Sei sulla pagina 1di 160

Liaison User Guide

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

Table of Contents

1.

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1

1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5

Overview..................................................................................................................................1
An Explanation of the Liaison Objects ....................................................................................2
A word about this manual........................................................................................................3
Contact information .................................................................................................................4
Schematic................................................................................................................................5

2.

PREPARING FOR LIAISON ............................................................... 6

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7

Liaison Requirements ....................................................................................................................... 6


Communications Considerations..................................................................................................... 9
Atlanta Athena Terminal Security.................................................................................................. 11
Atlanta PID Configurations ............................................................................................................. 12
Atlanta User File Maintenance....................................................................................................... 13
PC/PCM IMPACT ON SYSTEM PRINT....................................................................................... 14
Have a Look at the Website ........................................................................................................... 15

3.

INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION ...................................................16

3.1 The Possible Sources ..................................................................................................................... 16


3.2 Installation An easy step-by-step process ................................................................................ 16
3.3 Configuration .................................................................................................................................... 22
3.3.1
Starting the Liaison Commander ............................................................................22
3.3.2
First Time Running Liaison .....................................................................................22
3.3.4
Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 1 of 6 (Description).......................................24
3.3.5
Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 2 of 6 (Terminal Login).................................25
3.3.6
Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 3 of 6 (Application)........................................26
3.3.7
Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 4 of 6 (Colors) ...............................................28
3.3.8
Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 5 of 6 (Communications)...............................29
3.3.8.1 Protocol Selection ..................................................................................................30
3.3.8.2 TCP/IP Configuration .............................................................................................31
3.3.8.3 X.25 Configuration .................................................................................................32
3.3.8.4 DialUp Configuration..............................................................................................33
3.3.8.5 PC/PCM Configuration Wizard ..............................................................................35
3.3.9
Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 6 of 6 ...............................................................45
3.4 Adding a Shortcut on the Windows Desktop ............................................................................... 46
3.5 SITA CUTE Installations ................................................................................................................. 47

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

ii

4.

OPERATION ....................................................................................... 51

4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9

Invoking the Program ...................................................................................................................... 51


About the Commander.................................................................................................................... 54
Session Configuration Wizard ....................................................................................................... 55
The Emulation Screen..................................................................................................................... 56
Menu Contents................................................................................................................................. 57
The Tool Bar ..................................................................................................................................... 65
Split Screen ...................................................................................................................................... 66
The Status Bar ................................................................................................................................. 68
User Friendly GUI's (Graphical User Interface) .......................................................................... 69
4.9.1
DCS Boarding GUI .................................................................................................69
4.9.2
SDCS Check-In GUI ...............................................................................................70
4.9.3
World Tracer GUI....................................................................................................71
4.10 Closing Liaison................................................................................................................................. 72

5.

USING PC/PCM..............................................................................73

5.1 Display of the PC/PCM Monitoring Tool (aka PC/PCM) ............................................................ 73


5.2 PC/PCM Menu ................................................................................................................................. 74
5.2.1
Device .....................................................................................................................74
5.2.2
View ........................................................................................................................76
5.2.3
Diagnostics .............................................................................................................78
5.2.4
Help.........................................................................................................................79
5.3 Device Type Window....................................................................................................................... 79
5.4 System Messages Window ............................................................................................................ 79
5.5 Diagnostics ....................................................................................................................................... 80
5.6 Troubleshooting PC/PCM............................................................................................................... 81

6.

LIAISON SCRIPTS ............................................................................90

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4

Record Script.................................................................................................................................... 98
Playback Script .............................................................................................................................. 105
Liaison Script Assistant - Version 1.0.2...................................................................................... 109
Scripting Commands ..................................................................................................................... 112

7.

APPENDICES ..................................................................................115

7.1 Appendix A - PC/PCM Configuration Wizard ............................................................................ 115


7.1.1
Message Printer....................................................................................................117
7.1.2
Ticket Printer.........................................................................................................120
7.1.3
Automated Ticketing and Boarding (ATB) ............................................................126
7.1.4
Boarding Pass Printer One/Two ...........................................................................133
7.1.5
Bag Tag Printer.....................................................................................................139
7.2 Appendix B - X.28 Asynchronous Configuration....................................................................... 144
7.3 Appendix C - Slow/No Response Analysis for TCP-IP Liaison .............................................. 148
7.4 Appendix D - EICON Cards and Cables .................................................................................... 149
7.5 Appendix E Windows XP and Liaison ..................................................................................... 150
7.5.1
Liaison Installation in Windows XP Environment................................................ 150
7.5.2
Removing the Default File Sharing Option .......................................................... 151
7.5.3
Creating the SITA Share...................................................................................... 152
7.5.4
Importing the Base Liaison Registry Settings.......................................................156

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

iii

1. Introduction

1.1 Overview
THE OBJECT CONCEPT
Liaison is a family of program objects that are combined to allow access to the
SITA Airline Application Services (AAS) division mainframe applications from PCs.
The user interface can be either through various high-level Graphical User
Interfaces (GUI) or through expert (native) mode terminal emulation.
Communications objects for TCP/IP, X.25, and X.28 are available, as is the
PC/PCM printer control object. An object exists for UTS emulation to the Atlanta
IS hosts, and an object for 3270E emulation to the London IS hosts is new with
version 5.1. These different objects flexibly combine in the client PC to create a
product tailored to the specific needs of the user.
Installing and managing the client workstation is also made easier using objects.
A coded algorithm (Registration Key) is entered during the installation process,
designating which objects are to be included, as indicated in the contract. The
installer only needs to insert a few simple communication values to complete the
process. The user now decides which objects are to be activated, simply by
pointing to and clicking on an icon.

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI)


The GUIs are presentation software designed to allow the user to easily determine
what needs to be processed in the required order. For example, the check-in
procedure occurs in a predictable sequence. As each step is completed, the
program is intuitive enough to determine when that step is finished, and presents
the next step automatically, without the agent having to know the mainframe entry.
The principal idea is to remove much of the memorization of the host formats;
thereby reducing the training time normally needed for agents.

ORIGIN/PROGRESSION OF LIAISON
This family of products was originally developed in the 16-bit environment, able
to run in the Windows 3.X operating system. However, as more PCs converted
to or were purchased with Win95/WinNT, incompatibilities were increasingly
experienced since these newer workstations operate under 32-bit architecture.
The old 16 bit applications will not run under Win98. This situation presented a
challenge to convert the previous family of products to the 32-bit environment.
Other challenges also arouse in the area of expanding emulation and
communications environments. This challenge has been met with the complete
conversion to 32-bit architecture, the addition of TCP/IP and X.25
communications objects, addition of the TN3270E terminal emulation object, and
the addition/enhancement of GUI objects.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

KEY BENEFITS
Some benefits of Liaison include:
Improved cost per workstation equates to reduced cost of ownership
Eliminates dependency on third party software vendors
32-bit environment offers better memory management and more stability
Introduces dynamic PIDs for ATLIS connectivity
Rapid application development
GUI environment reduces training time
Simplified installation

1.2 An Explanation of the Liaison Objects


As mentioned previously, Liaison is comprised of multiple objects. The following
sections breakdown each object type:

The Commander
The Emulator

GUI Modules

Scripting

Printer Handling

Comms Options
Terminal
Emulation
Objects

All sessions may be added, deleted, configured, and launched from


this toolbar. It appears when the user starts the Liaison application
from the Desktop Shortcut or from Start / Programs / Liaison
Commonly referred to as "Expert Mode", this screen allows native
transactions to be entered
GUI (Graphical User Interface) screens provide a user-friendly
environment. These programs prompt agents for the next
transaction, layout information in picture form, and often anticipate the
next command. Liaison offers several GUI options, such as
Ticketing, World Tracer, and both Boarding and Checkin for DCS
Sometimes referred to as "macros", several commands can be run
sequentially by starting a script. They may contain anything from a
single entry mask to dozens of mainframe entries without pausing.
See Section 6 for additional information
Printer security and dialogue are handled on a local basis using the
PC/PCM object. The PC/PCM print-handling object may also be
applied to applications requiring secured printing jobs, such as
Departure Control or Ticketing, or may be used with standard parallel
printers for system printing.
This object offers the user the option of selecting the communications
protocol to be employed when in dialogue with the host system in
ATL. TCP/IP, X.25, and X.28 communications are available for use
with Liaison. Note P1024C can not be used with Liaison
The UTS emulation object allows connectivity to Atlanta hosts.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

1.3 A word about this manual


This manual is included in hard copy form with the initial Liaison shipment to an airline. Should you
desire more copies, a softcopy is always copied to the default install location during the install process.
This default location is C:\PROGRAM FILES\SITA\LIAISON. The file is in both Microsoft Word and
Adobe PDF versions; UserGuide.doc or UserGuide.pdf. You may download the PDF version from our
Internet site
HTTP://57.250.224.47

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

1.4 Contact information


For Liaison contract and pricing issues, please contact your SITA account manager
or BDM. They will coordinate with the Atlanta Sales Support Team (SST). Also
contact your account manager or BDM to place orders for all connections to the
SITA network, be they TCP/IP (LANAS or ISNET), X.25 or X.28.

Liaison Support
During Atlanta Business Hours
8:30 am. 5:00 pm.

Liaison Support@SITA.AERO

Passenger Services Help Desk

ATLHDXS
ZZ HELPDSK
PSS-HELPDESK@SITA.AERO

LIAISON GUI APPLICATION SUPPORT


DCS and RES
TKT
WT

Additional Support specific to


Liaison GUI Applications

ATLHDXS
ATLGTXS
ATLGBXS

EICON
EICON Card &
EICON X.25 Gateway Software

Sales EIS Julie Cody NYCBTXS


631-244-2509 x240
Julie.Cody@Equant.Com

ATHENA TERMINAL SECURITY


Initial setup of Airline Athena Terminal
Security
Terminal.Security@SITA.AERO
REQUIRED FOR X.25 X.28 TCP-IP
Further requests for USERID/PASSWORDS Airline Terminal Security Administrator
Airline HDQ

SITA PID CONFIGURATIONS

PID CONFIGURATIONS
Configs.Technical.Services@SITA.AERO
ATLDPXS
ZZ CONFIGS

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

1.5 Schematic
The following page is a schematic of how a Liaison client connects to the mainframe host in Atlanta.

L ia is o n S c h e m a tic
UT S 20
T e rm in a l
E m u la t io n

P assenge r
B o a rd in g

D e p a rt u r e
C o n t ro l

T ic k e t in g

P C C lie n t
G A B R IE L
R es G U I

W o r ld T ra c e r

P C /P C M

T C P /IP
C is c o R o u te r

X .2 8

X .2 5
E IC O N G a te w a y

TC P / IP

L o c al
P AD

X .2 5

X .2 5

S IT A
N e tw o r k

X .2 5

TC P / I P

M a in fa r m e

DCP

R e n d e zv o u s

TC P / IP

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

2. Preparing for Liaison


2.1 Liaison Requirements
PCs
Liaison will function properly on any 32 Bit Windows Operating system. There are
specific settings for multiple Login Users when using Windows XP. Please refer to
Appendix E Windows XP for detailed instructions.
For XP installations with only one Login there are no changes required as long as the
Login user is either an administrator or power user.
It will be necessary to follow Microsofts requirements for minimum PC hardware
requirements. Keep in mind that Microsoft has withdrawn support from Windows 95 and
Windows 98. Liaison will continue to support users with those operating systems, but
keep in mind that future versions of Liaison may preclude the use of the older nonsupported Windows versions.
In addition, the Liaison software is delivered on CD-ROM, so at least one PC should
have a CD-ROM drive. The other PCs should either have their own CD-ROM, or be able
to access a shared CD-ROM. If the PCs are to be networked, the necessary LAN
components will also be required. Example: Network Interface Cards (NIC), cabling etc.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

Printers
The following printers have been homologated for use with Liaison

ATB Devices
Dassault BPR 600/TPR
800
Documax A3300
Genicom ATB 1550xp
IER ATB models
457,508,512,557, and 567
Sigma 7200
Dassault A640
Dassault Tahiti
Unimark 4000 and Sprite
Fujitsu 9811

Bag Tag
Printers
Genicom 201

Gate Readers

Document Printers

Dassault 320

OKI 180

IER 411
IER 423
IER 508

IER 607
IER 627A
Unimark 2000

OKI 320
TI 810
TI 885

IER 512C
ASIC
Dassault
Tahiti
Unimark 6000

Certified Peripheral Firmware


The following table contains Firmware Versions certified for Liaison Desktop., Muse, and
Cute operations.

Liaison Desktop Firmware


Device

Last Firmware Version

Dassault 640
Fujitsu 9811

DLD1.GAE1.01
DLD1.GAE1.01
Contact Fujitsu and
specify SITA Liaison
Desktop
98.044/10
98.944/10
98614 1.01
98614 1.01
98614 1.00
98614 1.00
92708 1.03
92708 1.03
92934 1.01
92934 1.01
930771 1.00
930771 1.00
929342 2.00
929342 2.00
90385 1.02
90385 1.02
90479 1.02
90479 1.02
96600/2.01
96600/2.01
91709 1.01
91709 1.01
Contact Unimark and specify SITA Liaison Desktop
Contact Unimark and specify SITA Liaison Desktop
Contact Unimark and specify SITA Liaison Desktop
Contact Unimark and specify SITA Liaison Desktop

IER 411
IER 508
IER 508BP
IER 517
IER 512C ASIC
IER 512C AEA BP
IER 512C AEA BT
IER 557 STANDARD
IER 557 TURBO
IER 567
IER 627A
Unimark 2000
Unimark 4000
Unimark 6000
Unimark Sprite

Certified Firmware Version

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

The following tables contain Firmware Versions certified for SITA Cute and Arinc Muse
operations.

SITA CUTE Firmware


IER Peripheral Device
IER 512C NS
IER 512B NS
IER 512C ASIC
IER 512B ASIC
IER 508
IER 557 STANDARD
IER 557 TURBO
IER 567

Last Firmware Version


92708 1.03
92643 1.06
92915 1.01
92903 1.01
98615 1.00
90322 1.02
90479 1.02
Not yet certified

Certified Firmware Version


92708 1.03
92643 1.05
92915 1.01
92903 1.01
98615 1,00
90322 1.02
90479 1.02

ARINC MUSE Firmware


IER Peripheral Device
IER 512C ASIC
IER 512B NS
IER 508
IER 557 STANDARD
IER 557 TURBO
IER 567
IER 627A

Last Firmware Version


92901 3.10
92675 1.00
98602 1.00
90387 3.06
90437 3.06
Not yet certified
91703 1.05

Certified Firmware Version


92901 3.05
98602 1.00
98614 1.00
90387 3.03
90437 3.04
91703 1.04

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

2.2 Communications Considerations


Liaison has been developed to connect to the SITA IS host systems via the SITA
network. It utilizes today's latest protocols, which allow secure, fast, and dynamic
service. The SITA BDM or Account Manager can assist in ordering any type of circuit.
The following is a listing of protocols available in the Liaison Communications library and
an explanation of what must be in place before Liaison can be installed:
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol TCP-IP is used over
SITA's LANAS or ISNET connectivity. The airline subscriber must have
processed a request for this service with SITA. This service includes a
TCP/IP
SITA installed CISCO router on site or at the local center to enable the
connectivity. The airline must use registered IP addresses, which can be
obtained though SITA.
This is an asynchronous (dial-up) type of connectivity, available at most
of SITAs worldwide locations. Anyone can obtain the telephone access
number, but two layers of security must be satisfied before access to the
ATL host is permitted. The airline subscriber must apply to SITA network
for a Network User ID (NUI) and Password through their Account
Manager.

X.28

X.25

An existing NUI/Password may be utilized. Contact your Account


Manager if you do not already have a NUI/Password. Both the
NUI/Password and the access phone numbers for the SITA XPAD are
the same for Liaison X.28 access and Sitatext X.28 access.
Dial-up connections always use dynamic PIDs; static PIDs are not
allowed over dialup. Any time dynamic PIDs are used, a master dynamic
PID must be established. Advise the following information to
Liaison Support@SITA.AERO
They will contact SYS to request the master dynamic PID to be
configured.
Default City Code
Default Office Number
Default Hard Copy PID
Country Code
In addition, a modem connection must be provided for dial-up access. If
you are planning multi-PC access via X.28 on a permanent basis, make
sure your local SITA office has sufficient resources to support it.
This connectivity is applied for through the local SITA representative (Account
Manager or BDM), who provides dedicated circuits to the subscriber site. A
gateway device is required to "manage" the sessions on site. For X.25
communications, this is accomplished via an Eicon communications gateway
PC. Additional Eicon LAN client software is required on each Liaison
workstation to communicate locally with the Eicon gateway. If only one
workstation is required at a site, the communications gateway and client

PC can be combined in the same PC. In this case, the Eicon LAN client
software is not required. Please refer to Appendix D. Eicon Cards and
Cables.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR X.25


Communications Gateway
The X.25 communications requirements are as follows:
OS
Eicon card:
Eicon
Gateway

Eicon
Client

Windows NT,2000,or XP
Refer to Appendix D. Eicon Cards and Cables.
Your Local Account Manager should be able to advise you further.

