Happy Thanksgiving!

In light of how the economic downturn has pummeled many of us in business; I am offering some free advice: Focus on the turkey, and turn off the TV and yes even your computer!

LANSA Heads for the Clouds

There is no doubt that LANSA plays in the clouds and not the types with ice particles suspended in the atmosphere. As I have written last month, LANSA delivers Cloud solutions to Rippe & Kingston and could dramatically expand their offering.

I would like to hear from others if they think this is a fantastic concept or simply some marketing hype. Since I am posting this blog using software provided by Google...I guess you can tell that I am sold on the concept. However people like Larry Ellison have criticised the rash of cloud computing announcemnts as "fashinon-driven" and "complete gibberish". What do you think?

LANSA White Paper Examines i OS & Microsfot

Read a great article the other day in Four Hundred Stuff by Alex Woodie. The teaser follows:

LANSA yesterday unveiled a new white paper that seeks to address how System i shops can build an enterprise application architecture that works in concert with software from Microsoft. A properly conceived architecture, LANSA argues, can accelerate the selection of tools to automate application development, and enable System i organizations to adapt their IT systems more quickly and efficiently.

LANSA brought in recognized System i expert Paul Conte to write "The Eight Pillars of an Enterprise Application Architecture: Building a Stable and Agile Software Foundation in a Dynamic IBM i and Microsoft World."

Interested parties can register to download a copy of the white paper at www.lansa.com/contewp2a.

LANSA eLearning Made Easy is LIVE!

We have had the pleasure of being the Alpha site for LANSA eLearning. This is one of the moments that shows you that you have a business partner/vendor that not only listens to your concerns: They Address Them!

Imagine, learning LANSA on your schedule and for a fraction of the cost. This is a win for everyone but the airlines. Put away the luggage and learn at your convenience.

What is LANSA eLearning?

With LANSA eLearning, you will get access to your own personal Virtual PC Environment with LANSA Product Suite already preconfigured and setup. You will get to learn and use our Products with self-paced lab material that will help you learn fundamental concepts through Advanced Topics.

Take a look

Certified LANSA Partners

Benefit from Powerful Partnerships
Partnerships and strategic alliances play a key role in LANSA's delivery of applications that drive results and create value for our customers. To complement our business applications, services and solutions, we have partnered with technology and hardware platform manufacturers, operating systems vendors, software and database developers, consulting firms, resellers, system integrators and service organizations.

Find a Partner
LANSA has a worldwide network of over Solution, Services and Distributors to help you make the most of LANSA. Our Solution Partners use LANSA tools as part of their strategic development platform or to provide Web, Windows and Wireless extensions to existing world leading software solutions. Our Services Partners can help you over project peaks by providing assistance with core application development or to provide Web, Windows and Wireless extensions to existing software solutions. Our Distributors and LANSA offices can, in addition to assisting you with services and application solutions, provide the LANSA products, technical support and training you need to get ahead and stay ahead in today's rapidly changing world.

Americas LANSA Partners List

5 Ways to Simplify Maintenance Management (LANSA Solution)

Mike Albers recently published a nice article that gives 5 quick tips on how to Simplify Maintenance Management. His general philosopy about any process and especially when come it comes to Maintenance Management: Evaluate every process that you repeat, simplify and eliminate where possible.
Read his article

Mike directs the METHOS 7 x 24 Maintenance Mangement solution for Rippe & Kingston. METHOS is a comprehensive maintenance management system with installations world wide. Modules include: Equipment, Work Order, Preventative Maintenance, Inventory / Storeroom, Charge Account, Personnel, Fleet, Security, Integration Control, Purchasing and Standard Jobs. METHOS is based on LANSA technology.

LANSA 1SYNC: New Lowes Extract Report from Rippe and Kingston

Lowes product introduction process includes a spreadsheet that a supplier fills out and provides to the buyer at Lowes. This spreadsheet now includes a new tab called "Page 6 GDSN Published". Rippe and Kingston is introducing a Lowes Publication Report on our 1Sync Portal support site that will allow you to easily pull your publications for Lowes to Excel. Then you can place this information into Page 6 of the Lowes product introduction spreadsheet. Rippe and Kingston 1Sync clients can sign in and gain access to the extract. This report will be available by 11.28.2008. For more information please call 800.650.1999.

