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  • The end of IBM i Access for Windows

    Thought this was an interesting article posted a few days ago...

    It has been known as many things over the years: PC Support, Personal Communications, Client Access, iSeries Access. Now its latest name, IBM i Access for Windows, would seem to be its last. Love it or hate it, over the last 20 years we have all grown used to it and so when I was


    I haven't spent any time familiarizing myself with IBM i Access Client Solutions. I haven't been too impressed with previous IBM Java-based clients...I was very thankful when HMC went to a web-based GUI, fastest upgrade I've probably ever done on any system.

    Overall, I think there is a lot of time for this to play out yet. Windows 7 is still the standard in most shops and will be for some time.

    Fortunately in our shop this isn't much of an issue anyway...but thought I would share for discussion.

  • #2
    Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

    If I read correctly there is an argument against the time frame in which IBM intends to end support of the windows client.
    This is not a question of whether the change is acceptable, only how quickly businesses must respond to remain current.
    So how quickly is acceptable? This answer is being shaped by another player - MS and it's product life cycles.

    Win7 is end of shelf life 2020. Businesses can decide to go Win8 or Win10.
    Win8 will buy you some time for IBM support of the windows client.
    Win10 will speed up the decision on IBM i client access - run unsupported or migrate?
    Whether in 5 years or some while later, the decision still has to be made.
    The migration still has to be done. There is never a good time, so is there anything to gain from a delay?

    The other argument raised in the article is about reduced functionality of the new client. Could someone elaborate what this is?
    I've been using it alongside the windows client since the early technology preview instances. Not as consistently using as I might have once done but as yet to find a limitation. I prefer it tbh, especially the fact I can run it with my own customisations straight from a memory stick.
    the smoking gnu

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    • #3
      Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

      I would bet a paycheck Win 7 support extends past 2020 anyway...

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      • #4
        Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

        Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows, so maybe IBM should have waited to "stabilize" on this version instead?

        Cheers,

        Emmanuel

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        • #5
          Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

          The issue will play more for those with Software Assurance contracts with Microsoft - which only supports current release and two releases back. With Windows 10 that means Windows 10, 8.1 and 8 as I understand it. While Windows 7 will be a supported virus - err - OS from Microsoft for at least until 2020 it will be out of compliance with Software Assurance contracts.

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          • #6
            Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

            Originally posted by EmmanuelW1 View Post
            Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows, so maybe IBM should have waited to "stabilize" on this version instead?
            That's probably WHY IBM isn't supporting Windows 10. Windows 10 isn't going to be a particular version, like Win7, Win8,. etc.. it's going to be a moving target that Microsoft can keep changing. IBM can't say "We support Windows 10" because with MS's new philsophy, they may completely replace a part of it via Windows Update and break compatibility. Remember: Microsoft isn't discontinuing Windows -- when they say 10 is the last version, it's because they expect Windows 10 to be constantly changing as needed.

            By running their new 5250 emulator in a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), IBM is putting a layer between themselves and the OS. In theory, as long as Oracle keeps the JVM up-to-date with Windows, IBM's software will continue to work, no matter what MS does to Windows.

            Of course, all of this is speculation. And Microsoft could very easily change their mind about Windows 10 being the last version (especially if they don't get positive reactions from their customers.) We'll see what happens.

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            • #7
              Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

              Originally posted by chrisr View Post
              The other argument raised in the article is about reduced functionality of the new client. Could someone elaborate what this is?
              I know one thing is the HLLAPI/EHLLAPI interface is gone. This was sometimes used by programs to read/write data into the 5250 emulator. For example, one of my company's poldest roducts is "RPG-Alive", which is a tool that colorizes and draws lines on top of the 5250 emulator when you are in SEU to make the source code easier to read. To do this, it uses EHLLAPI to read the screen... Of course, using RDi is probably a better alternative, but we do still have a lot of customers using RPG-Alive who will be out of luck (or will have to transition to something else) when they can no longer use the IBM i Access tool.

              It's not a huge deal to us as this is no longer a huge money earner anymore -- but it's an example of reduced functionality.

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              • #8
                Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

                I know that the Real Vision Imaging document management system using DLL's included in PC5250 to interact with their GUI client, and they don't currently support IBM's iACS 5250 client.

                This may well be the "HLLAPI/EHLLAPI interface" that Scott mentioned.

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                • #9
                  Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

                  A secondary view is that this is a good thing.

