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iSeries Navigator in V5R3 has much to offer, starting with a browser interface

At its inception, iSeries* Navigator brought server administration from the green screen to the GUI. But iSeries Navigator was always more than just a pretty interface. Tasks like changing user access across multiple systems, which required administrators to enter literally dozens of commands on the green screen, could now be accomplished with just a few mouse clicks.

With IBM* i5/OS* V5R3, iSeries Navigator again puts a new face-this time, a browser interface-on core systems management tasks. And, once again, the changes arent merely aesthetic. The new iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web is designed to make it easier for administrators to accomplish everyday work from a browser environment.

Tasks on the Web is just one of the important new additions to iSeries Navigator. In fact, iSeries Navigator in V5R3 includes many enhancements designed to increase your productivity. Lets delve deeper into new and updated features.

Tasks on the Web
Customers have expressed a clear preference to run iSeries Navigator from a browser. In this release, IBM responds with Tasks on the Web, which makes many core systems management tasks available from any browser interface on any platform.

Like many of the V5R3 functions, Tasks on the Web has its roots in previous releases. iSeries Navigator for Wireless, which debuted with OS/400* V5R1, was the first iSeries Navigator tool to allow you to check the status of designated systems, monitors and tasks from a Web environment-in this case a PDA or cell phone equipped with an Internet browser. And iSeries Navigator for Wireless brought the capability to not only monitor systems, but also receive alerts of system issues and respond by holding jobs, replying to messages, running commands, etc.

Tasks on the Web allows you to perform common systems-management tasks, like work with jobs, messages, printer output, databases and much more (see Figure 1). Perhaps more significant though is that these Web-based tasks are directly accessible from a URL. This is important because now you can create your own administration portal comprised of not only your e-mail and/or instant messaging portlet, but also a list of active jobs on your i5/OS partition. The URL itself can be dynamically created so your Web application can access jobs, messages, printer output or subsystems from any system you manage.

One more point: A powerful URL addressability feature is that your selected target system neednt be the one your browser is pointing to. You only need one V5R3 system to be accessible from a browser to run these iSeries Navigator tasks. Say youre managing three systems-as long as System1 runs V5R3, you can still manage System2 and System3, even if they run earlier releases.

Tasks on the Web allows you to perform common systems-management task, like work with jobs, messages, printer output, databases and much more. Perhaps more significant though is that these Web-based tasks are directly accessible from a URL.

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