Client Access is DEAD – get over it!

Client Access was much reviled, much loved and mucho mucho confusing for users of AS/400, iSeries and the newer IBM i Power Systems. As it evolved and got rebranded as IBM i Access with new releases of the operating system, many people from the technical end of the spectrum just kept on calling it “Client Access” because all of old grey haired “400” users know what that is.

IBM i Access for Windows delivers TCP/IP connectivity to users running a variety of Microsoft® Windows® operating systems. IBM i Access for Windows offers an all-inclusive client solution for accessing and using resources from your Windows desktop. It includes 5250 emulation, access to DB2 Universal Database® (UDB) for IBM i through its Data Transfer, and utilizes IBM i NetServer for working with the IBM i Integrated File System and printers. It also has a variety of middleware for using and developing client applications to access IBM i resources; and Navigator for i, the i5/OS GUI, for administering your IBM i.

IBM does not plan to support IBM i Access for Windows on operating systems beyond Windows 8.1. The replacement product is IBM i Access Client Solutions

So now it’s finally officially retired.

Lets meet the new kid on on the block

IBM i ACS (Access Client Solutions)

IBM have never had any idea about how to name things, what a stupid name. Why not just call it “IBM i Navigator” or something simple? *sigh* Anyway, I’m not going to get distracted by moaning about naming conventions, so, lets go and download our very own copy of IBM i ACS from IBM

The preferred method of obtaining the base package is to go to the IBM i Access Client Solutions web site: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg3T1026805

NOTE: IBM will ask you to create a IBM ID – this allows you to download the product software and also to download fixes in the future. Hashtag just do it.

Once you have logged in with your IBM ID you can download IBM i ACS from the the main download page:

https://www-01.ibm.com/marketing/iwm/iwm/web/reg/download.do?source=swg-ia&S_PKG=dl&lang=en_US&cp=UTF-8

Download the IBMiAccess_V1r1.zip File and extract it to a temporary unzipped-folder on your PC.

Using Windows Explorer goto \\unzipped-folder\Windows_Application folder.

• To install the 32 bit version for the current user, double-click on install_acs_32.
• To install the 64 bit version for the current user, double-click on install_acs_64.
• To install the 32 bit version for all users on a multi-user PC, double-click on install_acs_32_allusers.
• To install the 64 bit version for all users on a multi-user PC, double-click on install_acs_64_allusers.

If this is a new installation, there will be several prompts that will help you customize the initial installation. If a license agreement appears, accept it. If this is an upgrade, the previous settings will be preserved.

During the install you will be asked which options to install. Choose all of them 🙂

When the install has finished, a completion message will be displayed.

A successful single-user install will copy the application to: /Users/user_id/IBM/ClientSolutions/

A successful multi-user install will copy the application to: /Users/Public/IBM/ClientSolutions/

Launch IBM i ACS

Double-click the “Access Client Solutions” icon on the desktop (or wherever you installed it)

This is essentially a direct link to the Java executable called ACSBUNDLE.JAR

When you run ACSBUNDLE you will see the main screen – and everything launches from here:

The 5250 Emulator has a very nice feature of using embedded tabs for different signon sessions (just like your browser):

Having used IBM i ACS for several months now — it’s a huge improvement over the old Client Access Windows Software. It’s smoother, faster and the green screen and IFS integration is much better.

If you are nervous about installing it on your desktop then this might help :

If you decide that you dont want to go with IBM i ACS, then I would recommend checking out either RDi and its integrated 5250 Emulator (which you need to pay for but its worth it) or use some other combination of free terminal emulator software.

*BOOM*

#Enjoy