Micro Focus Debuting Native 5250 Emulator for iOS

January 20, 2016 Alex Woodie

IT pros who want to access an IBM i server directly from their iPad or iPhone will soon have another way to do that thanks to Micro Focus, which is rolling out a new 5250 emulator that runs natively on iOS devices. The new product, which IT Jungle has learned will be called Reflection for TN3270 and TN5250, will be available soon from the Apple App Store for less than $50 per device.

Micro Focus is arguably the largest provider of terminal emulation software outside of IBM itself. The company acquired NetManage and its popular RUMBA (nee, Rumba) product line in 2008, and then announced its acquisition of Attachmate in 2014 (it was completed last April).

Micro Focus, which is based in Newbury, England, ultimately plans to merge the Rumba and Attachmate lines into a single product and brand. But until then, Attachmate will continue to operate as a semi-independent subsidiary out of its former headquarters near Seattle, Washington. And Attachmate will continue to develop its own products.

The coming launch of Reflection for TN3270 and TN5250 is an example of that. While Micro Focus has offered a 5250 emulator on iPad since 2013, the company is nevertheless allowing its Attachmate business to go ahead with the delivery of the new mobile emulator under the name of Attachmate’s flagship emulation suite, which it has carried forward since the WRQ acquisition (it also continues to support EXTRA products, by the way).

Attachmate is debuting its first native iOS TN5250 emulator.

The new Reflection for TN3270 and TN5250 product will run natively on all iOS devices, and enable users to make direct connections from their mobile devices to the host in a two-tier fashion. That is, there is no middleware running on a separate server required, unlike the mobile experience that Attachmate debuted two years ago with its full Reflection 2014 suite, which required the use of Citrix‘s Xen Receiver runtime and talky ICA protocol (the one that used to be packaged under the MetaServer brand).

While users will not be getting the full Windows-based 5250 and 3270 emulator with the new Reflection for TN3270 and TN5250 product (as they would if they were emulating the full Windows emulator), they will be getting the type of user experience they would expect for mobile devices. That is to say, it will be responsive and intuitive, according to Attachmate product marketing manager Kris Lall.

“There are different apps for connecting to hosts, but what people like about the Reflection iOS products is they’re the most usable emulators on the App Store,” Lall says. “They’re really designed for IT admins, those admins who don’t want to access the mainframe while at the movies but unfortunately they have to.”

Reflection for TN3270 and TN5250 users shouldn’t expect niceties, like support for macros and HLLAPIS. Those really don’t work well on mobile devices, where a simpler user experience reigns. But on the other hand, mobile users don’t have to make do with the scaled-down keyboard that Apple provides for iOS devices. According to Lall, Attachmate delivered its own keyboard that contains a big addition that will be much-appreciate by IBM i and mainframe pros: support for F-keys.

Reliability and security are other area where Attachmate hopes to separate itself from the mainframe and midrange emulation pack. Lall says the new product offers support for a range of encryption protocols (SSH, SSL/TLS) and also features an “app-lock” screen, where users must type their passcodes to unlock the app. The app-lock supports not just the numbers 0-9, but also the letters A-F. “You get many more combos,” Lall says. “It makes it that much more difficult to guess or break into.”

The new product will support iOS versions 7 through 9. Attachmate has submitted the product to Apple for review, and it’s expected that it will become available on the App Store sometime about two weeks after that. That means it could become available on the App Store later this week.

The regular price will be $49.99 per download, Lall says. But Attachmate is lowering that price to $19.99 as part of an introductory special offer.

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IBM i Modernization Planning with Fresche Legacy
Experience shows that it's best to develop a phased modernization strategy with early wins

At Fresche, modernization and efficient management of IBM i environments is what we do. It's our specialty. We provide highly experienced modernization services in conjunction with tools such as the X-Analysis suite (for deep understanding of your applications, data models, code complexity, business rules, etc.) and the looksoftware suite (to modernize your application UI and improve the complete user experience). Most IT departments have limited modernization experience and are not aware of all the pitfalls that can occur on a modernization journey. Fresche has already met and overcome most obstacles, including difficulties in testing, project management and integration.

