LANSA Turns aXes into IBM i Cloud Enabler

I found an interesting article on the IT Jungle website and I have copied it below for your convenience.

LANSA Turns aXes into IBM i Cloud Enabler

Published: April 26, 2011

by Alex Woodie

LANSA is shipping a new release of its aXes Web enablement software that's designed to turn IBM i server environments into private and public clouds, including a platform for software as a service (SaaS). The vendor's new aXes-Cloud software, which ships with aXes version 2.0, enables organizations to make multiple IBM i server applications available to any browser-supported device. Version 2.0 also includes new query and spool file capabilities that IBM i users may find useful.

There's no denying the fact that "cloud" is extremely hot at the moment. Regardless of what the term actually means or whether it represents any true innovation compared to previous hosting models, cloud has taken off and embedded itself into the lexicon of the American businessperson. This has led IT vendors of all stripes to reposition their wares (or just re-write their marketing materials in some cases) to reflect a cloud basis, and you can't really blame them.

Cloud-mania is, thankfully, more subdued in the IBM i world, where hot technology and marketing terms du jour are usually ignored, and practicality and pragmatism have always ruled the day. That is not to say resellers and service providers aren't moving to roll out their own cloud hosting models in response to customer demands for lowering operating costs. Server outsourcing, as well as application service providing (ASP), have been a solid presence on the IBM midrange platform for more than a decade. But there is a clear trend of more IBM i workloads shifting from in-house servers to bureau-based computing centers, which is partly driven by the seemingly never-ending IBM i server consolidation cycle.

Chop Up the Cloud

This brings us to LANSA and its new cloud enablement offering. This offering is based on aXes, its screen modernization tool that converts 5250 data into HTML, which it obtained two years ago. aXes installs directly on the IBM i server, and uses a combination of XML and CGI techniques to enable on-the-fly screen conversions, without any source code changes or installation of client software.

LANSA unveiled a new aXes-Cloud component in aXes version 2.0 that, when installed on an IBM i server, turns that server into a "cloud gateway." This cloud gateway streamlines user access to multiple IBM i servers and applications sitting on the network behind the gateway. Users log on just once, and are automatically routed to all their applications, even if the apps are located on separate physical IBM i servers. "Users don't need to be aware that the cloud gateway exists," LANSA says in its announcement.

The Australia-based vendor, which has its U.S. headquarters near Chicago, sees several usage scenarios for the aXes-Cloud available with version 2.0. The first is for companies that run their own multi-server IBM i environments. Such an organization could use the aXes software to create a private cloud that streamlines user access to applications running on different IBM i servers.

This private-cloud scenario also provides the benefit of enabling browser-based access to IBM i servers that are too old, or too heavily customized, to support a direct aXes installation. According to LANSA, all IBM i servers sitting behind the cloud gateway server will operate as if the aXes-Cloud software is installed on it. That's a nifty little feat of IT magic that could prove useful.

LANSA also foresees aXes-Cloud being used by hosting providers to create public clouds for their customers. In the public cloud scenario, a customer can access any IBM i server installed behind a cloud gateway, including servers running at the hosting provider's data center, or even those that the customer keeps in house.

Benefits of the public cloud offering are similar to those of the private cloud. This includes making IBM i applications accessible over the Web, even if the underlying application or server infrastructure is too old or too heavily customized to justify its own Web-enablement project, according to LANSA.

Sharpening Cloud Business Models

Last but not least, LANSA is positioning the aXes-Cloud software to help ISVs turn their IBM i applications into SaaS offerings. LANSA says this offering will help by creating modern Web interfaces from 5250 applications without any programming.

One company that's using aXes-Cloud to bolster its hosting business is Evolution Systems, a Sydney, Australia-based IT consultancy with extensive expertise in IBM i hosting and SAP implementations.

In February, LANSA announced that Evolution Systems has adopted aXes-Cloud to bolster its IBM i hosting business, and to help create a new platform as a service (PaaS) offering to customers who want to outsource their IBM i workloads.

Geoff Boreland, founder and managing director of Evolution Systems, says the new software and its subscription-based pricing, "facilitates the fast and simple provisioning of new customers and additional users. We now offer hosted services with on-demand scaling whether up or down."

You can expect to read about additional IBM i business partners joining LANSA on the cloud journey. "We are currently in discussions with additional companies offering System i cloud solutions," states LANSA vice president of sales Kevin Corcoran.

Other aXes 2.0 Bennies

aXes version 2.0 brings several other new capabilities in the areas of spool files, database queries, and programmatic automation of 5250 applications.

Top of the list is enhancements to the aXes Data Explorer, which is a Web-based aXes program that allows users to query the DB2/400 database using IBM's SQL services. LANSA says aXes Data Explorer can handle all SQL queries, from the simple to the complex. It also lets users do things such as create and save SQL queries for later execution and export query results to spreadsheets, the vendor says.

The aXes Spool File Explorer, which enables users to access IBM i spool file output from the comfort of a Web browser, has also been enhanced. Users can view spool files on the Web browser as a PDF, HTML, text, or image file. The program also lets users create and save spool file queue searches for later use and export spool file data into a spreadsheet.

Finally, users can programmatically drive their 5250 apps with aXes-Robot, which is a brand new addition to the aXes suite. The aXes-Robot is a series of APIs that enable developers to basically simulate a user sitting in front of a 5250 session (hence the robot terminology). LANSA says this feature will be handy in several situations, including performing data entry as a batch program, using Web services to expose IBM i data that can only be accessed via 5250, or creating a connection between an ASP.NET website and a 5250 application.

LANSA is offering three flavors of the aXes-Robot API, including a .NET interface for Windows programs, a Java API that runs on IBM i and Windows, and an RPG-based API for pure IBM i environments.

aXes requires i5/OS V5R3 or later, and requires a FastCGI-enabled HTTP server such as aXes Application Server. The software supports recent releases of popular Web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. LANSA offers access to aXes-Cloud through subscription and per-user licensing options. For more information, see www.axeslive.com.

Intrusion Detection on System i

I found an interesting article on the IBM i security IBMSystems Magazine and I copy below some important points:

IBM Intrusion Detection System notifies you of attend to hack into, disrupt of deny service to your system

August 2007 | by Jim Coon, Yessong Johng,

TCP Control Flags

Hackers, crackers, intruders, oh my! And each with their pride at stake, But rest assured with a System i, You'll have a host that they can't break.

Though the term hacker is used with pride by relative old-timers who remember the glory days of self-modifying code, patched binary code and jury-rigged wire connectors, it's since taken on more negative connotations, referring to someone who breaks into computers to disrupt service or "own the machine." Traditional hackers call these scurrilous creatures "crackers." We prefer the term hackers to describe both the malicious cracker and the ethical interloper. The malicious hacker is out to steal information, drive your business to its knees or take over your machine. The ethical hacker exposes the vulnerabilities in your system defenses so you can plug the holes.

The Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in IBM* i5/OS* notifies you of attempts to hack into, disrupt or deny service to the system. Prior to IDS, i5/OS took some protective measures against these types of intrusions. However, with the new IDS support, the i5/OS system can now tell you about the intrusions.

The types of intrusions on an i5/OS system that are caught, audited and, in many cases, discarded before they become a threat are multiple kinds of attacks, scans and traffic-regulation anomalies for TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). In this article, we'll explain these different intrusions and provide an example of IDS in action.