Eiconcard Connections for Windows NT, 2000 & XP is a server-based router


that extends the WAN capabilities of Microsoft Windows NT, 2000 & XP. By
taking advantage of the versatility of the Eiconcard, branch offices can meet
their needs for Internet and Intranet access, routing and remote access.
Eiconcard Connections for Windows NT, 2000 & XP includes drivers which
enable Eiconcards to work in the Windows NT, 2000 & XP environment.
Eicon LAN client 32 bit software is required for each workstation connecting
via X.25. Note the 16 bit version of the Eicon LAN client will NOT work with
Liaison.

Contacts
Eicon components are available from EIS. Contact either your local EIS office, or
Julie Cody, Equant New York, at Julie.Cody@Equant.COM or
Telephone 631-244-2509 x240.
Pricing must be obtained from EIS.
X.25 communications gateway installation support is available from
Eicon Technologies at WWW.Eicon.Com

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

10

2.3 Atlanta Athena Terminal Security


When a successful connection is made through the network to the DCP, Athena terminal
security then provides another level of security. It allows passage through to an Atlanta
host system from the DCP.

ESTABLISHING TERMINAL SECURITY


Athena terminal security, i.e. the ENTER USER ID/PASSWORD prompt, must
be applied for from Terminal.Security@SITA.AERO. They establish a master
administrator account for the airline. The master administrator then assigns User
ID/Passwords for other airline personnel.
Please do not send Athena terminal security requests to Liaison support. We are
not authorized to perform or request terminal security configurations, and
sending requests to us will only delay the process.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

11

2.4 Atlanta PID Configurations


When a successful connection is made through the network and Athena terminal
security, an additional layer of security is provided in the PID configuration, or CONLNK
file. They ensure the security and access level allowed for each PID.

MIGRATING EXISTING PIDS


Moving from a P1024C to a X.25 or TCP/IP environment is a completely new
environment away from the airline proprietary transports. This impacts the way
in which PIDs are configured both in the host system and in SITA's
communications management. This impact is not Liaison specific; any terminal
emulation to Atlanta will be impacted in the same way.
Traditionally (i.e. with the P1024C protocol), network routing is assigned to each
PID from the concentrator level down to the RID/SID level. With a TCP/IP or
X.25 connection, this all changes. A LANAS or ISNET connection uses IP
addresses for both the individual workstation and the ATL host. An X.25
connection uses Destination Network Addresses (DNAs) which are similar to a
telephone number. While all existing PIDs may be used with Liaison, they must
be reconfigured to accommodate this new environment. Contact SITA/ATLIS
configs.technical.services@sita.aero to have your PID numbers converted before
installing Liaison.
The COMS: ASCU command will not work on PIDs configured for X.25 or TCP/IP
access. There is a new command COMS: TELCON that should be used instead.
The format is the same except the word TELCON is substituted for ASCU, i.e.

COMS: TELCON/PID/(PID#).

Once the PID configurations have been adjusted, it is advisable to review each
PID and verify whether or not it is configured as PC/PCM.This can be done by
the command PDQ:D/(pid #), i.e. PDQ:D/12345. Look at the Device Type field.
PPCM indicates it is a PC/PCM PID. A sample PDQ:D display follows.
pdq:d/44682
PDQ STATUS 09SEP/18:45
OFFC:PDK1
USER:XS DEVICE TYPE:PPCM
PID
H
ALT PRI NBR EXP
44682 N
1 0 0
44682 N
2 0 0
44682 N
3 0 0
44682 N
4 0 0
ALL 0

ZZ:CSC

Customers may change the styp field in the conlnk, but to change to or from
PCPCM a corresponding changes must be made by
configs.technical.services@sita.aero.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

12

REQUESTING NEW PIDS


New users should also contact Configs.Technical.Services@SITA.AERO to
request PIDs. They will require some additional information, such as PID type
(PC/PCM or CRT), TCP/IP address for TCP/IP connections, etc. See the Liaison
Web site HTTP://57.250.224.47 to download a Pid request form and detailed Pid
information.
Please do not send PID requests to Liaison support; we are not authorized to request
PID configurations and sending requests to us only delays the process.

2.5 Atlanta User File Maintenance


AGENT AND OFFICE FILES
For static PIDs, related files, such as AGENT and OFFICE files, should not be
impacted. For dynamic PIDs, an agent cannot sign in as user groups 11-16; 17
is the most powerful level allowed. Dynamic PID sign ins must be protected, i.e.
must have an account number specified in the agent file.

ZZADDR FILE
For PC/PCM PIDs, the ZZADDR records must be designated as "MSG" for
printer traffic, and "CRT" for on-screen traffic. Note the MSG or CRT designation
will not show in a UMDF display when initiated from a non-PC/PCM PID. The
configuration on the host must match the configuration in PC/PCM.
For example:
1. If the host ZZADDR record shows CRT (>UMDF/ZZADDR/xxx or ZZM:V/xxx),
PC/PCM must have Messages to CRT checked. Message to CRT is the
default setting in Liaison PCPCM Configuration Wizard.
2. If the host ZZADDR record shows MSG (>UMDF/ZZADDR/xxx or ZZM:V/xxx),
PC/PCM must have Message Printer checked, and the message printer
must be properly configured.
Failure to properly configure in this area will result in a message PID suspension
avoided each time a ZZ message is received.
Note whether a ZZ address is configured for the CRT, the printer, or there is no
ZZ address configured. It is recommended that you always check the
MESSAGES to CRT option.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

13

2.6 PC/PCM IMPACT ON SYSTEM PRINT


The configuration for system print handling is managed differently in the Liaison world.
Traditionally, all forms of printing are generated from a terminal command, sent to the
ATL host, and in response, the print job is sent to the printer PID associated with the
terminal PID. All types of dialogue, such as acknowledgements or errors, are
communicated from the printer back to the application in ATL. The printing is executed
after several messages are relayed back and forth.
PC/PCM still takes the print messages from the application in ATL, but all in one
message to the PC. Once the entire message is received, the PC acknowledges, and
the conversation between the PC and ATL is finished. At this point, the PC turns its
attention to the printer device attached to it, whether it is for printing tickets, boarding
cards, bag tags, or simple system printing. Acknowledgements, errors, end of job
indicators, etc., are handled locally between the printer and the PC/PCM program. This
greatly reduces the dependency on communications between the host application in ATL
and the workstation/printer.
With PC/PCM, all CRT and printer traffic is handled through the same PID. A separate
PID number is no longer assigned to printers. It is important to note that the workstation
PID number must be designated as a PC/PCM device to enable this feature. Printers
may still be shared with PC/PCM. Also note that ZZ message traffic when sent to a
PC/PCM PID can either be received by the CRT device (TYPE=CRT) or printed to the
attached MSG printer (TYPE=MSG).

AN EXAMPLE
If you had 5 workstations in an area sharing one ticket printer and one message printer,
the workstation with the ticket printer and message printer attached would have a
PC/PCM PID. The other workstation PIDs would be configured as standard CRT PIDs.
The CONLNK ODVN and TKTP fields on the 4 workstations without printers would point
to the PC/PCM PID number. The CONLNK of the workstation controlling the printers
would have the ODVN and TKTP fields pointing to in itself.
Liaison would only have PC/PCM configured on the workstation controlling the printers.
PC/PCM would have at least two (2) boxes checked and configured, Message Printer
and Ticket Printer. Messages to CRT could also be checked.
An alternate to this example would be to configure all 5 PIDS as PCPCM PIDS. The four
PCs without a printer attached would select only Messages to CRT in the PC/PCM
configuration wizard.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

14

2.7 Have a Look at the Website


There is plenty of useful information (including documents, like this one) from the
Liaison Support Web Site. Included are details on the communications
environment where Liaison operates. You may access by pointing your Internet
Browser to HTTP://57.250.224.47 and navigate to the Liaison link.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

15

3. Installation and Configuration


3.1 The Possible Sources
Liaison may be installed using the following media:

Compact Disc (CD)

Liaison Internet website: HTTP://57.250.224.47

3.2 Installation An easy step-by-step process


Before you begin, know the following:

Liaison Registration
Key
Athena terminal
security
Static PIDs-PID
numbers
Dynamic PIDs
IP addresses for
Rendezvous servers
X.28
X.25

The content of this key depends upon the applications you are
working with, the communication protocols used, and the 2
character airline code. This key is provided by Atlanta with the
CD on a 1 page printout. It is 34 characters separated into 5
subsections by dashes (-)
User ID/Password
Ensure they have been properly configured.
Ensure the master dynamic PID has been setup
Their order is important. The IP addresses for the production
boxes are 57.5.64.250 and 57.5.64.251.
NUI/password
OSI NSAP. For PSA, it is 9001031. For PSB, it is 9001181.
World Tracer connections currently always are routed through
PSA, and thus would use 9001031. This may change in the
future.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

16

Please note that it is the AIRLINES responsibility to distribute new versions of Liaison
within the airline. Further it is the AIRLINES responsibility to keep SITA advised as to the
current number of licensed copies. Please notify the following people depending upon on
your region.

SITA Sales Region/ACC


Sales Manager
NEU and ECEU
Chris Leadbeater (LON)
NAM and CALA
Bil Ghuman (ATL)
NACA & AUSPAC
Gil Turner (SYD)

e-mail

Telephone

chris.leadbeater@sita.aero

+44 (0)20 8476 4553

bil.ghuman@sita.aero

+1 770 850 4570

gil.turner@sita.aero

+61 4 2213 3321

EUROMED & MEACSA


Jean-Marc Perreaux
(PAR)

jean_marc.perreaux@sita.aero

+33 (0) 1 46 41 43 99

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

17

INSTALLATION STEPS
Please note this section explains Liaison installation into a non-CUTE/MUSE
environment. If you are a CUTE/MUSE site administrator who is installing Liaison,
please refer to SITA CUTE Installations Section 3.5
1. Please shut down all applications currently running on your desktop. This
includes the Microsoft Office Shortcut toolbar.
2. Insert the Liaison CD. If Windows is configured to AutoRun CDs, setup will
launch automatically when the CD is inserted. Otherwise locate and double click
setup.exe on the root directory of the Liaison Installation CD.
3. The notes for the current release of Liaison are shown first.

If this is a new installation, just click Next to continue. If you are upgrading a previous
version of Liaison, you may want to peruse the release notes before clicking Next to
see if anything is of interest.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: PRESS ENTER.)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

18

4. Carefully select the type of setup you need.

5. The setup process gives you an option to choose a Destination Folder.


Click Next > in order to install to the default location
(C:\Program Files\SITA\Liaison).

(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT> AND ENTER)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

19

The Liaison files will then proceed to be copied to the specified location. You may
get a message titled "Read Only File Detected" as shown below. If you do, please
click Yes to overwrite the file. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT YES> AND
ENTER)

6. The
recommended procedure is to install a shortcut on your Windows desktop. The
Icon will be written if you click yes on the following prompt.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

20

7. The next step will ask to restart your computer. Please select "Yes, I want to
restart my computer now". (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT STATEMENT
AND PRESS THE SPACEBAR) before clicking Finish

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

21

3.3 Configuration
3.3.1 Starting the Liaison Commander
Before the configuration process can begin, the Liaison commander must be
started. From the Windows desktop, you can start Liaison in one of two ways.
One is to click on the Start button, then highlight Programs to see the Liaison
program group.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: WITH ALL PROGRAMS MINIMIZED, TAB TO HIGHLIGHT Start
AND ENTER.) There will be at least four choices in this menu. Liaison is the one
with the Globe icon The second way to start Liaison is to double click the Liaison
shortcut on the desktop.

3.3.2 First Time Running Liaison


If this is the first time you are running Liaison, two things will happen. First, you
will see a window saying It does not appear that you have used Liaison before
on this computer. Do you wish to set it up now? You must answer Yes to
proceed. Second, you will be asked to enter the Liaison Registration Key. This
is a five-part key, with each part separated by dashes. As you enter the key,
you must press Tab where the dashes appear in the written key. When you are
finished entering the Registration Key, click OK (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: PRESS
ENTER.).

The key is included with the Liaison shipment, or with the email announcing the
shipment. It will look similar to the following display. Each enabled option
included is checked off and the registration key is at the bottom of the form.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

22

3.3.3

Starting the Configuration Process

After successfully starting Liaison, the Liaison Commander is displayed as shown


below.

To add a new session or edit an existing session, click on the Settings button
(the Session Configuration Wizard). (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: F1)
To edit an existing session, you may also right click the session icon and select
Configure. A list of 6 choices, described below, will be displayed. Each choice
corresponds to a step in the Liaison configuration wizard, and access via this
method may be used as a shortcut to the desired configuration item.
Description

Terminal Login

Application

Colors

Communications

PCPCM Wizard

Liaison configuration wizard step 1 of 6. Used as the initial


step to create a new session, add a description for a
session, or select an existing session to edit
Liaison configuration wizard step 2 of 6. Most commonly
used to enable and specify the Athena terminal security
Userid/password entry. It can also be used to choose to
automatically start this session when the Liaison
commander is started, and to enter a unique registration key
applicable for this session only.
Liaison configuration wizard step 3 of 6. Used to specify if
the session will be used only for expert mode or for both
expert mode and GUI access. Another function is to enable
the trace log function. A trace log is often required by
Atlanta for debugging in case of problems
Liaison configuration wizard step 4 of 6. The foreground
and background colors are selectable for the session
Liaison configuration wizard step 5 of 6. Options for the
selection of communications protocol, static or dynamic PID
access and enabling PC/PCM. The PC/PCM configuration
will be started from this option the if PC/PCM option is
selected for this session
This option is a direct link to screen 1 of 5 of the PCPCM
Wizard.

Note: A maximum of 11 sessions may be configured on the Commander.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

23

3.3.4 Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 1 of 6 (Description)


After initiating the session configuration process, the Liaison Configuration Wizard
Step 1 of 6 will appear as illustrated below.

New session
name

Description
If you want to
edit an existing
session,
choose one
from the list
below
Cancel
Back
Next
Finish

Type in the name for first session. This name cannot be


longer than eight characters. Make the name descriptive, i.e.
if using the Checkin or Boarding GUIs, perhaps use CKI or
Boarding. If using static PIDs, you may want to use the PID
number as the session name
If desired, you can type in a long description for the session
name (up to 40 characters) for the session. This description
will show as the cursor is positioned over the session icon on
the commander
If you wish to edit an existing session, instead of adding a new
session, click the session name to edit.
The selected session will be displayed in the New session
name field.
Click the Cancel button to exit this window with no changes
The Back button is grayed out on step 1 of the Liaison
configuration wizard because there is no previous step to
which to return
Click Next to continue on to step 2 of the Liaison configuration
wizard
Click Finish to exit the Liaison configuration wizard, saving
any changes made (i.e. to the description).

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

24

3.3.5 Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 2 of 6 (Terminal Login)


The Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 2 of 6 can be displayed in one of two ways:
Click Next > when finished with Step 1 of the Liaison configuration wizard.
Right click the session, then click Configure / Terminal Login.

Automatic
Login

Unattended
Device

Session
Registration

Automatically
Start this
Session
Cancel
Back
Next
Finish

Select automatic login for automatic transmission of your Athena Terminal


security USERID and PASSWORD. This is not encouraged for obvious security
reasons.
If your PID is defined as a UNAT or unattended device type check that as well.
Liaison will periodically verify your connection. If there is no response to the
UNAT transaction the re-transmission of your terminal security login will be
attempted. This process will continue on a timed basis until the connection is reestablished. This unique re-connect feature is not enabled on non-unat sessions.
Also keep in mind that only UNAT, limited Gabriel functions, and printing are
allowed on UNAT pids.
In certain circumstances more than one Liaison registration key is needed to
allow access via Rendezvous to more than one Gabriel partition on the same
Liaison installation. If this is the case select the check box and enter the
registration key for the specific session you are installing. If not this session will
use the default registration key specified when Liaison was first installed. See
section 3.3.2
Click this button and the Liaison Commander will start this session when it
initializes.
Click the Cancel button to exit this window with no changes
The Back button is grayed out on step 1 of the Liaison configuration wizard
because there is no previous step to which to return
Click Next to continue on to step 2 of the Liaison configuration wizard
Click Finish to exit the Liaison configuration wizard, saving any changes made
(i.e. to the description).

