by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Longtime OS/400 application software vendor MAPICS two weeks ago announced the general availability of a Java-based version of the MAPICS ERP for iSeries suite of software, formerly known as MAPICS XA.

MAPICS has a long history in the IBM midrange. It was founded in 1980 and soon became part of Big Blue itself. After being spun out from IBM, MAPICS was acquired by various companies and was involved in a merger with Marcam Solutions, a specialist in enterprise software for process manufacturers that complemented MAPICS' own expertise in discrete manufacturing software. That marriage didn't last long, because synergies between the organizations did not pan out, and MAPICS was reincorporated in 1998 as a separate company and headquartered in Atlanta, long a hot-bed of OS/400 application development because of IBM's nearby General Services Division, which handled software for IBM's midrange platforms. (Marcam subsequently was eaten by Invensys, a British factory controller maker and ERP software vendor that also owns the Wonderware and Baan software suites.) In January 2000, MAPICS bought Pivotpoint, a vendor of ERP, SCM, and CRM applications for the Windows server platform.

A year earlier, MAPICS had announced a deal with International Business Systems, the Swedish OS/400 applications software vendor, to create a Java-based application suite based on IBM's SanFrancisco frameworks, a set of application templates IBM developed and promoted before the Enterprise JavaBean standard was established. According to sources at MAPICS, the IBS partnership was abandoned two years ago when it became clear to MAPICS that the best thing it could do was offer customers distinct ERP applications, extended with CRM and SCM modules, that were tailored specifically for the OS/400 or Windows platform.

This strategy seems to be exactly the opposite of that chosen by Intentia International, another big Swedish OS/400 application vendor that also happens to be one of the biggest midrange ISVs in the world. Intentia is on its second generation of Java applications in the Movex NextGen suite, which was ported from RPG running on OS/400, to Java running on OS/400 and Windows. To each his own. MAPICS firmly believes that creating one ERP platform for both OS/400 and Windows is the wrong approach. Then again, it has two very distinct application code bases and customer installed bases, and bringing them together would be impossible without upsetting its 3,500 customers worldwide. Intentia didn't have any Windows customers to try to appease with a Java release based on its RPG code.

At the end of October, MAPICS announced that it had ported the core MAPICS ERP for iSeries modules from RPG to Java, and that it had ported the code so it would run on top of IBM's WebSphere application server and link to other applications through XML interfaces. This new version is known as MAPICS ERP for iSeries Release 7. All of the functionality of the MAPICS suite for OS/400 servers will be ported from RPG to Java by the end of 2002. While this port to Java would, in theory, allow MAPICS to move the MAPICS for iSeries ERP suite to Unix, Windows, or Linux platforms, the company has no plans to do so at this time. MAPICS is, for the moment, committed to serving the OS/400 market with the revamped and caffeinated MAPICS XA suite. However, during the next 12 to 18 months, the company will be porting the OS/400 code to Linux--but only Linux as it runs on the iSeries. It does not plan to support its application suite on pSeries, xSeries, or zSeries servers running Linux. That option will, however, obviously be open for MAPICS as it delivers the Linux functionality on the iSeries.

MAPICS is offering customers toolkits to convert their prior generations of MAPICS applications to Release 7. The toolkit, according to company sources, will work with any prior generation of MAPICS applications, but the easiest ports will be for customers on more modern releases who used the MAPICS Integrator tool to make their modifications to the MAPICS suite. MAPICS ERP for iSeries Release 7 will run on any AS/400 or iSeries server that supports OS/400 V4R5 or V5R1. MAPICS is using BMC Software's Best/1 performance tool, licensed by IBM for its own performance tools, to help customers do capacity planning as they move from RPG to Java modules. MAPICS says that iSeries Model 270 and Model 8XX servers, by virtue of their faster processors, more capacious main and L2 memories, and higher bandwidth, will do better running the new MAPICS suite than prior AS/400 servers. MAPICS does not yet have any general rules of thumb when it comes to upgrading from RPG to Java versions, since it is only working with limited information from early adopter customers.

For existing customers on maintenance contracts, the upgrade to MAPICS ERP for iSeries Release 7 is free; the cost for the core financial ERP modules is $2,000 per seat, with SCM and CRM modules costing extra. A typical customer will spend about $50,000 for a suite of applications, according to the company.

The question now is how long MAPICS will support its RPG suite. That's a good question for Intentia as well. More on that in a future issue of The Four Hundred.

In a separate series of announcements, MAPICS has also enhanced its ERP for Extended Systems, the Windows-based suite formerly known as Point.Man, as well as its Supply Chain Management Solution, also a Windows suite and formerly known as Thru-Put. MAPICS has also announced a special suite of its OS/400 applications designed specifically for metal manufacturers.