You can read the article at: IBMSystems Magazine

Get White Papers on IBM i App Modernization: Web Enablement and PHP

I received an interesting news from BCD Software and I have copied below for your convenience

Read the white papers to learn how you can deliver modern web applications with these two BCD solutions: Presto gives all your IBM i green screens a Web GUI in one minute with no code changes. The white paper discusses why you should modernize your 5250 applications and how Presto can accomplish this. WebSmart PHP helps you rapidly develop IBM i and multi-platform PHP apps in minutes using templates and wizards. The white paper discusses why you should consider writing web apps in PHP and how WebSmart helps you do that. Bonus Draw: Every IT person at any organization that purchases a BCD software product by January 31, 2011 that is registered in this draw will be entered in a second drawing to win a free iPad. Request a White Paper or 30-day Trial to enter iPad draw Discuss your needs Call today: 630-986-0800 Email: info@bcdsoftware.com Website: www.bcdsoftware.com

VAI Software ERP Solutions for IBM i

I found an interestng document on the ERP solutions for the IBM iSeries proposed by VAI

ERP solutions from large-scale software vendors are not always the right choice for those midsized organizations. “Many midsized companies need ERP solutions that can address their particular business needs without extensive in-house software customization,” says Kevin Beasley, CIO of
VAI. “They also need solutions that can be deployed quickly. And of course, cost is a prime factor. Companies need to reduce the costs of acquisition and ensure a rapid return on their investment.”

VAI provides targeted ERP solutions

In a very competitive marketplace, VAI has remained successful for more than 30 years by delivering targeted solutions more rapidly and cost-effectively than the competition. Designed for the mid-range market, VAI S2K ERP solutions have been adopted by businesses throughout North America and increasingly across the globe, in the Middle East and Europe.

You can read the full document at:

==> VAI Software for IBM i

IBM i Pops Up on eHow.com

Just when I thought I'd seen it all (well okay, not everything), a Google Alert shows up in my inbox with an IBM i article from, of all places, eHow.com. You know, that website that pops up when you Google "how to make paper mache" (don't even ask—or at least, don't try to hurry the drying process by putting it in a warm oven!).

Seriously, in regards to IBM i (or more commonly on eHow.com, the iSeries) you can learn:

How to Install, Upgrade or Delete i5/OS & Related Software, which really looks like an article on how to connect to a server running IBM i from a PC.

How to Create XML From an iSeries File, which describes how to turn data files stored on an i system into XML files.

How to Restore an iSeries on Another System, which looks like how you might put the contents of a single database stored on an i system onto a diskette.

How to Restore From an iSeries Tape, which sounds like it might really work, except that the author's maple syrup has won awards in competition, leading me to believe that then again, maybe it won't.

How to Remove an iSeries Password Cache, which sounds like few too many instructions to do something complex, but the author has a degree in computer science.

How to Print From iSeries to Ricoh, which seems like basic info.

At first I thought this was a totally cool phenomena, that IBM i had claimed a decent presence on a mainstream website. But now I'm not so sure. Most of these instructions are written in 3 to 5 steps and most are by authors whose backgrounds have nothing to do with technology, which leaves me wondering:

Are there SMBs (or dare I say, enterprises) out there that have some form of an i system sitting amongst their Wintel servers with no clue about what to do with it? And suddenly a day comes when they want to take some data off it and put it on a Wintel system but have no one in-house who knows how to do that and so ventures to the web where they find these instructions on eHow.com?

Naw.

Seeing as how most entries are written by self-proclaimed writers, and that eHow.com offers $15 to $20 per hour to folks willing to write 3 or so entries in that hour and offers fame and glory on a website with high hits as a benefit, I'd have to guess that these writers are covering everything and anything to make a buck.

—Rita-Lyn Sanders, Senior Industry Editor

The article was originally published on the SystemINetwork website

Linoma Adds Enterprise Features to MFT Offering

by Alex Woodie

Linoma Software last week unveiled a new release of GoAnywhere Director, its managed file transfer (MFT) solution. Version 3.5 brings a number of enterprise-level capabilities, including support for message queue (MQ) technologies and CIFS file shares, auto resume features, and file locking capabilities. New IBM i-specific command shortcuts were also added.