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

25

3.3.6 Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 3 of 6 (Application)

Click Next > when finished with Step 2 of the Liaison configuration wizard.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT> AND ENTER.)
Right click the session, then click Configure / Terminal Login.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

26

Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 3 of 6

The Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 3 lists all available


Liaison GUI applications. Items that are grayed out are not
Which application
available with your registration key. Please note that even
would you like this
if a GUI item is grayed out, you can still access the
session to use?
application via expert mode (provided your airline is
configured for said access).
After you choose an application, you will see any extra
options that can be selected. For the UTS Terminal
Emulation, you may elect to display an extra set of
Special Options
GABRIEL prompts. For the other applications, you may
select to startup the session in "Form Mode" (GUI) or
"Expert Mode".
Check this option to enable the Liaison trace logging
function. This option is very important if you are having
Trace logging
problems with printing.
Atlanta will often need to see a trace log to resolve print problems. Once this option is
enabled, a record of all printer and CRT traffic will be recorded in the pcpcm log file.
Default location is C:\PROGRAM FILES\SITA\LIAISON\PCPCM\COMPUTER NAME.
This file will contain traffic from the time the session is started until it is terminated.
When sending a trace log file to Atlanta, please be sure the problem you are
experiencing is reproduced during the session.
Do not start the session again without recreating the problem, or your log file will be
overwritten.
The default value for this entry is 2. This should be
increased; a value of 1400 is recommended. 1400K will fit
File size limit
on a diskette should you need to copy the file to a diskette
(Kbytes)
for transmission to Atlanta, plus this file size should be
sufficient to capture any errors that may occur.
Click the Cancel button to exit the Liaison Configuration
Cancel
Wizard without saving any changes made so far.
Click the Back button to return to the Liaison Configuration
Back
Wizard Step 2 of 6, Terminal Login.
Click the Next button to continue to the Liaison
Next
Configuration Wizard Step 4 of 6, Colors.
Click the Finish button to exit Liaison configuration and
Finish
retain any modification made thus far.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

27

3.3.7 Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 4 of 6 (Colors)


The Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 4 of 6 can be displayed in one of two ways:
Click Next > when you are finished with Step 3.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT> AND ENTER
Right click the session, then click Configure / Colors

This step of the Liaison Configuration Wizard allows you to choose which colors you
prefer for the terminal emulation session. Reference the sample text at the bottom left
of the screen to help choose your combination of background and foreground colors.

Background
color
Foreground
color
Sample
Cancel
Back
Next
Finish

Click on an item in the Background color list box to select that


color as your background color on the terminal emulation
screen.
Click on an item in the Foreground color list box to select that
color as your foreground color on the terminal emulation
screen.
This box shows a sample of the current color combination you
have selected.
Click the Cancel button to exit the Liaison Configuration
Wizard without saving any changes.
Click the Back button to return to the Liaison Configuration
Wizard Step 3 of 6, Application.
Click the Next button to continue to the Liaison Configuration
Wizard Step 5 of 6, Communications.
Click the Finish button to finish your configuration and save all
changes made during this configuration session.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

28

3.3.8 Liaison Configuration Wizard - Step 5 of 6 (Communications)


The Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 5 of 6 can be displayed in one of two
ways:

Click Next > when you are finished with Step 4. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION:
TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT> AND ENTER.
Right click the session, then click Configure / Communications.

Number of
seconds to wait
before timing
out

The default value of 30 seconds is normally sufficient. However,


dialup connections may need to have this value increased to 60 or
even 90.

During initial session configuration, this button will display as


Advanced. When modifying a session, it will display as
Communications. In either case, this is where the most important
Advanced or
portion of the Liaison configuration is done. This is where the
Communications
communications protocol is selected, PID types and numbers are
specified, destination addresses are specified, and PC/PCM is
configured.
Click the Cancel button to exit the Liaison Configuration Wizard
Cancel
without saving any of the specified changes.
Click the Back button to return to Step 4 of the Liaison
Back
Configuration Wizard, color selection.
Click the Next button to continue to Step 6 of the Liaison
Next
Configuration Wizard, confirmation of your selections.
Click the Finish button to exit the Liaison Configuration Wizard and
Finish
save all specified changes.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

29

3.3.8.1

Protocol Selection

After clicking the Advanced or Communications button, you will see a Protocol
window and a list of protocol choices, as illustrated below:

Connection
Name

Type

PC/PCM

OK
CANCEL

This is the session name specified in the Liaison Configuration Wizard Step
1 of 6. It cannot be changed at this point
This is an important configuration item. Verify that your selection is correct.
If using DialUp protocol, also reference Appendix D X.28 Asynchronous
Configuration. If you have an X.25 connection to the SITA network (ie: An
Eicon Gateway), select X.25 here. If you have a TCP-IP connection to the
SITA network (ie: a router is used to connect to LANAS,ISNET, or ICN
connection), then select TCP-IP here.
For static PIDS note that it is important that the selection here matched the
PID type on the host. If they do not match, you may see something similar to
(PSA:PDQ:IR displayed on your terminal screen every 45 seconds, making it
very difficult to work. If you have any printers attached to this session, make
sure to check the PC/PCM option. This will enable PC/PCM for the session,
and will enable the PC/PCM configuration wizard during session
configuration. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TO CHECK OR UNCHECK THE PC/PCM
BOX, TAB TO PC/PCM AND PRESS THE SPACEBAR.) Note: Static PIDs must be
properly configured for PC/PCM and dynamic require proper host and
Rendezvous setup
Click the OK button to continue to the configuration for the selected protocol.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT OK AND ENTER.)
Click the Cancel button to cancel protocol configuration and return to the
Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 5 of 6, communications

After clicking OK when finished selecting a Protocol, the displays will vary, depending
on which protocol was selected, and whether or not PC/PCM was selected. Please
reference the section on your selected protocol. If PC/PCM was checked, also
reference the section on PC/PCM.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

30

3.3.8.2

TCP/IP Configuration

If the TCP/IP protocol was selected, a window entitled "TCP/IP Properties"


appears as illustrated below.

Rendezvous
IP Addresses
Reconnect
delay
(in seconds)

The production Rendezvous IP addresses are 57.5.64.250 and 57.5.64.251.

If the connection to the host is lost, Liaison will try to automatically reconnect.
This value is the number of seconds to wait before attempting the reconnection.
Some LANs are configured such that if the connection goes down, an alternate
route will automatically be put into place. This usually takes effect after a set
period. Therefore, if the LAN automatically reconnects after 20 seconds, a
value of 20-30 should be entered in this field
Select either Dynamic or Specific (Static). For the latter, you must supply the
PID Type
PID number in the space provided. Enter only the PID number, no P or
anything. (For Infoconnect users, a P had to be specified before the number;
this is not required in Liaison). Remember that Static PIDs must be properly
configured for your airline, and require special configuration to support
PC/PCM. If you chose Enable Automatic Sign In Step 2 of the Liaison
Configuration Wizard, the PID specified here must be able to use the specified
sign-in
Note: When configuring Dynamic PIDs, refer to Appendix D X.28 Asynchronous
Configuration Dynamic PID Properties.
Click OK when you are finished with the TCP/IP Properties window. (KEYBOARD
OK
NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT OK AND ENTER.)
Click Cancel to abort the TCP/IP configuration and return to the Liaison
Cancel
Configuration Wizard Step 5 of 6.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

31

3.3.8.3

X.25 Configuration

If the X.25 configuration option was selected, the following window will display:

OSI NSAP
Application

PID

OK
Cancel

The OSI NSAP varies depending on the system being accessed:


PSA-9001031 or PSB-9001181. Airlines using only Worldtracer are routed
through PSA. Enter the PSA value of 9001031.
The default value of ATHENA should be used
You must supply the PID number in the space provided. Enter only the
PID number without prefix or suffix. (Note: Infoconnect users were
required to insert a P before the number; this is not required in Liaison).
Remember that if you are using PC/PCM, the PID must be properly
configured to be able to support PC/PCM. If you chose Enable
Automatic Sign In Step 2 of the Liaison Configuration Wizard, the PID
number specified here must be able to use the specified sign-in
Click OK when finished entering values in this window to continue with the
Liaison configuration
Click Cancel to abort the X.25 configuration and return to Liaison
Configuration Wizard step 5 of 6

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

32

3.3.8.4

DialUp Configuration

If the DialUp protocol was selected, a window entitled DialUp Properties


appears as illustrated below:

DialUp configuration is explained more completely in Appendix D, X.28 Asynchronous


Configuration, but the most relevant points are highlighted below.
Dial Number

Enter the telephone number of the local SITA XPAD. The number
defaults to the Atlanta number, but a closer (and thus cheaper for
access) number should be obtained from local SITA
The Network NUI is obtained from the Airlines Account Manager.

Network NUI

Network
Password
PAD ID (DNA)

The NUI and Password are issued upon receipt of an X.28 request.
The NUI will be 8 characters long. The first 4 characters are
controlled by the Liaison registration key and will appear on this
screen automatically. If they appear incorrectly on this screen, you
must obtain a modified registration key from
Liaison.Support@SITA.AERO
This value is obtained along with the NUI. It is used for security
purposes. It will display as asterisks (*).
The default value of 9001031,PDX28M is appropriate for users
connecting to the PSA system. If connecting to PSB, change this
value to 9001181,PDX28M

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

33

After clicking OK to continue, the following screen will display:

Dynamic PID Properties are also explained more completely in Appendix D, X.28
Asynchronous Configuration. Some of the more relevant points are highlighted
below:

Destination

Country Code
City

Perform Inline
CLR

The destination host is entered here. The default is


X28PSA for the PSA system. (default)
X28PSB for the PSB system
X28DEV for the development system
X28BAG for World Tracer
X28FQT for Fare Quote
X28OFL for PSB development system
The 2 letter ISO country code of the location originating the
session should be entered in this field
The 3 letter IATA City code indicating the location of the session
origination point should be entered in this field
This is used to enable SDCS on dynamic PIDs. Clicking the
Perform Inline CLR will enable the fields in the bottom portion of
the window.
These fields are completed in the same manner as the DCS
DPID: transaction screen.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

34

3.3.8.5

PC/PCM Configuration Wizard

Generally, all printers connected to a PC for PC/PCM require standard null modem
RS232 cabling. If the PC COM port is nine (9)pin, a standard 25 pin to 9 pin adapter
may be used.
PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 1 OF 5

After the protocol configuration windows, Liaison configuration will resume along
the same path. If the PC/PCM box was checked in the protocol configuration,
the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard will start. If the PC/PCM box was unchecked,
the Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 6 of 6 will display to allow confirmation of
your selections. The PC/PCM configuration wizard is explained on the following
pages.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

35

The items on the PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 1 OF 5 screen are


explained below:
Three digit IATA carrier
code required with ATB
and BTP devices

Update Data Warehouse

Message Printer

Ticket Printer

Automated
Ticketing/Boarding

Boarding Pass
Printer One

Boarding Pass
Printer Two

Bag Tag Printer

Boarding Gate
Reader

OCR

File

Messages to CRT

Cancel
Back
Next
Done

This option will only appear on CUTE/MUSE


installations. This is the IATA standard 3 digit carrier
code.
This number can be obtained by central site personnel
from the Bag/Acctng code field on an ACCM display.
Check this option to enable updates to the OEC Data
Warehouse. This option will appear grayed out if your
registration key does not allow the Data Warehouse
option. This option is no longer in production.
Each of these items can be selected as an active device
type by clicking on the check box next to the
description. To start configuration check the options
that apply to the printing environment you wish to
employ using PC/PCM print management.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO DESIRED FIELD(S) AND
PRESS THE SPACEBAR.)

When you have selected the printer type, click on the


applicable printer icon (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB
THEN SPACEBAR).
The Messages to CRT field must match the host
regarding whether ZZ messages are displayed on the
screen or directed to a message printer. If Messages to
CRT is not checked, Message Printer must be selected.
If it is checked, the session would still need a printer for
system prints. This could be either a printer attached to
this PC, or a printer on another PC. In either case, the
CONLNK ODVN field should point to the appropriate
PID.
Refer to Appendix A PC/PCM for a complete description
of PC/PCM configuration

Click the Cancel button to quit the PC/PCM


Configuration Wizard without saving any changes. You
will return to the Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 5 of
6, Communications.
The Back button is grayed out on this screen.
The Next button is grayed out on this screen.
Click the Done button when all times have been
configured. You will be returned to the Liaison
Configuration Wizard Step 5 of 6, Communications.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

36

PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 2 OF 5


In step 2 of the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard, the printer device manufacturer
and model is selected. In our example, a standard parallel printer is used. This
step is not applicable for CUTE sites; the CUTE Peripheral Manager handles it.

Manufacturer and Physical Device Type Selection

Manufacturers

Printers
Cancel
Back
Next
Done

All manufacturers that have one or more approved printers for the device
type will be listed in this box. Note for a Message Printer, any Standard
Parallel printer on the Windows Hardware Compatability List SHOULD
work. Check the Web Site http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp to
ensure the printer is compatible with your Microsoft Operating System.
Printers not on the HCL can not be expected to work. Printers not
compatible with NT can act very strange. For instance, the HP 720C is
listed as not compatible on the HCL. At one site, local prints appeared to
work well, but system prints would appear on the Windows printer queue,
then just disappear.
A setting on some printers (HP printers in particular) which has been
know to cause problems is the spool settings Raw / EMF setting. Raw
should be selected. EMF can cause system prints to misbehave; for
example to print every other line.
For each approved manufacturer, all approved devices will be listed in
this box.
Click Cancel to quit the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard without saving any
changes. You will return to the Liaison Configuration Wizard step 5 of 6.
Click the Back button to return to the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard step
1 of 6
Click the Next button to continue to PC/PCM Configuration Wizard step 3
of 6.
The Done button is grayed out because you cannot skip steps in
configuring a device.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

37

PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 3 OF 5 (PARALLEL)


This step will show a different screen, depending the whether a serial or parallel
device was selected. The screen for a parallel device is shown first.

Please Select A
Parallel Printer

Cancel

Back
Next
Done

Click on the down arrow on the right side of this box to see a
list of all installed Windows printer drivers. Please note that a
Liaison terminal emulation session does not have the ability to
change the printer. If you wish to print to a different printer,
you must change it through the PC/PCM configuration wizard.
Also note that all Windows printers installed, including USB
devices are selectable.
Click the Cancel button to exit the PC/PCM Configuration
Wizard without saving any changes. Both changes made in
Liaison Configuration Wizard step 5 and in the PC/PCM
Configuration Wizard will not be saved. You will return to the
Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 5.
Click the Back button to return to the PC/PCM Configuration
Wizard Step 2 of 5.
Click the Next button to continue to the PC/PCM Configuration
Wizard Step 4 of 5.
The Done button is grayed out at this point because you can
not skip steps in configuring a device.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

38

PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 3 OF 5 (SERIAL)


If a serial printer had been selected, selections for baud rate, etc. as seen in the
following screen would display. Note, this screen will not appear for CUTE
configurations, as the Peripheral Manager handles these configuration items.

Field definitions for the


PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 3 OF 5 screen follow on the next page.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

39

Field definitions for the PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 3 OF 5


Default To
Please select a
serial port for this
device

Serial Parameters
Tab

Flow Control

Override STX/ETX
Tab

Device Specific
Tab
Cancel
Back
Next
Done

Select to use either DCS Values or Ticketing Values for


printer controls or leave this field blank (default) for no print
defaults.
Select a serial port. Choose the port the printer is physically
connected to. In this example, we are using a Boarding
Pass Printer connected to COM2.
The items on this tab (Baud Rate, Data Bits, Stop Bits,
Parity, Flow Control) should be set to match the printer.
Some printers have the ability to dump their configurations.
In other printers, these settings are controlled by the dip
switch settings. Refer to the printer manufactures manual to
determine these values.
When setting the flow control parameters on the printer, the
choices work in pairs, i.e. DTR/DSR, RTS/CTS, or
XON/XOFF. So either none of these should be set to ON, or
one (1) pair should be set to ON while all others are OFF.
The PC/PCM configuration should always match the printer
configuration. Therefore, if you make a change to the
printer, PC/PCM must also be changed.
The Start of Text (STX) and End of Text (ETX) values can
be overridden. In some older equipment, the STX/ETX
values were stored in the firmware and could not be
changed. In this case, PC/PCM could be set to match the
printer firmware. If nothing is entered, STX of 02 and ETX
of 03 are used.
Parameters that do not apply to all devices will appear on
this tab. Some examples are Ack all printer input and
Send Escape Sequences.
Click Cancel to exit the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard
without saving changes. All changes made in the Advanced
Communications configuration will also not be retained.
Click the Back button to return to PC/PCM Configuration
Wizard Step 2.
Click the Next button to proceed to Step 4.
The Done button is grayed out because you must complete
all steps in configuring a device.

KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT > AND ENTER.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

40

PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 4 OF 5


The next step defines the form size. The default setting for a message printer appears
below. Change as needed, then click
Next > (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT > AND ENTER.)

The form position settings normally need not be modified. Some situations require a
serial message printer with no form feeds. Heavy volume message printers are often set
up as follows in order to reduce the amount of paper used.

Set the Top Margin to 0 and the Lines per Page to 5.


