docs: def connect(self):
          ''' instantiate objects / parse config file '''
          # open config file for parsing
          try:
              settings = configparser.ConfigParser()
              settings._interpolation = configparser.ExtendedInterpolation()
          except Exception as err:
              self.logger.error("Failed to instantiate config parser exception: %s" % err)
              raise
          try:
              settings.read(self.__config__)
          except Exception as err:
              self.logger.error("Failed to read config file exception: %s" % err)
              raise
  
          # Connect to Symphony
          symphony_p12 = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_p12')
          symphony_pwd = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_pwd')
          symphony_pod_uri = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_pod_uri')
          symphony_keymanager_uri = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_keymanager_uri')
          symphony_agent_uri = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_agent_uri')
          symphony_sessionauth_uri = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_sessionauth_uri')
          symphony_sid = settings.get('symphony', 'symphony_sid')
          crypt = symphony.Crypt(symphony_p12, symphony_pwd)
          symphony_crt, symphony_key = crypt.p12parse()
  
          try:
              # instantiate auth methods
              auth = symphony.Auth(symphony_sessionauth_uri, symphony_keymanager_uri, symphony_crt, symphony_key)
              # get session token
              session_token = auth.get_session_token()
              self.logger.info("AUTH ( session token ): %s" % session_token)
              # get keymanager token
              keymngr_token = auth.get_keymanager_token()
              self.logger.info("AUTH ( key manager token ): %s" % keymngr_token)
              # instantiate agent methods
              agent = symphony.Agent(symphony_agent_uri, session_token, keymngr_token)
              # instantiate pod methods
              pod = symphony.Pod(symphony_pod_uri, session_token, keymngr_token)
  
              self.logger.info("INSTANTIATION ( all objects successful)")
          except Exception as err:
              self.logger.error("Failed to authenticate and initialize: %s" % err)
              raise
          # return references and such
          return agent, pod, symphony_sid