WebSphere Host Integration Solution

Merging your network with the Web
The Web and its associated technologies offer you virtually unlimited ways to extend the reach of your business information. As a result, providing access to information stored on System I, System z, and other back-end systems, such as UNIX®, Microsoft® Windows NT®, Microsoft Windows® 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP system-based servers, is more important than ever. Your critical business information and applications most likely reside on host systems. The quantity and quality of your business information, combined with the reach of the Web, presents you with the opportunity to transform that information into a powerful competitive advantage.

With IBM WebSphere® Host Integration Solution, you can start simple and grow your business fast, leveraging your host data with new solutions to help maximize your total return on investment. In a single offering, you get everything you need to create and deploy advanced business applications that rely on host systems. Whether you want to give your host applications a Web look and feel without programming, or integrate multiple legacy applications into a single Web page, IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution has the answer. Now with both IBM WebSphere Application Server, Network Deployment and IBM WebSphere Developer for zSeries, you can create and deploy host access business applications. You can use any of the IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution programming technologies, such as Host Access Beans for Java and Host Access Class Libraries (HACL), to deliver dynamic host content using Java™ servlets, JavaServer Pages™ (JSP™), Extensible Markup Language (XML)technology and Enterprise JavaBeans™ (EJB) components.

IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution offers industry- leading host access with unmatched flexibility for multiple environments. This product portfolio integrates with and lever- ages the IBM WebSphere software platform, a comprehensive set of award-winning integrated business solutions that can allow you to quickly meet evolving market needs.

What is IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution?

IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution comprises industry- leading IBM software communication clients and servers providing a variety of products to meet your network needs, including:

• IBM WebSphere® Host Access Transformation Services (HATS) gives you the tools you need to quickly and easily extend your host applications to business partners, customers and employees. HATS helps make your 3270 and 5250 applications available as HTML through the most-popular Web browsers, while converting your host screens to a Web-like look and feel. And with HATS, you can create Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) assets from logic contained in your terminal applications
  

• WebSphere Host On-Demand provides secure, cost-effective host access to other users in intranet- and extranet-based environments. Businesses can extend the reach of their host applications and data to new users, including business partners, suppliers, and sales personnel.

  WebSphere Host On-Demand gives you security-enhanced browser access to host applications and data, with Web browser-based emulation. With support for host applications for TN3270E, TN5250, VT52/100/220/420, and CICS, and an FTP/sftp client included in a single package, you need to learn only one interface to reach key host data. Because WebSphere Host On-Demand is Java-based, different operating environments offer the same look and feel, and an identical feature set.

  With a rich Java toolset, including Host Access Beans for Java and the API, you can help rapidly create custom applications to achieve a competitive advantage. Because WebSphere Host On-Demand is part of the WebSphere family, applications developed using the toolset can be incorporated into other WebSphere software projects, helping preserve your WebSphere Host On-Demand investment and helping provide a quick start to the Web.

• Personal Communications is a key client component of the IBM Host Integration portfolio for LAN, WAN, remote access, and connectivity. Personal Communications provides access to applications and data whether residing on mid-range or enterprise servers. Additionally, it can give you the optimal platform for traditional access to data and applications on the host.

  Through the use of Enterprise Extender in Personal Communications, you can maintain the integrity of your SNA LU6.2/CPIC/APPC applications over IP. This capability, both on desktops and in the communications servers, provides a Gateway back into the SNA environment. You have a solution that can solve the problem of transporting these SNA applications over an IP network.

• IBM Communications Servers offer unparalleled availability, scalability, security and enterprise class dependability for your mission critical applications. They provides host and Internet access, network and application integration and end-to-end connectivity solutions to provide the framework for your business. With features such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Enterprise Extender, and Branch Extender, IBM gives you fast, secure, and easy access to enterprise applications. IBM Communications Servers interconnect people and applications over diverse platforms and network configurations, and allows companies to choose applications based on their business needs, not on their network infrastructure.