Use The Generic/Text Only Printer Driver (included with MS Windows).
Set the Paper Source on the Generic/Text Only Driver set up to Continuous-No
Page Break.
Do not click the form feed after message option

CHARACTER TRANSLATIONS TAB


Carriage Return /Line
Feed options
Form Feed after
message

If you have problems with either printing on the same


line multiple times, or double spacing when the printer
should singe space, adjust these settings.
Leave this box unchecked to not form feed at the end of
each message printed unless you are using a laser-jet
or ink-jet printer.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

41

ATB devices use a different Step 4 as their print positions are controlled through
PECTABs. Step 4 for these devices consists of PECTAB selection and a button that
controls at what point CLF code translations occur (within the device or within the
PC/PCM program).
Parametric Table (Pectab) identifier for this device. Coordinate with
the application to determine the proper Pectab. DCS allows
customization of Pectabs. Ticketing Pectabs will be a standard
Primary Input or format.
The following are standard Ticketing Pectab formats.
select the
A1 ATB IATA 722C PTAB W/MAG - 1LN FOP-OPATB 155
primary
A2 ATB IATA 722C PTAB W/MAG - 2LN FOP-OPATB 155
B1
B2
D1
Y1

Input Only
Tran Code
Length
CLF Translation
Point
Cancel
Back
Next
Done

ATB
ATB
ATB
ATB

IATA 722C PTAB W/MAG - 1LN FOP - ALN


IATA 722C PTAB W/MAG - 2LN FOP - ALN
ITINERARY/MAILING ADDRESS CARD
IATA 722C PTAB W/O MAG Charge Form

155
155
96
57

Additionally input only, Pectabs can be specified in this line. These


Pectabs will not automatically be transmitted to the printer when
required.
The transaction code length is usually 5.
The translation point is usually PC/PCM. Sometimes the printer
firmware is sophisticated and will do the Pectab translations, such
as an IER 557/607 with CUTE firmware.
Click Cancel to exit the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard without
saving changes. All changes made in the Advanced
Communications configuration will not be retained.
Click the Back button to return to PC/PCM Configuration Wizard
Step 3.
Click the Next button to continue on to Step 5 of the PC/PCM
Configuration Wizard.
The Done button is grayed out because you cannot exit the
PC/PCM Configuration Wizard without completing the configuration.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

42

CUTE sites have an additional tab on Step 4, Logos. They also have a Boarding Gate
Reader check box. This is illustrated below:

Airline or class logos to be printed on ATB devices are added here. Before adding a
logo, the logo file(s) must have been manually copied to the appropriate location. It is
suggested to copy the file to U:\al\userarea, where al specifies the 2-character airline
code. Logos are not included on the Liaison distribution CD as they are unique to each
airline. To add a logo, do the following:

Click the Add button.

Browse to the location where the logos are stored. Highlight the logo
you want to add and click Open.

Enter the logo ID. The logo ID should correspond to the Pectab
location.These values should be given to the installer by SITA Atlanta.

Repeat steps 1-3 for each logo. After all logos have been added, click
Next.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

43

PC/PCM CONFIGURATION WIZARD STEP 5 OF 5


The final step is a review of the settings selected for the PC/PCM printer. Click Done if
the settings are correct. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO DONE AND ENTER.)
If multiple devices are to be configured, you may click the "Configure Another Device"
button, which will take you back to Step 1 for another device.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

44

3.3.9 Liaison Configuration Wizard Step 6 of 6


You should now be in the Liaison Configuration Wizard at the sixth and final Step.
Please review the options that you have chosen before clicking or highlighting Finish.

Click Finish to create a new button on your Liaison Commander toolbar.


(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT FINISH AND ENTER.)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

45

3.4 Adding a Shortcut on the Windows Desktop

During the installation process, a query appears asking if a shortcut on the


Windows desktop is desired.

If "Yes" is selected, an icon will appear in the desktop.

If "No" is selected, it is still possible to go back to the desktop and add this icon
per normal Win95/WinNT procedures.

Note that during an upgrade, if No is selected, any existing icon will be removed
from the desktop.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

46

3.5 SITA CUTE Installations


Installation at CUTE-NT sites requires some administrative steps before and after the
Liaison installation. They are outlined in brief below. Refer to the CUTE Policies and
Procedures document for further information.

Prepare for
installation

Install and
configure
Liaison:

Revert to
original
configuration

Make the user a member of the administrator's group.


In the system policy editor set the user policy to the
default-admin policy.
Remove the mandatory profile by renaming
NTUSER.MAN to NTUSER.DAT.
Log in to the server as the user and run the installation
on the server.
Install Liaison by running setup.exe from the Liaison
CD, if the CD does not autorun.
Add /m /ial, where al is the 2 letter airline code, as a
command line parameter for the Liaison executable.
Configure Liaison.
Remove /m as a command line parameter for the
Liaison executable.
Test Thoroughly
Reinstate the mandatory profile by renaming
NTUSER.DAT to NTUSER.MAN.
Set the user's policy to the default user's profile.
Remove the administrator's group from the user's
account.

The Liaison installation is explained step by step below:


Follow the steps outlined above under Prepare for installation above.
Login as the user.
Please shut down all applications currently running on your Win95/WinNT desktop.
This includes the Microsoft Office Shortcut toolbar.
Locate setup.exe on the root directory of the Liaison Installation CD. If Win95/WinNT is
configured to AutoRun CDs, setup will launch automatically.
The notes for the current release of Liaison are shown first.
If this is a new installation, click Next to continue. If you are upgrading a previous
version of Liaison, you may want to peruse the release notes before clicking Next to see
if anything is of interest. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: PRESS ENTER.)
Click 2) CUTE Workstation option as shown on the following screen.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

47

CUTE Workstation Installation

Click Next after selecting CUTE/NT for a second screen with specific CUTE
instructions:

After reviewing the instructions click Next

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

48

The setup process gives you an option to choose a Destination Folder.

Simply click Next > in order to install to the default location, U:\(user)\te\5.1.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT> AND ENTER) Note this CUTE software
is installed to the airlines directory on drive U, whereas the default location for a nonCUTE install is the C:\PROGRAM FILES\SITA\LIAISON directory.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

49

You may get a message titled "Read Only File Detected" as shown below. If you do,
please click Yes to overwrite the file.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO HIGHLIGHT YES> AND ENTER)

Add /m /ial, where al is the 2 letter airline code, as a command line parameter for
the Liaison executable.
Configure Liaison as described in section 3.3 Configuration
Test Liaison. Once everything is working properly, continue with the remaining
steps.
Remove /m as a command line parameter for the Liaison executable.
Revert to original configuration, again referring to CUTE documentation for
details:

Reinstate the mandatory profiles by renaming NTUSER.DAT to NTUSER.MAN.


Set the user's policy to the default user's profile.
Remove the administrator's group from the user's account.
For server installation reference the Group Management Tools document available
on the Liaison Web Site HTTP://57.250.224.47. It describes the methodology for
server installs.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

50

4. Operation
4.1 Invoking the Program
The easiest way to start Liaison is from the desktop shortcut. Simply double-click on the
icon and the Liaison "splash-screen" is activated. This is a multi-media introduction,
showing a globe surrounded by an expanding frame. Concurrently, a crescendo of
string music plays in the background. This takes approximately 7-10 seconds, at which
time the Liaison Commander appears. Liaison is now ready to start the sessions of
choice.
The splash screen can be deactivated/reactivated by right clicking on the Settings
button on the Liaison Commander, then select "Configuration Toolbar".

Once the "Configure Toolbar" is selected, the following screen is displayed. The 'Show
opening movie' can then be set or unset as desired.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

51

The Export Registry selection allows you to quickly export the Liaison Settings from the
Windows Registry and save them to a file. This may be required by Liaison Technical
Support in order to assist in debugging a reported error. Simply enter a filename and
click ok. The resulting Registry file will be written to the installation directory. Tf\the
Liaison settings are requested by Liaison Support follow this procedure and E-Mail the
Registry file in a ZIP file attachment to Liaison.Support@SITA.AERO

The ABOUT option from the settings menu displays not only the Liaison Version in
operation, but pointers to the Registration modification tool and a pointer to the Windows
system information folder. Note that the Liaison Workstation ID is displayed as well.

Click on the Registration Button and the Liaison registration ID may be modified. You
may also input a unique Workstation ID instead of using the default NETBIOS computer
name.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

52

The program may also be started from the Windows Start box in the lower left.
Click the button once, and a menu appears; select "Programs".
Next, highlight the "Liaison" folder, then highlight "Liaison" and click here.
(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: CTRL+ESC WILL DISPLAY THE START MENU. ARROW TO
PROGRAMS AND ENTER, ARROW TO LIAISON AND ENTER, THEN ARROW TO LIAISON AND
ENTER.)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

53

4.2 About the Commander


The first thing displayed on the desktop after launching Liaison is the floating toolbar for
session management called the Liaison Commander. An example is seen below:

Note: IF YOU WILL BE USING KEYBOARD NAVIGATION PRESS THE F1 KEY, ARROW TO
'CONFIGURE TOOL BAR' AND ENTER. TAB TO 'DISPLAY FUNCTION KEYS', AND PRESS
THE SPACE BAR TO CHECK THE BOX.
From this toolbar, you can click on the buttons (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: PRESS
THE APPLICABLE FUNCTION KEY) that have been configured in order to run the
Emulator, Boarding, Check-In, or Ticketing sessions. The buttons are configured
using the Session Configuration Wizard. This wizard is always the left-most
button on the toolbar. Except for the Session Configuration Wizard, all of the
buttons are named by the user. In the buttons displayed by the Commander,
only the session name (including spaces) will show up on the button. The
session description is visible in a "ToolTip" fashion when the customer holds the
mouse pointer over each button (from the description box in Step 1 of the
Session Configuration Wizard).
The Commander remembers its last position, so the next time it is launched, it
appears in the same position. However, the Commander will detect the video
resolution and make any necessary adjustments so that it is always visible on
screen.
The Commander will remain completely on the screen at all times and cannot
slide off where it cannot be seen. "Docking" the toolbar in a manner similar to
Microsoft's may be a future enhancement.
The toolbar itself is easily configurable with a right-mouse click on the Session
Configuration Wizard button. Right-clicking this button (OR PRESS THE F1 KEY)
presents the customer with at least the following options:

Configure a session This launches the Session Configuration Wizard. This


functionality is identical to left clicking on the Commander's "Settings" button.
Configure the Commander itself. Available settings include:
Icon size
Toggle option for displaying Icon text
Toggle option for displaying function keys along with icon text
Toggle option for "Always on Top"
Toggle option for disabling opening movie (splash screen).
About box listing the version of the Commander and a System Info
button. This display shows the registration key entered during installation
and the Workstation ID.
Exit or Close. When this option is chosen the Commander will ask "Are
you sure you want to Exit" and list the number of open sessions. If the
customer really does want to exit, then all of the open sessions are closed
down.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

54

Deleting a Session
The only way to remove customer-defined session buttons is to right-click on the desired
Commander button (OR PRESSING THE APPROPRIATE FUNCTION KEY). This presents the
customer with one of two sets of menus: one for opening, configuring, or deleting a
session and another one for switching to the session or closing if that session was
already running. Note: The only way to remove customer-defined session buttons is to
right-click on the desired Commander button and choose Delete when the session is not
open.
Session Currently Open

Session Currently Closed

The Configure option in the first menu allows the customer to go directly to the desired
Session Configuration Wizard screen without having to move through all six steps.

4.3 Session Configuration Wizard


The Session Configuration Wizard appears when the customer left-clicks the left most
button on the toolbar (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: PRESS THE F1 KEY). This is the tool
customers employ when they wish to add or edit session parameters. For the sake of
simplicity, a path is synonymous with a session.
The Configuration Wizard allows users to specify all of the following parameters in an
easy step-by-step progression:

Session Name
Network login and password
Desired GUI front-end (if any)
Color settings
Communication parameters (protocols and PC/PCM settings)

The Commander has a Duplicate option so a customer does not need to go through six
or seven wizard screens again to have two similar buttons with slightly different colors.
Although the Wizard is smart enough to create a new session with most of the same
parameters as the original, manually specifying the Communication Parameters is still
required.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

55

4.4 The Emulation Screen


When clicking on a terminal icon from the Commander (OR PRESSING THE APPLICABLE
you are asking Liaison to provide an emulation screen. This
environment is called "Expert Mode" or Native Mode, or the tool needed to emulate a
CRT, VDU or terminal device. The entries are a coded mainframe host "language", one
which relies on single formats transmitted to a SITA host with an expected response
returning to the screen seconds after the initial entry. The operator using the emulator is
expected to know these native host commands.

FUNCTION KEY),

The default key to transmit commands in Expert Mode is the Scroll Lock key. If desired,
this default may be change in the Options / Keyboard Mapping menu selection.
The emulation screen is presented in standard Windows layout. It may be minimized,
maximized, resized, and moved, according to this standard. When using the resizing,
Liaison automatically adjusts the font size based on the window size. Also seen in the
familiar Windows layout, is a Menu, Toolbar, and Status Bar.
KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TO MOVE, RESIZE, MINIMIZE OR MAXIMIZE A SCREEN PRESS
ALT+SPACEBAR WHEN THE SCREEN IS ACTIVE, ARROW TO THE DESIRED ACTION AND
ENTER. A FOURHEADED ARROW SYMBOL APPEARS. USE THE ARROW KEYS TO MOVE THE
SYMBOL. PRESS ENTER WHEN THE DESIRED SIZE OR PLACEMENT IS OBTAINED.

Below is an example of an active Liaison Terminal Emulation Screen.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

56

4.5 Menu Contents


The emulator menu is broken into seven choices. In this menu and all sub-menus, a
letter is underlined. This is the hot-key selection. In the main menus, you can select
using a combination of the ALT key plus the underlined character. In the sub menus,
simply type the underlined letter. Each of the following sections explains the purpose of
each menu and details the sub-menu items.
File management and session control menu

Disconnect
Print
Screen Snapshot
Screen Capture
Record Script
Playback Script
Edit Existing Script
Explore Existing Files
Script Assistant
Exit

Terminate the current connection.


Sends all characters on the emulator screen to the default
printer.
All contents on the screen are sent to a text file. Note this is a
toggle click once to enable, click again to disable.
Each host response is captured to a text file until this feature is
disabled.
This tool enables the user to capture all keyed in transactions
until turned off. Useful for scripting a set sequence of entries to
run automatically.
Select a previously saved script to playback.
Select a previously saved script to edit.
Open the Windows Explorer to display all existing snapshot,
capture, and script files.
Launches the Script Assistant for custom routines.
(See Appendix A for more information.)
Close down this emulation session.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

57

Edit

Standard Windows Cut and Paste object-editing controls

Copy

Copy to the Windows Clipboard from the emulator.


Places a Cut or Copied group of text/object according to the setting in
Past Options.
When selecting this menu choice, the following appears:

Paste
Paste Options

View Options
Macro Bar

Create Macro Bar

Offers options on allowing objects to appear above and below


the emulator screen.
Macro bars are floating windows of icons that you define. Each icon
is programmed to do some type task that you choose. This way, you
can automate many types of repetitive functions. (KEYBOARD
NAVIGATION: NOT AT THIS TIME.)
This selection creates a new window with no
icons in it. The default name given to it is 'New'
followed by a number. You then right-click on the
window to see additional functions.

New Macro

Selecting this function creates a


new icon in the window. By default,
it is positioned at the bottom-right
corner. You can move it by
dragging it with the mouse. Rightclick on the icon to edit its
properties. You will see a screen
like this:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

58

Click the Change button to


change the icon's picture.
Change the "Display Text" to show
whatever you want the icon to be.
The macro can be configured to run
a single command, or an entire
script file. Choose one, and input
the appropriate text.
You can delete the icon from the
macro bar by selecting the Delete

Change

Rename Macro Bar


Lock Macro Bar
Add Existing Bar

Recent Commands
Tool Bar
Status Bar
Split Screen

button.
Select this option to change the title that appears in the macro bar.
Select this option to prevent the icons from being moved or edited.

This option is used to 'copy' macro bars from one terminal emulator
to another. When you select this, you are presented with a list of all
known macro bars. You can then select the one to be displayed with
the current emulator.
Retains a list of the last 20 transactions that can be accessed via
View on the Toolbar that allows the user to click on the transaction
and re-transmit the entry.
Turns the Tool bar on (indicated with a check) or off. (KEYBOARD
NAVIGATION: TAB TO TOOLBAR AND PRESS THE SPACEBAR.)
Turns the Status Bar on or off. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO
STATUS BAR AND PRESS THE SPACEBAR.)
Controls the Split Screen mode for Setup, Split, Shrink and Tile or
Cascade view. For further details see Section 4.7 Split Screen.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

59

Hot Keys

Commonly used tools and host commands are incorporated into this menu.
The standard Win95/WinNT application is invoked here, as shown here.

Calculator

Using this item removes all characters from the emulator screen and returns

Clear Screen the cursor to the top/left (home) position


Inserts a Start of Entry "8" prompt wherever the cursor is positioned on the
SOE
emulator screen.
Character
Generates the "IG" function in GABRIEL to ignore a PNR.
Ignore
Page Back Generates the "PB" function in GABRIEL to scroll back.
Generates the "PN" function in GABRIEL to scroll forward.
Page Next

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

60

Options

Various settings that impact the preferences of the emulator screen


Select a font type from the listing and optionally choose a bold setting.

