Key Concepts

Running Setup directly

When users run Setup directly, they can select which features to install, specify the program installation location, and set data folder locations.

Use the Features tab to select which features to install. The features available to you depend on your InfoConnect Product. See Feature Selection for a list of which features are available.

Use the Data Location tab to configure where InfoConnect stores data. See Data Location.

Using the Setup program’s administrative features

Using the Advanced tab you can create an administrative installation image on a network server. This network location can be used by deployment tools to access and create packages that are deployed to workstations. See Choose the type of Installation. You can also use this tab to set logging options. See Set logging options.

Launching Setup.exe in admin mode starts the Installation Customization Tool, a powerful tool from customizing your installations. See The Installation Customization Tool and Deploy using the Setup Program.

Running Setup from the command line

You can use the Setup program command line to install InfoConnect from the distribution image, or from an administrative installation image. You can also include command-line options in a batch file to preset installation parameters, and limit user interaction while InfoConnect is installing. You can suppress installation dialog boxes to provide an unattended installation. See Deploy using the Setup command line.

Paths

Information required for connecting to ALC, UTS, and T27 hosts is configured in paths, which are saved in the InfoConnect database. You can include a customized database as part of your installation. See Paths.

Session documents and customization files

By default, InfoConnect saves basic terminal session configuration in a session document, which includes connection and terminal settings. Additional customizations are saved by default to separate customization files that can be associated with one or more terminal sessions. These customization files include theme files (for customizing color and font), keyboard maps, mouse maps, hotspots, customized ribbons, and QuickPads. For information about customizing InfoConnect, see Session Documents. For a complete list of files used by InfoConnect, see Files Used by InfoConnect.

Compound session documents

You can create a compound session document that includes all the settings in any associated theme, keyboard map, mouse map, hotspot, ribbon, or QuickPad file. This option enables you to deploy session files with all required customizations included in a single file. See Compound Documents.

Templates

Templates provide default configurations for connecting to specified file types. InfoConnect Desktop ships with default templates for each of the supported session types included with your product. You can also create and deploy custom templates designed to meet the needs of your users. See Session Templates.

Workspace settings

Workspace settings affect all terminal sessions. Configure these from the Workspace Settings dialog box and deploy them using a custom Application.settings file. See Workspace Settings.

Layouts

Layouts are saved Workspace arrangements. You can open and arrange multiple host sessions, then save your configuration as a layout. When you open the layout, all of the sessions in the layout open in the arranged configuration. You can include custom layout files (*.rwsp) as part of your deployment.

Encrypted connections

InfoConnect sessions support a number of encryption options, including SSL/TLS, SSH, and Kerberos. To see which options are available with each connection type, see Secure Connections.

Reflection Certificate Manager

InfoConnect includes the Reflection Certificate Manager, which you can use to manage PKI certificates for use by InfoConnect sessions. See Digital Certificates and Reflection Certificate Manager.

Deploying PKI and SSH settings

If you configure certificate authentication using the Reflection Certificate Manager, settings are saved to a .pki folder in the user folder. If you configure non-default Secure Shell connections, settings are saved to a .ssh folder in the user data folder. These settings are not included in compound documents.

Trusted locations

A trusted location is a directory that is designated as a secure source for opening files. By default, InfoConnect allows users to open documents only in directories specified as trusted locations. Settings to modify these defaults are available from the Workspace Settings dialog box. See Configure Trusted Locations.

Information Privacy

Information Privacy features allow you to configure Reflection so that the sensitive data is not displayed on the screen or in productivity features, such as Screen History. It also allows you to require secure connections. See Configure Information Privacy.

API and Macro Security

Settings limiting API and macro functionality are available from the Workspace Settings dialog box. See Configure API and Macro Security.

Working with the Installation Customization Tool

To run the Installation Customization Tool, create an administrative installation point, then run setup from the command line using this syntax setup.exe /admin. You’ll be prompted to choose which mode you want to run in. Detailed help is available from the tool for each panel. For more information about setting up your administrative workstation to work with this tool, see Setup for Customized Deployments Using the Installation Customization Tool.

Setup customization files (transforms)

To create a transform file, choose Create a new Setup customization when you launch the Installation Customization Tool. Use this option to select which features to install, to customize start menu shortcuts, and to configure programs to run automatically before or after Setup.exe. See Create Setup Customization Files (Transforms).

Companion installers

To create a companion installer, choose Create a new Companion installer. when you launch the Installation Customization Tool. Use this option to install additional files. You can specify where to install the files (for individual users or all users) and configure shortcuts to launch files. You can use the Modify user settings option to launch InfoConnect on your administrative workstation, create custom files, and include them in your companion file. This approach automatically installs the files to the correct location. See Use Companion Packages to Install Customized Settings.

You can deploy companion installers to users by using the Installation Customization Tool to configure the Setup program to run these programs automatically before or after the InfoConnect install. See Create a Chain Installation to Run Additional Programs

If you have set up a centralized management server, you can use it to deploy companion installers. See Deploy MSI Packages from the Centralized Management Server.

Centralized session management

Create and manage InfoConnect sessions using the Administrative WebStation. Sessions that you create this way are saved to the server and can be made available to users from the server. When you manage sessions this way, you can limit session access to specific users or groups using a directory server (LDAP/Active Directory). See Create Sessions using the Administrative WebStation and Deploy Sessions Saved to the Management Server.

Security Proxy

The Security Proxy acts as a proxy for terminal sessions and provides token-based access control, routing encrypted network traffic to and from user workstations. The Security Proxy enables you to create SSL/TLS encrypted sessions even if your host is not configured with an SSL/TLS server. See Connect to Hosts using the Security Proxy Add-On.

ID Management

Use the Terminal ID Manager to configure and monitor a pool of resource IDs that can be used to establish a host session. This eliminates the need to configure a terminal ID (GPID or LU) for each and every client. See Configure Sessions to use ID Manager to Assign Terminal IDs.

Deploy companion packages to users or groups

Use the Package Manager to upload companion install packages (*.msi) to the centralized management server for deployment to specified users or groups. For example, use these packages to install customized sessions and Workspace settings. Packages assigned to a user are automatically deployed to a user's desktop when the user logs on to a centralized management server or starts an InfoConnect Workspace session with Centralized Management enabled. See Deploy MSI Packages from the Centralized Management Server.

Usage metering

Use the Metering Server to track InfoConnect sessions and determine how many client workstations use the product. Metering can also be used to limit the number of concurrent users that can access a host at any given time. See Enable Usage Metering.