Abstract: A method of selectively establishing any one connection of several different types, between a client program in a first computer and a server program in a second computer, includes the following steps. Initially, a control program is provided in the first computer which receives a command with parameters, from the client program, that specify the one type of connection which is to be established. In response, the control program automatically constructs a particular pipename which includes the parameters in a format that differs for each different type of connection. Thereafter, the control program tranmits the pipename which it constructed to a communications program in the second computer. Subsequently, the control program receives a result from the communications program which indicates whether or not the communications program used the pipename to successfully establish the one type of connection to the server program. Then, the control program notifies the client program of the result.

Abstract: Heterogeneous data is transferred from a first computer to a second computer such that a) the data includes multiple data types in respective formats that are native to the first computer but are foreign to the second computer, and b) meaningful interrelationships among the multiple data types are conveyed.