Re: iSeries applications deployed as portlets

["Tom Jedrzejewicz" <tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 2/24/06, Mike Cunningham <MCUNNING@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> We are looking at installing a portal and are evaluating Websphere
> Portal (running on either iSeries or Windows) against Microsoft
> Sharepoint.
...
> As with many iSeries shops we are moving from green-screen
> to browser application development and are using RPG CGI and Websmart
> initially and starting down the Java path. My biggest concern with
> installing a portal is how do our iSeries applications get deployed as
> portlets.

Does BCD / Excel Systems have anything to say on the matter?  I am
pretty sure that they have a portal solution, and that it is a lot
less expensive than either of the solutions you are discussing.

> In the Websphere demo we were shown iSeries apps running as
> portlets, and a 5250 emulation portlet that would run any green-screen
> application. In the Sharepoint demo we were told we could either use
> .net and do odbc connections to get at the iSeries data or use .net to
> create the portlet code that referenced the url of the iSeries browser
> application. No real world demo.

Sharepoint isn't going to do much for the existing green screen apps. 
As I understand it, getting an app on another web server to be a
portlet in Sharepoint isn't particularly tough.

If you need/want the green screen, there are ActiveX emulators out
there; you might even be able to use the same one that Websphere uses.
 I don't know about java emulators.
--> Mochasoft -- $350 site license -- http://www.mochasoft.dk/tn5250activex.htm
--> Seagull -- 
http://www.seagullsoftware.com/products/bluezone/terminal-emulation.html
--> Zephyr -- http://www.zephyrcorp.com/5250-emulation-as400.htm

> Is there anyone who has developed iSeries apps deployed as portlets to
> either of these portals and if so how difficult is it to learn and do ?
> Are there any issues related to portal development that you would do
> different if you could go back in time ?

I am surprised that we haven't heard from Mr. Pluta yet.

--
Tom Jedrzejewicz
tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxx