5250 Connection Types

Owned by David Russo
Last updated: Aug 16, 2023 by Jessica Tomkins
2 min read



Genie has two different methods for running 5250 sessions. The type of connection used is specified in the Administrator.

Virtual Terminal

The is the default and typically recommended session type. In this case, Genie will use the system's Virtual Terminal API for managing sessions, which allows for certain capabilities which are not available under the WebFacing Server connection:

  • Users can specify the virtual workstation device name.

  • Client IP address (reported by Apache server's REMOTE_USER environment variable) will be assigned to the virtual workstation device and can be retrieved with QDCRDEVD API.

  • Automated sign on is supported.

This connection type is required if running Genie sessions in Atrium, as the WebFacing Server connection does not allow for automated sign on. No special configuration is required for Virtual Terminal connections. Virtual Terminal sessions will use the system's interactive processing.

When using the Virtual Terminal, it is not important whether the system is setup to automatically configure virtual devices or not. See here for how to request a specific device name.

WebFacing Server

This connection type creates sessions which do not use the system's interactive processing by using the system's WebFacing Server. This can result in better performance on system's with limited interactive CPW. However, the connection type is lacking features described above due to limitations in IBM's 5250 interface for the WebFacing Server.

In order to use this connection type, the WebFacing Server must be started on the system. The server can be started/ended manually with the following commands.

To start:

STRTCPSVR SERVER(*WEBFACING)



To end:

ENDTCPSVR SERVER(*WEBFACING)



However, it is recommended to have the system automatically start the server along with TCP/IP. This can be configured in System i Navigator under Network->Servers->TCP/IP->WebFacing. The option is under the WebFacing Server's context menu option "Properties".

When using WebFacing server connections, the system should be set up to automatically configure virtual devices. Device names will start with 'QQF'. 

IMPORTANT: When using WebFacing server connections, it's critical that system value QMAXSGNACN be set to '2'. If the device gets disabled from invalid sign on attempts, the WebFacing Server will become unresponsive for all users and will not function properly again until restarted.