Learn more about R&K LANSA 1SYNC and GDSN Services

LANSA Services Delivered by Certified LANSA Partner

As you prepare your developement budgets for next year, please consider the LANSA services from R&K.

Rippe & Kingston provides the LANSA talent and technology necessary to help you meet almost any business need with efficient reliable custom software solutions. From simple LANSA web sites to sturdy LANSA based back office systems and everything in between, Rippe & Kingston LANSA consultants bring a wealth of experience to ensure your LANSA project's success every step of the way.

Rumor: LANSA Generates CNN Hologram

Allow me to set the record straight: LANSA does many great things. However, they did not create the CNN Hologram that was used to do an interview. If you missed it, click here.

LANSA History

If you are new to LANSA or only been using the technology for a few years, you might enjoy a look back at the LANSA Track Record. This image comes from the LANSA History Page

LANSA and V6R1M0 for Power System i

With V6R1M0 looming on the horizon, rebuilding your LANSA iSeries applications can be done programmatically with a few simple programs. Here at Rippe & Kingston we used the LANSA built-in commands of MAKE_FILE_OPERATIONL and COMPILE_PROCESS to rebuild our System i applications.

With the MAKE_FILE_OPERATIONL built-in, you can recompile all your file I/O modules. There is a little work up front to create a file with all the file names, but a query over file DC@F12 can give you the file and library data. You then copy the queried data into a LANSA defined file and you are ready to run. The code might look something like this:

********** Process all identified files.
SELECT FIELDS((#LIBNAM) (#FILNAM)) FROM_FILE(MAKEFLS)
**********
********** Submit job to make file operational
USE BUILTIN(MAKE_FILE_OPERATIONL) WITH_ARGS(#FILNAM #LIBNAM NNY) TO_GET(#RETCOD)
**********
ENDSELECT


The COMPILE_PROCESS built-in will allow you to recompile all your processes and functions. There is a little work up front here as well to create a file with all the process and function names, but a query over file DC@F23 will give you this data. You then copy the queried data into a LANSA defined file and you are ready to run. The code might look something like this:

********** Define a Process and Function working list
DEF_LIST NAME(#WKPRCL) FIELDS((#PRCN)) TYPE(*WORKING) ENTRYS(500)
DEF_LIST NAME(#WKFUNL) FIELDS((#FCTNAM)) TYPE(*WORKING) ENTRYS(90)
**********
CLR_LIST NAMED(#WKPRCL)
**********
********** Load all the unique Process Names into the working list
SELECT FIELDS((#PRCNAM)) FROM_FILE(PROCFIL)
LOC_ENTRY IN_LIST(#WKPRCL) WHERE('#PRCNAM *EQ #PRCN')
IF_STATUS IS_NOT(*OKAY)
CHANGE FIELD(#PRCN) TO(#PRCNAM)
ADD_ENTRY TO_LIST(#WKPRCL)
ENDIF
ENDSELECT
**********
********** Run through the Process List to build the related
********** Function working list and submit the compiles
SELECTLIST NAMED(#WKPRCL)
**********
CLR_LIST NAMED(#WKFUNL)
**********
SELECT FIELDS((#FCTNAM)) FROM_FILE(PROCFIL) WITH_KEY(#PRCN)
ADD_ENTRY TO_LIST(#WKFUNL)
ENDSELECT
**********
********** Submit the Process/Function compile
USE BUILTIN(COMPILE_PROCESS) WITH_ARGS(#PRCN #WKFUNL) TO_GET(#RETCOD)
********** Check if submission was successful
IF COND('#RETCOD *NE ''OK''')
MESSAGE MSGTXT('Process Compile NOT submitted successfully')
ENDIF
**********
ENDSELECT

One note, it is always best to make sure the submitted jobs go to a single threaded job queue so that compile locks are not a problem.

If you need a little help, don’t hesitate to contact us! It is FREE.

LANSA Delivers Cloud Computing to Rippe & Kingston

Definition of Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a general concept that incorporates software as a service(SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. For example, Google Apps provides common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

LANSA delivers Cloud Computing to Rippe & Kingston and our clients through the incorporation of the following LANSA Products:

• RAMP - is the fastest and most certain way to modernize your System i (iSeries and AS/400) business applications and in our case, deliver it via the web.


