Installation Guide

Get IM3270 up and running in minutes

Quick Start

Choose your platform below and follow the step-by-step instructions.

Choose Your Platform

🪟 Windows 🐧 Fedora 🐧 Ubuntu 💻 WSL2

Windows Installation

Prerequisite: wc3270 4.x

  1. Download wc3270 4.x from x3270.miraheze.org
  2. Run the installer
  3. Ensure wc3270 is added to PATH

Option 1: Installer (Recommended)

  1. Download IM3270.Setup.0.51.0.exe
  2. Run the installer and follow the prompts
  3. Launch IM3270 from the Start Menu

Option 2: PowerShell Script

Run as Administrator:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/main/scripts/install-windows.ps1 | iex

Fedora / RHEL / Alma

Option 1: RPM Package (Recommended)

  1. Download and install the RPM: 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270-0.51.0.x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install im3270-0.51.0.x86_64.rpm
  2. Run: 
    im3270

Option 2: Quick Install Script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/main/scripts/install-fedora.sh | bash

Option 3: Manual Installation (tar.gz)

  1. Download & verify (optional): 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/SHA256SUMS
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
  2. Extract & install: 
    tar -xzf im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
cd im3270-0.51.0-linux
sudo ./install.sh

Ubuntu / Debian

Option 1: DEB Package (Recommended)

  1. Download and install the DEB: 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270_0.51.0_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i im3270_0.51.0_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f    # install dependencies if needed
  2. Run: 
    im3270

Option 2: Quick Install Script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/main/scripts/install-ubuntu.sh | bash

Option 3: Manual Installation (tar.gz)

  1. Download & verify (optional): 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/SHA256SUMS
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
  2. Extract & install: 
    tar -xzf im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
cd im3270-0.51.0-linux
sudo ./install.sh

WSL2

Note: WSL2 with GUI support (WSLg) is required. Windows 11 includes this by default.

  1. Update WSL: 
    wsl --update
  2. Install s3270 4.x in WSL (build from source): 
    sudo apt install gcc make libssl-dev
wget https://x3270.bgp.nu/download/04.04/suite3270-4.4ga6-src.tgz
tar xzf suite3270-4.4ga6-src.tgz && cd suite3270-4.4
./configure --enable-s3270 --disable-tcl3270 && make s3270 && sudo make install.s3270
  3. Install IM3270 (DEB package – recommended): 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270_0.51.0_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i im3270_0.51.0_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f    # install dependencies if needed
im3270
  4. Or install from tar.gz: 
    wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/Infomanta/im3270-releases/releases/download/v0.51.0/SHA256SUMS
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
tar -xzf im3270-0.51.0-linux.tar.gz
cd im3270-0.51.0-linux
sudo ./install.sh
im3270

First Run

  1. Launch IM3270
  2. 60-day trial starts automatically
  3. Press Ctrl+N to connect
  4. Enter hostname and port
  5. Click Connect

Common Issues

"s3270/wc3270 not found" or wrong version

Since v0.50.0, IM3270 uses the built-in tn3270go backend by default - s3270 is no longer required. If you are using the legacy s3270 backend (IM3270_3270_BACKEND=s3270), you need s3270 4.0+; distro packages install outdated v3.x.

Check the diagnostic log: cat ~/.im3270/im3270.log

Connection timeout

Check hostname, port, and firewall settings. Verify VPN if required.

Linux: "No display" error

Ensure you're in a graphical environment. For WSL2, verify WSLg is configured.