&T Global Network Services (AGNS). In this case, you establish a connection through the Connection Manager on your local iSeries server through an AGNS point-to-point connection to electronic customer support.

Advantages

This scenario provides the following advantages:

Objectives

In this scenario, the MyCompany wants to ensure that IBM can support the MyCompany computer system, when requested by the company's network administrator. The objectives of this scenario are as follows:

Details

The following diagram illustrates connecting the MyCompany iSeries server to electronic customer support through an AT&T Global Network Services connection.

Diagram depicting electronic customer support through an AT&T Global Network Services connection.

Configuring Universal Connection

Using Universal Connection

When a Service Application wants to use the Universal Connection to communicate with IBM the following will occur:

Prerequisites and assumptions

The prerequisites for enabling electronic customer support over an AGNS connection include:

Current® system configuration steps

Assuming that TCP/IP configuration already exists and works, complete the following steps to set up the Universal Connection if you connect to electronic customer support through MyCompany's local server:

  1. Complete the planning worksheet.
  2. Start iSeries Navigator and select the Universal Connection wizard.
  3. Enter the service, address, and country information on the Universal Connection wizard dialogs.
  4. Under Connect from the Current System, select the dialup connection using AT&T Global Network Services as a connection type.
  5. Choose a hardware resource, primary telephone number, and backup telephone number for creating a connection over the modem.
  6. For proxy option, configure a proxy destination.
  7. Indicate that this server does not provide connectivity for other servers or partitions.
  8. Review the Summary window to ensure that the configuration meets your requirements, and click Finish to save your configuration.
  9. When prompted, test the connection from your server to electronic customer support.
  10. Configure a backup configuration.

Note:
Repeat this process for each service application you would like to use.

Scenario details: Configure a point-to-point dial-up connection to AGNS

After you complete the prerequisites, you are ready to begin configuring the Universal Connection through the wizard.

Step 1: Complete the planning worksheet.

The following planning work sheet illustrates the type of information you need before configuring the AGNS connection. You use this information when running the Universal Connection wizard.

Planning work sheet Answers
Service information
  • Company
  • Contact name
  • Telephone number
  • Help desk or pager number
  • Fax number
  • Alternate fax number
  
  • MyCompany
  • Tom Smith
  • 515–870–9990
  • 515–870–9942
  • 515–870–5586
  • 515–870–5587
Company address
  • Street address
  • City or locality
  • State or province
  • Country (or region)
  • Postal code
  • National language version
  • Electronic mail address
  • Alternate electronic mail address
  • Media for PTFs (fixes)
  
  • 94 West Proctor St.
  • Boone
  • Iowa
  • United States
  • 55902
  • English (2924)
  • myname@company.com
  • myname@othercompany.com
  • Automatic selection
Location
  • Country (or region)
  • State
  
  • United States
  • Iowa
Connection method Through the local (current) iSeries server
Connection type A dial-up connection through AT&T Global Network Services
Hardware resource CMN08

If you prefer using CL Commands to create the configuration, use the Change Contact Information (CHGCNTINF) and the Create Service Configuration (CRTSRVCFG) commands.

Step 2: Start iSeries Navigator and select the Universal Connection wizard.

To start the Universal Connection wizard and begin establishing your connection:

  1. Open iSeries Navigator software.
  2. Select the server under the My Connections folder that you want to configure for electronic customer support.
  3. Expand Network.
  4. Expand Remote Access Services.
  5. Right-click Originator Connection Profiles.
  6. Select Configure IBM Universal Connection to start the Universal Connection wizard. The Welcome dialog appears.
Note:
A progress bar indicates that iSeries Navigator is loading the Universal Connection wizard. If you encounter problems while running the wizard, see Troubleshoot the Universal Connection wizard for a solution. Run the wizard again after solving the problem.

Step 3: Enter the service, address, and country information on the Universal Connection wizard dialogs.

To enter information about your company and connections:

  1. On the Select Configuration dialog, select either Primary connection configuration or Backup connection configuration. The default is primary. Check the View and modify contact information box and click Next
  2. On the Service Information dialog, enter the following information about MyCompany and click Next:
    • Company – MyCompany
    • Contact name – Tom Smith
    • Telephone number – 515–870–9990
    • Help desk or pager number— 515–870–9999
    • Fax number — 515–870–5586
    • Alternate fax number — 515–870–9942

    If this information exists on your server, the company data already appears in the fields. For example, if MyCompany previously created a configuration, the wizard retrieves the data from the existing configuration.

