Nortel VT100 User manual

Meridian IVR
VT100 Gateway Development Guide
Publication number: 555-9001-316
Product release: Meridian IVR 2.0/I
Document release: Standard 1.0
Date: February 1996
© 1996 Northern Telecom
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Information is subject to change without notice.Northern Telecom reserves the right to make
changes in design or components as progress in engineering and manufacturing may warrant.
Nortel, Meridian IVR, Meridian Mail, ACCESS, and Meridian 1 are trademarks of Northern
Telecom.VT100, DEC, andVT420 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.HP, LaserJet,
and ThinkJet are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company. X Window System and X are
trademarks of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. NCD is a trademark of Network
Computing Devices Inc.UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.Voicetek and VTK are trademarks
of Voicetek Corporation. Motif is a trademark of Open Software Foundation Inc.Touch tone is a
trademark of Bell Canada. Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation.SCO is a
trademark of The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.

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Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Publication history
February 1996
This document is the first standard issue for Meridian IVR release 2.0/I.

v
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Contents
About this guide ix
Who should use this guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
How to use this guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Additional Nortel manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Conventions used in this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Chapter 1: About the VT100 Gateway 1-1
The VT100 terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
The VT100 Gateway software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Chapter 2: Template files 2-1
Determining the required transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Action templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Action template syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Screen templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Initial-action templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26
Chapter 3: Getting started 3-1
Before using the VT100 Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
screen.conf file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Setting up the trs.conf file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Setting up the vt100.ctl file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Setting up the com.conf file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
A complete sample transaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Initial-action template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Action template performing a transaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

vi Contents
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Chapter 4: IVR 2.0/I call flow interface 4-1
Using the COMI, COMO, and COMA cells to access the host
computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Setting the COMI cell parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
An application using the COMI, COMO, and COMA cells. . . . 4-11
Appendix A: Host error messages A-1
Terminal Resource Server (TRS) Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Glossary Glossary-1
List of figures
Figure 1-1 Terminals connected to a host computer................1-2
Figure 1-2 VT100 application screen sample...........................1-3
Figure 1-3 Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway configuration...1-4
Figure 1-4 TRS communication process..................................1-5
Figure 2-1 Voice response system vs. terminal operator.........2-3
Figure 2-2 Action and screen templates...................................2-4
Figure 2-3 Action template syntax............................................2-6
Figure 2-4 Action template for accounting application..............2-7
Figure 2-5 Reset-action template sequence sample................2-9
Figure 2-6 Reset-action template sample...............................2-10
Figure 2-7 Logout action flow.................................................2-11
Figure 2-8 Logout-action template sample.............................2-12
Figure 2-9 Screen showing fields and the system prompt......2-14
Figure 2-10 Application screen for accounting application.......2-15
Figure 2-11 Screen template syntax.........................................2-16
Figure 2-12 Screen template for accounting application ..........2-17
Figure 2-13 The field-descriptor syntax....................................2-20
Figure 2-14 Key-descriptor line syntax....................................2-23
Figure 2-15 Sleep-descriptor syntax.........................................2-25
Figure 3-1 screen.conf file syntax.............................................3-3
Figure 3-2 screen.conf file........................................................3-4
Figure 3-3 trs.conf file syntax ...................................................3-5
Figure 3-4 Initial-action template..............................................3-6
Figure 3-5 trs.conf file for accounting application.....................3-8
Figure 3-6 vt100.ctl file syntax..................................................3-9
Figure 3-7 vt100.ctl file for accounting application ...................3-9
Figure 3-8 com.conf file..........................................................3-11
Figure 3-9 Initial-action template for accounting application ..3-14

Contents vii
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Figure 3-10 Logout-action template used by the initial-action tem-
plate for accounting application.............................3-16
Figure 3-11 Action template for accounting application............3-18
Figure 3-12 Reset-action template for accounting application .3-19
Figure 3-13 Logout-action template for accounting application 3-20
Figure 4-1 Accessing the mainframe........................................4-1
Figure 4-2 Activating the gateway from a COMI cell................4-2
Figure 4-3 COMI cell parameter window..................................4-3
Figure 4-4 COMO cell parameter window................................4-7
Figure 4-5 COMO cell...............................................................4-9
Figure 4-6 COMA cell in the CLEANUP branch of a START
cell........................................................................4-10
Figure 4-7 IVR 2.0/I application accessing the TRS process from
the COMI, COMO cells .........................................4-12
Figure 4-8 COMI/COMO cell parameters, TRS templates, and
VT100 screens......................................................4-15
List of tables
Table 2-1 Valid field I/O entries.............................................2-22
Table 2-2 Valid key names....................................................2-24
Table 3-1 TRS default communication settings.....................3-10
Table 4-1 Branches of the COMO cell ....................................4-9
Table 4-2 Application cell functions.......................................4-13
List of procedures
Procedure 2-1 Accessing transaction information ........................2-5

