When you first open the Remote System Explorer, you are not connected to any system except your local workstation. To connect to a remote server, you need to define a connection. A connection is a TCP/IP network connection to your IBM® i server, that enables you to access, edit, run, compile, and debug all items on the server. When you define a connection, you specify the name or IP address of the remote system and you also give the connection itself a unique name that acts as a label in your workspace so that you can easily connect and disconnect. These actions are performed in the Remote System Explorer, the workbench perspective for connecting to remote servers.
When you open the workbench for the first time, you need to define a connection to a remote server. When you connect, the workbench prompts you for your user ID and password on that server so that you can access your remote folders and files.
When you have a connection, you can organize your data using filters, filter pools, and filter pool references, which list a set of objects from your i server in the Remote Systems view.
See the links below for information on how to connect to these other kinds of servers.