Transfer Anywhere debuted about three years ago as Linoma's do-it-all data movement utility for IBM i and other platforms. The Java-based software, which grew out of Linoma's earlier Transfer Anywhere product, allowed users to do all kinds of things with their data, including distributing it via SFTP and FTPS; translating among different file formats; replicating data among databases; encrypting data via OpenPGP; compressing data via ZIP and TAR; and managing all this from the comfort of Web browser interfaces.

In 2009, Linoma rolled out GoAnywhere Director as it simultaneously introduced a version of the product called GoAnywhere Services that was primarily designed as a "data storefront" to make it easy for customers to share data with their customers or partners over the Web, without requiring a formal client installation of the full MFT product on a supported server.

Organizations that do a lot of heavy lifting with their data movement activities and need a centralized solution for ease of management and compliance are better off with the full GoAnywhere Director product, which installs on IBM i, Windows, Unix, and Linux servers.

Linoma has fleshed out the product with GoAnywhere version 3.5, which features various enterprise-level features. For example, support for fault-tolerant MQ technologies like WebSphere MQ (MQ Series), SonicMQ, and ActiveMQ (via the Java Messaging Service, or JMS, standard) makes the software applicable to these high-volume, business-critical environments.

Small businesses communicating with a lot of Windows servers will be interested in the new support for the common Internet file system (CIFS) protocol. Linoma says support for the SMB/CIFS protocol will enable the software to manage, encrypt, and transfer files to and from network shares in Windows, Linux, and Unix environments.

Customers who have been stumped when large file transfers unexpectedly fail or timeout will be interested in the new auto-resume feature that debuts in version 3.5. This feature is commonly found in more expensive MFT solutions that use proprietary protocols to help ensure delivery. Linoma says the auto re-connect feature works with FTP, FTPS, and SFTP protocols.

Another enterprise-level feature in version 3.5 is support for file locking capabilities. Since GoAnywhere Director has the capability to directly connect to relational database management systems such as DB2/400, SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, Postgres and others, the capability to lock data files on read and write operations will help to ensure data integrity and minimize any conflicts.

Linoma also added a new high availability feature that ensures GoAnywhere configuration settings can be recovered in the event of unexpected outage. This feature works with DB2/400, MySQL, and SQL Servers, and also stores log data collected by GoAnywhere. \r\nIBM i customers will also be interested to hear about the new command shortcuts that Linoma added. These shortcuts will streamline access to popular functions from the IBM i command line, including SFTP gets/puts, Open PGP encryption/decryption, ZIP and UNZIP.

File monitors have also been added that constantly scan for new or modified files in certain folders. When GoAnywhere detects a change, it can automatically execute a process workflow against the file. The product's scheduling and workflow functions have also been adapted with new templates that streamline the setup process for certain functions.

Linoma chief architect Bob Luebbe hopes his customers take advantage of the new functions. "As its feature-set continues to grow, GoAnywhere Director can be used to streamline even more data transfers while providing the audit trails and security needed for compliance," he states in a press release.

GoAnywhere Director 3.5 is available now. Pricing starts at $3,495. For more information and trial downloads, see the product website at www.goanywheremft.com.

The article was originally published on the IT Jungle

Web Enablement and PHP on IBM i White Papers

Read the white papers to learn how you can deliver modern web applications with these two BCD solutions: Presto gives all your IBM i green screens a Web GUI in one minute with no code changes. The white paper discusses why you should modernize your 5250 applications and how Presto can accomplish this. WebSmart PHP helps you rapidly develop IBM i and multi-platform PHP apps in minutes using templates and wizards. The white paper discusses why you should consider writing web apps in PHP and how WebSmart helps you do that. Bonus Draw: Every IT person at any organization that purchases a BCD software product by January 31, 2011 that is registered in this draw will be entered in a second drawing to win a free iPad. Request a White Paper or 30-day Trial to enter iPad draw

News received from: iseries@bcdsoftware.com

Does coding System i programs with WDSc causes headbanging?

