Home > IT Answers > AS/400 > Log AS/400 user key strokes
zbbwoc
95 pts.
 Log AS/400 user key strokes
AS/400, Keystroke logger, User monitoring
I need a way to log the key strokes of an AS/400 user (on green screen). I want to know everything entered, including menu option numbers entered on

Software/Hardware used:
ASKED: December 17, 2007  5:45 PM
UPDATED: December 19, 2007  3:17 PM
RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer Wiki:
There are intrusive ways (that is, the operator knows this copying is being done) to do this with standard commands such as STRCPYSCN. You are able to see keystrokes that modified the display when a function key was used that returns modified data, but not what function key might have been used. You may want to look at the help text for STRCPYSCN and give it a few tests. As a software provider, I also have a non-intrusive (the user doesn't know) utility that can capture every screen going out, every keystroke that modified the display when a function key was used that returns modified data, and what function key (F3, F12, Enter, Page Down, etc) was used. This utility can be customized to your specific needs. Neither approach will detect keystrokes such as entering an "a", and then backspacing and replacing the "a" with a "b". You would only see the "b". Bruce Vining Bruce Vining Services
Last Wiki Answer Submitted:  December 17, 2007  10:48 pm  by  bvining   6,055 pts.
All Answer Wiki Contributors:  bvining   6,055 pts.
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.


RSS - Discussions Help
Discuss This Question:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

Thanks for your comments. I am familiar with the STRCPYSCN, and you are right, I don’t want an intrusive method. I may take a look and see if I can somehow use it to get to my ultimate goal. Did you write the utility you referenced in your answer? Is it available? It is not necessary to track the key strokes with the back space. I just need a log (file) to know what exactly is being done, for documentation and trouble shooting reference purposes.

I checked your profile, seems we have been in the mid-range business for a quite a while (I started with the mid-range systems in 1975). I’ll have to check my notes of when I did my residency @ITSO to see if I met you when I was writing the Parallel Query Processing book in 1996. Small world isn’t it!

Lynda Bovinette

zbbwoc
 95 pts.
 

Hi, Lynda

Yes, I have written the utility I referenced in my previous answer. One of my customers wanted to replace operator keystrokes for a transaction with a program to simulate the operator actions. The program essentially allows one to automate any operator actions so long as there are a well defined set of rules on what an operator is to do on any given green screen panel. As part of developing this offering I found it handy to log all incoming and outgoing 5250 data streams and also to log the screen images (where these images are similiar to the file output of STRCPYSCN) after processing the 5250 data streams.

I could customize this logging to meet your specific needs. If you would like to discuss this, my email is bvining@brucevining.com

We may very well have met when you were doing your residency. I do not recall off hand, but at that time my office was in Building 15-3. The same floor as many of the database developers you might have worked with.

Bruce Vining

bvining
 6,055 pts.