• Visual LANSA - provides us the development tools for creating Web Application Modules


• LANSA Portlet Generator - allows us to plug our LANSA applications into a central portal

Rippe & Kingston has incorporated the technology into their Contract Guardian Product, METHOS and LMS. If you are curious about learning more about how Cloud Computing might be in your future, contact us.

LANSA Case Studies

If you ever need to be inspired by what others have done with LANSA, take a look at the long list of Case Studies provided by LANSA. Case Studies.

Microsoft targets IBM midrange server customers

Microsoft plans to link hands with hardware and services companies on Tuesday in a push to win over IBM's midrange server customers, ZDNet UK sister site CNET News.com has learned.

The Midrange Alliance Program, or MAP, will see Microsoft join up with Fujitsu, LANSA, EDS and a half-dozen other companies to try to convince businesses to look at Windows-based alternatives to IBM's iSeries servers, the latest in the AS/400 family. See complete article

LANSA Education

LANSA continues to dial up their education offering. Rumor has it that they are nearing a release of some very exciting and cost compelling options. Check for the latest in their LANSA education offering by linking to their site at http://www.lansa.com.au/education/index.htm

RPG and .NET--Yes, they can get along!

Hi, everyone. LANSA Open for .NET is getting lots of play in the media, so I thought you might be interested in seeing how LANSA Open for .NET's architecture works.

Also, you'll want to view this video tutorial

of LANSA Open for .NET, which was featured

as part of an article about the new product

in the September 18 issue of

My i-.NET Newsletter:

www.lansa.com/downloads/lansaopenfordotnet

Vicki Hamende of System iNetwork blogged about

LANSA Open for .NET earlier this week. Check out

Product Lines: RPG and .NET: Can We All Get Along?

R&K Rolls Out LANSA on IBM i5/OS V6R1 in Data Center

We are pleased to announce that Rippe & Kingston has rolled IBM’s new i5 operating system release within our Data Center. This release further solidifies an already secure and robust OS with native support of encryption for files and backups, enhanced disaster recovery and high availability, support for blades, and virtualization technology including support for VMWare’s ESX server.

• i5/OS V6R1 features include:


• Virtualization of i5/OS storage


• Encryption of backups and data on disk


• IBM Systems Director management


• Enhanced Java performance


• Support for IBM BladeCenter servers


• Improved performance with IBM System Storage™ devices Support for IBM High Availability Solutions Manager (HASM)


• And most importantly to us is that it works great with LANSA

.NET Abides by IBM i Logic, Thanks to New LANSA Product

Alex Woodie of IT Jungle Reports: .NET Abides by IBM i Logic, Thanks to New LANSA Product

It would be a huge understatement to say it's a challenge to get .NET and RPG programs--let alone .NET or RPG programmers--to play by the same set of rules. For companies that rely on a mix of IBM i (AS/400) and Microsoft Windows servers to run their business applications, it's a problem faced on a daily basis. But thanks to a new data integrity tool launched last week, LANSA's Open for .NET, users can share DB2/400 data and enforce IBM i business rules upon Windows .NET applications, in real time.

LANSA Portlet Generator Submitted to IBM

The LANSA Portlet Generator from Rippe & Kingston has been submitted for approval on the WebSphere Portal 6.0 & 6.1. Since it is already operating in a client environment this should be a quick technicality before the official press release.

Some of the features for the LANSA Portlet Generator include:

• Drag and drop portlet layout for new and existing LANSA Web Application Modules (WAMS)


• Theme Management for the generated portlets


• LANSA Portlet to Portlet communication


• Targeting of Portlets for use with multiple applications


• External communication with Portlets using Web Services and most programming languages including JAVA, LANSA, RPG, etc.


• LANSA Wizards for Portlets to automatically create LANSA based Portlets through a simple dialogue process

If you would like to learn more, click here or contact your LANSA Representative or Rippe & Kingston directly. 513.977.4544

LANSA Open for .NET Announced

On September 15, LANSA released LANSA Open for .NET, a new product that helps to simplify client/server limitations. LANSA Open for .NET enables IT departments to safely open up their enterprise data and applications to a variety of internal and external .NET applications without risking security or data integrity. Read more about it at http://www.lansa.com/press/20810.htm