If you haven't yet yielded to pressure to Web-enable your System i apps, at least your procrastination has increased the profusion of tools available to help with a conversion.
We've reached the point where IBM, at least to some extent, now shares a distinction only the likes of Kimberly-Clark and General Foods have achieved. And that is to see a term associated with a brand name—like Kleenex and Jell-O—move into the lexicon as a descriptive word signifying an entire class of products.
This refers, of course, to "Webfacing." Originated as a term to describe the process of Web-enabling applications to run in a WebSphere environment when IBM introduced that product back around the turn of the millennium, the term has become ubiquitous in the IBM world for the action itself. It's probably more common to hear the term "Webfacing" used than to hear "Web-enablement" or other synonyms.
Application Ch-Ch-Changes
Ironically, though, what's actually meant in practice by "Webfacing" can have at least three meanings (although perhaps that's appropriate for a box that's variously called the AS/400, iSeries, System i, IBM i, and Power Systems—though we'll stick with System i here.) First and most common is the idea that Webfacing is a conversion of an existing application to a form that's browser-friendly, a process that basically leaves you with an unchanged original app and a new version that is Web-accessible. Second is the concept that instead of simply converting code, Webfacing translates the business logic of an application into a new software object that is Internet-compatible. Third is the idea of translating an application to a form that's executable on one of the open-systems platforms (e.g., Linux, UNIX), from which it's made available to the Web, usually as part of a larger effort to consolidate applications running across multiple platforms.
This article will survey the 30 major Webfacing tools currently available for the System i. To keep the text to a manageable length, we're going to stick with the first definition and cover only solutions that automate, or at least facilitate, a conversion of legacy apps to a browser format. Webfacing tools of the second type, which are generally interactive development environments (IDEs) for building new apps, will be covered in a later article. A few representatives of the third type are included here for those who are looking at Web-enablement in a multiplatform context. Solutions that overlap categories are included here if they provide conversion capabilities. And we'll also include IBM's WebSphere IDE as a tip of the cap to the origin of the Webfacing term.
Changes Are Taking the Pace
Converting apps to run on the Web is obviously useful for supporting e-commerce, particularly by facilitating direct online purchases by business partners and consumers, as well as enabling those customers to follow progress of their orders en route to final delivery, for example. However, Webfacing can provide some other significant benefits as well.
Extension of legacy applications postpones or avoids the cost of their total replacement. Delivery and sharing of all kinds of content to a Web-enabled audience helps companies get products, services, and vital messages to their markets. Integration of host and desktop applications increases organizational efficiency and can improve system utilization. Particularly for internal users, application Web-compatibility enables worldwide access, better employee productivity, and easier training. Internet access eliminates some expenses for client-specific hardware and software. App modernization keeps employee skills more current and can improve innovation.
Considerations affecting your potential choice of a Webfacing tool will vary with your organizational needs. The brief descriptions accompanying each product simply summarize a few major features or provide a general description. Please use the links provided and consult the appropriate vendor for more complete product information.
One strategic implication of Webfacing you may want to consider is the advisability of converting your application systems to a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Some Webfacing tools specifically support SOA by encouraging deployment of code objects, interfaces, or whole applications as Web services. While space prohibits discussion of SOA's benefits here (or see "Technology Focus: SOA for IBM i: More Than Just Ordering Off the Menu"), if that kind of framework makes sense for your enterprise, moving in that direction can directly affect your choice of Webfacing solution.
And as always when looking for products or services, be sure to check the MC Press Online Buyer's Guide.
Webfacing Tools for System i Applications
ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
ASNA—A Blue Phoenix Company
AVR for .NET is an RPG compiler that integrates with Microsoft Visual Studio and lets developers either modify existing RPG applications to run via a browser or generate completely new and browser-friendly System i apps. AVR-based apps can also accommodate Web services, provide data transparency between Windows and System i databases, and extend RPG source to be compatible with industry standards (e.g., XML, SOAP, RIA).
ASNA's Monarch automates processes needed to convert RPG-based applications to Microsoft .NET to Web-enable them, as well as optionally converting System i databases to SQL Server. Converted applications support n-tier architectures, GUIs with browser accessibility, Web services, and enterprise-wide application integration.