Experience shows that there are six main steps that lead up to a successful modernization effort.

1. Analyze your application environment
In large IBM i shops, it is very likely that no one has a complete picture of the application environment. Knowing what you have - and how it currently supports (or doesn't adequately support) the business - is crucial in deciding how to proceed. There are many decisions involved in a well-planned modernization project, and those decisions cannot be made if you do not have accurate metrics about application and database size, quality and complexity, interdependencies, obsolete and redundant code, backup procedures, etc. Using automated tools like X-Analysis to perform a highly detailed analysis of your IBM i application portfolio provides you with a clear picture of what is used in your system and how. This information is crucial before planning your modernization journey.

In addition, you need to begin evaluating target technologies. Remember that one size does not fit all. Not all of your legacy technology needs to move to the same target technology, and some of it does not need to move at all. Hybrid solutions are the key: rarely is there one monolithic solution to a company's modernization needs.

Consulting an experienced vendor such as Fresche can help you with both aspects of this phase. Through Fresche's Strategy and Discovery service, or even by purchasing X?Analysis, you can learn everything you need to know about your IBM i environment and begin reviewing recommendations for modernization.

2. Find the Right Strategy
There are a variety of modernization strategies, and you need to decide which ones are right to support each part of your business. Among the strategies and solutions:

Strategy Solutions

Maintain Application Support Services

Manage Optimize existing applications and improve performance by improving processes,
understanding business rules, and re-using design elements.

Modernize           GUI, SOA and Mobile Enablement
                            Re-hosting
                            Automated Conversion
                            Code Transformation
                            Re-architecting / Re-engineering

Replace Re-write applications on the IBM i
Packaged Applications

Retire Some applications can be decommissioned when newer technology on the platform has
superseded the older functionality

Again, help from an experienced vendor such as Fresche can be invaluable in determining how to proceed. Most companies do not have an abundance of modernization skills and experience and benefit greatly from a vendor's knowledge.

3. Align IT Projects to Business Value Creation
Fresche's experience has shown that willingness on the part of IT and some users is not enough to sustain a thorough and on-going modernization strategy. It is absolutely essential to link each modernization project with a business improvement that will benefit one or more parts of the business. As you are building out your strategy, keep the following points in mind:

• What does the business get out of it?

• Move from an IT-centric perspective to a business-centric one

• Existing IT budgets are rarely adequate to fund mid-to-large scale modernization initiatives;
the business will need to sponsor and fund the project

• A professional and strategic approach to the business is required

You must be able to show what business problems you are solving with each part of the modernization project. You must also be able to show business the return on the investment.

4. Define a Phased-Approach Timeframe that Includes Quick Wins
Organizations typically do not like to invest in multi-year programs where the benefits only appear at the end of an extended period, so it's in your best interests to create a milestone-based plan where each milestone shows a specific business value. Establish one or more quick and visible wins early in the process to show business that the modernization strategy has definite and beneficial goals. These quick-win projects can include rapid Web enablement, UI and workflow customization, database modernization (long names, for example), and a published data model. A variety of tools from Fresche and looksoftware can help with all of these projects.

5. Seek input from line-of-business application stakeholders
In fact, this is something that you need to do throughout your modernization journey. We have already stressed how important it is to define projects in terms of their business value. But it is also important to include business analysts and users as early in the discussion as possible to validate the direction that you are considering and to ensure buy-in. Projects that succeed are ones where business analysts fully understand - and are looking forward to - the benefits that the project will provide.

6. Seek External Validation on Strategy and Approach
Planning and running a modernization project is very different from net new development. It requires in-depth knowledge of the existing system and an understanding of where some of the scope creep and problematic areas could potentially arise. We always recommend obtaining external validation of your approach and strategy from sources that specialize in modernization. Fresche can help, no matter what stage of modernization you are currently considering.

Do you have questions? Do you want some helping building your plan? Talk to an expert.

Want more details about our offerings? Visit our Web site for details.

www.freschelegacy.com

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