• WebSphere® Developer speeds efficiency of traditional mainframe, Web development and integrated mixed workload. WebSphere® Developer accelerates the development of your Web applications, traditional COBOL and PL/I applications, Web services and XML-based interfaces, high-level Enterprise Generation Language

• IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment

Individually, these products are powerful tools, but together they provide a comprehensive solution for deploying host-access and business applications across intranets, extranets and the Internet. All at a modest cost. You can choose the combination of client, server and platform software you need — in a single offering to precisely meet the needs of your business.

IBM also offers the Host Integration Solution for customers only interested in extending applications on System i. Please see the Announcement letter for a list of the included components.

Reducing administration costs
The same IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution that extends the reach of SNA and TCP/IP networks within your enterprise can also enable your employees to access the information and applications they need from Web-based clients. For high-performance access to your business applications across an intranet, IBM WebSphere Host On-Demand lets you use a traditional green screen emulation interface — installed on and distributed from a Web server —to help you save money in product deployment and maintenance. Your intranet needs may also include extending host data to new users who are unfamiliar with traditional green screens.

Connecting to your employees and external users
Connect your users to your key business applications. Unlike your employees,your external users may not be familiar with your mainframe applications.WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services is an easy solution to deliver host applications over the Web.Its rules-based transformation engine converts your host screens into Web-like graphical user interfaces to add pull-down lists,hot links,tables and graphics on the fly.With quick results and virtually no programming skills required,WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services delivers HTML to your users 'Web browsers within a day of loading the program,with no changes to your host application.

Reaching your customers
The Internet gives you an opportunity to extend the reach of your business to new customers around the world. But, you may have concerns that make you reluctant to take advantage of the Internet's potential. For example:

• How do you quickly and easily build a customer-oriented application from multiple sources of data?
  
• How do you integrate existing host-based information into Web pages?
  

WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services helps you answer these questions. You can reach new customers quickly and easily integrate multiple sources of data as part of a single Web page. With Host Access Transformation Services, you can provide your users with access to host applications and data, regardless of where it resides — 3270, 5250, VT, Java classes and JDBC™ technology-enabled databases. The resulting Web-based application requires no special training for your customers, and it can run on almost any desktop system with a Web browser. You'll have a new, user-friendly composite application that accesses information from a variety of sources without requiring modifications to your existing business applications.

Accessing legacy applications from WebSphere Portal
As critical business functions move to the Web,a portal infrastructure that can handle the diverse needs of your external users is paramount. WebSphere Portal provide a personalized single point of access to necessary information resources to help you reduce information overload and accelerate productivity.

Building a flexible solution
Because most enterprises have a variety of hardware, software and networking architectures, IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution is designed to accommodate complex networking environments. The client and server products in IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution are capable of running in a variety of operating environments.

You can also extend the reach of your TCP/IP and SNA networks to new environments without abandoning your existing networks.Personal Communications and Communications Server provide Multiprotocol Transport Networking (MPTN),which allows applications to run over multiple network protocols.SNA applications can work with your TCP/IP networks without adding a separate TCP/IP net work,and TCP/IP sockets applications can run over your SNA network with no modifications.

To support SNA connectivity,IBM Communications Servers provide a powerful SNA gateway, featuring two of the most advanced SNA networking capabilities available today IBM Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking® (APPN)and high-performance routing (HPR). Personal Communications provides client support for 3270 and 5250 emulation across an SNA environment.In the TCP/IP environment, Communications Server acts as a Telnet server for both 3270 and 5250 communication .On the client side,Personal Communications and WebSphere Host On-Demand provide the same 3270 and 5250 emulation,with added support for VT emulation.

Transporting your SNA applications
Through the use of Enterprise Extender (EE)—a leading-edge solution for accessing SNA applications over TCP/IP networks you can maintain the integrity and reliability of your SNA LU6.2 /CPIC /APPC and LU0 applications over IP.Enterprise Extender technology in both Personal Communications and Communications Server transports native SNA applications over an IP network,allowing these applications to run unchanged even as the network changes. In addition,the IP network infrastructure does not have to change to handle these applications.Everything is done at the endpoints,and the routers forward the IP packets as if they were native IP applications.This client capability exclusive to IBM lets you transport SNA applications over an IP network directly from the client to the mainframe.