LANSA
Linoma Software
LANSA's aXes (which is also offered by Linoma Software under a partnership agreement) lets enterprises deploy legacy host applications to a browser without writing new code, via an automated process. The product's eXtensions feature also generates Windows GUI features (e.g., images, dropdowns, checkboxes), and other options enable remote SQL queries and access to spooled files. Applications converted with aXes also offer XML Web connectivity and compatibility with SSL security.
CA
The CA 2E Web Option is part of CA's 2E development environment for System i apps. It offers a realtime environment for Web-enabling, integrating, and extending System i apps. The option generates configurable CA 2E panels in HTML and includes a markup-language generator and a runtime engine.
DEJA.400 AS/400 to J2EE Conversion Program
Interactive Dynamic Technologies
DEJA.400 AS/400 to J2EE Conversion Program is a J2EE application server and relational database engine that Webfaces host applications by converting each application's existing DB2 databases to relational databases, extracting business logic from RPG and CL code and converting it to Java, and transforming 5250 display screens to a browser-friendly GUI equivalent.
Flynet
Flynet's Viewer lets developers convert System i application screens into Web applications or Web services by recording screens, relationships, and dataflows within the original apps and automating their transformation. Viewer incorporates graphical tools, a browser-based terminal emulator, and an IDE that generates .NET components for making customizations or new features.
Curbstone Corporation
Freestyle-400 converts RPG applications to Web accessibility via any browser, but without conversion to Java or .NET.
Profound Logic Software
Genie helps enterprises Web-enable their legacy apps without altering any existing code by generating standard HTML to handle Web interfaces. A design feature lets programmers modify presentation with graphical elements such as buttons, dropdowns, and pop-ups. Enterprises converting apps with Genie can optionally use Profound's Atrium product to unify access to all Web-friendly System i software into a single menu.
ML–Software GmbH
The iNEXT solution translates System i applications to .NET on the fly, enabling modifications to the original apps over time that are reflected in the .NET versions available to run on the Web. Translation can be carried out by enterprise developers or as a service from ML–Software.
Framework Systems A/S
The iSeries2Web solution is a collection of built-in RPG functions that enable browser access to System i applications. It lets developers reuse business logic from legacy apps, build new modules with graphical features, and access third-party data sources via XML and TCP-Socket communications.
System Objects Corporation
JACi400 automatically converts System i programs to HTML, regardless of original language or language version. It includes tools for generating new application elements or completely new Web-friendly applications. In addition, the solution provides deployment tools that can integrate a mix of converted, generated, and developed apps.
Genesis V
LegacyWeb automatically rewrites existing RPG, ILE RPG, and COBOL applications in HTML, enabling those apps to run in a browser environment. LegacyWeb can also generate XML that provides a gateway between legacy applications and wireless applications.
Seagull Software
LegaSuite offers a collection of tools for converting System i apps to the Web, integrating them into multiplatform and SOA environments, and building Web enhancements such as dashboards and reports drawn from multiple sources.
PKS Software GmbH
Although primarily designed for converting System i apps to multi-platform production environments, Migration Tools 400 OCC can Web-enable apps in a multi-step process. The tool set uses RPG, COBOL, CL, and DDS from System i apps to generate new C/C++ code (via an intermediate language PKS calls OCC) that runs on Linux, UNIX, and Windows platforms. From there, developers can make such applications available to the Web using interfaces for the target platforms.
Server Builder 400 works with RPG and COBOL code to convert legacy applications to server versions. The product's Web 2.0 Bridge option then extends converted applications to function as JavaServer Pages (JSP) for Internet access via user choice of five integration modes. Web versions of apps support Web services, provide a universal look and feel, and enable integration of new technologies.
