Support Page for Aton® Connect™ for Windows Mobile
How to install, register and connect to your host server with our product.
Questions:
 How do I register my copy of your product?
- How do I install or uninstall the software?
- How do I start the program?
- I get a message saying I need Compact Framework. What do I do?
- How do I connect to my host?
- Why is the phone dropping my VPN connection?
- Can I use any font or font size with Aton Connect?
- How do I change the timeout setting?
- What are the Keyboard Shortcuts for PF and other keys?
Answers:
1. How do I register my copy of your product?
The Aton Connect free trial download software is set for a 30 day free trial. At any time, before or after the
end of the trial, you can purchase a license at www.aton.com or from one of our partners such as PocketGear.
Use the "Register" entry from the menu on the bottom of the Pocket PC screen and then choose the “Set Code…” menu item.
This will bring into view the Registration screen that allows you to install the license registration code into the Aton Connect .NET control.
During the process to purchase a license, you will be asked for the "Name" located in the "Owner
Information" screen of the "Personal" tab in the "Settings" Menu selection of the Pocket PC. If you
change the owner name in the "Owner Information" settings, you will need a new registration code. Please
contact Aton International at 1-800-833-0835 or e-mail support@aton.com for further information on obtaining a new registration code.
An Enterprise-wide licensing option is also available for Aton Connect. A different method of activating the
product applies for the Enterprise license option and your Help desk will be able to assist you in activating the product.
2. How do I install or uninstall the software?
- Download the product Zip file from the Downloads page of "http://www.aton.com". On the Downloads
page, select the product "Aton Connect for Windows Mobile Pocket PC" and enter your e-mail address
and other information you may wish to share with us. In a moment or two, our server will e-mail the
download link to you in an auto-response e-mail. Clicking on the link in the e-mail will cause the Zip file to be downloaded to your computer at a disk location you select.
- Unpack this Zip file into a temporary directory, such as "C:\AtonConnectPpc". The Zip file contains
one file, the setup EXE file. On Windows XP, since the ZIP file unpack is built in, just right click the Zip
file you downloaded in step 1, and select "Extract All...” On XP and other versions of Windows you can
also use the WinZip utility to perform this function. A free trial copy of WinZip can be obtained at: http://www.winzip.com.
- Make sure Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 (Vista) or ActiveSync 4.5 (XP) is installed on your
laptop or desktop computer and that your Pocket PC device is connected via ActiveSync to your computer. For Windows Vista use: Windows Mobile Device Center. For Windows XP use: ActiveSync 4.5
- Execute the "setup.exe" program contained in the temporary directory where you unpacked the zip file (see stem 2 above)
. You can execute the file by double clicking its entry in Windows Explorer.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation of Aton Connect on the Pocket PC.
Aton Connect for Windows Mobile Pocket PC will operate on Windows Mobile 2003 (on touch screen
only), 5.0, 6 and later versions. Aton Connect also requires the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 (.NET CF
2.0). Older Windows Mobile devices may include only the older .NET CF 1.0 or no version of Compact Framework at all.
When you start Aton Connect, you will be prompted to install the .NET Compact Framework 2.0
software if it is not on your device. You can download the software from Microsoft's web site,
http://www.microsoft.com, by searching for the term ".NET Compact Framework Redistributable".
- The installation process will add the "Aton Connect" program into the Programs folder. The
installation process also makes available the Aton Connect .NET control for use with custom Pocket PC “Smart Client” application you can generate with the
Aton Connect Host Integration Toolkit.
- Windows Mobile Device Center or ActiveSync provides the standard way to uninstall our product from the Pocket PC.
Choose “Add/Remove Programs…” selection from the Tools menu of ActiveSync. This selection is only available when the Pocket PC is plugged into the cradle and is recognized by the
attached PC.
3. How do I start the program?
The product can be started by selecting "Aton Connect" from the "Programs" folder in the Pocket PC "Start" menu.