Protecting your data
Security is fundamental when extending the reach of critical business information to users across public networks like the Internet. To address this, IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)authentication and encryption, helping to ensure the secure transport of sensitive information across your network. IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution works with existing host security systems, such as IBM Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)®. IBM WebSphere Host On-Demand can present a digital certificate (X. 509) to a Telnet server, such as IBM Communications Server for OS/390, for authentication. It is also enabled for smartcard support.

With the Express Logon feature, 3270 users can log on to a host system without having to enter a user ID or password. WebSphere Host On-Demand uses digital certificates sent to RACF through the IBM Communications Server in place of user IDs and passwords, helping to reduce administration costs and decrease security risks. WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services also provides an express logon function so that users with a digital certificate can access host applications without having to enter a user ID or password. WebSphere Host On-Demand can also help securely deliver its Java applet and configuration data through HTTPS. WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services also provides an express logon function so that users with a digital certificate can access host applications without having to enter a user ID or password.

With the Express Logon feature, 3270 users can log on to a host system without having to enter a user ID or password. WebSphere Host On-Demand uses digital certificates sent to RACF through the IBM Communications Server in place of user IDs and passwords, helping to reduce administration costs and decrease security risks. WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services also provides an express logon function so that users with a digital certificate can access host applications without having to enter a user ID or password. WebSphere Host On-Demand can also help securely deliver its Java applet and configuration data through HTTPS. WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services also provides an express logon function so that users with a digital certificate can access host applications without having to enter a user ID or password.

Empowering your application developers
To protect your IT investment and provide a powerful application development infrastructure, IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution contains a comprehensive set of APIs, including HACL. This object-oriented set of APIs is contained in all of the IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution products and provides access to 3270, 5250 and VT data streams. With HACL you can use mission-critical information in new ways, such as integrating data from one application with another or replicating information from one data source to another.

Host Access Beans for Java in the WebSphere Host On-Demand Toolkit allow your customers and trading partners to rapidly develop custom applications that contain the specific functions needed for your business processes. And because Host Access Beans for Java components are object-oriented, they can be reused within an IBM WebSphere Studio Application Developer to develop custom business applications as your needs evolve.

An industry-leading solution
IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution can meet your Web-to-host business needs today and in the future. IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution:

• Provides a fast, easy and cost-effective way to take host applications and data to the Web
  
• Requires no changes to host applications
  
• Requires no scripting or coding
  
• Addresses all aspects of an business network environment: SNA, TCP/IP, intranet, extranet and the Internet
  
• Delivers technology uniquely designed to support specific types of users
  
• Can enable platform and technology migrations without additional purchases
  
• Supports a common development infrastructure and the ability to create and deploy host access business applications in a WebSphere software platform environment
  
• Provides security for your business transactions IBM WebSphere Host Integration Solution offers industry-leading host access solutions with unmatched flexibility for multiple environments, meeting virtually all of your host access business needs.

Services
The HIS offering includes services to assist you with basic product installation and use. Services must be requested within 90 days of purchase of the HIS and completed within 150 days of purchase.

A range of installation, configuration, and skills transfer offerings help you realize a more successful implementation of the HIS. Services entitlements are based on points associated with your HIS sales transaction. Entitlements range from two days to seven days. Refer to the following table for details.

An IBM consultant will work with you to determine the most effective use of your services entitlement. If the requested scope of work is greater than the allotted hours, or if it requires customization beyond basic solution implementation, IBM services can work with you to create a customized billable service engagement with credit given for the entitled hours. To request implementation services assistance from the Host Integration Services Group, contact your IBM software sales representative or send an e-mail to HISSVCS@us.ibm.com.

Action required for WebSphere Application Server users: The passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 alters the Daylight Saving Time (DST) start and stop dates by four weeks. Extended Daylight Saving Time will begin in March of 2007. As a result of this change, APARs, maintenance, or actions will be required for the WebSphere Application Server and operating systems. Information about the Energy Policy Act can be found on the US Department of Energy Web site.

Please visit the following IBM Web site for details: URGENT! Actions Required: Changes to Daylight Saving Time will affect IBM WebSphere Application Server and its associated Operating Systems

For information concerning the Western Australia Daylight Saving Time impact on WebSphere Application Server as of 3 December 2006, please follow this link.

For more information, visit the WebSphere Host Integration Solution services page.