SPONSORED BY BCD SOFTWARE See why WebSmart beat out 26 other vendors and was Voted the BEST iSeries e-Business / e-Commerce tool in the marketplace. New Version. Build your own, or use/customize the 70+ Free templates and e-Commerce applications. Develop professional apps in a couple of days not months. Quickly deploy elegant, robust and secure B2B & B2C apps. Including: Inquiries, reporting, maintenance, wireless (WML, XML, HDML), ordering, product catalogs, shopping carts, EIS & more. Automatically produces dynamic HTML CGI programs written in ILE/RPG. 128-bit AES encryption. Utilizes iSeries400 database and security features for scalability and reliability. Complete, portable PC-based design tool. Unlimited developers and end-users. Easy-to-use, requires little or no Web or iSeries400 programming and best of all it's affordably priced. Ask for BCD's 15-point opinion e-mail on why WebSmart is better than WebSphere: 1. Ability to run on smaller iSeries 400s without having to upgrade hardware. 2. Significantly faster applications... WebSmart users include: Affinity Ins., Airways Freight, Arrow Environmental, Behr Process, Broward County Schools, Calvin Klein, D.J. Powers, Formica Corp., Goodyear, Hightech Health, Hoshizaki America, Kauai Electric, Legacy Partners, Midwest Trophy, MSU, Oregon Dept., of Veterans Affairs, State of California, Testor Corp., Weigh-Tronix... Also try CATAPULT, voted best e-mail / Automated Report Distribution Tool. Download WebSmart - and - CATAPULT now for FREE. Call 630-986-0800, e-mail sales@bcdsoftware.com or visit http://www.BCDsoftware.com BCD, Winner of 18 Industry Awards.

by Joe Hertvik

I recently spoke with Sandy Carter, IBM's vice president of WebSphere marketing. We talked about WebSphere marketing on the iSeries, the new eServer iSeries Powered by WebSphere product, and IBM's future iSeries WebSphere plans.

How's WebSphere doing on the iSeries?

Very well. IBM has just announced the pretested, integrated eServer iSeries Powered by WebSphere server, which is a solution for the iSeries marketplace. Other vendors and customers, such as the Unix guys, they'll take technology, but iSeries customers want a solution to their problems. That's what they've grown up with; that's what the cult has been formed around.

So we believe that this package is critical to success there, because it is an application server-Web serving solution for iSeries customers. They can protect their investment, so they don't have to replace what they currently have. The server can be added into their current infrastructure. It interfaces nicely with other iSeries applications, such as J.D. Edwardsand MQSeries for AS/400.

The iSeries also depends a lot on the channel, and the channel is extremely happy because everything is pretested and integrated together. Because of that work, our lab installation times have consistently tested out at about an hour to get everything up and running. That's a big benefit for Business Partners and customers who are trying to decrease their costs and increase their productivity.

But what will make it successful for iSeries customers?

When we went to COMMON, we spoke to many iSeries customers and Business Partners. Our key step here is the education, the training partners, making sure everyone is completely trained on WebSphere. This is a new beast for them. And many of the questions they asked were common questions: "I want to do it; I've heard about it, but what is it?" This offering is leveraging the WebSphere brand; it's Powered by WebSphere for iSeries. We believe this server is a big deal. Buell Duncan and I unveiled this together, and I teased that I was the first IBM software executive to unveil a piece of hardware.

The iSeries is completely behind this server, and IBM is also completely behind it. Based on our research, iSeries customers are looking for a solution. Statistically, in the next two years, over 72 percent of the iSeries customers want to have WebSphere Commerce Suite on the iSeries in their shops. That's huge. We believe that this is the time, and that we're at the right part of the curve for iSeries.

Are we looking at another iSeries Powered by WebSphere machine that has WebSphere Commerce Suite bundled at some point?

Potentially! What a great idea. Coming soon. Another perfect solution for this space.

The integrated Commerce server would have been nice to put out right now, because the Powered by WebSphere box seems like a developer's machine.

The iSeries Powered by WebSphere really allows you to Web-enable your applications. And when we did the market intelligence, Web-enablement was step one. Step two was the WebSphere Commerce Suite piece.

Are there any other WebSphere gaps that will be filled on the iSeries as time goes on?

Obviously not right away, because iSeries adoption tends to be slower than in other customers sets, but we do have plans for the WebSphere Portal Server to go on iSeries. That's good, because the Portal Server today doesn't have the collaboration features in it that will make it really cool. In 2002, Portal Server goes to iSeries with the cool collaboration pieces on it.

Aside from the Commerce piece, the Portal Server seems to be the WebSphere application that generates the most buzz. It seems to be the most needed right now.

Yes, but on the iSeries right now, they're followers; they're not leaders. The Portal Server is in its infancy. You'll soon see a lot of references about how people are using it, but the Portal Server is new; it's an emerging thing. Usually the iSeries customers adopt more slowly.