                  I haven't brought in a new version of Windows since XP, preferring instead to migrate basic desktops for general usability to Linux Mint and some others to other Linux variants. The use of Client Solutions to leave the Windows client behind has been a very welcome alternative.

                  My main system is temporarily stuck at i 6.1 due to some project development requirements, and that has kept some of the limitations visible, particularly for the Database node of iNavigator that isn't fully available in Client Solutions (at 6.1). But I expect those to be improved when I can complete upgrades and especially as IBM might put resources into Client Solutions as the Windows client fades away. I've kept a couple WinXP instances available just for the odd times some extra access is needed. These are available in my network via RDP.

                  Though Linux isn't (yet) the focus for most businesses, it's slowly having an effect. I'd think IBM is plenty happy going in a direction that is more or less client-platform neutral. The tighter IBM's focus can be, the better things can go for all of us.
                  Tom

                  There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation, naming things and off-by-one errors.

                  Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth?

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                  • #10
                    Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

                    Originally posted by tomliotta View Post
                    A secondary view is that this is a good thing.

                    I haven't brought in a new version of Windows since XP, preferring instead to migrate basic desktops for general usability to Linux Mint and some others to other Linux variants. The use of Client Solutions to leave the Windows client behind has been a very welcome alternative.

                    My main system is temporarily stuck at i 6.1 due to some project development requirements, and that has kept some of the limitations visible, particularly for the Database node of iNavigator that isn't fully available in Client Solutions (at 6.1). But I expect those to be improved when I can complete upgrades and especially as IBM might put resources into Client Solutions as the Windows client fades away. I've kept a couple WinXP instances available just for the odd times some extra access is needed. These are available in my network via RDP.

                    Though Linux isn't (yet) the focus for most businesses, it's slowly having an effect. I'd think IBM is plenty happy going in a direction that is more or less client-platform neutral. The tighter IBM's focus can be, the better things can go for all of us.
                    AFAIK, iNav functions are being incorporated into the Nav for i web UI not iACS.

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                    • #11
                      Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows

                      Originally posted by jtaylor___ View Post
                      AFAIK, iNav functions are being incorporated into the Nav for i web UI not iACS.
                      Could br, and it wouldn't surprise me. Not that it matters since I don't see all Database functions there either. The last one I tried to track down was database mapping.

                      It might be in there, but I haven't seen it yet. That might be because I haven't done even the first steps of tuning for the web server. As it is, I always end up at a page that only says "This portlet page is not ready. Please try again. " Guess I'll have to get busy and do the work management configuration that is needed.
                      Tom

                      There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation, naming things and off-by-one errors.

                      Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Scott Klement View Post
                        Re: The end of IBM i Access for Windows



                        I know one thing is the HLLAPI/EHLLAPI interface is gone. This was sometimes used by programs to read/write data into the 5250 emulator. For example, one of my company's oldest products is "RPG-Alive", which is a tool that colorizes and draws lines on top of the 5250 emulator when you are in SEU to make the source code easier to read. To do this, it uses EHLLAPI to read the screen... Of course, using RDi is probably a better alternative, but we do still have a lot of customers using RPG-Alive who will be out of luck (or will have to transition to something else) when they can no longer use the IBM i Access tool.

                        It's not a huge deal to us as this is no longer a huge money earner anymore -- but it's an example of reduced functionality.
                        @Scott ... pretty sure that functionality is there now from IBM in ACS (since the date of your post) so wondering if RPG Alive has been resurrected at all to use it?

                        Cheers
                        Greg
                        Greg Craill: "Life's hard - Get a helmet !!"

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by gcraill View Post
                          @Scott ... pretty sure that functionality is there now from IBM in ACS (since the date of your post) so wondering if RPG Alive has been resurrected at all to use it?
                          I'm aware that they added HLLAPI support.

                          Making RPG-Alive work with this support would require some significant effort. It is not worthwhile. Its important to understand that RPG-Alive works by painting lines on top of SEU. New RPG features haven't been added to SEU since March 2008, and the majority of RPG progammers are using those features. So the absolute best we could achieve would be to update our product to be only 12.5 years out of date. I don't think it makes sense to expend money and resources to make that happen.

                          Instead, people should be moving forward to newer technologies. RDi is a great tool for editing RPG, much better than SEU will ever be, even with RPG-Alive's help. Other tools such as ILEditor and MiWorkplace are also very good.

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                          • #14
                            Thanks for the confirmation Scott, I will pass that back to our users (yes we still use RPG Alive) and update our roadmap to suit.
                            Greg Craill: "Life's hard - Get a helmet !!"

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