This will activate the general user interface for the Aton Connect .NET control. The set of details on how to communicate with a particular mainframe or enterprise server via
the TN3270 protocol is contained in a "Host Profile" or “Connection Description”.
Two default profiles are included with Aton Connect. One is for the TN3270 server at the US
Library of Congress and the other is for the TN3270 server at the University of Florida. Both of these
servers are publicly available over the Internet. You can add additional profiles for your enterprise
servers by using the "New" item on the menu bar at the bottom of the Aton Connect screen. You can
edit or delete existing profiles by using the "Tap 'n Hold" stylus gesture on an item in the profile list.
Note: The two sample profiles point to public servers that may be temporarily unavailable outside of normal work hours or slow in operation at times.
To establish a connection with the mainframe, select the desired profile from the "Select Host to View" listing of the Aton Connect program, then tap the “Open” button.
This will switch to the main interactive screen of the Aton Connect program and attempt a connection with the host server you just selected.
4. I get a message saying I need Compact Framework 2.0. What do I do?
You need to install .NET Compact Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2 Redistributable on your device. You can download it from Microsoft’s website here.
5. How do I connect to my host?
The first step is to enter the host address into the Host Address box on the Host tab of the Aton Connect.
This host address is usually obtained from the IT department managing your host server, IBM mainframe, or IBM mid-range system. The host name may be an IP address or DNS name that
contains period characters, or alternately a Net BIOS style, single word name that contains no period characters.
With Windows Mobile, the connection route is managed by the Windows Mobile Connection manager.
This feature is configured by a number of screens you access from the Start menu, Settings item. Then select the Connections Tab and click on the Connections icon.
Next, select the Advanced tab, and choose Select Networks. The upper section is used if Aton
Connect is configured to use an IP address or DNS name that contains period characters. The lower
section is used if Aton Connect is configured to use a Net BIOS style, single word name that contains no period characters.
As an option, you can force the lower section to be used for IP address or DNS names containing period characters
. This is accomplished by using the Exceptions option shown on the Select Network screen or the previous Advanced tab screen.
Once you determine which section, upper or lower, of the Select Networks screen is to be
used for Aton Connect, map this section to the appropriate network connection. By default these are shown in the drop down boxes as My ISP or My Work Network. Other may be optionally
defined.
The exact route these network connection names represent depends on the particular Windows Mobile device.
The names My ISP and My Network are further mapped to modems, cell phone, 802.11 wireless LAN, ActiveSync, and other communication means that are a function of the
particular Windows Mobile device and mobile cell phone carrier.
Some versions of Windows Mobile and ActiveSync will disable wireless or cell phone options
if the device is cabled to ActiveSync on the desktop, and only the My ISP may be active.
If your workplace installs VPN, then that is an additional selection that will appear in the
various configuration screens inside of the Windows Mobile Connection Manager. For VPN connections, your IT department will be your best source of assistance as VPN arrangements can vary
widely.
If the Connection Manager is not properly configured, you may notice that the VPN connection is dropped when you start Aton Connect. The is resolved by adjusting the Host
Address in Aton Connect, or by adding the host IP name or DNS address to the Exceptions list in
Connection Manager. Another alternative is to append the full domain name to the end of the single
word host name in the Aton Connect Host Name box. This will cause Aton Connect to use the upper network selection. See next question for additional directions.
Aton Connect is designed to communicate via cell phone, 802.11 wireless LAN, modems, and ActiveSync.
If Aton Connect reports a "No connection path to host could be found" status message
when you attempt to connect to your host, then the Connection Manager could not find a path to the
name or IP address contained in the Host Address box on Aton Connect. Reconfiguring Connection
Manger or changing the contents of the Host Address box in Aton Connect is required to establish a successful connection.
6.. Why is the phone dropping my VPN connection?
