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Connecting to STN Via A Gateway Or Firewall Using 'Watch Me' In STN Express 6.0 For Windows

Assumptions

• You have an STN loginid and your STN account is administered by STN Columbus.  (The setup procedure for other STN service centers is very similar, but this example uses STN Columbus.)
• Your firewall/gateway is configured to allow you to communicate over the the Internet via the telnet protocol.

Use this technique when your PC is not connected transparently to the Internet but your PC can connect to another computer that is connected to the Internet.  This other computer might be known as a gateway or firewall.  For example, one way to reach STN through the Internet might be to logon to the computer named 'guardian' and then use the telnet command to connect to STN as shown in the following transcript:

     UNIX(r) System V Release 4.0 (guardian)
     login: abc
     Password:*****
     Last login: Fri Mar  9 08:02:21 from ion7
     $ telnet stnc.cas.org
     Trying 134.243.5.32...
     Connected to stnc.cas.org.
     Escape character is '^]'.
     ^M
     Welcome to STN International!  Enter x:

In this situation, the gateway acts as an intermediary between STN Express and STN.

Before setting-up STN Express to connect through a gateway, you will need to know details about the gateway.  These details will depend on your particular gateway.  In this example, the details are found in the transcript shown above.  You'll need to know:

• The name or address of your gateway computer (guardian)
• How to log on to the gateway.  You may need to know
  • Your gateway logonid, if needed (abc)
  • Your password, if needed (shown as asterisks)
• The gateway command that lets you connect to another computer.  In the example above, the command is telnet.  Another common command is c.  (If you do not know what command to use, contact your help desk or network administrator.)

There are two major steps to creating a setup using Watch Me.  First, STN Express must be configured to use Watch Me.  Second, you must establish a connection to STN while STN Express watches and records what you do.  The following instructions will guide you through the process.

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Create a logon setup.

Step A

 

1. To create a setup, start STN Express and click the Setup (key) icon on the main STN Express toolbar.  If you are asked whether you want to use the STN Setup Wizard, click No.  The STN Setup dialog box opens.

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Step B

 

1. The names of logon setups that you have already created, if any, are listed under Setup Names.
2. Click New to begin creating a new setup.

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Step C

 

1. Choose a name for the setup.  If you plan to use STN Express to reach different online hosts, choose a name that will help you remember the purpose of the setup.
2. Type your STN login ID and password.  These are optional; if you do not save them in the setup, STN Express will ask for them when you log in.  The password is encrypted when saved.
3. In the Connect via field, click on the down arrow, scroll down to the bottom of the list, and select the Winsock option.
4. WINSOCK will automatically appear in the Standard field under Logon method.
5. Key in host name or IP address of your firewall/gateway in the appropriate field under Communication Settings.
6. Choose the Custom radio button under Logon Method.
7. Click the Configure... button under Logon Method.

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Step D

 

1. Click the Watch Me button.
2. watchme.sc appears in the Selected scripts list.
3. Click OK to return to the Setup screen.

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Step E

 

If you have a loginid in the CAS academic program, follow these instructions to change the STN port letter.  Then use your web browser's Back button to return here.

1. Click OK to close the setup.

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Step F

1. The name of the new setup appears in the list.
2. Click Save.
3. Click OK.

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Make the connection while STN Express watches.

Step G

 

1. To log on, click the Logon (phone) icon.

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Step H

 

1. Click the logon method of choice; in this case, click STN through gateway once to highlight it.  (If you have just one logon setup, this dialog box is not displayed.)
2. Click the OK button.

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Step I

STN Express will now record all interaction between you and your firewall/gateway in a script file to be named by you.

1. The script will be saved in the Uscripts folder inside the STN Express installation folder.
2. Enter a file name in the File name box. A .sc extension is added if you do not type it..
3. Click Open.

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Step J

1. Respond appropriately to your firewall/gateway prompts for a login ID and password if required.  NOTE: The password that is supplied and recorded in the script is NOT encrypted.
2. At the appropriate gateway prompt, enter the command necessary to telnet to STN followed by STN's telnet address.  In this case, we used the telnet command.  In some cases, the command may be c.
3. Once you receive confirmation that you have successfully connected to STN, hit the carriage return key.
4. After you see the "Welcome To STN International! Enter x:" prompt,
5. ... click the Stop button in the Watch Me window.

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Step K

 

1. STN Express will complete the logon process by executing the remainder of the logon script.  STN Express will automatically respond with the appropriate STN port letter, your STN loginid, STN password (not displayed on the screen), and the correct terminal type.
2. STN News headers will be displayed (omitted from this example).
3. You are placed in your default file, usually HOME, and
4. the STN arrow prompt (=>) is displayed.

The next time you log in to STN using the setup you just created, STN Express will automatically log you on to the gateway, make the connection to STN, and log you on to STN.

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What if the new setup doesn't make the connection?

• Do you see any error messages from your PC, from the gateway, or from STN that point to a problem?
• Can you connect to the gateway computer?  If not, then the problem is likely in your PC, the gateway, or the network between them.  Verify the name of the gateway computer in your setup.  Try to connect to the gateway without using STN Express.
• Does the gateway computer connect to STN?  If not, then something about the gateway prevents the connection.  Even if STN is down, you should still be able to connect to stnc.cas.org.

If you have any questions about Watch Me, contact CAS Customer Care.