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[previous article] [next article]THOR is Purdue's on-line library catalog system. It can easily be reached from any ECN terminal, Macintosh or Sun Workstation. This article describes how to access THOR by way of the tn3270 program.
THOR runs on an IBM mainframe and, as you may have noticed while at a Purdue Library, this system uses special terminals unique to the IBM environment. These terminals have several "magic keys" not found on terminals from other manufacturers. In order to use THOR from the ECN, a translator that maps ECN terminal keys to the various IBM "magic keys" is required.
The tn3270 program maps the keys and screen of various ECN terminals and workstation windows into a form that emulates the IBM 3270 series terminals used by THOR. The table below gives a list of the "magic keys" used by THOR and the equivalent key combinations for several of the more popular ECN terminals. If you have some other terminal, try the key combinations for the adm5 terminal.
THOR Function --> Enter Go Back A Screen Terminal type: IBM 3270 enter clear xterm window linefeed cntl-l shelltool window linefeed cntl-l cmdtool window return cntl-z adm5 return ESC cntl-z wyse50 print/send ESC Y
What does, "cntl-l" mean? It means hold down the "Control" key and also press the "l" key. The "Control" key works in a manner similar to a shift key. The combination "ESC cntl-z" means, press and release the "ESC" (Escape) key, then hold down the "Control" key and also press the "z" key.
If you have a Macintosh which is connected to the ECN network, there is a version of tn3270 written to run directly on your Mac. It is available on the "ECN Public" file server. For more information, read the ECN #740 Macintosh Guide that is available at the Armory or the Potter Library. The Mac version of tn3270 includes its own list of keys which map to IBM "magic keys".
OK. You've got the table of "magic keys" handy and you are sitting in front of an ECN terminal ready to use THOR, what next?
First, find out what terminal you are using. You may already know this or you can check by typing "echo $TERM".
Second, start up tn3270, type: "tn3270 lib.cc". You will see some messages as the connection is established and then the THOR screen will appear. At this point you can proceed as outlined in the THOR documents available from the library or as you would when using a THOR terminal at a library location. Keep in mind that you will need to use the correct key combination for your terminal when you want perform to one of the functions listed in the table.
For example, try looking up a book by Arthur C. Clarke. At the opening THOR screen, type in "book" and the key combination for Enter. You will next see one of THOR's search screens. Type in "a=clarke a" and the key combination for Enter. You should now see a list of authors whose last name is "Clarke". Pick number 18 by typing "18" and the key combination for Enter. Now you should see a list of books by Arthur C. Clarke. To look at the entry for Earthlight, type in the number ahead of the entry, "22" and the key combination for Enter. Finally, you should see a screen that includes all the card catalog information on this book.
So, how do you get back out? You use the "Go Back A Screen" key combination. Type that combination in at the final screen you reached in the previous paragraph, and you'll be back at the search screen. Type the "Go Back a Screen" key combination repeatedly to return to the THOR screen. When you get back to the THOR screen you can end your session by typing "quit" followed by the key combination for Enter.
Using the THOR on-line library catalog system from ECN requires the use of a program called "tn3270". Tn3270 emulates an IBM 3270 series terminal by using certain key combinations in place of special IBM "magic keys" only found on IBM terminals. A conversion table, such as the one presented above, is helpful to remember what keys to type on your ECN terminal to perform various functions on THOR.
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