Font

Choosing this option enables the assignment of a particular key combination to a


specific key action, such as using the return key for transmitting. In the following
example, select the Key Action from the left panel, then select the key from the Key
Map you wish to use for that action. If a conflict exists, a warning message is displayed
to the screen

Keyboard
Mapping

It should be noted, in order to change key mapping that is already assigned, it has to be
first deleted from the previous key. Then mapped to the key you want to use.
There are four additional options available on the Key Mapper screen. Select and
check boxes for any of the following keymap options.
Transmit character under cursor This option transmits the character under cursor.
Uppercase Text This option forces alpha characters a through z to All Caps.
CR also does EOL This option forces erase to end of current line with a carriage
return.
Invert Colon Key This option inverts the Colon and Semi-colon keys. Semi-colon is
available only with shift or caps lock key set.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

61

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

62

Keyboard
Mapping and
Windows
Registry

Function
Keys

The keymapping is stored in the windows registry. To copy the keymap


portion of the registry to other PCs, you can do the following:
Save Keymap
-Click Start / Run
-Type regedit and hit <enter>
-Click on the + next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER to expand the key
-Click on the + next to Software
-Click on the + next to VB and VBA Program Settings
-Click on the + next to Liaison 98
-Click on Keymap
-Click Registry / Export Registry File
-In the filename box, enter keymap
-Select a network drive/path to store the file on
-Click Save
-Click Registry / Exit
Load Keymap
-On a different PC, click Start / Run
-Type regedit and hit <enter>
-Click Registry / Import Registry File
-Select the network drive/path where you previously stored the file
-In the filename box, enter keymap
-Click Open. The file should load
-Click Registry / Exit
Using this feature enables
programmable keys for the function
key bank (F1-F12) on the top of the
keyboard. An entry string is entered
in the Text to transmit field beside
the corresponding function key. The
command is then placed on the
emulator screen and is transmitted
each time that key is pressed,
(provided an "/X" follows). Note: The
"X" must be capitalized.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

63

The Emulator Screen Size May be


adjusted using this menu.
Input number of rows per line in range
between 12 and 40.
Input number of columns per line in
range between 40 and 132.

Screen Size

Option one allows paper


conservation on prints.
Check Dont print blank
lines at end of page. A 5
line message sent to 24
row screen will print only 5
lines.

Printing
Options

Configured Printer in PCPCM.

Option two allows user to


either send printout to
either the default windows
printer or the MSG
The SCN format is used only for the Ticketing
Application. Stock control Numbering formats
are selectable as either DGJ (Standard
Gabriel Ticketing) or DIK (USAS Ticketing
Format)

SCN Format

A confirmation listing of session properties

Properties

Windows

A listing of all open Liaison sessions. Select the desired window from the list
to switch between focus window.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

64

4.6 The Tool Bar


When the View/Toolbar option is set on the emulator menu the following ICONS will be displayed.
The following table describes their functions.

Print Screen

Establishes a connection, or removes


communication from the Network
Prints all characters displayed on the emulator
screen

Screen Snapshot

Copy all characters displayed on the emulator


screen into a file

Connect/Disconnect

Continuous Screen
Capture

Saves all responses to a file when activated


Record all keyboard inputs to a script file.

Record Script
Playback Script
Copy/Paste
SOE Character

Runs a script file on the emulator


Standard Windows Clipboard utility
Places a Start-of-Entry prompt at the current cursor
position.
Shortcut to keyboard mapping window

Configure Keyboard

Session Properties
Split Screen Setup
Split screen
Shrink screen
Exit Liaison

Displays the session parameters/settings


This screen is used to define up to four additional
emulation screens
Activates the split screen accessibility
Use of this button suppresses the split screen(s)
from view (shrinks).
Closes the current session only; will not close other
sessions

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

65

4.7 Split Screen


Split screen provides the ability to create multiple screens within the same session (PID
Number) to view up to four additional functions (one primary screen and four "cloned"
screens A, B, C and D). This allows the capability of toggling between multiple screens
of information without losing the existing data. For example, you may display fares in
one screen, availability in another, Timatic in another. To display a screen, simply click
on any exposed part of the desired screen. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TOGGLE USING
CTRL+TAB). Keep in mind the screens are linked together as a means to view data, not
to confirm multiple records. If an availability request is in Screen A from MIA to ATL and
a return availability is requested in Screen B, the Sell transaction takes place against the
last requested availability. Responses are returned to the active screen.
Toolbar functions for both the primary and cloned screens include:
Print
Screen Snapshot
Screen Capture
Record Script
Playback Script
Copy
Paste
Add SOE
Exit
Toolbar functions for the primary screen only are:
Connect
Disconnect
Configure Keyboard Mapping
Display Session Properties
Split Screen Setup
Split Screen
Shrink Screen
To activate the Split Screen function, Click on the Split Screen Setup button in the
Toolbar.

(KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: SELECT VIEW (ALT+V), SELECT SPLIT SCREEN EITHER BY TABBING TO OR
PRESSING THE LETTER 'P', THEN SELECT SETUP FROM THE NEXT MENU.)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

66

The response is a dialog box labeled Split screen setup. Click any or all of the desired
screens (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION: TAB TO DESIRED SCREEN AND PRESS THE SPACEBAR.). If
you prefer the selected screens to be displayed when the session is opened, click the
"Automatically show screens when session starts" box. Click OK.

To display the "cloned" screens without having to close and re-open the session, Click the Split
screen button on the Toolbar.

The following example is the activation of screens "A" and "B". Screen "B" is the active
screen as indicated by the highlighted title bar.

The screens can be removed from view by Clicking the Shrink screen button.
Click the Split screen button to redisplay the emulation screens. (KEYBOARD NAVIGATION:
SELECT VIEW (ALT+V), SELECT SPLIT SCREEN EITHER BY TABBING TO OR PRESSING THE LETTER 'P',
THEN SELECT SHRINK FROM THE NEXT MENU.)

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

67

4.8 The Status Bar

This indicator is a shortcut to an application menu. The application is also found on the
emulator's menu bar. Clicking here displays the menu hierarchy, where navigation may
commence.
The session is either "CONNECTED" or
"DISCONNECTED". Look here for the
indicator.
A text indicator for screen capture enabled
(on) or disabled (off).
This refers to the type of emulation this
session is using.
The system time. Again, this value is a PC
default stored in Windows.
The Row and Column Number (Row 2 and
Column 1 in this example.
This is a hook for sizing. Place the mouse
pointer over this corner and drag back and
forth, up or down, to size Liaison to the
desired dimensions. Remember that the
screen font is adjusted automatically.

4.9

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

68

User Friendly GUI's (Graphical User Interface)


Liaison is comprised of many different components. For expert and experienced users,
the emulator may be used for native application entries. For those not quite familiar with
the entire range of transactions, graphical components that represent these entries are
available for the following ATLIS applications:

SDCS Boarding
SDCS Check-In
WorldTracer

There are complete manuals written on each of these components, and act as a
supplement to this document. Shown below are samples of each of the component
introduction screens.

4.9.1 DCS Boarding GUI

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

69

4.9.2 SDCS Check-In GUI

Please note the new menu item under options: Increase and Decrease screen size.
This may be useful if running a monitor at higher resolutions.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

70

4.9.3 World Tracer GUI

4.10

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

71

Closing Liaison
Since Liaison has several components, the applications may be closed in several ways.
It may be desirable, for example, to close a single component or session rather than the
Commander. Because these options exist, this section is broken into three parts. The
first and second parts explain the methods of closing individual sessions and the third
the closing of all sessions.

FROM THE EMULATOR


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Use the exit icon from the tool bar then click once.
From the Menu, click on File, and then click on "Exit".
Click on the "X" box in the upper right corner of the window.
Right click on the Commander icon for this session, then choose "Close".
ALT-F4.

FROM AN APPLICATION GUI


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

From the Menu, click on File, and then click on "Exit".


Click on the GUI icon in the upper left, and then choose "Close".
Click on the "X" box in the upper right corner of the window.
Right click on the Commander Icon for this GUI, then choose "Close".
ALT-F4

FROM THE COMMANDER (closes all Liaison components)


1.
2.
6.
6.

Right click on the "Settings" icon, then choose "Exit".


Click on the globe icon in the upper left, and then choose "Close".
Click on the "X" box in the upper right corner of the window.
ALT-F4

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

72

5. Using PC/PCM
Every time a Liaison session configured for PC/PCM is connected, the PC/PCM icon
appears in the "Windows" system tray (lower right of the "Windows" desktop). The
display of the icon indicates Liaison has made its connection to the host over the
selected protocol. It also indicates that the PC/PCM Monitoring Tool may be viewed.
PCPCM does not load until the Agent is signed in.

5.1 Display of the PC/PCM Monitoring Tool (aka PC/PCM)


The PC/PCM Monitoring Tool (or just PC/PCM, as we commonly refer to it) can be
opened in several ways:

By clicking the PC/PCM icon in the Windows system tray


By using the key sequence defined in the configuration (<ctrl>P by default)
By using <alt><tab> to scroll through the currently running programs until
PC/PCM is reached

A sample PC/PCM window is shown below:

5.2

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

73

PC/PCM Menu
The contents of the PC/PCM Menu are displayed below:

5.2.1 Device

Select

Queue

Allows selection of one of the configured devices. Each device that has
been configured through the PC/PCM configuration wizard will be listed in
the device type box. When selecting a device, they are referred to by
number. The first device listed in the device type box will be 1, the second
will be 2, etc.
Before you can view a device queue or reset a device, two things must
happen:
1. You must turn Configuration mode on by selecting View
/Configuration.
2. You must Select the device.
A device may also be selected by clicking its bar in the Device Type
window.
This menu selection allows items on Queue for a particular device to be
viewed. Configuration mode must be on, and the device must be selected
before the queue can be viewed. This command allows you to see the
Open messages waiting to be printed and previously printed (Closed)
messages.
With PC/PCM, messages are dequeued from the host PDQ to a local
queue. Each device has room for 100 items on the local queue. When 100
items have been placed on queue, the queue items starting with #1 will be
overwritten.

A sample device queue viewer screen is shown below:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

74

Each device queue screen element is explained below.


Device #
Device Type
Name
Exit
Text
window
Delete This
Item
Delete All
Items
Queue Item

This number identifies the device and is the sequence number in which
it was created
This is the device type as specified in the PC/PCM configuration wizard
window
Clicking this button will exit the device queue viewer and return to the
main PC/PCM window
The text of the queue item will be displayed in the large text window
Click this button to delete the selected item from the queue
Clicking on this item will remove all messages from the queue
The item number currently being displayed is shown here
Click this button to go to the first item on queue

Click this button to go to the previous queue item


Click this button to go to the next queue item
Click this button to go to the last item on queue
Status
Reset

The status of the queue item is displayed here. Possible values are
Closed for already printed, and Open for not yet printed
Allows the selected device to be reset. A Device / Reset is often useful
when the device is not functioning properly

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

75

5.2.2

View

Status Bar
Configuration

This is a toggle menu item that will hide/unhide a status bar at the bottom of
the PCPCM window
Configuration mode must be on before device configuration changes can be
made or any of the queues can be viewed. Each time it is clicked, it toggles
back and forth between on and off
Errors PC/PCM can not recover from are stored in the Unrecoverable Error
Queue. Each time an unrecoverable error is encountered, a message box is
displayed stating PID suspension avoided, followed by more descriptive text
is displayed. These errors are a result of an invalid configuration and should
be corrected. The following screen illustrates the Unrecoverable Error Queue
Viewer

Unrecoverable
Error Queue
Viewer

Stock Control Number (SCN) errors are stored in the SCN Error Queue and
may be viewed via the SCN Error Queue Viewer. Below is a sample SCN

SCN Error Que


Viewer

Error Queue.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

76

This is the PC/PCM header message. PSA indicates the message


is for the PSA system. PDQ indicates it is destined for Physical
{PSA/PDQ/PS/IR/01/MSG/E
Device Queueing. MSG indicates it is being routed to the Message
Printer (MSG) device
This is the start of the actual message text. In this case it is a ZZ
DVC-43399 1414 10JUL96
message routed to a message printer
To delete an item, first click the item to highlight it. Then click the
DELETE
Delete button to delete the displayed message from the queue
To obtain a hard copy of a queue item, first click the item to
highlight it. Then click the SEND TO MSG DEVICE button to print
SEND TO MSG DEVICE
it on the message printer. Of course, the message printer could be
the cause of the problem, in which case this button will not work.
Click the Exit button to exit the Unrecoverable Error Queue Viewer
EXIT
and return to the PC/PCM main screen
This is the actual DGJ transaction being sent to the Ticketing application to
update the Stock Control Number (SCN). PC/PCM interprets the #SA within
DGJS/0398
the text of the message sent back from the ATB device and converts it to a
DGJ transaction to update the host or DIK: for Horizon Ticketing.
To delete a queue item, first click the item to highlight it. The above display
shows item 1 highlighted. Then click the Delete button to delete the item. The
following window will display:
DELETE

Click the OK button to proceed.


To resend an item to the host, first click the item to highlight it. Then click the
Retry key. The following window will display:
RETRY

EXIT

Click the OK button to proceed.


To exit the SCN Error Queue Viewer, click the Exit button.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

77

5.2.3 Diagnostics

Message Store

Task Light Info

This command allows messages pertaining to the application


to be saved. Data such as session settings and events,
applications messages directed to devices, and system errors
will be saved to the file C:\Program
Files\Sita\Liaison\PCPCM\SYSMSG.LOG. This log file should
be included in data sent to Atlanta for debugging problems
The task lights are the 8 lights to the right of a device type on
the main PC/PCM screen, as illustrated below.

The Task Light Info command displays a list of


the meaning of the task lights. The task lights
will illuminate when the particular task has been
completed. After selecting Task Light Info, the
window shown to the right will be displayed.

The following table describes each task light.


I Device is initialized. PC/PCM has loaded the specifications for your system
1
2
3
4
5
6
P

Receiving message from host. PC/PCM is in the process of receiving data from the
host
Pushing message onto queue. The system is storing the message in the device
queue on the hard disk until the printer is ready.
Responding to host. PC/PCM is telling the host that the message was received
Scanning queue for message. PC/PCM continuously checks if a message has been
sent to queue while it was busy with another task
Sending message to printer. PC/PCM is sending a message to the printer
Popping message off queue. The system has marked the item as closed in the
device queue on the hard disk once it has been printed
Polling Device. This bulb turns blue each time the device is polled

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

78

5.2.4 Help
About

This command displays a window showing what version of PC/PCM is


currently installed. An example is shown below.

5.3 Device Type Window


All devices configured through the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard will have a bar listed in
the Device Type windows. Each device will also have the 8 task (status) lights
associated with it shown in the bar. Three sample devices are shown below

5.4 System Messages Window


Data such as session settings and events, applications messages directed to devices,
and system errors will be displayed in this window. These messages may be saved via
the Diagnostics / Message Store menu command. This information can be useful to
Atlanta when trying to debug problems you are experiencing.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

79

5.5 Diagnostics
This is a very helpful tool within PC/PCM to assist in evaluation of what is happening. In
the top portion of the window, the selected devices diagnostic lights will be displayed.
These lights tell the ready/ busy condition of the printer. Below is an example of the
diagnostic lights when the system is inactive:

The diagnostic lights is a


window listing various
diagnostic messages.
For instance, in the
PC/PCM window shown
here, the Diagnostics
message portion of the
window tell us the
following:

Opening CRT
CRT ready for output
Queue Fail: Read
Config
Queue Initialized #2
PCPCM IC PS Rcvd
Queue PUSH
Dev_2#1
Queue SCAN #
CRT Message
Displayed

PC/PCM is readying the CRT device for output


The CRT was successful in opening and is ready for output
This means the queue for the device did not exist. It will be
automatically created by PC/PCM. The auto creation sometimes
fails on an initial NT install because the Persistent Storage Area
key was not created. See the trouble shooting section
This means PC/PCM created the non-existent queue
This indicates a message for this device was received from the host
This indicates the message has been written to the PC/PCM queue
on the hard disk. #1 indicates this is the first message received for
this device during this session.
PC/PCM found a message on the hard disk that needs to be
displayed on the CRT
The message has been displayed on the CRT

Note: the information from Diagnostics / Task Bar can be used to decipher the
meaning of these messages.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

80

5.6 Troubleshooting PC/PCM


{PSA/PDQ/RS/IR}
or similar message
received on terminal
screen

Unneccessary form
feed on message
printer

Dot Matrix Message


Printer.
The correct
installation does not
use the
manufacturers
Printer driver.

This is a PC/PCM header message being displayed on the screen


instead of being intercepted by PC/PCM. This happens when the PID is
configured for PC/PCM on the mainframe, but PC/PCM is not configured
on the PC. Insure that the PC/PCM box is checked in the Liaison
Configuration Wizard Step 5 of 6, Protocol configuration window.
Check the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard. Select the Message Printer
device type, and in step 4 of 5 select the Character Translation tab.
Ensure the Form Feed after Message field is not selected.
That should work, but if not, try the following:
The printer may have a form length control, usually in the form of dip
switch settings. This can be reduced to the lowest possible value.
Refer to the printer manual for further details.
Use the Generic / Text Only driver instead of the printer manufactures
driver. Depending on the Windows version, it may have a form feed
option. If it does, turn form feed off.
1. Install Generic / Text Only printer driver supplies with Windows OS
2. Modify Generic Text Only Driver to not form feed
Click Start / Settings / Printer
Right click Generic / Text Only
Click Properties
Click Device Settings tab
Under Form to tray assignment, click Continuous - No page break
Click OK
3. Configure in PC/PCM
Start PC/PCM Configuration Wizard
Right click session name from Liaison Commander
Click Communications
Navigate to PC/PCM configuration Wizard Step 1
Step 1
Message printer
Step 2
Standard parallel
Step 3
Please select a parallel printer driver:Generic / Text only
Step 4
Form Position
Top margin
0
Lines per page
5
Left margin
0
Columns per page
80
Character Translation
CR = CR + LF
check
LF = LF + CR
uncheck
Form Feed after msg uncheck
Step 5
Click Done
Click Finish
4. Ensure session settings are OK
Start session
Click Options / Printing
Don't print blank lines at end of page
check
MSG printer configured in PCPCM
check

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

81

General Printer troubleshooting procedures.


