Making life a little easier for the administrator with SystemView
Systems management takes a big step forward on the AS/400 with IBM SystemView Operation Center/400, which is aimed at administrators that need to manage a number of systems from a single location and have systems that run in environments which are unattended. It consists of a set of centralised network management functions, including distribution management and NetView remote operations functions for the AS/400. The Operation Center/400 integrated offering includes SystemView System Manager/400 for central site AS/400 systems that are managing other systems, together with SystemView Managed System Services/400 for remote AS/400 systems. Operation Center/400 provides distribution management functions for the AS/400 system as a member of the NetView Distribution Manager family. AS/400 objects – such as programs, commands, and files – and non-AS/400 objects, such as personal computer files and programs, can be distributed throughout Systems Network Architecture and TCP/IP networks. The user can run remote programs and can remotely IPL systems – no, IBM isn’t referring to the disk integrator from Maynard – it likes to say IPL when it means Initial Program Load and everyone else would say boot. All results are returned to the central site system for monitoring and tracking. Network-wide job schedules can be implemented by specifying when functions are to be run on the systems. Operation Center/400 also provides NetView remote operations functions for the AS/400 system. Commands can be sent to one or more remote systems to run. Messages, spooled file data, and output file data resulting from running commands are returned.
Passwords
Passwords are supported without requiring users to sign on to remote systems. Software management support in Operation Center/400 includes packaging, electronic distribution, installation, and application software licence management. Operation Center/400 also provides the user centralised problem management support, including support for problem notification, a central problem log, remote problem analysis, and fix identification, creation, distribution, and installation. The Operation Center/400 products interoperate with a variety of products including the NetView Distribution Manager for MVS, NetView Distribution Manager/2, NetView Distribution Manager/6000, and the NetView Remote Operations Manager MVS/ESA. This enables the AS/400 system to manage other systems or be managed in a network of mixed systems. Operation Center/400 will be generally available in August, IBM says.
Array of new offerings from third parties for personal computer support, application development
IBM has expanded its range of Client Series End-User Products. With DataPrism for the AS/400, a query tool from Brio Technology Inc, Windows and Macintosh users can copy data from remote databases into spreadsheets, word processors, and charting applications. DataPrism works across multiple environments: queries created with any Windows version of DataPrism can be opened and run on a Macintosh, and vice versa. With PowerPlay from Cognos Inc, Windows users can analyse query-generated data using a variety of techniques such as pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, and cross tabs, without programming. With Impromptu from Cognos, application users and decision-support staff with Windows can query a database and build a report using a graphical user interface, again without programming. A customisable catalog hides the actual database structure from the end user. The previously announced IBM Connection Program/400 for Unix is now included in the Client Series AIX/Unix client environment, and the previously announced Rumba/400 feature of PC Support/400 is now part of the new IBM Client Access/400 Family, which replaces PC Support/400. On the application development front, there are also new tools available. With Omnis 7 for AS/400, an integrated development environment from Blyth Software Inc, users can create, store, access, manipulate, and present diverse data type
s from a variety of sources; Windows is now supported. With Progress/400, from Progress Software Inc, developers can rapidly build host-based or distributed client-server applications that are portable across a wide range of computers, operating systems, networking protocols, databases, and end-user interfaces – and AIX and Unix has now been added. With IBM Visual RPG Client/2, AS/400 RPG programmers can create a graphical user interface for applications. This tool contains a graphical interface builder, a compiler, and a function that enables reference to DB2/400 definitions. The OS/2 client environment is supported. With Guidelines I, part of JBA International Plc’s Open ToolCASE, developers can create AS/400 and personal computer-based client-server applications that take advantage of both DB2/400 facilities and the graphical capabilities of the personal computer. Applications can be run in OS/2 or Windows environments; application development is supported only in OS/2. With Synon Client Server Generator, Synon/CSG, a software engineering tool from Synon Corp, developers can create distributed function applications that require both AS/400 and Programmable Workstation programming.
Graphical interface
Support for the Windows client environment has now been added. With IBM Ultimedia System Facilities, personal computer clients can capture, store, and present multimedia objects. The OS/2 and Windows client environments are supported. Support for the AIX and Unix client environment has also been added to Track for the AS/400, from Intelligent Office Company Ltd, which enables executives and managers to use unique graphical user interfaces to access real-time data stored on DB2/400. Finally, IBM has replaced the limited PC Support/400 with much better Client Access/400 as the method of connecting personal computers ot AS/400s. A set of OS/400 database, file, and print services are provided for desktop operating systems such as MS-DOS, Windows, and OS/2. Additionally, 5250 emulation is included to provide a graphical interface for AS/400 programs. There’s a variety of base enablers for client-server application development, such as industry-standard file and database application program interfaces and multimedia and print services. And Client Access/400 provides desktop software distribution capability and functions to simplify personal computer administration in an AS/400 network.