Signing On to the Server

The SAS Metadata Repository is a collection of files that store metadata about SAS applications that execute in a SAS Intelligence Platform environment. In this context, SAS/CONNECT sign-on properties might already be stored as metadata in a metadata repository. Accessing a metadata server, you can continue to execute SAS/CONNECT applications in the traditional interactive and batch execution modes, but with the convenient access to configured sign-on properties. This access means that you do not need to specify SAS options for sign-on in your code. For details about the SAS Intelligence Platform, see SAS Intelligence Platform: Overview.

Your client computer must be able to access the SAS Metadata Server in order to sign on to a SAS/CONNECT server that has been defined in the SAS Metadata Repository. You can access the SAS Metadata Server by specifying certain SAS system options. Here is an example:

options metaserver="max.apex.na.com"
metaport=8561
metaprotocol="bridge"
metauser="domain\joe"
metapass="*******";

In this example, a user submits the appropriate credentials to access the SAS Metadata Server, which runs on the computer max.apex.na.com.The bridge network protocol is used to communicate with the SAS Metadata Server via port 8561. For details about these system options, see SAS Language Interfaces to Metadata.

After you access the SAS Metadata Server, you can sign on to the SAS/CONNECT server component of the SAS Application Server. In the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, the metadata for a SAS Application Server specifies one or more server components that provide SAS services to a client. You must know the name of the SAS Application Server.

Before sign-on, you can see a list of the configured sign-on properties for the SAS Application Server. In this example, the name of the SAS Application Server is SASMain.

options metaserver="max.apex.na.com"
metaport=8561
metauser="domain\joe"
metapass="*******"
metaprotocol="bridge";
signon serverv="SASMain";

For details about SAS system options METASERVER, METAPORT, METAUSER, METAPASS, METAPROTOCOL, see SAS Language Interfaces to Metadata and SAS System Options: Reference.

The SERVERV= option in the SIGNON statement displays the properties of the SAS/CONNECT server component of the SAS Application Server, which is defined in the SAS Metadata Repository.

Here is an excerpt of the output that is sent to the SAS Log:

1    options metaserver="max.apex.na.com"; 
2    signon serverv="SASMain"; 
NOTE: Server=                SASMain - Connect Server 
      Remote Session ID=     remhost
      ServerComponentID=     A5SXFC1R.AU000002  
      Remote Host=           max.apex.na.com 
      Communication Protocol=TCP 
      Port=                  7551 
      AuthDomain= DefaultAuth 
      Wait= Yes 
      SignonWait= Yes 
      Status= Yes 
      Notify= No

The output includes properties that control server sign-on and server session execution. These connection properties are saved and stored in the metadata repository via SAS Management Console. For details, see the SAS Management Console: Guide to Users and Permissions or the online Help that is accessible from SAS Management Console.

After you view the sign-on properties, you can sign on to the server session. Here is an example:

signon server="SASMain";

A sign-on to the SAS Application Server that is named SASMain implies a SAS/CONNECT server sign-on.

If your client computer is equipped with SMP, and if you want to run one or more server sessions on your computer, perform these tasks:

TCP/IP is used on SMP computers for OpenVMS, UNIX, and Windows. XMS is used on SMP computers for z/OS only.

You can specify the server session in an OPTIONS statement:

OPTIONS PROCESS=session-ID;

You can also specify the server session in the SIGNON statement or command:

SIGNON session-ID;

session-ID must be a valid SAS name that is 1 to 8 characters in length. It is the name that you assign to the server session on the same multiprocessor computer.

For details about the SIGNON= statement, see Syntax for the SIGNON and the SIGNOFF Statements and Commands.

Use the SASCMD option to specify the SAS command and any additional options that you want to use to start SAS in a server session on the same multi-processor computer.

The SASCMD option can be specified in an OPTIONS statement:

OPTIONS SASCMD="SAS-command" | "!SASCMD" | "!sascmdv" | "host-command-file";

This option can also be specified directly in the SIGNON statement or command:

UNIX Example:

SIGNON name SASCMD="!SASCMD -memsize 64M -nonumber";

z/OS Example:

options sascmd=":memsize=64M nonumber";

The -DMR option is automatically appended to the command. If !SASCMD or !SASCMDV is specified, SAS/CONNECT starts SAS on the server by using the same command that was used to start SAS for the current client session.

For details, see SASCMD= System Option , and Syntax for the SIGNON and the SIGNOFF Statements and Commands.