LOOK AT THE PC/PCM DIAGNOSTICS WINDOW FOR THE
DEVICE. See if this offers any helpful information as to what the
problem may be. Are the diagnostic lights all green or a
combination of green and red?
RESET THE DEVICE (PHYSICAL): Turn the power off and back
on.
RESET THE DEVICE (PC/PCM): From the PC/PCM control
window, click View/Configuration to turn polling off. Click the
If the printer
Device, click Device / Reset. Then click View/Configuration to turn
wont print
polling back on.
DELETE THE DEVICE QUEUE: From the PC/PCM control window,
click View/Configuration to turn polling off. Click the device, and
click Device / Queue. Click the Delete All Items button. Click View
/ Configuration Mode to turn polling back on. Note: before turning
polling back on, it may be helpful to reset the device again.
EXIT AND RE-ENTER THE SESSION.
REBOOT THE PC.
Is the printer plugged in?
Is the printer cable connected?
Is the printer cable connection secure on the PC end and the
printer end?
Check the
Is the printer powered on?
physical
Is the printer on-line?
Is the printer cable good? (try another, known to work, cable)
Is the printer itself good? (try another, known to work, printer)
Check that the PC/PCM configuration exactly matches the
Determine the physical printer configuration. Make sure that only 1 condition of
physical printer the following is set: DTR/DSR, RTS/CTS, XON/XOFF or NONE.
configuration Check the DPID (DCS) and/or CONLNK values. Carefully recheck
the PC/PCM configuration.
Check the web and/or Microsoft Tech Net for driver updates.
WIN-all
Acknowledgement from printer back to PC/PCM that message
Same message
has successfully printed is not completed properly. Check the
prints over each following to resolve the problem.
time Liaison is
Trans code length in error
started.
Printer Cable Bad
Nothing else will
Improper flow control settings
print
STX-ETX setting in error

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

82

Check the Web Site http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp to


ensure the printer is compatible with your Microsoft Operating
System. Printers not on the HCL can not be expected to work.
Printers not compatible with NT can act very strange. For
instance, the HP 720C is listed as not compatible on the HCL. At
one site, local prints appeared to work well, but system prints
WIN NT
would appear on the Windows printer queue, then just disappear.
A setting on some printers (HP printers in particular) which has
been know to cause problems is the spool settings Raw / EMF
setting. Raw should be selected. EMF can cause system prints
to misbehave, for example to print every other line.
The MW (Message Wait) transaction in PC/PCM is GNPCM
(GetNextPCM message). In version 5.0, the <alt>1 key was
programmed for MW. With version 5.1, this has been changed to
Message Wait be more intelligent. When the <alt>1 key sequence is used,
Liaison will evaluate the PID type. If it is not a PC/PCM PID,
Liaison will transmit a MW transaction. If it IS a PC/PCM PID,
Liaison will transmit GNPCM.
The problem is a Pectab has been sent manually from the host. It
works for awhile, but then is lost or works intermittently. A possible
cause is that one user (User1) logged onto the PC. The Pectab was
sent from the host, and all is OK. Then User1 logs out, and User2
comes along later and logs in. User2 does not have the right
PECTAB
Pectab. This is because the Pectab was stored in c:\Program
Updates dont Files\Sita\Liaison\PCPCM\User1. When User2 logs in, PC/PCM is
stick
looking in c:\Progam Files\Sita\PCPCM\User2 (NOT User1). So it
finds either no Pectab or the old Pectab.
This is by design (for CUTE sites), so if you are a non-CUTE site
and use different user logins, manually copy any Pectab updates to
all user directories after the initial update from the host.
PID recently After a mainframe configuration change to make a non-PC/PCM PID
into a PC/PCM PID, the session must be closed and reopened
configured as
before the change will be effective. If problems persists verify with
PC/PCM, but is Configs.Technical.Services@SITA.Aero that the PID record in the
still not working repository has been updated to PPCM device type as well.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

83

PID Suspension
Avoided

Printer Display
Error - Illogical
Command
PCPCM Device
Error 2

Incorrect Field
PCPCM Device
Error 3
Printer Display
Error Encoding
Error Or PCPCM
Device Error 5
No PECTAB
PCPCM Device
Error 6

PXCRTI
ERR-50

A message box with a window titled PID Suspension Avoided usually


indicates the PC/PCM configuration on the PC does not match the host
configuration. Consider a system print (PT) transaction, with the ODVN in
the CONLNK configured to the PC/PCM PID experiencing the PID
Suspension Avoided message. The likely cause is the PC/PCM
configuration on the PC does not have a Message Printer defined.
Under WIN NT 4.0 PID Suspension avoided message may also indicate
that the user is logged into Windows under a different ID/PASWORD than
the installation or admin user. Verify that you have sufficient rights to write
to C:\PROGRAM FILES\SITA\LIAISON\PCPCM\*.* /S
Illogical Command on printer display. PC/PCM says Awaiting device
response. Device reset clears and then everything works OK until you
exit the session. Same thing occurs when session is restarted. This
occurred when the IER had an older version of firmware. In this case it
was V1.02 16/11/94 90322. PC/PCM sends a CT command on startup.
This version of the firmware does not recognize the CT command. The
airline should be able to select IER 457 in the PC/PCM configuration
instead, as the IER457 doesnt send the CT command. Another solution is
to purchase the latest firmware.
Other possible solutions to the Illogical Command error are as follows:
Delete the PCPCM device queue.
Delete all items in view/config by deleting all files with the .que
extension found in the following folder:
C:\PROGRAM FILES\SITA\LIAISON\PCPCM\(LOGIN Name)\Path-X\*.que
Probable PECTAB programming error. Contact DCS Support.

Check the STOCKS configuration on the printer to turn magnetic stock on


or off. Check that the stock is properly loaded. Try a different coupon
and/or different box of coupons. It is possible the mag-stripe is bad. Is the
printer configured for different types of stock in different bins? If so, is the
right stock loaded in the right bin? The printer itself could be bad. Not
likely, but conceivable.
Resend the device PECTAB with the following Transaction
PTAB:SEND/ATB/(PECTAB#)/(PID #)
PXCRTI ERR-50 always means that the Master Dynamic PID Record has
not been set up. The Master Record is what we use as the basis for
creating the dynamic PIDs at signin time. Anytime a new Liaison customer
comes on-line using dynamic PIDs, please notify either Helpdesk or
Liaison support of the following values so that they may request SYS
setup the Master Record.
-Default City Code
-Default Office
-Default Hardcopy Printer PID for rejects and errors
-Two character ISO country code

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

84

Restricting Configuration
To restrict users from making configuration changes the following Methods
are available.
Method 1. Command Line Parameter
Add /L as a command line parameter.
For example, to restrict access to configuration from the desktop icon, do the
following:
Right click the Liaison desktop icon
Click Properties
In the Target box, add /L to the end
So, instead of
"C:\Program Files\Sita\Liaison\Liaison.exe"
you should have
"C:\Program Files\Sita\Liaison\Liaison.exe /L
Method 2. Password Protect
Right click the Settings Button
Click About
Type <CTRL><SHIFT><COMMA>
The following Screen will display:

Enter a new password and confirm the new password.


All configuration changes will require a password after this step.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

85

Ticketing Specific Issues


DUAL FUNCTION ATB

Note, when updating a functioning ATB printer to include a second function (i.e.
boarding passes and tickets), during the PC/PCM configuration wizard step 3 of 5, do
NOT select the default values for the new application. The baud rate, stop bits, parity,
and flow control are already set to work with the printer. Selecting the default values for
the new application will wipe out the existing, working configuration.

SCN UPDATES NOT WORKING


1. Check SendDGJ registry entry
This entry controls if PC/PCM should convert the #SA field in the
TICK PROK response from the Ticket printer to PC/PCM into a DGJ
entry, and send the DGJ entry to the host. Values for the registry
entry are as follows:
0
1
2

Detect if SCN updates need to be sent, send when necessary


Always send SCN updates (DGJ)
Never send SCN updates (DGJ)

This registry entry is found under HKEY_CURRENT_USER /


Software / VB and VBA Program Settings / Liaison 98 / Sitahost /
PCPCM.
2. Check the CONLNK file. One time an invalid DEPT code was in the
CONLNK, causing Airfare to respond with THIS IS PROHIBITED to
each DGJ transaction.
3. The Ticketing agent must be at least Category 5 authority.
4. View the SCN error queue to see if it offers any clues.
5. Verify ticket stock has SCN encoded. This can be done by taking a
dump of the mag stripe on the ticket. The procedure varies by printer,
so please reference the printer technical manual from the vendor.
6. Check the SCN format (DGJ or DIK) setting. This is found in the
emulator screen under option.

TI810 PRINTERS
Some TI810 printers have a rotary switch for controlling the forms length.
If this switch is set to PROG, then the margins must be entered in
PC/PCM and Send escape sequences must be checked. If the switch is
set to 3.5, there is no need to enter the margins in PC/PCM.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

86

Trace Log Files


When problems cannot be resolved locally, Atlanta will often request to
see a trace log file demonstrating the problem occurring. The steps
below will guide you through creating the trace log file.
1. Right click a session and select Configure / Application. Note if
the Configure option is grayed out, you must exit the session
before configuration mode is allowed.
2. Check the trace option in lower left corner of the window. The
default file size limit (Kbytes) is 2. Change this to 140. Then click
Finish. Liaison is now set to run a trace log.
3. Start the Liaison session, recreate the problem, and then exit the
session. The trace log is now created. It is located in C:\Program
Files\Sita\Liaison\pcpcm\computer name\pcpcm.log. Send this file
to Atlanta.
4. The trace log facility should be turned off by following steps 1 and
2, but turning the trace option off instead of on.

Interpreting Trace Log Files


ERR2 An error 2 indicates an illogical header. The host system may
have an error in the Pectab header.
ERR6x No Pectab. X designates missing Pectab type.

System Message (SYSMSG) Log Files


Like the trace log file the System Message Log File is useful for
diagnosing problems with Liaison PCPCM problems. The System
Message Log file contains system generated messages. When problems
cannot be resolved locally, Atlanta will often request to see a PCPCM
SYSMSG log file. Follow the steps below in order to create a system log
file.

Open the PCPCM control Window by clicking on the PCPCM Icon in the Windows Tool
Bar.
Click on the Diagnostics Tab which displays a drop down menu.
Click on The Message Store button.
The System Messages are written to the sysmsg.log file in
C:\Program Files\Sita\Liaison\pcpcm\computer name.
Send this file to Liaison.Support@Sita.Aero

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

87

WIN NT PID Suspension Avoided


For an undetermined reason, a Liaison install into the Windows NT
environment occasionally does not create the PersistentStorageArea
registry key. This results in a PID Suspension Avoided message, or in
CUTE or Arinc environments causes PCPCM to abort. To correct, follow
the instructions outlined below:

Click Start / Run


Type regedit in the text box labeled Open and click OK
Click the + next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER to expand the
key
Click the + next to Software to expand the key
Click the + next to VB and VBA Program Settings
Click the + next to Liaison 98
Click on Settings
Check in the right hand window for the PersistentStorageArea
key
If it is not there, click Edit / New / String Value
For New Value #1, type PersistentStorageArea and then hit
enter
Click Edit / Modify
For Value data, type c:\Program Files\Sita\Liaison

The window should look similar to the following:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

88

Windows Registry
Liaison configuration settings are stored in the Windows Registry.
Occasionally customers may dsevelop a problem that is particularly difficult to
resolve, and we will want to see the Liaison portion of your registry in Atlanta
for evaluation. To export these settings so they can be sent to Atlanta, do the
following:

From The Commander Tool Bar


o Right Click Settings

Left Click Export Registry

Enter the Filename per example Liaison


The File Liaison.Reg will be created in C:\Program Files\SITA\Liaison or
the installation folder you created.
ZIP compress the file and attach the file to an E-Mail to
Liaison.Support@Sita.Aero

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

89

6. Liaison Scripts
Hands on - How to
SCREEN SNAPSHOT
Use Screen Snapshot to record what is currently on your screen into a text file.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

90

For example, you have an availability display that you would like to copy and save. You
could highlight the screen and copy, then paste it to a NotePad or Word document, or
simply do a snapshot.
While the display is on your screen, Click on the Screen Snapshot
button.

You will be prompted to enter a file name. Enter the file name i.e. Screen Snapshot1 and
click Open. This saves the screen image to your new filename (Screen Snapshot1).

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

91

To view your snapshot, click on File, Explore Existing Files:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

92

Double click on the file to open it.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

93

Screen Capture

The screen snapshot is displayed in the text editor.

The same concept applies to Screen Capture except that the screen capture records all
your inputs and outputs to a file until you stop the capture.

Click on the Screen Capture


button
and you will be prompted to name your file, i.e. Capture1

Click Open and the screen capture begins.


Type your input. Your inputs and outputs are recorded.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

94

When you are finished, click the Screen Capture button

again

and a prompt will ask if you would like to view or print the file.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

95

If you click No, the file will be saved in the Liaison Scripts folder for future
viewing.
If you click Yes, the file is displayed.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

96

The file contains all the inputs and outputs recorded during the screen capture.
Use the scroll bar on the right to view the entire file.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

97

6.1

Record Script

The Record Script function allows you to record inputs, including control
characters that can be played back over and over again.
Click the Record Script
button. Again you will be prompted to name
your file.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

98

Name your file (RecordScript1), click Open and begin to type your inputs.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

99

When you are finished recording all your inputs, click the Record Script
button again to discontinue recording.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

100

When you stop/discontinue recording, an information screen is displayed


advising that you have finished recording and you may view your script using the
editor of your choice.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

101

You can view the script by clicking on File from the menu bar, Explore Existing
Files or to Edit the script, click on Edit Existing Script.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

102

Double click on the file you just recorded to view.

You may edit the script file.

The most common script commands are


send characters to the host exactly as typedThere are screen function
codes that can be used with the send command. These codes are
recorded or can be edited into the script.
For example, if you want to make sure your screen is clear before
SEND
sending the input, the codes /H/F can be used to send your cursor to
home position, /H and erase to end of screen, /F. /X is the transmit
code. See page 24.
Example: send /H/Favatllon1dec/X
look for the next host response. The * indicates any host response.
You can use the find with a specified host response See example 3 on
FIND
page 25
sit idle for a specified number of seconds. e.g. wait 2 command stops
WAIT
the script for 2 seconds. This is helpful when responses are fast
Designates line as a comment.
#
See Liaison Script Assistant for the script language and syntax.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

103

For this example, the script performs an availability AVATLLON1DEC, books a


flight, creates a PNR, and prices the itinerary.

Edit the Record Script 1.txt


Insert a comment line on line one of the script by typing the following.
#This script creates a PNR and issues a ticket
Add cursor home code and erase to end of screen code in the send line e.g. /H/F
Change the default, if %err%>0 then beep, to Wait 2 so that the script will stop
and wait for 2 seconds before sending the next message.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

104

6.2

Playback Script

Click the Playback Script button to playback or run any script you have previously
recorded.

You will be prompted to select a script to playback. Double click on the script name or
click Open. The script automatically executes.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

105

Playback script and record the output.


If you want to record the output of the script that you are going to playback, first
click the
Capture button.
Again, you will be prompted to name your output script file.
Next, click the Playback Script

button and select the script

you want to playback by double clicking on the script name or clicking Open.
The script automatically runs and the output is also recorded for analysis.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

106

Example 1 -- For loop:


# Sample script to perform a 'da' twice using a for loop
for x in 1 2
send da/X
find *
if %err%>0 then beep
next x

Example 2 -- While loop:


# Sample script to perform a 'da' twice using a while loop
set x=1
while %x%<3
send da/X
find *
if %err%>0 then beep
set x=%x%+1
loop

Example 3 -- If/Then Goto:


# Sample script to logout if we are in Area B or Area C (otherwise we stay logged in).
# If we are logged in to Area C then clear screen after we logout.
send da/X
# See if we are logged into Area B and wait 1 extra second to make sure
# we received all of the output from 'da'
wait 1
find B*
if %err%>0 then goto checkAreaC
#
# The B* pattern was found so logout
send so/X
find *
exit
:checkAreaC
#
# See if we are logged into Area C
send da/X
find C*
if %err%>0 then exit
#
# The C* pattern was found so logout and clear the screen
send so/X /C

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

107

Example 4 Generate Text File from Screen Input of Flight List


#Initialize File
output flights.txt /R
#Set Carrier Code and Option
set x =xs
set y =c
:rof
#send clear screen, then cfl:xs/c and transmit
send /Ccfl:%x%//%y%/X
#Await Response
find *
if %err%>0 then goto fin
#Send the Output Lines from cfl transaction to flights.txt
:nextpage
for i in 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
set p=2
if "extract(%i%,2,1)"==" " then goto fin
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
next i
if "extract(23,80,1)"!="+" then goto fin
send /Cpn/X
find *
if %err%>0 then goto fin
goto nextpage
:fin
beep
beep
exit

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

108

6.3

Liaison Script Assistant - Version 1.0.2

Introduction
The Script Assistant (SA) is a part of the Liaison suite of products. It is used to create
and maintain scripts used by the Liaison Terminal Emulator. Scripts can be as simple as
logging on or issuing a query command, or as complicated as issuing a series of
transactions, determining a course of action, then issuing more transactions based on
that determination. The SA is merely a guide to give you a quick command reference
and syntax checking.

