Kisco Hooks WebReport/400 to Apache for Intranet Serving

August 9, 2011 Alex Woodie

Kisco Information Systems last week unveiled a new release of its WebReport/400 utility that enables customers to publish IBM i content through their own intranets powered by the Apache HTTP server that IBM integrates into the IBM i operating system.

WebReport/400 allows IBM i shops to make more effective use of the spool files and reports generated by their applications. The software can automatically convert IBM i spool files to PDF, HTML, RTF, XLS, or CSV formats, and then distribute them via email, fax, FTP, or the Web.

WebReport/400 version 11.05 introduces a new report intranet feature that uses the Apache Web server and allows reports to be accessed within an organization from a Web browser interface. The feature uses IBM i system software and requires no additional software, Kisco says.

The new report intranet feature relies on IBM i security and uses IBM i user profiles and sign-on credentials to allow access to reports. Each user is allowed to access only the reports that he or she is allowed to view. User access can be controlled at the user profile or at the group profile level, Kisco says.

The new release also includes better control over spool files that contain double byte character set (DBCS) characters, as well as improved security options for output queues accessed by WebReport/400, the Saranac Lake, New York, company says.

In addition to emailing converted reports or publishing them on an Internet or intranet site, WebReport/400 enables users to store spool files in their original spool file format on the IBM i’s shared folder system or anywhere in the IFS. These files can then be archived (to a DVD, for example) and subsequently restored on the system.

WebReport/400’s report distribution capabilities can be accessed directly, or embedded into existing IBM i applications.

WebReport/400 version 11.05 is available now. Kisco says WebReport/400 PDF (which includes the PDF conversion capability) starts at $1,995, which is $200 more than version 11 released in April. Pricing for the plain vanilla (non PDF) version is still listed as $1,195. For more information, see www.kisco.com.