How can I distribute a Glink configuration from a MDM
Glink has many configuration parameters that are available through the Settings screens in Glink.
A Glink configuration can be prepared and tested on one device, then exported from this device and imported by Glink on other devices. If your MDM does not allow you to distribute the exported Glink configuration file as it is, it will probably allow you to distribute Glink parameters to a managed Enterprise version of Glink, either using a menu to set the Glink parameters or by importing a JSON formatted configuration file containing the Glink parameters. Either way, you will find the parameters in the exported Glink configuration file very useful when setting up such a configuration. Make a note of which parameters you have set/changed, because these are the parameters you must configure and distribute from your MDM. It is not necessary to distribute default parameter values.
Below you will find some examples on how you can distribute a Glink configuration file.
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Auto import from file location on Android device
Some MDM servers can distribute files to the MDM controlled Android devices. You can use this feature to distribute exported Glink configuration files to the devices. Glink for Android will check the following path for a new Glink configuration file at start-up and when the user enters the Sessions menu:
/SD Card/.GlinkXX/import/config.glinki
(Where XX is either VT,5250, 3270 or omitted for the full version)
The "SD Card" folder (sometimes also referred as Phone Storage or Internal Storage) is often addressed like "/storage/emulated/0". For example:
/storage/emulated/0/.GlinkVT/import/config.glinki
/storage/emulated/0/.Glink5250/import/config.glinki
/storage/emulated/0/.Glink3270/import/config.glinki
/storage/emulated/0/.Glink/import/config.glinki
If/when Glink finds a config.glinki file in the import folder, the file will be imported and renamed to config-nn.glinki in the import folder. This is to make sure it is only imported once. nn is the next available number. The current configuration will be overwritten by the imported configuration file and lost.
If you have many devices and have received a Glink license file (licenses.glinki) from G&R, you can also use the auto-import feature in Glink to distribute the license file to your devices. Set up your MDM to distribute the Glink license file to:
/SD Card/.GlinkXX/import/licenses.glinki
(Where XX is either VT,5250, 3270 or omitted for the full version)
SOTI and AirWatch are examples of MDMs that allow you to distribute Glink configuration and license files this way.
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Download the Glink configuration from a web server
The managed Enterprise versions of Glink (Glink VT/5250/3270 Enterprise for Android) can be configured directly from the MDM if the MDM supports managed app configuration. The MDM either use a menu to set the Glink parameters or it imports a JSON formatted configuration file containing the Glink parameters. The method and format vary with the different MDMs.
The MDM server can instruct Glink to import a Glink configuration file from a network location with the following parameters:
config.version
This parameter (key-name) specifies the version of the MDM parameters. If the version number is equal to the version number on the device, the rest of the parameters are ignored by Glink.
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config.url
This parameter (key-name) provides the URL of the Glink configuration file. Please note that this parameter is ignored if the config.version parameter is missing or the version number is the same as the version number on the device. So every time you update the configuration file, you must remember to update the config.version parameter
Here is an example:
config.version=2
config.url=https://mywebserver.mydomain.xx/glink/group1/config.glinki
Depending on the MDM, these two parameters are either configured in a menu in the MDM console (MobileIron, Meraki, Intune) or in a JSON file uploaded to the MDM (Google Admin) or defined in an MDM-menu (Intune).
Set Glink parameters from the MDM
The managed Glink Enterprise for Android versions of Glink (Glink 5250 Enterprise, Glink VT Enterprise, Glink 3270 Enterprise and Glink Enterprise) can be configured directly from the MDM if the MDM supports managed app configuration. The MDM either use a menu to set the Glink parameters or it imports a JSON formatted configuration file containing the Glink parameters. The method and format vary with the different MDMs.
Here are three key parameters that are explicitly defined with information texts and that are the minimum set of parameters required for a host session configuration:
config.version
This parameter (key-name) specifies the version of the MDM parameters. If the version number is equal to the version number on the device, the rest of the parameters are ignored.
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config.name
This is the name of the configuration (session) and must be provided. The configuration is created if it does not already exist. Additional parameters will be set for this selected configuration.
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com.servername
This specifies the IP address of your host
Here is an example:
config.version=1
config.name=myhost
com.servername=myhost.mydomain.com
These parameters are sufficient to create a host configuration with default values.
For other parameters you have to check your exported Glink configuration file, config.glinki. These parameters must be defined as parameter_key /parameter_value pairs.
For example:
Parameter key 1_config.name / Parameter value myhost2
Parameter key 1_com.servername / Parameter value host2.mydomain.com
Parameter key 2_config.name / Parameter value myhost3
Parameter key 2_com.servername / Parameter value host3.mydomain.com
Parameters for the first session, named with config.name, you do not need a prefix, but other sessions need a prefix. Session 2 parameters are prefixed with 1_, session 3 parameters are prefixed with 2_ and so on.
How you set these parameters will depend on your MDM. Different methods are used. While some MDMs present a menu with the parameters that can be set (MobileIron, Meraki, Intune), others require a JSON-/XML-file with key-name and key-value pairs (Google Admin, Intune).
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General options
Parameters that are common to all sessions and configured in the General options menu in Glink, must be configured in a config.name named GeneralOptions, without a n_ prefix.
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For example:
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Parameter key config.name / Parameter value GeneralOptions
Parameter key screen.noautolock / Parameter value true
Passwords
Passwords are normally entered as the encrypted string you see in an exported Glink configuration file. Starting from version 2.4.3 you can also specify passwords in clear text if you use the prefix ##. For example, the password that protects access to Settings, General options, New configuration, Export configurations and more:
Parameter key config.name / Parameter value GeneralOptions
Parameter key screen.cfgpassword / Parameter value ##settingpassword
or the password for an auto-logon to IBM AS400/iSeries:
Parameter key config.name / Parameter value AS400
Parameter key com.servername / Parameter value myhost.mydomain.com
Parameter key com.ibm5250user / Parameter value username
Parameter key com.ibm5250subspw / Parameter value ##as400password
Parameter key com.ibm5250usealtlogin / Parameter value true
Toolbar
If you want to configure your own toolbar(s), you might want to remove the default toolbars with all their buttons before you start defining your own. To do that, you can use the parameter toolbar.remove and set it to true. Then you can add your own buttons, for example like this:
Parameter key toolbar.remove / Parameter value true
Parameter key toolbar.cmd0 / Parameter value 54,Left,,\u21a4
Parameter key toolbar.cmd1 / Parameter value 51,Up,,\u21a5
Parameter key toolbar.cmd2 / Parameter value 52,Down,,\u21a7
Parameter key toolbar.cmd3 / Parameter value 53,Right,,\u21a6
Remove a session configuration
If you want to remove a session (config.name) from your configuration, you can use the parameter config.remove, for example:
Parameter key config.remove / Parameter value AS400
Type the characters in the Parameter value with the same case as the session name is configured in Glink. You can also use config.remove to remove “all” session configurations or to reset “GeneralOptions”.
Activation key
You can send the activation key to your devices with the parameter config.actkey, for example:
Parameter key config.actkey / Parameter value ABCD1234EFGH5678
When you have sent the activation key to the devices, the user does not have to enter it when activating Glink on the device. When they tap ACTIVATE, they will see that the activation key has been prefilled and all they have to do, is to tap the ACTIVATE button.
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