There's always been a gap between when IBM releases a product, like WebSphere V4.0, on the other platforms first and when--two months later --it comes out on the iSeries. Can you explain why it takes longer to release WebSphere products on the iSeries?

Well, first, you'll see that time period getting shorter. But part of the reasoning there is that iSeries is considered a solution, and it qualifies for much higher testing. The iSeries actually does its own testing [with a product like WebSphere] to make sure everything works together. That extra testing adds additional development cycle time. So the iSeries customers should feel great, because iSeries WebSphere releases are now up to an integrated-solution-testing quality level. It just takes more time to do that.

And it isn't just IBM. I think you see that pretty consistently throughout other iSeries vendors; that they offer their products on other platforms first. Generally, the testing around the iSeries takes longer to do.

Why has it taken so long to get other WebSphere products--like the Portal Server, the WebSphere Edge Server, and the Site Analysis piece--on the iSeries?

Site Analysis will be part of the WebSphere Portal Server. Part of this is that, when you offer a new solution, you go out on a platform that has early emerging adopters, people who are willing to take that risk--bleeding edge people. You make the product successful, and then you roll it out to other people. That's exactly what IBM has done.

Does that mean most WebSphere products will eventually wind up on the iSeries?

Yes. If the product is successful, it will end up on the iSeries. You wouldn't propagate an unsuccessful product on multiple platforms...one would hope.

On the iSeries, you can run Linux, Windows, and AIX applications, and IBM is testing a version of WebSphere that runs under a Linux partition. Will we see a move toward supporting a non-OS/400 WebSphere on iSeries, or are we really looking at keeping it native?

We are evaluating that. We're looking at some fast adoption in Europe of the acceptance of Linux on the iSeries. And WebSphere will go where its customers will go. So, if a lot of customers start adopting Linux, that's where we'll be. That's actually a very good thing for IBM. Buell has predicted that Linux on iSeries will be one of the hottest things in Europe. The goal is ubiquity, and you go with the goal.

Will IBM be supporting two, possibly three, different versions of WebSphere running on the iSeries? Because you can run it under AIX in the Portable Application Solutions Environment, too.

I don't see AIX, but I do see WebSphere under Linux. I know we're evaluating Linux right now.

WebSphere under Windows running on the Integrated xSeries Server would be another possibility.

Yes.

Why was the decision made to offer only a 10 percent discount on the eServer iSeries Powered by WebSphere product? That seems like a low discount to move those boxes.

Well, there's a 33 percent discount on the WebSphere V4.0 software.

But only until February 8, and then the bundle price goes to a 10 percent discount.

That's correct. When you're in marketing, you put promotions out early on to drive acceptance, and then you learn from the results. About the 10 percent level, you have to talk to iSeries, because we made the software decision that we wanted this to be very successful, so we put a 33 percent discount on the software. And, overall, the bundle carries a 10 percent discount. I believe the iSeries group felt the box was extremely competitive with that price.

Is the 33 percent discount for WebSphere V4.0 being offered anywhere else other than the iSeries?

No, it's not. If you do the numbers, as compared even to a Windows box, the Powered by WebSphere offering is very competitively priced.

I think iSeries is doing very well, overall. If you listen to Buell, there are only two servers in the entire industry--not just IBM--that grew during the third quarter 2001. One was iSeries, and the other was zSeries. And that wasn't just with current customers; it was with new customers, as well.

SPONSORED BY E-400 LTD. FOUR STEP GUIDE TO EASY iSeries WEB DEVELOPMENT Step 1 - Identify your needs * deliver fast web applications on secure iSeries or AS/400 * extend programming skills such as RPG, COBOL * use existing infrastructure (even small servers such as model 150) * achieving training in hours and produce results in days * deliver real ROI to my business Step 2 - Discard what you don't want * yet more interactive resource and hardware upgrades * restrictive templates, bossy wizards and visual constraints * screen scrapers, code generators and 5250 emulation * poor productivity and slow application performance * new programming languages to learn * additional client licenses and expensive training Step 3 - Read what experts and customers say "What E-400 have managed to achieve is possibly the best web development tool I have seen to date.... If you have an AS/400 and are looking for a web presence, you could do yourself or your company a lot of good by taking a look at FreeStyle-400." David George, 400times.co.uk Product Review "We were 99% committed to the Java route for our Internet / Intranet development until we found out about FreeStyle-400. FreeStyle-400 allowed us to use our existing pool of developers without any costly training, sub-contracting or steep learning curves...." John Hunter, MIS Manager, AVX Ltd. Step 4 - Talk to us about FreeStyle-400 Talk to our professional partners or us on how you could leverage existing skills and resources to develop e-business projects. UK/Europe - E-400 Ltd. at +44 (0)1757 248000 US/Canada - Net400 Inc. at 888-8-NET400 Australia/New Zealand - AH Technology at (61-3) 9886 9699 Alternatively visit www.freestyle-400.com/tfh for a demo or further information.