According to this video, posted on YouTube, from Aaron Bartell, it does



Code Aaron, code!
If you like it, share the love..

The article was originally published at http://www.i4everyone.com

RUMBA 8.1 Delivers Integration with MS Office

Published: November 30, 2010

by Alex Woodie

Micro Focus recently launched a new release of RUMBA, its terminal emulation suite that is used by many IBM i shops. The highlight of version 8.1 may be integration with Microsoft Office, which will allow users to easily move data from the emulator to Outlook or Word. Other notable features include FIPS 140-2 certification, a new screen and data capture system, GUI enhancements, and new developer tools. The vendor also launched Web-to-Host 6.1 and OnWeb 7.5.

For the last decade, two unmistakable computing trends have wound their ways through American corporations. The first concerns the "legacy" applications running on IBM iron that users access through green screens. Namely, lots of people don't like them, and want them replaced with things with Web interfaces. A second, related trend has played out on our desktops, where Microsoft maintains an excruciatingly profitable software monopoly with the Windows and Office juggernauts. Many people hate this, too, and think the future lies in accessing Web-based services from Linux desktops, or maybe the new iPad.

Since 2000, the writing on the wall has said that expensive, proprietary technology from IBM and Microsoft will lose, and inexpensive, open source technology from smaller and--let's just say it, nicer--companies will win. To a large extent, this is exactly what's happened. The AS/400 installed base is a fraction of its former self, while Microsoft struggles to remain relevant outside its niche.

However, while the AS/400 and the Office/Windows duo have lost market share and luster, neither product line has gone completely away, which undoubtedly confounds their critics. Perhaps the products are so ingrained in some organizations that removing them would be too painful. Or maybe, just maybe, there are still IT managers who resist the urge to change out information systems simply because somebody thinks they're just too old.

Which brings us to RUMBA version 8.1. Like peanut butter and chocolate, Micro Focus realizes that the AS/400---er, IBM i-based Power Systems server--and Microsoft Office just go better together. There's no sense in fighting it: Office is ubiquitous. It's everywhere. So instead of forcing users to flip back and forth between RUMBA sessions and Office apps, Micro Focus has figured out a way in RUMBA 8.1 to let users drive data from the emulator directly into Outlook, Word, and OneNote.

This capability to push data and transaction details from a RUMBA session into Outlook or Word will enable users to share information more easily than before. It will replace untraceable copy-and-paste-based business processes that spring up and increase productivity. And since it's centralized and monitored, this direct push of data into Office will lower security risks, Micro Focus says.

User productivity is a central theme of RUMBA 8.1, and another time-saver can be found in a new feature that allows users to capture historical data and recently used screens for later use. This enables several new capabilities, including: making recently viewed information available to users immediately; enabling users to search through recent transactions; and helping trainees to figure out the product quicker. Micro Focus also sees this feature being used to build issue-specific user profiles that offer instant access to background information or oft-used queries.

Micro Focus also touts the capability to customize RUMBA installs with this release. The company says version 8.1 features a new "tile and zoom" interface that spreads out RUMBA sessions across several windows (like Windows), as well as customizable toolbars, and an improved status bar. The vendor also supports the development of custom RUMBA programs with the Rumba Developer Edition, which features access to APIs and works with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and 2010.

Web Enhancements

The Web-based version of RUMBA, called Web-to-Host, has also been enhanced. Web-to-Host version 6.1 features support for double byte character sets (DBCS) that allows it to be adopted by more Asian users. Like RUMBA, its SSL/TLS- and SSH-based encryption mechanisms have been validated FIPS 140-2 compliant, enabling the software to be used by governmental agencies and contractors. And like RUMBA, Web-to-Host is certified to run on Windows 7 (or at least the browser running in Windows 7).