  3. On the Company Address dialog, enter MyCompany's address and click Next.
    • Street address – 94 West Proctor St.
    • City or locality – Boone
    • State or province – Iowa
    • Country or region – United States
    • Postal code – 55902
    • National language version – English (2924)
    • Electronic mail address – myname@company.com
    • Alternate electronic mail address – myname@othercompany.com
    • Media for PTFs – Automatic selection
  4. On the Location dialog, select the country (or region) and the state or province where your iSeries server resides and Click Next.
    • Country (or region) – United States
    • State – Iowa

Step 4: Under Connect from the Current System, select the dialup connection using AT&T Global Network Services as a connection type.

Note:
There is a checkbox to Additionally configure a proxy connection. If this box is checked, Step 6 will appear. If your enterprise has an HTTP proxy or you've configured a service and support proxy on another system or partition, and you wish to use that for Universal Connection applications which support going through a proxy, check this box.

Step 5: Choose a hardware resource, primary telephone number, and backup telephone number for creating a connection over the modem.

To specify hardware resources, telephone lines, and modems

  1. Select an existing hardware resource from the list on the dialog and click Next. You can sort the hardware resources list in one of these ways:
    • List internal modem resources only.
    • List all resources by name.
    • List all resources by location
  2. Select the appropriate country or region and state from the Phone Number dialog. A group of corresponding cities and telephone numbers appears in the City list. Select a telephone number from the list. If your location requires a dial prefix (such as a 9) or does not require part of the phone number (such as an area code), modify the selected phone number. Note that if a delay is required between a dial prefix and the rest of the number, insert a comma to add a delay. Click Next. The wizard takes you to the Backup Phone Number dialog.
    Note:
    If you have never connected your server through AT&T, the telephone numbers may not be current. Verify your telephone number selections at the AT&T Business Internet Services (www.attbusiness.net) Link outside Information Center Web site.
  3. Optional: Select the appropriate country or region and state from the Backup Phone number dialog. A group of corresponding cities and telephone numbers appears in the City list. Select a telephone number from the list, modify (if necessary) as described above, and click Next.

    If your server has an external modem associated with the hardware resource and line, the wizard takes you to the Modem dialog, as described in Step 4. If the resource selected is for an internal modem, the wizard takes you to Step 8.

  4. Optional: If your server uses an external modem, select a modem name from the list, and click Next.

Step 6: For proxy option, configure a proxy destination.

Note:
This screen only appears if the proxy option was selected in Step 4.

To configure a proxy destination

  1. Attempt proxy connection first
    1. Choose this option if you want the proxy to take precedence over the configuration for this scenario.
    2. If necessary, check the Proxy destination requires HTTP basic authentication box and fill in the User name and Password fields.
    3. Click Next and proceed to the next Step.
  2. Attempt proxy connection if previously defined configuration fails
    1. Choose this option if the proxy is to be used only in the event that the configuration for this scenario fails.
    2. Fill in the Proxy IP address or host name field.
    3. Fill in the Proxy port field.
    4. If necessary, check the Proxy destination requires HTTP basic authentication box and fill in the User name and Password fields.
    5. Click Next and proceed to the next Step.

Step 7: Indicate that this server does not provide connectivity for other servers or partitions.

Click No to indicate that this server has a direct connection to electronic customer support without providing connectivity for other systems or partitions.

Step 8: Review the Summary window to ensure that the configuration meets your requirements, and click Finish to save your configuration.

To complete and save your server configuration:

  1. Review the configuration summary. Click Back if you need to change a value on any of the wizard dialogs.
  2. When the configuration is correct, click Finish to save the configuration. A progress bar indicates that the wizard is in the process of saving the configuration.

Step 9: Test the connection from your server to electronic customer support.

To test the configuration:

  1. Click Yes when the wizard prompts you to test the configuration. The Verify Universal Connection dialog appears.
  2. Make note of any problems as the wizard displays verification progress.
  3. Click OK when the wizard indicates that verification is complete.
  4. If the wizard finds errors, restart the Universal Connection wizard, make necessary corrections, save, and retest the corrected configuration.

Step 10: Configure a backup configuration.

If an additional connection method is available to you, it is suggested that you rerun the wizard to configure a backup. This backup will be used automatically in the event that the primary connection fails.