With every new Client Access release, people think that PC5250 is dead and that no additional enhancements will ever be made to the product. Contrary to this popular misconception, however, the PC5250 package that is included with the new AS/400 Client Access Express for Windows (Express client) contains a number of significant improvements that will help you better manage your user connections.
In this article, I'll give you an overview of exactly where PC5250 has been improved with Express client. I'll provide a general listing of what IBM has changed and look at some specific improvements that make PC5250 easier to use (Usability Enhancements). In future articles, I'll focus on other improvement areas, such as application-integration enhancements, which make PC5250 function better in your network.
Where the Enhancements Are
Generally speaking, all of Express client's PC5250 enhancements can be grouped into three areas:
• Application integration enhancements provide tighter integration between the Personal Communications Version 4.3 and Client Access interfaces (such as data transfer), increased support for dealing with hardware errors, and the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) within PC5250 and policy support.
• Printer emulation usability enhancements make PC5250 Graphical Device Interface (GDI) printer emulation easier to configure. (See "Make PC5250 Printing Easier with CA/400's Express Client," in the May/June 1999 issue of AS/400 Network Expert for more on GDI printer emulation.)
• Usability enhancements provide better capabilities for PC5250's graphical interface and connectivity including new Toolbar and Menu setup options, connection options, macro recording options, and display options.
This article and its companion piece, "PC5250 Toolbar Setup Gets Easier with Express Client" on page 18, will cover the new usability enhancements. In the future, I will cover the other PC5250 emulation enhancements created for AS/400 Client Access Express for Windows (Express client) and how you can make them work for you.
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
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