Micro Focus also rolled out a new release of OnWeb, its modernization tool that creates Web interfaces and Web services out of green screens. With OnWeb version 7.5, Micro Focus launched an Internet Information Server (IIS) plug-in that allows the OnWeb server to function as a component of Microsoft's IIS Web server. Retro users will appreciate the new command line tool that allows administrators to control OnWeb applications through the command line. Other improvements were made to the OnWeb APIs, the OnWeb Designer, and the OnWeb Builder.

This article was originally published at: http://www.itjungle.com

iDevCloud to Provide Online Playground for IBM i Developers

by Alex Woodie

In an ideal world, every IBM i shop would have its own dedicated development box. But as IT budgets shrink, it's hard enough to get management to update the production server, let alone provide a playground for developers to experiment with new tools and technologies. But now that www.idevcloud.com is nearing completion, IBM i developers will soon have a place to try out the latest RPG, PHP, and Java tools against a live System i machine, for a very reasonable fee.

In the next few days or weeks, you will be able to go to www.idevcloud.com and sign up to get access to a range of IBM and Zend development tools and compilers, as well as a System i Model 525 server running i5/OS V5R4 and IBM i 6.1 and 7.1 to run against. The library of tools available to iDevCloud subscribers will include:

• the Eclipse-based Rational Developer for Power Systems Software (formerly RDi and WDSC)
• Rational Development Studio for i compilers
• Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Java tools
• Rational Team Concert for Power change management system
• HATS
• Rational Open Access: RPG Edition
• System i Navigator
• Zend Technology's flagship Zend Server 5.0 for IBM i development environment
• and everything else IBM makes available through its Academic Initiative.

The cost for the service will start at about $50 per month, which gets the subscriber basic access in a shared library. For $150, a subscriber can get SECOFR authority in his or her very own LPAR. Users will be able to download the tools of their choice from a secured website, and access the System i server over the Internet.

iDevCloud is the brainchild of Jim Oberholtzer, CEO of Agile Technology Architects and a COMMON board member, and Larry Bolhuis (AKA Dr. Franken), the principle of Frankeni Technology Consulting, who is renown for bringing bizarre and fantastic midrange creations to life. The idea spun out of the duo's work with iEngineer, a group of active System i professionals.

"The intent of iDevCloud is to provide a playpen for i developers to do what they want to do," Oberholtzer told IT Jungle last week. "If you happen to work for a bank or a financial institution or another organization that has relatively heavy security restrictions, they can't, by definition, just let you go out and let you play. And not everybody has an AS/400, iSeries, or System i sitting at home."

The focus of iDevCloud is on education and training. People who want to bolster their RPG skills or try a little bit of Java or PHP can do so in a controlled environment, against a live System i server. "If you're producing education for the i community, then the service is available to you as well," Oberholtzer said. "Those folks find it hard to afford a machine and keep it current."

There are restrictions. iDevCloud is not to be used to build or run commercial applications; a fully paid license to the IBM or Zend software would be required in that case. Subscribers can use iDevCloud as a springboard for becoming an ISV, but they must license their own copies of the software before doing any actual commercial development.

Third-party vendors will also be able to play on the iDevCloud. Oberholtzer is in talks with some utility vendors to make their wares available on the cloud, which will make the experience more rich and rewarding for subscribers, he says.

The iDevCloud is functionally ready to begin business today. Subscribers are beginning to access the Model 525 at iEngineer's office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The only work really left to do is to update the front-end www.idevcloud.com website to begin taking orders.

It's early, but hopes are high for iDevCloud. Oberholtzer and company would like to buy a new POWER 7 machine at some point. And, depending on how things go, the business could morph into a production cloud utility. "Ultimately that's where I hope to go," Oberholtzer says. "Realistically, that has a lot to do with IBM's licensing model, which is really the roadblock."