Example 1:

In the following example, TCP is the access method, SAS1 is the name of the server session, and SAS_START is the command that starts SAS on the same multi-processor computer.

options comamid=tcp;
signon sas1 sascmd='sas_start';

Example 2:

In the following example, OPTIONS statements set the values for the COMAMID= , SASCMD=, and PROCESS= options. The SASCMD= option identifies SAS_START as the command that starts SAS. The PROCESS= option identifies the server session on the same multi-processor computer. Because the SASCMD= and the PROCESS= options are defined, only a simple SIGNON statement is needed.

options comamid=tcp sascmd="sas_start";options process=sas1;signon;

Before you can access the spawner, the spawner program must be running on the server. For details, see Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE.

The name of the server can be specified by using an OPTIONS statement:

OPTIONS REMOTE=node-name[.service-name | .port-number];

The name can also be specified by using the SIGNON statement or command:

SIGNON node-name[.service-name | .port-number];

node-name is based on the server that you are connecting to. node-name must be a valid SAS name that is 1 to 8 characters in length and is one of the following:

For UNIX and OpenVMS only:

The process for evaluating node–name follows:

You specify service-name when connecting to a server that runs a spawner program that is listening on a port other than the Telnet port. If the spawner was started by using the -SERVICE spawner option, you must specify an explicit service-name. The value of service-name and the value of the -SERVICE spawner option must be identical. Alternatively, you can specify the explicit port number that is associated with service-name.

Example 1:

REMHOST is the name of the node on which the spawner runs, and PORT1 is the name of the service that is defined in the client session. The client service PORT1 must be assigned to the same port that the spawner is listening on.

signon remhost.port1;

Example 2:

In the following example, the macro variable REMHOST is assigned to the fully qualified name of the computer on which the server runs. This server has a spawner running that is listening on port 5050. The server session that is specified in the SIGNON statement uses the node name REMHOST and the service name 5050, which is the explicit port value.

%let remhost=pc.rem.us.com;signon remhost.5050;

You can also assign a specific port number by including the port number in the definition of the macro variable:

%let remhost=pc.rem.us.com 5050;signon remhost;

You can use a sign-on script to sign on to the spawner, or you can sign on to a spawner without a script. If you do not use a sign-on script and if the spawner is running secured, you must supply a user ID and password to sign on to the spawner.

If you are signing on by using a script, you must specify the script that you want to use. The script file is executed by the SIGNON statement or command. By default, the script prompts for user ID and password.

To use one of the sample script files that are provided with SAS/CONNECT for signing on and signing off, assign the fileref RLINK to the appropriate script file. As an alternative, you can specify the CSCRIPT= option in the SIGNON statement. The script is based on the server that you are connecting to. The location of the sample scripts varies according to operating environment. For default locations, see Using a Script to Start and Stop SAS/CONNECT.

To specify a script, use the FILENAME statement.

UNIX Example:

FILENAME RLINK '!sasroot/misc/connect/script-name';

script-name specifies the appropriate script file for the server.

The following table lists the scripts that are supplied in SAS software:

If you sign on to the spawner without using a script and the spawner is running secured, you must specify a user ID and a password in the SIGNON statement.

SIGNON USER=user-ID | _PROMPT_ [ PASSWORD=password | _PROMPT_ ];

For details, see SIGNON Statement and Command.

A client connects to a UNIX server by using a spawner and without a script. In the SIGNON statement, RMTHOST.SPAWNER specifies the node RMTHOST and the service SPAWNER. This server specification presumes that a spawner is running on the node RMTHOST, and that the spawner was started by using the service SPAWNER. Specifying USER=_PROMPT_ causes a dialog box to appear so that a user ID and a password can be provided.

Example:

options comamid=tcp;
signon rmthost.spawner user=_prompt_;

A password expiration policy is usually established by the system administrator of the z/OS operating environment. During sign-on, a message is displayed to alert you to the need to change an expired password:

Password expired/invalid, enter new password:

You can enter a new password during sign-on only if you are using a script file for sign-on.

For details about tasks for a client sign-on to a z/OS server session using a spawner, see Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE.

The name of the server can be specified in an OPTIONS statement:

OPTIONS REMOTE=node-name;

The name can also be specified directly in the SIGNON statement or command:

SIGNON node-name;

When signing on by using the Telnet daemon, specify a sign-on script. The script file is executed by the SIGNON statement or command. By default, the script prompts for user ID and password. For details, see SIGNON Statement and Command .

You specify the statements in a client session that runs under UNIX to use the TCP/IP access method to connect to a z/OS server. The FILENAME statement identifies the script file that you use to sign on to a server. The script file contains a prompt for a user ID and a password that are valid on the server. The COMAMID= option specifies the TCP/IP communications access method for connecting to the server RMTNODE, which is specified in the REMOTE= option.

UNIX example:

filename rlink '!sasroot/misc/connect/tcptso.scr';
options comamid=tcp remote=rmtnode;
signon;