The SYKORA Group
ML-iMPACT Web-enables RPG and CL application code by converting it to the developer's choice of C# or Java. Once converted, the applications run on any platform that supports .NET or Java while preserving the native 5250 interface. ML-iMPACT supports DB2 databases or enables optional data migration to SQL databases. Automated test tools included in the solution let developers verify the functionality and performance of converted software.
mrc
m-Power offers a solution for both converting legacy software to browser compatibility and developing new Web applications based on System i software. The product generates Java code for portability and scalability, provides a tutorial interface that lets even non-programmers convert apps, and can convert third-party software or custom programs. Generated apps support secure access from anywhere, don't use time-consuming license checks, and operate across multiple platforms.
looksoftware
newlook is a Webfacing and refacing tool for System i and z applications. It supports custom GUIs for different user groups and access devices, can deliver composite applications that tie together multiple platforms and databases, offers reusable components and Web services support for SOA, and is compatible with SSL, VPN, and other security arrangements.
Micro Focus
OnWeb iSeries converts System i apps to Web or .NET interfaces, deploys applications securely to internal users, generates Web services automatically from System i screens and business logic, and can present data from multiple sources as Web pages.
Business Computer Design International (BCD)
Presto enables browser access to existing RPG or COBOL 5250 applications and menus while giving them a GUI. Presto requires no source-code changes, lets converted apps run in a browser without requiring other PC software or ActiveX, gives developers complete control in customizing screens, and provides a Windows-based IDE if client-side app changes are necessary.
Pluta Brothers Design
PSC/400 provides three options for converting System i applications to run on the Web: a Web-enabled green-screen mode, a "gray-screen" JavaServer Pages (JSP) conversion mode using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and a rules-based application-generator mode.
LANSA
RAMP from LANSA is an application framework that lets developers combine 5250 and Windows apps into new composite applications that are Web-enabled. The framework enables assembly of apps from components built with RPG, Visual LANSA, Visual C#, .NET, HTML pages, and AJAX. RAMP's metadata repository holds business rules and definitions, which all apps share and from which modifications can be applied across all existing apps as business needs change.
Rational Host Access Transformation Services (HATS)
WebSphere Development Studio Client for System i (WDSc)
IBM Corporation
Rational Host Access Transformation Services (HATS) converts 5250 green-screen applications to Web and other user interfaces and extends them as standard Web services. Major features include an editor for developing macros and Web services.
WDSc for System i converts DDS display file source members to JavaServer Pages (JSP) or XML files to let the UI of any System i application run in a browser. This facilitates deployment of the interface as a WebSphere application. Style properties embedded in WDSc let developers change graphical attributes and other aspects of the UI at any point prior to runtime.
CoralTree Systems Ltd.
The Renaissance Framework is an open-source collection of RPG ILE programs, service programs, JavaScript code, and HTML for building browser-based intranet applications for the IBM i. Applications built via the framework provide such features as support for multiple environments, session management for maintaining state across multiple page requests, compatibility with System i user security, the ability to define data tables internally, and audit trails for data updates.
ProData Computer Services
RSP lets developers build Web applications by integrating RPG directly with HTML. The HTML functions as a C specification and helps programmers accomplish visual conversions of legacy software. Converted applications handle each client request as a new program call (to support multiple servers) and let one processing job handle multiple clients.
Advanced BusinessLink (ABL)
Strategi webSTYLE generates graphically rich GUIs for legacy applications and includes features such as dynamic icons that replace function keys, multi-session tabs that don't require use of multiple open windows, and desktop 5250 emulation without requiring any client software installation.
Transoft
Transoft Legacy Liberator is primarily designed as a tool for migrating System i applications to an open-systems environment. However, after conversion, the applications can be made available to the Web via tools appropriate to the target platform.
Software AG
WebMethods ApplinX is the core technology of Software AG's suite of solutions for automatically converting legacy applications to Web access, enterprise-wide integration, and conformity with SOA. It works with System i, IBM mainframe, and other-platform applications. ApplinX transforms green-screen interfaces to browser and service-enables user sessions by converting them into .NET, J2EE Java, or Web services modules. All conversions make no changes to existing code.
Websydian A/S
WebsydianExpress for RPG converts System i apps to run over the Internet by using six basic APIs as part of a solution-intrinsic enterprise Web site framework. Wizards automate generation of GUI and site features as well as appropriate HTML. The solution also provides security tools, role-management aids, and site-administration features designed for non-technical users.
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