Everybody in the Power System and System i community knows that IBM i would make a great cloud platform. iDevCloud isn't the IBM i community's first foray into cloud computing. Just look at i365's online backup service or Kisco's integration to Amazon's S3 cloud or Infor's new approach to surround IBM i-based ERP products with Windows apps running on Microsoft's Azure cloud.

IBM may yet tackle the licensing barriers that are preventing the IBM i platform from flourishing as a cloud platform (and hopefully will do so sooner rather than later). In the meantime, iDevCloud's bottom-up approach--where individual programmers are offered access to shared IBM i development resources for a nominal fee--certainly sounds like the start of something good.

This interesting article was originally published at ITJungle.com

RPG-Alive - Useful Tool for System i

Leading the way in RPG Editing and Analysis...

RPG-Alive	Speeds up the development of iSeries-AS400 applications!
	Aids in comprehending and modifying application source code!
	Saves you time and money!

For more information visit: RPG-Alive

Introduction to Rich Internet Apps on the IBM i

I found an interesting video on the subject. You can see it below:

Modernize Dated Green Screen Programs with BCD's Presto

You have a lot invested in your IBM i and in your green screen programs. Use Presto to extract even more value from them.

Satisfy users with an instant Web GUI

Presto instantly transforms all your RPG and COBOL programs and IBM i screens into modern looking web pages that are more accepted by users. You save time by not having to make any changes to your RPG, COBOL or DDS code. Your web enabled screens are accessed via a browser which makes them easier for your users, clients and management to access and use. It's also easier for you to deploy as there is NO PC software to install to make Presto work.

Extend the functionality of your 5250 programs

You can then further increase user productivity and add new modern functionality to your applications by customizing your web-enabled screens. With the Presto Visual Editor and by having full access to the HTML code you can have more intuitive navigation and better data entry with features such as clickable links and drop down lists.

The possibilities are endless

You can also add JavaScript including jQuery or ExtJS to make your screens even more sophisticated. Using AJAX and SOA technology you can call other web programs including WebSmart PHP and ILE programs to incorporate new data or features into your application. For example, a dropdown box of available shipping rates to a zip code by loading the information from a SOA interface to an external web server such as UPS, or adding file upload, email and xls capabilities.

Start getting more out of your IBM i investment today!

Learn more or Download a Full 30-day Trial

UK Availability of Profound UI for IBM System i

Logicmate has recently announced the UK availability of Profound UI, the very latest, and most significant, component of our IBM i modernisation suite of products.


Profound UI is a full-featured graphical user interface platform based on IBM's RPG Open Access, the ground-breaking enhancement to RPG that opens it up to Web interfaces. The authors of UI, Profound Logic, worked closely with IBM to develop UI in conjunction with Open Access. RPG Open Access from IBM allows RPG-based applications to interface with the wide range of new devices and resources available today such as browsers, mobile devices, XML files and web services.

Profound UI comprises a comprehensive visual design tool that allows anyone to create professional browser interfaces in a point and click manner. With the designer, developers can drag and drop user interface components, also known as widgets, onto the interface; then resize and edit their behaviour visually. The resultant rich display file, in conjunction with the UI handler designed to work with RPG Open Access, fits in with your RPG code as a display file to serve up your line of business applications as fully functional rich web applications.


Profound UI introduces Rich Display Files -- native IBM i objects that incorporate the flexibility of the Web with the reliability of the i. Rich Display Files are created in a point-and-click manner and can be automatically connected to database files and program fields. These display files take advantage of IBM i's object-based architecture while delivering a capable graphical user interface.


Profound UI uses the same top-down procedural methodology, native RPG operations, and programming techniques that IBM i developers are already familiar with. Because of its fully native approach, the learning curve for RPG developers is virtually non-existent.

Developers no longer have to familiarize themselves with the low level complexities of Web 2.0 technologies or become experts in JavaScript, AJAX, and DHTML, to create robust Web applications.