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Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
About this guide
Who should use this guide
The Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway Development Guide is intended for
use by Meridian IVR 2.0/I application developers whose voice applications
require VT100 based access to computer resources external to the application
processor. TheVT100 communications board anditssupporting software are
not part of the VT100 Gateway product.
This manual assumes that the user is familiar with the operating
characteristics of the VT100 terminal, and is experienced in creating voice
applications with Meridian IVR 2.0/I. You should also be familiar with the
UNIX operating system and the vi text editor (or another text editor installed
on your application processor).
How to use this guide
This guide contains the following chapters and appendices:
Chapter 1: About the VT100 Gateway
This chapter provides an overview of the VT100 terminal and a description
of the Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway features.
Chapter 2: Template files
This chapter explains how to create the necessary files for sending data to and
receiving data from a remote computer.
Chapter 3: Getting started
This chapter describes the steps you must perform and the additional files you
must create to activate the VT100 Gateway software. This chapter also
includes a sample set of template files.

x About this guide
555-9001-316 Standard 1.0 February 1996
Chapter 4: IVR 2.0/I call flow interface
This chapter explains how to integrate the templates you created in Chapter 3
with your Meridian IVR 2.0/I application call flow.
Appendix A: Host error messages
This appendix lists error messages and provides information on
troubleshooting.
Additional Nortel manuals
You may find the following manuals useful while reading this manual.
Conventions used in this guide
Throughout this guide, several typographic conventions have been used to
highlight certain types of information.
• Itemsthatarepartof the Meridian IVR 2.0/I screens appear in quotes (for
example, “Function Code” in the parameters window).
• Meridian IVR 2.0/I buffer names are shown in all upper case characters
(for example, the CURRENT MESSAGE buffer).
• Items that are file names or messages are shown in bold (for example,
the /u/ivr/vt100/getbalance.act file).
For convenience, this guide uses the keyname <Enter> to represent both the
Enter and Return keys.
Manual NTP Number
Meridian IVR Application Development Guide NTP 555-9001-310
Meridian IVR System Administration Guide NTP 555-9001-300

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Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Chapter 1: About the VT100 Gateway
This chapter provides an introduction to the Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100
Gateway as well as
• background on the VT100 terminal
• descriptions of the Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway software
• a description of the TRS configuration
• a brief glossary of terms used in this guide
The VT100 terminal
The VT100 terminal, developed by the Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC), has become one of the most widely used computer terminals in the
world. This widespread acceptance makes the VT100-style of host
communication a standard for all computer manufacturers. See Figure 1-1.

1-2 About the VT100 Gateway
555-9001-316 Standard 1.0 February 1996
Figure 1-1
Terminals connected to a host computer
The VT100 terminal uses an asynchronous communication protocol to
transmit characters to and from a host computer. The VT100 Gateway
communicates with a host through a serial port and a modem, or through a
serial port and a direct connection. With respect to the VT100 Gateway
product, a host computer is any computer that can accept a VT100 terminal
connection, including mainframes, minicomputers, and workstations.
The standard VT100 terminal has a 24x80 character display, and can be
accessed non-sequentially . This means the terminal can access text anywhere
on the screen. This allows you to delete and insert text, scroll the page, and
move the cursor to any position on the screen. Your ability to access the
VT100 screen non-sequentially depends on the host application you are
using.
Figure 1-2 shows a sample VT100 terminal running a sample host
application. This sample accounting application is used throughout the guide
to illustrate how to develop applications using the VT100 Gateway.
Note: The screens shown in this guide are examples only and are not part of
any real application.
VT100 Terminals
Host

About the VT100 Gateway 1-3
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Figure 1-2
VT100 application screen sample
Anactive host toterminalconnection is calledasession. The VT100Gateway
can execute a series of transactions during a session. A transaction is the
series of steps required to perform a specific function like finding a
customer’s account balance. When one transaction finishes, the session is
available to execute another transaction. The Meridian IVR 2.0/I application
processor, when configured with the VT100 Gateway product, can control
multiple simultaneous sessions with the host computer.
The Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway product allows a Meridian IVR
2.0/I application to establish sessions with a host just as multiple VT100
terminals would. Any programs or commands you can execute from a VT100
terminal, you can execute with Meridian IVR 2.0/I via the VT100 Gateway.
Meridian IVR 2.0/I can store host output in the buffers of an application, then
play the information to a caller.
The application processor physically connects to the host via a modem if the
host is not local, or via a null modem connector if the host resides locally.
ACME Accounting
1. Accounts Receivable
2. Accounts Payable
3. Reports
4. Inventory
5. Exit
Enter menu selection:
vt100

