In
Flight Magazine - February 2003
In
Flight Magazine - February 2003
PKWARE Inc. has made it safer for users to send and receive files over the Internet by adding new encryption technologies to PKZIP. Version 6.0 of PKZIP for Windows and Unix now includes a new security module based on the BSAFE encryption technology developed by RSA Security Inc. This new module allows users to protect files using password or certificate based encryption.
PKWARE Inc. have announced an automated zipping and encryption facility for Lotus Notes users. This facility will allow Lotus Notes users to automatically compress and encrypt attachments to Notes based email. Microsoft Outlook users have been able to utilise this facility for several months. Users of these features report significant savings in disk utilisation on email clients and email servers as well as considerably reduced file transmission times.
PKWARE also announced an enhancement to releases of its software for IBM mainframes and iSeries systems (AS400's to you and me). The enhancement allows up to 256-bit symmetric key encryption based on the Advanced Encryption Standard.
Customers still using PKZIP version 2 should note that annual maintenance for this product has increased from 15% to 22.5%, version 2 has become an unsupported product. Version 5.x products have lower CPU utilisation and offer a richer feature set. The upgrade from version 2 to version 5 is free provided that you have a current maintenance contract.
MSL and PKWARE are please to offer any of our existing Mainframe or AS400 customers a discounted upgrade to version 5 Pro or Security. Call Callum, Colin or John for further details.
Mycroft Systems Australasia Limited are pleased to announce a brand new Auckland based Division. It will specialise in project management, system security reviews, reducing cost of ownership, network design and systems implementation along with general systems support and provisioning.
This area will be managed by Callum Mills and Colin Wright who have more years experience than is polite to mention and have managed several significant IT projects in Europe and Australasia.
They would love to hear from you so give them a call in our Auckland office.
If you have a OS/390, z/OS or VSE/ESA mainframe you already have an e-business
solution at your fingertips. z/Web-Host puts your business on the internet by
instantly converting 3270 applications into HTML. Order placement, stock inquiries,
customer queries, field service or sales personnel can all access back end applications
via a universally accepted and understood web-browser interface. z/Web-Host
runs natively on your existing S/390 system and requires absolutely no change
to any line of code in any application. By using the industry's preferred 2-tier
environment and not adding another costly server to the solution your applications
are instantly available after a simple 30 minute installation.
z/Web-Host's latest version, 1.81a, includes new tools and features. Advanced
HTML templates allow you to use standard web development tools such as FrontPage,
Dreamweaver etc to customise screens to suit your tastes. Alternatively, if
the requirement is to have all screens with a common look and feel, simply apply
a global template which converts all your screens to a pre-determined configuration.
The new Automated Application Facility (AAF) allows the use of simple scripting
to automate interaction between applications, combine multiple screens, initiate
single-sign-on transactions, do complex database queries even automate processes
directly to access the information you need --- the sky's the limit!
z/Web-Host for OS/390 can even provide access to other platforms' 3270 based
applications by acting as a gateway. This allows you to take advantage of this
technology to provide easy application access to your VSE/ESA or VM/ESA hosts
via TCP/IP.
With Web Services sweeping the IT world where does your S/390 or z/series system
fit in? With the latest z/XML-Host version 1.1 from illustro systems of course.
z/XML-Host instantly transforms any 3270 screen, whether CICS or non CICS into
the industry standard XML document format. By using the XMLScreen facility you
can transform the output from your current applications into the format prescribed
by other industry definitions to exchange data directly with e-commerce systems
worldwide. Your existing applications can now interact with IBM's WebShere,
Microsoft's BizTalk servers, or exploit SOAP servers or applications in Microsoft's
.Net architecture.
z/XML-Host includes the Automated Application Facility (AAF) tool to further
enhance its productivity as well as the preferred two-tier environment for ease
of installation and the best possible application response times.
z/Web-Host and z/XML-Host run natively on OS/390 or z/OS using IBM's SecureWay
Communication Server or on VSE/ESA systems using TCP/IP for VSE. If you can
access an application with a TN3270 client program, z/Web-Host or z/XML-Host
can web-enable the data. No need to worry about firewalls, Cisco CIP routers,
SNA servers etc.
