This project is to convert an existing Procomm Plus Aspect script application to VB6 or other easily compiled stand-alone code. The existing script is less than 2,000 lines of code and has been attached as three separate files (the *.was and *.inc files) which can be easily read with any text editor. In addition, a flow chart has been attached to show the application logic and how the three files relate. The script drives a terminal emulation program (Procomm Plus) to emulate a user interacting with a remote server via a modem connection. Arguments are passed to this script from an Access/VB6 application and the results of the script is the download and storage of a *.txt file for subsequent processing by the Access/VB6 application. The scripts use very basic modem control commands to dial up a remote server's modem. Once connected, the script does nothing more than respond to prompts from the remote server. The script walks through a series of prompts that ultimately direct the remote system to send system configuration information that is then written to local text files. As the flow chart shows, the script is divided up into three pieces: ALIPro.was, SWAccess.inc, DLNortel.inc. ALIPro.was simply assigns variables to the calling application's arguments and sets up Procomm Plus to transmit and receive data via a modem. The SwAccess.inc code is designed specifically to log into a Nortel PBX (the remote server) via various security or access appliances (some of which have not been used in years). The DLNortel.inc (Download Nortel) code is written specifically to download configuration information about various services provided by the PBX. Each of these downloads are accessed via various program calls within the PBX called Loads; hence LD 20, LD 21, LD 23. Each of these Loads prompts the user (this application) with a specific pneumonic to which the user must respond. This dialog continues to the point when the script opens a local capture file. The next response sent to the PBX results in a stream of configuration information that is then written (or “captured”) in local text files. The data in the captured streaming data that is written to local text files are not used by the script itself. Throughout this process, there are no manual interactions required. The application will need to be able to run on both an XP SP3 and an MS 2003 Server. Due to the current nature of the PBX systems with which this program interacts, the communication must still be managed via serial modems. In some instances the application may be able to connect via a URL but that is not universal and can be managed as a separate project upgrade sometime in the future. Unfortunately, unless you have a test environment that can mimic the PBX prompts, all testing will have to be done locally by LCSI administrators. We can only test on a production system at this time which requires much coordination with our client. However, LCSI staff can provide quick turn-around testing in the final stages of this work effort. The deadline for this project is relatively soft. We would like the work done by December 20th; however, the end of the year or January would not be a major problem since we have a lot of other work to do to manage the entire application upgrade.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 6:56 pm and is filed under .NET, Programming, Projects, Visual Basic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.