Rational Host On-Demand

Features and benefits

IBM WebSphere® Host On-Demand is sold as part of IBM Host Access Client Package and IBM Rational Host Integration Solution.

A simple way to quickly grow your business

WebSphere Host On-Demand provides cost-effective, secure, browser-based, and non-browser-based host access to users in intranet and Internet environments.

It is installed on a web server, simplifying administrative management and deployment.

Users download the WebSphere Host On-Demand applet to their browsers for connectivity to critical host applications and data.

WebSphere Host On-Demand leverages Java™ technology to help open the doors to your host data directly from your browser.

This web-to-host connectivity solution provides security-rich, Web-browser access to host applications on the web with no programming required.

With support for File Transfer Protocol (FTP), TN3270E, TN5250, VT100, VT220, VT420, Secure Shell (SSH), and IBM CICS® Transaction Gateway access, you have a single interface to key host data.

Because WebSphere Host On-Demand is Java technology-based, its interface has the same look and feel across various types of operating environments.

WebSphere Host On-Demand can help you attain your business goals by:

• Enabling you to create new business applications using Host Access Beans for Java, Host On-Demand Connector, JavaScript API, and reusable components
• Providing multiple security options for access across the Internet
• Supporting host access to System z® and System i® models
• Providing FTP and VT access to all FTP- and VT-supported server types

A cost-effective approach

Using WebSphere Host On-Demand can help you save money in product deployment and maintenance by eliminating the need to deploy software to individual user desktops.

Users can connect directly to a host system without the need for extra hardware and software between the client and the Telnet server.

You can install WebSphere Host On-Demand on nearly any server platform, accommodating various-size organizations and branch offices.

As software updates occur, the latest version of WebSphere Host On-Demand is downloaded each time a user accesses the software.

With the cached client feature, users download software only once. Subsequent sessions then originate from users’ hard drives, while code updates are handled in the background, through the cached client.

As a result, users can be more productive and access the newest version of the code with reduced business distribution costs.

Connect directly to any Telnet server

With WebSphere Host On-Demand, the client applet contains emulation functionality, eliminating the need for a middle-tier server and helping to enhance your performance.

After the applet has been served to the client, it’s easy to connect directly to any standard Telnet server that provides the most efficient access to the required data.

You can change the Telnet connection as needed to accommodate user requirements for new data. You can also access many host sessions concurrently.

Create new business applications

A rich Java tool set, including Host Access Beans for Java, HACL API, WebSphere Host On-Demand Connector, Programmable Host On-Demand, and JavaScript API, allows you to create custom business applications.

Because WebSphere Host On-Demand is part of the WebSphere product family, you can incorporate applications developed using the tool set as part of other WebSphere software projects.

This helps you preserve your WebSphere Host On-Demand investment, while providing a jumpstart to moving to the Web and on demand business.

The HACL API provides access to 3270, 5250, and VT data streams. This class library allows you to use mission-critical information in new ways, including integrating data from multiple applications.

Host Access Beans for Java provides host connectivity and emulator functions through simple, component-based development tools, such as IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software.

Use Host Access Beans for Java or Host On-Demand Connector to create custom applications and to deliver the specific functions that you want to include in your business applications.

Using the JavaScript API, you can integrate a WebSphere Host On-Demand session within your company’s web page.

With Programmable Host On-Demand, you can create custom applets or applications to suit your needs without starting with the basic building blocks found in the Host Access Beans.

Your custom solution can take advantage of having WebSphere Host On-Demand wire the beans together, save user preferences, and provide additional components such as the toolbar, menus, and a status bar.

Security-enhanced access across the Internet

Using the TLS protocol or SSL V3.0, WebSphere Host On-Demand extends host data access across intranets, extranets, and the Internet with added security.

Mobile workers can establish security-enhanced communication with an enterprise host.

With client and server certificate support, WebSphere Host On-Demand can present a digital certificate (X.509 V3) to the Telnet server, such as IBM Communications Server for z/OS, to facilitate authentication.

Certificates can be kept in:

• The client browser
• A dedicated security device, such as a smart card
• A local or network-accessed file in PKCS12, which is protected by a password

Deployment options

WebSphere Host On-Demand provides access to host applications from a web browser. The browser downloads the WebSphere Host On-Demand Java applet from the web server, and then connects to most standard Telnet servers to access host applications.

The WebSphere Host On-Demand applet needs configuration information to determine which host to connect to and to identify other host session properties.

This configuration information can be provided to the WebSphere Host On-Demand applet from an HTML file or by using the WebSphere Host On-Demand configuration server.

Flexible configuration models support your unique needs

If you don’t want to manage WebSphere Host On-Demand user IDs and passwords, you can use the Deployment Wizard to create HTML files that contain configuration information for host sessions.

You are not required to use the WebSphere Host On-Demand configuration server to specify sessions. If you allow users to save changes to host-session configuration information, the changes are stored on the local file system where the browser is running.

If you need to manage WebSphere Host On-Demand users, host-session information is maintained on the configuration server, using the administration utility.

You can define preferences using a user and group structure. The configuration server stores its data locally on the WebSphere Host On-Demand server, though you can configure it to use LDAP instead.

Users access their configurations using either custom HTML files created in the Deployment Wizard or one of several HTML files provided as part of WebSphere Host On-Demand.

If you allow users to save changes, WebSphere Host On-Demand stores user preferences based on user IDs in the configuration server.

Simple host access from IBM

Users can access 3270, 5250, VT applications, or FTP servers from IBM WebSphere Portal without any programming.

By combining WebSphere Host On-Demand and WebSphere Portal, you can create custom Host On-Demand portlets for simple host application access.

 

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