The latest z/Web-Host - Enterprise Edition is a single licence that fits all.
This new licence for VSE/ESA also includes a licence for OS/390. This allows
you to move your licence from VSE/ESA to OS/390 and vice-versa at absolutely
no additional charge. A tremendous investment protection method for your future
e-business expansion. Both z/Web-host and z/XML-Host are licensed by concurrent
sessions not per seat or per CPU thus allowing scalability at an affordable
price as your e-business environment expands.
Combine z/Web-Host or z/XML-Host with illustro's i.C.Y.A (Control Your Access)
network security appliance and your e-business environment is complete. i.C.Y.A
comes pre-configured according to your network specifications and is a true
plug n play device providing Secure Socket Layer ( SSL ) encryption for accessing
web data and for existing TN3270 and TN5250 servers. All processing of encrypted
data takes place right in the i.C.Y.A device so s/390 performance is not degraded
For a free demo of z/Web-Host click here to log on to a real live running VSE/ESA system. Do what ever you want to test how robust and secure z/Web-Host is.
A recent visit to illustro HQ in Arlington Texas provided a great opportunity to meet the developers and gain some valuable technical training. While there some kind individual decided to use my name and illustro's credit card number to purchase a power generator, power washer and welder - all useful mainframe tools. So this month's special to the first three purchasers of z/Web-Host or z/XML-Host is your choice of any of these indispensable mainframe utility devices, all courtesy of our friends at illustro.
To download a free trial version of z/Web-Host or z/XML-Host click here.
The problem - you select an object and hit Ctrl-R to open the Find/Edit
Records dialog. The dialog dialog opens up but it's not the size or in the place
that you wanted. So you move it and resize it. Next time you open it, it's back
in the same undesirable place. How do we get Aperture to remember where we want
it?
The solution
What about forms?
The procedure is different for data entry forms.
Many years ago, there was a wonderful magazine devoted solely to news about IBM mainframes. It was called Mainframe Journal and was an absolute essential read for managers and techies alike. Over the years it became Enterprise Systems Journal and went the way of all computer magazines with "exciting" articles about Windows (I saw you yawn). Enterprise Systems Journal ceased publication last November pretty much to nobody's distress. But now, rising from the ashes, comes Bob Thomas, the original publisher of Mainframe Journal. Bob has launched z/Journal to cater solely to the users of IBM mainframes. An annual subscription is only $US96 (the way the US dollar is going, that's about $NZ1.25, a lot cheaper than dinner at the America's Cup village and twice as nutritious).
A few people have complained that the Whingeing Pom is always negative (mainly Americans who don't know the meaning of "whinge", "beer" or "football"). So, in the interests of international relations, I am going to be positive and upbeat this month and shower some worthy recipients with praise, starting with ...
The team at Auckland University who are researching the hypothesis that batteries last twice as long on cars that never use their indicators. You can see the many thousands of researchers in this project, which has been going on for over 20 years to my knowledge, on the streets of Auckland at any hour of the day or night. Show your appreciation of their efforts by tooting your horn and giving the secret "twice as long" salute when you see one.
Then there's the person who decided that water is a vital ingredient of bacon. There's nothing like the merry bubbling of a handful of rashers boiling away in the pan on Sunday morning. Make the meal complete by cracking in a couple of eggs and a slice of bread (which becomes delicious "boiled bread" in a couple of minutes) to enjoy the great traditional Kiwi boil-up. You'll be glad you paid $17.50 a kilo for that water.
And finally, (for now), the airlines of the world who have given the English language two wonderful terms that I use all the time. The first is "momentarily", meaning "some time in the next 3 hours but not in the next 20 minutes" (as in "We will be making a boarding announcement momentarily"). But my favourite has to be "For your convenience" as in "Attention passengers at Gate 3 - for your convenience, your flight is boarding at Gate 17".
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