Framework Systems Launches Web Enablement Tool

One of the software vendors making its debut at the COMMON conference in San Antonio last week was Framework Systems, a Danish company that has developed a Web-enablement toolset for OS/400 applications. The iSeries2web contains a collection of XML-based built-in functions that let companies separate presentation logic from business logic in RPG applications. As a result, users can interact with OS/400 applications from practically anywhere, through standard HTML screens, instead of 5250 displays.

The OS/400 server’s tight integration has been considered an advantage since it debuted. With an integrated relational database, lighting-quick execution of RPG business logic, and lightweight 5250 protocol for displaying text, thousands of companies have enjoyed the capability to roll out robust and stable business applications quickly, without the time and expense of building their computer system piece by piece.

But, today, the tight coupling of the three tiers (database, application, and presentation logic) found in a generation of RPG applications is not always looked upon so fondly. Companies that want to extend access to their applications and business processes in new ways made possible by the Internet are faced with the prospect of refacing, reengineering, or rewriting their applications. There are many tools available for these jobs, ranging from down and dirty screenscrapers to more invasive redevelopment tools and, finally, code converters that translate RPG source code into other third-generation languages, such as Java and C#.

The iSeries2web is an invasive redevelopment tool that falls in the middle of this spectrum of possible solutions. The goal of the tool is to keep the first two tiers–the database and the business logic layers–running on the OS/400 server, while replacing the green screen with standard HTML (via XML), served from a Windows HTTP server. The product basically works by going into an application and replacing the DDS calls in green-screen RPG applications with XML, which communicates with a Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) Web server that sends the HTML down to the Web browser.

The iSeries2Web includes two components: an RPG Toolbox, which contains the XML-based “built-in functions” to mimic RPG display files, and a COM object that installs on the Windows box.

The RPG Toolbox is where the true value of this product lies. Over the course of several consulting engagements with European OS/400 shops, the developers at Framework have assembled a fairly impressive collection of their own XML-based built-in functions that OS/400 shops can plug into their RPG applications to replace the DDS. Here are some examples of BIFs in the RPG Toolbox: GENNUM (generates numbers in a sequence), PUTXML (sends data to XML documents), XMLN (generates a value in an XML format), and RTVVARA (retrieves alphanumeric value). The product also contains a range of templates to help programmers get started.

A key advantage of iSeries2Web is that it allows developers to reuse their RPG knowledge, rather than learning a new language, such as Java, says Jesper Nielsen, a Framework cofounder and its R&D manager. “I, myself, couldn’t do it,” he says, referring to transferring his RPG knowledge into Java. “That’s why I built this product.”

Another advantage of iSeries2Web, the company says, is that it allows companies to reuse 80 to 100 percent of their RPG business logic. Since the business logic remains in RPG, it runs very well on the OS/400 server, compared with Java, which requires five to eight times as much computing power to run a comparable program as RPG, Nielsen says. “That’s another reason why Java isn’t the greatest [business programming language], unless you’re selling hardware,” he says.

Security is not an issue with iSeries2web, Framework says, because of the way that the Windows-based Web server communicates with the iSeries. The company says it uses a “proprietary” XML format for communication between the OS/400-based application server and the Windows-based Web server, while SSL can be used to encrypt connections between the Web server and the Web browser. No business logic or data is stored on the Windows server or the client, the company says, further circumventing the risks posed by Windows software, while maintaining standard OS/400 security provisions. While Microsoft is the preferred Web server provider, Framework says its software will also work with the Apache Web server.

The iSeries2web requires RPG IV running on OS/400 V4R5 or later. Users will need a standard RPG editor, such as SEU or WDSc, as well as an HTML development tool, such as Microsoft FrontPage. While Framework recommends users take a two-day training class to familiarize themselves with iSeries2web, it also says users will pick up on its constructs fairly quickly and that the training session may not be needed.

The origins of the iSeries2web tool dates back to 1999, when it was used to help Web-enable a European telecommunications company’s RPG applications. In 2002, Framework Systems’ cofounders–Nielsen, Ole Magnus, Karsten Pedersen, and Torben Petersen–bought the technology, which it used in several client engagements, including Shell Oil, and nine other European companies.

Today, Framework keeps its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. It opened a sales office in Los Angeles earlier this year. The company is actively searching for business partners in the United States to expand its sales channel and support network.

Licenses for iSeries2web start at $19,500, which allows a user to connect one iSeries server to an unlimited number of clients. For more information, go to www.iseries2web.com.