Functional Description

Lines of code are


displayed here.

Current line information


is displayed here. You
can edit it manually,

- or -

use these helper


functions.

The current command


syntax is displayed here.

A description of the current


command is displayed here,
some with examples.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

109

When SA is first started there is no file loaded. The mode is set to allow you to begin
entering a new script. You can simply start typing commands, and when you press enter,
your line will be added the script and SA will be ready for your next line of input.
Instead of typing your lines manually, you can also build your script from a list of all
possible commands. Start by choosing a command from the drop-down box. All possible
command choices are in the drop-down box beside "Insert this command". Once you've
located the command you want, select the "Insert this command" button to insert this
command into the current line.
Any changes you make are not applied until you select the "Apply" button. Only then is
the top display updated to reflect your changes.
All possible function choices are in the drop-down box beside "Insert this function".
All possible operator choices are in the drop-down box beside "Insert this operator".
All possible variable choices are in the drop-down box beside "Insert this variable". This
box not only holds the system defined variables, but also any variables you define with
the "set" command.
The "Syntax" line will be updated with the correct information whenever SA can
determine which command is being used for the current line. The box underneath the
syntax will also be updated with a brief description of the command you are using;
offering help and some examples.
The "Move Up" button will move the current line up in the script. The "Move Down"
button will move the current line down in the script.
The "Increase Indent" button will insert a tab at the beginning of the line. The "Decrease
Indent" button will remove a tab at the beginning of the line. These only affect
appearance, as it is often visually helpful to indent code within a loop, for example.
The "Comment Line" box is used to denote whether the current line is simply a comment
or not. You can change a line to a comment line by simply clicking this box and applying
your change. You can also remove a comment from a line by clicking this box and
applying your change.
"Insert a line" inserts a new, blank line in front of the current line. You can then edit this
line to your liking.
"Delete a line" removes the current line from the script. You cannot remove the last line.
It must always be there and be blank.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

110

SA Menus
SA includes the standard File/Open/Save/Save As/Close menus that are common to
Window's applications. The "Help/Legend" menu will give you a display similar to this
one.

The message in the "syntax" field will be color coded so you can quickly tell which
parameters are required or optional.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

111

6.4

Scripting Commands

Note: The '/' has special meaning in this script language. It denotes special features and options
as noted below. In particular, notice the 'send' command;
If you want to send a '/', you need to specify '//'.
Command
Purpose
Syntax
Produce a beep sound on the PC speaker.
beep
beep
Execute another script, a great way to create
call
call script2.txt
subroutines. The script must be in the 'scripts'
subdirectory where you installed Liaison
Stop executing the script at this point.
exit
exit
Get characters from emulator screen.
extract
extract
(StartRow,StartCol,Length)
Look for a pattern in the next host response.
find
find PSA (find * finds
anything)
Iterate the loop for each item on the command line
for
for x in 1 2 3 loops 3 times
Branch to a specified label that begins with a colon(:).
goto
goto mylabel
if
Conditional control for any expression between if then.
if %err%>0 then beep
Gets the next record from a file and stores it in a
input filename varname
input
variable. The "/R" option resets the file to beginning.
input filename /R
loop
Go back to the most recent while command.
loop
next
Go back to the most recent for command.
next x (the for variable is
required)
Appends data from a variable to a file. The "/R" option
output
output filename varname
resets the file to the beginning.
output filename /R
Moves
the
cursor
to
the
desired
screen
position.
position
position row,col
Prints data to the printer.
print
print string
Send characters to the host. The characters will be sent exactly as typed. Use the following
send
codes to generate additional functions.
/C clears the screen
/A erase to end of line
/X transmits the rest of the command line
/F erase to end of screen
// treats the slash as a literal character
/Q delete character
/H cursor home
/L delete line
/D end of screen
/Y insert line
/R cursor return
/W insert character
/P cursor up
/G beginning of line
/O cursor down
/N end of line
/B backtab
/V duplicate line
/S SOE character
/Z lock keyboard
/I cursor left
/U unlock keyboard
/T cursor right
/K backspace
set
substr

Specify the value of script variable.


Returns a portion of a string.

wait
while
:

Sits idle for a specified number of seconds.


Iterate the loop as long as the condition is true.
Designates a line as a label, thus allowing goto
branching.
Designates a line as a comment.

set x=1
substr
(SourceString,StartPos,Length)
wait 1
while %x%<3
: mylabel
# Script created 3-NOV-1997

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

112

Example 1 -- For loop:


# Sample script to perform a 'da' twice using a for loop. Note that in the following
example only 1 space is allowed between the in and 1 2. It may cause unexplained
syntax errors within the loop.
for x in 1 2
send da/X
find *
if %err%>0 then beep
next x
Example 2 -- While loop:
# Sample script to perform a 'da' twice using a while loop
set x=1
while %x%<3
send da/X
find *
if %err%>0 then beep
set x=%x%+1
loop
Example 3 -- If/Then Goto:
# Sample script to logout if we are in Area B or Area C (otherwise we stay logged in).
# If we are logged in to Area C then clear screen after we logout.
send da/X
#
# See if we are logged into Area B and wait 1 extra second to make sure
# we received all of the output from 'da'
wait 1
find B*
if %err%>0 then goto checkAreaC
#
# The B* pattern was found so logout
send so/X
find *
exit
:checkAreaC
#
# See if we are logged into Area C
send da/X
find C*
if %err%>0 then exit
#
# The C* pattern was found so logout and clear the screen
send so/X /C

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

113

Example 4 Check Flight List:Output to Text File

#initialize file
output flights.txt /R
#declaration de variables pour la date
set x =xs
set y =c
:rof
#send clear screen, then cfl:xs/c and transmit
send /Ccfl:%x%//%y%/X
#attendre reponse
find *
if %err%>0 then goto fin
#Decode Text to Output File flights.txt
:nextpage
for i in 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
set p=2
if "extract(%i%,2,1)"==" " then goto fin
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
set p=%p%+9
set rec ="extract(%i%,%p%,6)"
if "extract(%i%,%p%,6)"!="
" then output flights.txt %rec%
next I
#Test for Another Page of Output from CFL Transcation ( 23 Lines 80 Character )
if "extract(23,80,1)"!="+" then goto fin
send /Cpn/X
find *
if %err%>0 then goto fin
goto nextpage
:fin
beep
beep

exit

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

114

7. Appendices
7.1

Appendix A - PC/PCM Configuration Wizard

A Word about PC/PCM


PC/PCM, an acronym for Personal Computer / Print Control Manager, is secured print dialogue
performed locally on the PC workstation. Unlike past environments, a single PID handles all the
host print messages as well as normal terminal mode for up to eight possible logical devices, and
no longer requires a separate PID for each print device.
The data is held in a local queue, resident on the PC, until the printer acknowledges it is online.
Only then will PC/PCM send the stream on to the printer device. If printing occurs successfully,
the item is removed from queue.
Installing a PC/PCM Device
Flag the PC/PCM setting during protocol definition in Step 5 of the Liaison Session Configuration
Wizard.

This will prompt the PC/PCM as seen below

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

115

From the previous layout, simply place the mouse pointer over the desired device icon,
and Click. Each icon will produce a slightly different selection since the device types
vary. For this reason, the wizard process is presented for each device type. The
settings may also be changed anytime the Commander is active on the desktop and the
session is closed. Simply right click on the session you want to work with. Then
highlight "Configure", and "PCPCM Wizard". This will place you into Step 1 of 5 of the
PC/PCM Configuration Wizard, ready to work with the PC/PCM Wizard.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

116

7.1.1 Message Printer


After double clicking on the message printer icon, Step 2 of 5 is displayed. The information at
the top confirms the session name and the device selected. The lower left box indicates
available printer vendors. Highlight the correct manufacturer. The specific model number will
appear in the lower right box. Again, highlight the match to the device you want to configure.
Note: the "standard parallel" selection is further defined in Step 3 by selecting a specific print
driver.

Click Next > after you are sure about the selection.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

117

Step 3, selection of the default printer, is presented next. Click on the selection box
arrow to receive all available print drivers. Highlight the print driver you require as the
default for Liaison. Once selected, it will appear in the box. Click on Next > to move
on to the next step.

Step 4 allows for definition of both Form Position and Character Translation on Carriage
Return and Line Feed. This is because some printers handle these settings differently;
some default to these settings, others are configurable through there DIP switch
settings.
When completed, click on the tab labeled "Character Translation.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

118

The combination of Carriage Return/Form Feed messages from the host with printer default
settings may cause undesired effects with the way a printer feeds and prints.
These settings may be controlled as seen below. Place a check next to the option needed for
your specific environment. Liaison defaults to the top setting, "CR=CR+LF". It is recommended
that this setting remains in the default position if CR/LF conditions are unknown.
Click on Next > when completed.
The final step is Step 5, and is a summary of the settings selected in the previous steps. Verify
the parameters in the white box, then click on "Configure Another Device" if PC/PCM needs to be
used for another printer or device, or, click on Done if the PC/PCM wizard is no longer needed.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

119

7.1.2 Ticket Printer


Device two accommodates configuration for non-intelligent and TAT (non-ATB) ticket
printing devices. From Step 1 in the PC/PCM Configuration Wizard, Click on the ticket
printer icon to launch the wizard into further steps. Note: PC/PCM for Ticket printing is
not available for dynamic PIDs. Step 2 is presented as follows:

Highlight the printer manufacturer in the left box. For each manufacturer, accepted
model numbers appear in the right box. Highlight the applicable model number, and
Click Next > for additional configuration.
Contact your Ticketing support coordinator for more specific information regarding your
ticket printers.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

120

For ticket printer devices, several options are presented.


The first option in Step 3 defines the serial port to which the printer is attached.

Click on the arrow "pull-down" list, and highlight the applicable port.
Next, click on the "pull-down" lists for Serial Parameters. IN all cases you must match the serial
settings found on the printer. All possible settings are seen below in the examples for each
parameter:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

121

Select the next tab labeled "Override STX/ETX". This parameter determines the start and end
print characters found in the print data stream. The default settings are 2 and 3 respectively.
Generally, this setting should remain in the default mode, however, if the printer must accept
other characters, this may be changed. It is highly recommended that this remain in the default
position unless changed by an engineer to avoid anomalies.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

122

The final tab is labeled "Device Specific". By checking the box labeled "ACK all printer
input", PC/PCM will send an ASCII 06 command, the coded request for
acknowledgements from the printer.

This means for each message between PC/PCM and the printer, an acknowledgment
from the printer is expected. Default is left OFF, or unchecked. Note: For the TI810
printer, an additional option is offered, ESC sequences should default to the checked
ON position.
Click Next > when ALL settings are determined.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

123

Step 4 allows the definition of form, or paper type. For ticket printers, the default
positions are all zero because print position is dictated by the host print message.
Unless a special local situation arises, it is recommended that the default values remain
in place as incorrect settings here will cause print anomalies.

Step 4 also defines special character translation for Carriage Return and Line Feed, as
well as the option to Form Feed after each message. Place a check in the appropriate
option if desired. Again, some of these commands are sent from the host, and printer
types will vary, so these settings are dependent on these conditions. Click Next > when
selections are completed.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

124

Step 5 is a summary of all selections. The values seen here are just an example, but
demonstrates all the setting types. Click on Done , or "Configure Another Device" to
save all these settings and continue with using Liaison. Notice the scroll bar for
continuation of settings.

Please note that SITA Ticketing maintains a Ticketing Equipment Manual with recommended
settings for all approved ticketing printers. If you do not receive a copy prior to cutover please
contact SITA Ticketing or download the Equipment Manual from the Liaison Web Site
HTTP://57.250.224.47

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

125

7.1.3 Automated Ticketing and Boarding (ATB)


Primarily for ATB printers and Boarding Gate Readers, this type of device has the
means to print, read, and possibly write magnetic stripe data on "ATB2" type documents.
This may be tickets and/or boarding cards. The data encoded on the stripe is
determined by the host application producing the document based on PECTABs
(Parametric Tables). Both the print and mag-stripe data must conform to IATA
Resolution 722c. PC/PCM is able to pass this data stream to and from the ATB device
according to the following configuration settings.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

126

Select Automated Ticketing/Boarding by clicking on the icon in Step 1.


The next image will be Step 2 as follows:

As with other device types, highlight the desired manufacturer to display the available
model numbers in the box on the right side. Highlight the applicable model number for
configuration and click Next > for Step 3.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

127

For these devices, several options are presented. The first option in Step 3 defines the
serial port to which the printer is attached. Click on the arrow "pull-down" list, and
highlight the applicable port.

Next, click on the "pull-down" lists for Serial Parameters. The values displayed default to
the suggested manufacturer's settings, but changes may be made to tailor each
environment.All possible settings are seen below in the examples for each parameter.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

128

Select the next tab labeled "Override STX/ETX". This parameter determines the start
and end print characters found in the print data stream. The default settings are 2 and 3
respectively. Generally, this setting should remain in the default mode, however, if the
printer must accept other characters, this may be changed. It is highly recommended
that this remain in the default position unless changed by an engineer to avoid
anomalies.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

129

The final tab in Step 3 is labeled "Device Specific". By checking the box labeled "ACK
all printer input", PC/PCM will send an ASCII 06 command, the coded request for
acknowledgements from the printer.
This means for each message between PC/PCM and the printer, an acknowledgment
from the printer is expected. Default is left OFF, or unchecked.

Click Next > for Step 4.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

130

Step 4 defines which PECTABs are used to encode, print, and read on the ATB2 type
document and mag stripe. The primary PECTAB is the format sent from the host for
ALL mag stripe encoding and printing, and most reading. The secondary, or "Input
Only" fields, allow for reading other PECTAB formats. Select the PECTAB by clicking on
the arrow drop-down menus: The Pectabs specified here must match the Pectabs
specified in the DPID or CONLNK on the host.

This example shows six choices for the primary PECTAB format. The same choices are
also presented when clicking on the "Input Only" boxes. These values represent the
most common codes, and other PECTABs may be typed in manually. Be sure the value
selected exists on the host application.
The next value to be determined is Transaction Code Length, or "Tran Code Length".
This number represents the length of the device prefix code, and almost all devices
approved by SITA default to "5". However, some devices are not flexible on this setting,
and the value can vary from 0-5. When changing from the default value of "5", be sure
you have received the correct setting from the device manual. Here is what the dropdown menu looks like:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

131

The last setting in Step 4 determines where CLF translation takes place. CLF codes are
PECTAB numeric field identifiers converted into 4-alpha identifiers used to easier
recognize the field content. For example, PECTAB field 04 may contain the Passenger
Name. The CLF code would be "NAME". Earlier devices are not capable of making this
translation, as they do not possess the processing power to do so. In this case,
PC/PCM receives the numeric field code and performs the translation. Later devices are
able to send the CLF code. In this case, select "Device". PC/PCM must be flagged to
perform this function, or ignore it. Select the radio button that applies.

After this selection is made, Step 4 is complete.


Click Next > for the final step.
Step 5 is a review of the previous selections:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

132

7.1.4 Boarding Pass Printer One/Two


PC/PCM can run two concurrent Boarding Pass Printers. There are two icons in
Step 1. The wizard for each is identical, only the settings will differentiate one
from the other (such as COM port, device type, etc.). The logical device is used
for printing only, and if mag-stripe encoding is required, the Automated
Ticketing/Boarding (ATB) logical device should be selected instead. Click on the
Boarding Pass icon, like the one above, to enter the wizard.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

133

After clicking on the Boarding Pass Printer One or Two icon,


Step 2 of 5 is displayed.

The information at the top confirms the session name and the device selected. The
lower left box indicates available printer vendors. Highlight the correct manufacturer.
The specific model number appears in the lower right box. Again, highlight the match to
the device you want to configure. Click Next > after you are sure about the selection.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

134

The first selection in Step 3 defines the serial port to which the printer is attached.
Click on the arrow "pull-down" list, and highlight the applicable port.

Next, click on the pull-down lists for Serial Parameters. The values seen default
to the suggested manufacturer's settings, but changes may be made to tailor
each environment. All possible settings are seen below in the examples for each
parameter:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

135

Select the next tab labeled "Override STX/ETX". This parameter determines the
start and end print characters found in the print data stream. The default settings
are 2 and 3 respectively. Generally, this setting should remain in the default
mode, however, if the printer must accept other characters, this may be changed.
It is highly recommended that this remain in the default position unless changed
by an engineer to avoid anomalies.

The final tab in Step 3 is labeled "Device Specific". By checking the box labeled "ACK
all printer input", PC/PCM will send an ASCII 06 command, the coded request for
acknowledgements from the printer. This means for each message between PC/PCM
and the printer, an acknowledgment from the printer is expected. Default is left OFF, or
unchecked.

Click Next > for Step 4.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

136

Step 4 allows the definition of form, or paper type. For boarding pass printers, the
default positions are all zero because print position is dictated by the host print
message. Unless a special local situation arises, it is recommended that the default
values remain in place as incorrect settings here will cause print anomalies.

Step 4 also defines special character translation for Carriage Return and Line Feed, as
well as the option to Form Feed after each message. Place a check in the appropriate
option if desired. Again, some of these commands are sent from the host, and printer
types will vary, so these settings are dependent on these conditions.

Click Next > to proceed to Step 5.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

137

Step 5 is a summary of the values selected throughout the Wizard.

Check the values carefully before clicking on Done .

[Notice the presence of a scroll bar, indicating more information to be seen.]

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

138

7.1.5 Bag Tag Printer


Bag Tag printers also make use of PECTABs to determine the format. They are serial
devices only capable of printing, not yet using mag-stripe or bar-code read technology.
To enter the Wizard, single click on the Bag Tag icon.

After clicking on Bag Tag Printer icon, Step 2 of 5 is displayed.

The information in the top right confirms the session name and the device selected. The
lower left box indicates available printer vendors. Highlight the correct manufacturer.
The specific model number will appear in the lower right box. Again, highlight the match
to the device you want to configure.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

139

The first selection in Step 3 defines the serial port to which the printer is attached.

Click on the arrow "pull-down" list, and highlight the applicable port.
Next, click on the pull-down lists for Serial Parameters. The values default to the
suggested manufacturer's settings, but changes may be made to tailor each
environment. All possible settings are seen below in the examples for each parameter:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

140

Select the next tab, labeled "Override STX/ETX". This parameter determines the
start and end print characters found in the print data stream. The default settings
are 2 and 3 respectively. Generally, this setting should remain in the default
mode, however, if the printer must accept other characters, this may be changed.
It is highly recommended that this remain in the default position unless changed
by an engineer to avoid anomalies.

The final tab in Step 3 is labeled "Device Specific". By checking the box labeled
"ACK all printer input", PC/PCM will send an ASCII 06 command, the coded
request for acknowledgements from the printer. This means for each message
between PC/PCM and the printer, an acknowledgment from the printer is
expected. Default is left OFF, or unchecked. Click Next > for Step 4.
Step 4 defines the PECTAB and Transaction Code Length. Unlike the ATB
device, there is only one PECTAB to define since printing is all that is performed.
Click on the drag-down menu and highlight the numeric PECTAB format desired.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

141

The next value to be determined is Transaction Code Length, or "Tran Code Length".
This number represents the length of the device prefix code, and almost all devices
approved by SITA default to "5". However, some devices are not flexible on this setting,
and the value can vary from "0-5". When changing from the default value of "5", be sure
you have received the correct setting from the device manual. Below is an example of
the drop-down menu :

Step 4 is completed when the "Tran Code Length" is defined.


Click on Next > for Step 5.
Step 5 is a summary of the values selected throughout the Wizard. Check the values
carefully before clicking on Done .

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

142

Messages to CRT and File


Clicking on either icon presents identical wizards since PC/PCM messages are
presented in a raw text form. The wizards for CRT messages and text to file only
require one screen for configuration. Therefore, Step 4 is the only screen that is
presented:

Above is an example of Step 4 for


Messages to CRT. The form position
and Character translations are normally
set to 0 and/or blank. In this example
the screen is set for 24 lines by 79 (or
80) columns, the same size as a normal
UTS emulator screen.

Above is an example of Step 4 for Messages


to File. Form Position and Character
Translation default to 0 and blank. These
values should remain as default.

Click Next > to move on to Step 5 which reviews the settings.


Click Done if the values are correct.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

143

7.2
Appendix B - X.28 Asynchronous Configuration
A Word about X.28
Liaison has the ability to connect and communicate to the host systems in
ATL via asynchronous means, or "dial-up". The protocol standard used is
called X.28. A local telephone number is provided by SITA to dial into a
Packet Assembler / Dis-Assembler (PAD), which is the direct entry point into
the SITA network.

The PAD qualifies the incoming request by verifying the account information
(NUI/Network Password) issued to the caller by SITA. After passing the account
verification level, SITA network searches for the Destination Network Address
(DNA) and, when found, connects into the host systems. Other layers of security
must then be satisfied, such as User ID/Password and host Sign-In. This
completes the process of connecting, and normal host transactions may now
commence.
Special note should be taken when considering host User Group, or the amount
of functionality allowed. Since X.28 connectivity utilizes Dynamic PIDs, there is a
limitation to User Group 17 and higher. This is an intentional security feature,
designed to inhibit functionality over the easy access dial-up provides.
Dynamic PIDs also have several other limitations. A permanent ZZ address may
not be established for dynamic PIDs. With dynamic PIDs, the PID changes each
time you connect. Since a ZZ address is tied to a specific PID, you cannot
assign a ZZ address to a dynamic PID. Also, Ticketing cannot be used on
dynamic PIDs. Both these limitations may be overcome at some point, so
contact Atlanta for a status update.
Asynchronous modems provide the means for communication from a PC. There
are literally hundreds of manufacturers offering several models each in the
market today. Most conform to conventional standards, such as Hayes. There
will be some, however, which do not completely comply. Anomalies will occur
during the dialing/handshake process in such cases. When this happens, it is
advisable to consult the user manual from the modem manufacturer for a
recommended initialization string. In some remote cases, connectivity may not
be achieved at all. Be sure your modem is Hayes compatible to avoid these
problems.
X.28 dialup is often confused with dialup TCP-IP. X.28 dialup uses a standard PC
modem. Dialup IP uses a router.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

144

Configuration for X.28


From Step 5 in the Liaison Configuration Wizard, the "Protocol" selection box appears.
Be sure this has been highlighted for "DialUp" for X.28 to be defined.

Click on OK to continue.
The next box to appear will be "Dial Up Properties". The settings in the upper portion of
the box define the interaction between the PC, modem, and telephone line. The lower
portions are values the SITA network requires to satisfy account information and security
levels. Where the drop-down arrows are seen, values may be chosen

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

145

Dial Up Properties Field Descriptions


Dial
Number
Port
Baud
Rate
Data Bits
Parity
Stop Bits
Modem 1
Modem 2
Interval
Time Out
Dial Type
PAD
Prompt

Network
NUI

Network
Password
PAD ID
(DNA)

This is the telephone number of the local PAD. If a dialing prefix is needed,
type this in first, followed by a comma (,) or a "W" for a pause, needed for the
second dial tone
Select the COM port the PC uses to connect itself to the modem
This is the speed of line transmission (Bits Per Second). Be sure not to
exceed the speed rating for the modem
Select between 7 and 8. This setting depends on the modem (SITA ATL
default is 8).
Generally, this setting depends on the modem. Use "E" for Even, "O" for Odd,
and "N" for None. (SITA ATL default is N)
Always leave in the default value of "1". However, it may be set to either "1.5"
or "2", if required. (SITA ATL default is 1)
The modem initialization string, using Hayes standard dialogue. The default
value is "ATV1E1".
Some modems require a second initialization string, separate from the first.
This field may also be used to enable such Hayes features like "speaker on".
A minimum character string of "AT" must appear in this field.
Number of seconds between modem initialization steps. Must be a whole
number, not a decimal or fraction
If a connection has not been established within this number of seconds, the
session is terminated and must be re-initiated. Recommended length is
between 20-40 seconds
For rotary telephone service, select "Pulse". For touch-tone service, select
"Tone"
A character string sent to the PAD when it answers a call. This is a means of
telling the PAD to respond. DO NOT change the values
The Network NUI value is obtained from SITA once an X.28 account is
established. Based upon your geographic location the Network NUI and
Password may be obtained from your SITA Account Manager.
The NUI and Password are issued upon receipt of an X.28 request. The NUI
will be 8 characters long. The first 4 characters are controlled by the Liaison
registration key and will appear on this screen automatically. If they appear
incorrectly on this screen, you must obtain a modified registration key from
Liaison Support@SITA.AERO
Also obtained from SITA with the NUI. Strictly used for security match
This is the Destination Network Address for ATLIS. Note the default
(9001031,PDX28M) is for PSA connections. For PSB access it should read
9001181,PDX28M

Click on OK when all values have been entered. The wizard will present the next and final
parameters for X.28 in a box labeled "Dynamic PID Properties". This information is
packaged into the X.28 packet header. Then delivers CONLNK elements to the host
system for dynamic PID definition.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

146

Following are explanations for each input field


The host code is placed here. The default is "X28DEV", which is the test
system in ATL. For production access, change to either "X28PSA" or
Destination
"X28PSB", depending on which mainframe the target host resides. Presently,
these are the only access host codes.
Message Characteristics Character always leave this field in the default value
MCC
of "M".
Determines origin country for the terminal session. Use a valid two-letter ISO
Country
country code. This a mandatory field.
Code
IATA Number Optional; enter an eight-digit IATA number if this location is a travel agency.
TLX Address Optional; input the Teletype/Type B address associated with this location.
Determines origin city for the terminal session. Use a valid three-letter IATA
City
City code. This is a mandatory field.
Primary Airline Code is extracted from the registration key, and cannot be
changed in this step. This must be your Airline Code or your agent sign-in will
PALC
not be accepted.
Secondary Airline Code; also extracted from the registration key, and cannot
SALC
be changed.
Version
Version: For information purposes only. Editing is not possible for this field.
Defines the dimensions of the emulator display. The default is 24 lines by 80
Screen Size columns, which is standard. Unless host requirements are different, it is
recommended to use the default.
Department Use for AIRFARE definition only.
Click on OK when finished, the wizard will return to Step 5.
This concludes the X.28 configuration.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

147

7.3

Appendix C - Slow/No Response Analysis for TCP-IP Liaison

1st step in Isolation process


has Local Airline IT
assessing problem by
performing the following
tests.
Verify that FTP file
transfers are not active
while Slow/No Response
situation is occurring.
Ping Response to
Rendezvous Server from
Local Airline indicates good
network Status.
No response indicates
problem with Airline, SITA
Network, or Rendezvous.
Run TRACRT and include
results in report.
Ping from SITA/Local
should isolate problem in
Airline or SITA Network
Normal .Z transaction
response from DCP
indicates connection to ATL
DCP.
Slow response to .Z
indicates problem between
Airline and DCP
Normal DA transaction
response indicates
connection through to PSA
Host
A consistent good
response to DA transaction
may indicate that a particular
transaction has slow
response based on high
volume transaction.
Slow response to DA
transaction but .Z and
Ping are OK indicates
Compool or similar problem
with Host.

Local/Airline

Local/SITA

Please Note that FTP File Transfers will


degrade Network Response Times. Always
check for active FTP Transfers before beginning
Analysis Procedure

2nd step requires Local


SITA IT to examine Local
Airline ITs responses to
Pings and transactions and
perform isolation analysis as
follows.

SITA NETWORK

RENDEZVOUS
Server
57.5.64.250

RENDEZVOUS
Server
57.5.64.251

DCP

HOST

Airline IT replies with test


results to Local SITA IT

Ping Response to
Rendezvous Server from
Local SITA IT indicates good
SITA network status.
If Local Airline IT reports no
Ping from Rendezvous
server problem is indicated in
Airline Network.
No Ping response from
Rendezvous server indicates
problem in SITA Network or
Rendezvous
Normal .Z transaction
response from DCP indicates
connection to ATL DCP.

Normal DA transaction
response indicates
connection through to PSA
Host
A consistent good
response to DA transaction
may indicate that a particular
transaction has slow
response based on high
usage.
Slow response to DA
transaction but .Z and Ping
are OK indicates Compool
problem or similar problem
with Host.
Local SITA IT reports
findings to Airline IT,
Network, and SITA
HelpDesk

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

148

7.4

Appendix D - EICON Cards and Cables

Please note that the following values are from Eicon Networks Web Pages and as such are subject to change. The
values are intended as a guide for selecting the proper Card and Cable for X.25 installations. Please consult with your
local SITA Account Manager for detailed ordering information.
These are Cards specifically recommended for X.25 connections using Liaison

Interface Cards
Eicon Part Number

Bus Type

Serial
Max. Serial
Interfaces Line Speed

Eicon Cable Required DCE or DTE


Eicon Part Number

EiconCard C20
310-198

ISA 8-bit PnP

V.24

64 Kbps

V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-007


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-022

EiconCard C21
310-150

ISA 8-bit PnP

V.24

64 Kbps

V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-007


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-022

EiconCard C90
310-774

PCI 16-bit PnP

V.24

64 Kbps

V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-007

EiconCard C91
310-176

PCI 16-bit PnP

EiconCard S50
300-138

ISA 8-bit

V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-022 or


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable
(Gender Changed) 300-048
V.24

64 Kbps

V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-007


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-022 or
V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable
(Gender Changed) 300-048

HSI

512 Kbps

V.24 DCE Method 1 HIS/ V.24 DCE Cable 300-026


V.24 DCE Method 2 HSI/V.24 Converter 300-046
Plus Standard V.24 Cable 300-046 300-007
V.24 DTE HIS V.24 DCE Cable300-026
plus HSI Null Modem Conversion Cable 300-033

EiconCard S51
310-117

ISA 8-bit

HSI

512 Kbps

V.24 DCE Method 1 HIS/ V.24 DCE Cable 300-026


V.24 DCE Method 2 HSI/V.24 Converter 300-046
Plus Standard V.24 Cable 300-046 300-007
V.24 DTE HIS V.24 DCE Cable300-026
plus HSI Null Modem Conversion Cable 300-033

EiconCard S52
310-200

ISA 8-bit

2 x HSI

512 Kbps

V.24 DCE Method 1 HIS/ V.24 DCE Cable 300-026


V.24 DCE Method 2 HSI/V.24 Converter 300-046
Plus Standard V.24 Cable 300-046 300-007
V.24 DTE HIS V.24 DCE Cable300-026
plus HSI Null Modem Conversion Cable 300-033

EiconCard S90
310-146

PCI 32-bit

VHSI

2.048Mbps V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-077


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-078

EiconCard S91
310-205

PCI 32-bit

VHSI

2.048Mbps V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-077


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-078

EiconCard S94
310-208

PCI 32-bit

2 x VHSI

2.048Mbps V.24 DCE (V24 Modem Cable) 300-077


V.24 DTE (V24 Null Modem Cable) 300-078

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

149

7.5 Appendix E Windows XP and Liaison


7.5.1

Liaison Installation in Windows XP Environment

Windows XP offers Liaison many opportunities for sharing Personal Computers by several Agents. A few simple steps will
allow the Administrator to install Liaison for all login users. Each individual user will be able to customize their Liaison
settings and Desktop as required or the Administrator will be able to use methods within Liaison and Windows to restrict
configuration changes without the proper password.

First Install Liaison as usual to C:\Program Files\Sita\Liaison or any other folder.


Create an Icon on the desktop in response to the install query.
Run Liaison as Administrator and add the Registration Key.
Add any common sessions such as Printer Pids which will control a message printer.

From the Liaison Commander


Right Click Settings
Left Click Export Registry

Select a Registry name and Click OK. I use the file name Base for example.

The Registry settings are then copied to the Liaison file folder in a file called Base.Reg
That file may be used by any new Login User prior to running Liaison for the first time.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

150

7.5.2 Removing the Default File Sharing Option


Default Windows XP file share settings must be modified to allow for select shares among Liaison users. The following
method changes the default simple file sharing properties.
From the Control Panel select Folder Options

Select the View Tab and scroll to the bottom.

Uncheck Use simple file sharing and Click OK.


You may now use custom XP file sharing. The next section describes how to create the SITA share for Liaison users.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

151

7.5.3 Creating the SITA Share


All login users must have access to the folders containing the Liaison executables and the log file folders used
by Liaison. Using XP standards you must create a share name and set permissions for all users as seen
below.
Use Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\SITA

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

152

Right Click on the Sita folder and select Sharing and Security

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

153

The Sita Properties window appears as follows. Make modifications as shown.

You must then create a share for the SITA directory and all sub-folder including Liaison.
Select Share This Folder, add the Share name and any Comments as per example:

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

154

Click the Security TAB


Scroll to and select Users
Adjust the Permissions for users as seen below allowing for all but Full Control.

Click Apply and then Click OK.


These settings allow for the many trace and log files created at program initialization, as well as PCPCM queue file
message delivery to the PCPCM file folder.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

155

7.5.4 Importing the Base Liaison Registry Settings


All XP Administrator functions are now complete. As each User logs into Windows XP a Liaison Shortcut ICON will
appear on the Desktop. Before running Liaison for the first time as the new user, use Windows explorer and navigate to
the Liaison folder where the Base registry file is located.

Double Click on the Base.Reg file, click Yes in response to the Registry Editor query and the Liaison settings will be
written to the Current Users registry.

Liaison will now be available for that Login user. Repeat the Registry function for all subsequent Login Liaison Users.

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

156

THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK

Liaison Users Guide


Copyright 1998-2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The information contained herein is property of SITA. Legal action will be taken against any infringement.

157

Potrebbero piacerti anche