One known problem with Pocket PC communications is how the Connection Manager (CM) switches
between modes. The design of CM has broadly divided the types of connections into two realms, "The
Internet" (My ISP) and "Work" (My Work Network). The VPN is associated with Work, and will automatically drop when the CM switches to The Internet.
The CM switches between these two realms (Internet and Work) by looking at the destination address.
If the destination address includes any periods, the CM will decide it needs to enter the
Internet realm, and drop any VPN connection it may have in progress. You can override this automatic switching by identifying "Work URL Exceptions".
You can get to the settings screen that allows you to enter "Work URL Exceptions" by navigating:
Start > Settings > Connections > Connections > Advanced. Then depending on the
version of Windows Mobile, either tap Exceptions or Select Networks > Exceptions. This will get you
to a screen titled "Work URL Exceptions" You can enter the URL of the host server here and this should cure the VPN drop problem.
Tap the ? in the blue circle next to the title to get further information on how to use the exceptions.
Note that the exceptions apply to the default VPN and if you are using multiple VPN's, you may need to redesignate the default VPN exception configuration.
7.. Can I use any font or font size with Aton Connect?
You can select the font face and font size that displays on the screen. Mainframe applications
are best viewed with fixed spacing (fixed pitch) fonts. All Windows Mobile Professional PDAs and
Phones come standard with the fixed pitch "Courier New" font face that is legible down to about 7 point
size. SmartPhones may not have a fixed pitch font. Our product includes a free font for your use in these phones.
Many enterprises choose to license additional fonts for company use. While it is possible to
download fonts installed on your desktop to the device, this type of use may not be included in your company’s software/font license. If in doubt, check with your company’s Administrator.
Aton Connect for Windows Mobile 8.1 will automatically detect all fixed pitch font faces installed on your Pocket PC to allow you to select the one you want to display. Fonts are
selected from a drop down box on the Display Options screen. We have tested a number of fixed
spacing fonts for use with Aton Connect. “Courier New” works reliably for most uses. Note that the
fonts are not continuously scalable, the viewed size of the font may not change for several settings of the font size selection. This is a normal behavior of the TrueType fonts.
At any time, you can use the built in integrated help system of the Pocket PC for information on basic operation and details about the Aton implementation of TN3270, TN5250 and VT220.
An extensive implementation of “Tooltips” is available on the host display screen. By tapping and
holding a soft keyboard button or status line icon, a more descriptive caption will be displayed for that key or icon.
8. How do I change the timeout setting?
Here is another tip to make your mobile testing of our product easier -- changing the timeout length for Aton Connect for Windows Mobile Pocket PC. This is especially useful for making connections over cell phones that take longer than the preset timeout length.
The timeout value for Aton Connect can be set in the "Advanced" tab of the "Options" settings.
You can bring up the Options settings by using "Tap ‘n Hold" on the mainframe profile you
want to adjust. For example, hold the stylus down on the Aton Connect host profile name for your
mainframe listed on the initial Aton Connect screen. The ring of dots will occur, then a pop up menu to
allow choice of "Edit" or "Delete", Choose Edit to bring up the Options screen, then choose the
"Advanced" tab on the bottom. The lower option on the Advanced options screen allows you to set the "Operation Timeout" in seconds.
The default Operation Timeout is 30 seconds. We recommend setting this to either 45 or 60 seconds for cell phone connections.
We regularly use Aton Connect over GPRS cell phone service. The initial call setup, on occasion, will take longer than 30 seconds. In our experience, once
the call is set up and data begins to flow, the response time to get mainframe screens is excellent, almost as fast as over the local LAN.
If setting the timeout larger does not work, let us know exactly what messages you are getting.
We are here to help you deliver a successful project result.
9. What are the Keyboard Shortcuts for PF and other keys? go to next page
Contact Us If You Need Help
Please contact Aton International at 1-800-833-0835 (8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time) or e-mail us for
specific help on the use of Aton Connect. We are happy to assist you.
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