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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 a
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iii Publication history February 1996 This document is the first standard issue for Meridian IVR release 2.0/I. Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
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v 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 . . . . . . . . . .
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vi Contents 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 Glossar
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Contents vii 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 ..........
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ix 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. The VT100 communications board and its supporting software are not part of the VT100 Gateway product. This manual assumes that the user is familiar with the operating characteristics of the VT100
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x About this guide 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. Manual NTP Number Meridian IVR Application Development Guide NTP 555-9001-310
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1-1 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
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1-2 About the VT100 Gateway Figure 1-1 Terminals connected to a host computer VT100 Terminals Host 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,
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About the VT100 Gateway 1-3 Figure 1-2 VT100 application screen sample ACME Accounting 1. Accounts Receivable 2. Accounts Payable 3. Reports 4. Inventory 5. Exit Enter menu selection: vt100 An active host to terminal connection is called a session. The VT100 Gateway 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
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1-4 About the VT100 Gateway The VT100 Gateway software You can install the Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 Gateway on Intel’s new TM generation 64-bit Pentium 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)
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About the VT100 Gateway 1-5 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 TRS runs as a stand-alone process within the Meridian IVR 2.0/I architecture, 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 pr
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1-6 About the VT100 Gateway 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. 555-9001-316 Standard 1.0 February 1996
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2-1 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 perfo
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2-2 Template files 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 b
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Template files 2-3 Figure 2-1 Voice response system vs. terminal operator A customer follows this sequence An operator follows this to retrieve data: sequence to retrieve data: 1. Calls into the AP, activating a 1. Starts the “accounting” voice application. application. 2. When prompted, selects the 2. Selects the “Accounts Accounts Receivable option from a Receivable” menu option. menu prompt. 3. Asks the caller for account 3. When prompted, enters account information. infor
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2-4 Template files Figure 2-2 Action and screen templates #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 VT100 based applications often have format inconsistencies that make it difficult for the TRS to efficiently determine when the host application is
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Template files 2-5 The action templates, screen templates, and screen.conf file are ASCII text files that use a simple syntax to define the screen flow and 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 comman
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2-6 Template files 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
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Template files 2-7 Figure 2-4 Action template for accounting application #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 In Figure 2-4, action-name is getbalance, the name of the action template file without th