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The VT100 Gateway software
You can install the Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway on Intel’s new
generation 64-bit Pentium
TM
microprocessor. To support the VT100
Gateway, the application processor must
• have an ACCESS link connected to Meridian Mail
• be connected to one or more host computers via an asynchronous
connection
• have enough serial ports to provide enough terminal connections (one
digiBoard with 8 ports per card)
Northern Telecom (Nortel) does not supply the VT100 communication
hardware.Figure 1-3shows thetypicalhardware configurationforprocessing
VT100 terminal sessions.
Figure 1-3
Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway configuration
HOST MIVR
(Application processor) MERIDIAN MAIL
ACCESS Link
Async

About the VT100 Gateway 1-5
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
A Meridian IVR 2.0/I process called the Terminal Resource Server (TRS)
controls all VT100 sessions, as well as manages all host connections. The
TRSruns as a stand-alone process within the MeridianIVR 2.0/Iarchitecture,
and starts when Meridian IVR 2.0/I is started. To use the TRS, place a COMI
cell in the Meridian IVR 2.0/I call flow at the point where you need to
establish a host connection. The COMI cell sends requests for information to
the TRS process, which then passes them on to the host. A COMO cell
retrieves the information sent to the TRS process by the host, and then ends
the transaction. A COMA cell aborts the host transaction in the case of a
hang-up or an error. This process is shown in Figure 1-4.
Figure 1-4
TRS communication process
The TRS process uses template files (described in Chapter 2) to control the
communication process between the Meridian IVR 2.0/I application and the
host computer.
As illustrated in Figure 1-4, the TRS uses the data passed to it by the input
buffer as a signal to establish a terminal session. The TRS then controls the
screen display on the host computer.
1
START
ANSW
GDAT
MENU
COMI
COMO
PDAT
HANG
2
COMI
COMO
PDAT
COMA
Host
Cleanup
Handler
Input
Buffers
Output
Buffers
TRS
process

1-6 About the VT100 Gateway
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ATTENTION!
The TRS process for managing calls is restricted to handling one active
line at a time (single threaded mode).
Therefore, you should add a loop to applications that interact with the
TRS so that customers who call at peak hours are informed on the
status of their call. For example, you can allow callers to hear a
recurring message that an operator will assist them as soon as possible.

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Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Chapter 2: Template files
The TRS process uses action and screen templates to maneuver through the
screens of a host application. These templates exchange information with the
host application screens and transfer information to and from the TRS’s
buffers. Coupled with the VT100 emulation software and hardware, they
provide the host with exactly the same type of input as a terminal operator.
This chapter explains how to:
• Determine the actions a terminal operator performs to enter and retrieve
information
• Create the action and initial action template files that define the sequence
of host application screens for each transaction
• Create the screen template files that define the sequence of fields
encountered on each screen
Note: If you make backups of your template files, do not store them in the
/u/ivr/3270 directory or in any subdirectory under /3270. You should make a
directory at the same hierarchical level or higher as /3270. For example, if
/u/ivr/3270bak is specified, the TRS process searches the /3270 directory and
any subdirectories within it for files with the .act or .scn extensions.
Determining the required transactions
Imagine that you are an operator sitting at a terminal. In order to perform a
specific task, you type information and press function keys until you
accomplishthe desired task. Perhaps a caller asks you tolookupa customer’s
account balance, or enter an order. The series of steps you perform at the
terminal enable the application on the host computer to complete the
transaction.

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To develop a voice application that accesses the same information as a
terminal operator, you need to tell Meridian IVR 2.0/I how to execute the
same series of actions that the terminal operator executes. You provide this
information in ASCII files called template files.
Template files provide the layout and content of each screen in the host
application as the terminal operator sees them. Figure 2-1 compares a
transaction done by a terminal operator to one done by a customer calling into
a voice response system.
Note: The first step performed by the terminal operator is not performed by
the action template. It is performed by the initial-action template (described
later in this chapter). The initial-action template handles the login and moves
the application to the appropriate screen to begin the transaction.

Template files 2-3
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Figure 2-1
Voice response system vs. terminal operator
The TRS requires two types of template files:
• Action templates , which describe the sequence of screens traversed in
order to perform a specific transaction.
• Screen templates , which validate each screen, define the fields on the
screen that require data, and define all keystrokes required for the screen.
Figure 2-2 shows how screen templates relate to action templates.
An operator follows this
sequence to retrieve data:
1. Starts the “accounting”
application.
2. Selects the “Accounts
Receivable” menu option.
3. Asks the caller for account
information.
4. Enters the caller’s account
number.
5. Reports the balance when
the customer’s information
appears on the screen.
A customer follows this sequence
to retrieve data:
1. Calls into the AP, activating a
voice application.
2. When prompted, selects the
Accounts Receivable option from a
menu prompt.
3. Whenprompted,enters account
information. At this point, the appli-
cation sends a request for informa-
tion to TRS.TRS then executes the
action template for this specific
transaction.
4. Hears the playback of
requested information.
5. Hangs up.

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Figure 2-2
Action and screen templates
VT100 based applications often have format inconsistencies that make it
difficult for the TRS to efficiently determine when the host application is
ready for input and what region of the host screen contains vital information.
These inconsistencies are due to the character based nature of the VT100
protocol.
In addition, the VT100 communication protocol has no way of notifying the
TRS that host data transmission has ended. From the terminal operator’s
perspective, it is easy to tell when host transmission ends because the
operator’s requested information appears on the screen. From the TRS’s
perspective, there is nothing inherent in the VT100 protocol to provide
notification of the end of host output. The TRS encounters a stream of data
fromthehost, and from this must determine the identity of each screenas well
as locate the end each screen. To enable the TRS to do this, as well as cope
with screen inconsistencies, you must create a file called screen.conf .
#action-template
action-type
screen1
screen2
screen3
#screen1-template
screen1
field-descriptor1
field-descriptor2
key-descriptor
#screen2-template
screen2
field-descriptor1
field-descriptor2
key-descriptor
#screen3-template
screen3
field-descriptor1
field-descriptor2
key-descriptor

Template files 2-5
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
The action templates, screen templates, and screen.conf file are ASCII text
filesthat use a simple syntax to define thescreenflowand input/output fields.
The sections that follow provide a detailed explanation of the templates, as
well as the information necessary to create the screen.conf file.
Action templates
A VT100 transaction typically moves through several screens until it locates
specific information. The screens may be a series of commands issued at the
operating system prompt, or they may be screens within an application
running on the host computer. Whenever Meridian IVR 2.0/I references an
action template, the VT100 Gateway executes the screen templates listed in
the action template, moving through the application just as a terminal
operator would. An action template must specify the same sequence of
screens that the terminal operator traverses.
A separate action template defines each transaction. In the example shown in
Figure 2-1, if you want to select a menu option other than “Accounts
Receivable,” you would define another action template.
Action templates describe the flow of the screens that comprise a particular
transaction. For example, if you want a transaction to access billing
informationforaspecificclient,asaterminaloperatoryouwouldperform the
following steps:
Procedure 2-1
Accessing transaction information
1 Log on to the computer.
2 Start the “acct” application.
3 Select the “Accounts Receivable” menu.
4 When prompted, enter the client’s account number and press the
Return key. A screen would appear displaying the client’s billing
information.
5 Read the account information on the screen.
In a Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 transaction, an initial-action template
performs steps 1 and 2. The initial-action template automatically executes
when the TRS process starts (initial-action templates are described later in
this chapter.). An action template created to execute this transaction would
perform steps 3 through 5.

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Action template syntax
An action template is an ASCII file created with a text editor. The action
template files you create must reside in the /u/ivr/3270 directory or in a
subdirectory below /u/ivr/3270. They must also have the file name extension
.act. For example, if you created an action template called getbalance.act , it
would have this path:
u/ivr/3270/getbalance.act
The syntax of an action template is shown in Figure 2-3.
Figure 2-3
Action template syntax
The lines depicted as • represent additional screen templates used in the
transaction. Each screen template corresponds to a specific host application
screen which appears on the terminal during a session. Screen templates are
listed in the action template in the same order as they appear during the actual
terminal session. (Screen templates are discussed later in this chapter). The
example in Figure 2-4 illustrates an action template file which describes a
transaction for retrieving account information. This sample application is
used as a development example throughout this guide.
#comment
action-name app-name reset-action logout-action <manual mode>
screen-template
screen-template
•
•
•

Template files 2-7
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
Figure 2-4
Action template for accounting application
In Figure 2-4, action-name is getbalance , the name of the action template file
without the .act extension. The app-name is accounting . The reset-action
is reset_cust (file name reset_cust.act ), and the logout-action is logout_cust
(file name logout_cust.act ). Manual mode is omitted because manual mode
is not required for this transaction (a description of manual mode follows).
The remaining lines identify the sequence of screens ( accrec , acctno , and
customer) the TRS must traverse to retrieve the customer billing
information. These screens are listed in the order that they must be accessed.
An explanation of each entry in the action template syntax follows.
#comment
The first line of the template in Figure 2-3 is a comment. The comment line
is not required but is recommended to describe the purpose of the action
template.
#Example action template file: filename is getbalance.act
getbalance accounting reset_cust logout_cust
#acctrec chooses the balance option from the main menu
acctrec
#acctno specifies the account number for the customer
acctno
#customer displays the customer’s account balance
customer