IBM Business Solutions

IBM Business Solutions is an System i exclusive product with a collection of applications designed to demonstrate the value of integrated e-business solutions. The applications are easy to understand, simple to use, provide valuable services for any business, but most importantly they exemplify the use and integration of Web technologies on System i.

Product Description 

IBM Business Solutions currently provides three enterprise Web applications for System i servers. Each application is built to run on the J2EE 1.3 platform provided by IBM WebSphere Application Server for System i Version 5 servers ("Base Edition", "Developers Edition", "Network Deployment Edition", and Express). The applications provide integrated solutions to common business needs that work with your existing applications, server components, and enterprise data.

IBM Business Solutions is included with Version 5.1 editions of IBM WebSphere Application Server for System i. Java-built and browser-based the applications are ready to use with minimal setup.

Figure 1: Example welcome page.

The applications are designed to run separately, or work in conjunction with each other to share resources and configuration properties. A shared directory is used to provide the registry of users for the applications within your enterprise. The applications may use a directory supplied by System i Directory Server (LDAP) or by a Lotus Domino server. They may be used with a directory you have already set up for your existing applications, or with a new directory set up by the Web Administration GUI supplied by IBM HTTP Server for System i or the IBM Welcome Page application (described below).

Following is a summary of each application:

• IBM Survey Creator v1.0
  IBM Survey Creator is a Web-based business application used to create and conduct online surveys from your enterprise web site. Using IBM Survey Creator, you decide who is allowed to own and conduct surveys. The owners you assign can then create and conduct personal Internet, intranet or extranet surveys.
  
  Surveys may be set up for anonymous polling or may require participants to log in before taking the survey. Multiple questions may be defined with many different question types and answer layouts available.
  
  Survey properties, question and answer text, layouts, and results are stored in the System i' DB2 Universal Database. Results may be viewed online, mined from your server, or filed locally to allow your desktop applications to process them and create reports, charts and graphs.

• Learn more about IBM Survey Creator.

• IBM Telephone Directory v5.2
  At its core, IBM Telephone Directory is a Web-based business application ready to provide alphabetical listings of names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and job responsibilities of personnel within your enterprise. Other information may be listed as well.
  
  If your enterprise uses Lotus Domino, IBM Telephone Directory may be used to access your Domino server's Name & Address Book or provide listings with instant messaging links so you and your colleagues can converse or even conduct online meetings using Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing (Sametime).
  
  And if your enterprise has a single-signon environment built on IBM's open EIM infrastructure, you and your colleagues may use IBM Telephone Directory to manage your own identity relationships, so administrators don't have to.
  
  Another suggested use for IBM Telephone Directory is to manage listings for vendors, suppliers, and partners - all accessible via Internet, intranet or extranet.

• Learn more about IBM Telephone Directory.

• IBM Welcome Page v1.1
  IBM Welcome Page is a Web-based business application whose purpose is twofold. First, it provides a starting point for you and your colleagues to go to to find links to the other applications - a simple welcome page specifically for business solutions. Second, it provides administrative interfaces used for set up and configuration of all applications provided by IBM Business Solutions.
  
  The Welcome Page application is designed to work in conjunction with the other business applications. It is used to find links to the other applications and to manage most configuration properties. It is also used to set up the shared directory providing the registry of users for the applications within your enterprise.

• Learn more about IBM Welcome Page.

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Application Deployment Wizards 

Integrating new Web applications into your network to work with your server components and enterprise data may be a difficult task, which is why deployment wizards for the applications provided by IBM Business Solutions have been added to the Web Administration graphical interface (GUI) provided by IBM HTTP Server for System i (5722-DG1). The Web Administration GUI now includes setup and deployment wizards, making these enterprise Web applications ready for immediate use with existing or new WebSphere application servers.

Figure 2: Web Administration deployment wizards.

If you already have a WebSphere application server, use the Deploy IBM Telephone Directory wizard or Deploy IBM Survey Creator wizard to integrate the applications into your network.

If you don't already have a WebSphere application server or want to create a new server to run the applications, use the Create Application Server wizard to integrate them. The wizard will give you options to deploy the applications during the interview process.

Read the IBM HTTP Server for System i web pages for more information about the Web Administration GUI.

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Summary of Integrated Features 

The following is a list of product features that exemplify the use and integration of Web technologies on System i.

• J2EE 1.3 applications are built to run on WebSphere application servers
• HTTP Server (powered by Apache)provides security and authentication for application requests
• wizards are provided by HTTP Server for System i' Web Administration GUI for easy deployment
• System i' DB2 Universal Database provides the storage facility for survey questions and results - data is accessed using J2EE Web Services ¹
• user registry is provided by a shared directory server located anywhere within your network - System i Directory Server (LDAP) and Lotus Domino servers are supported
• search, view & manage personnel information in a shared directory ²
• chat links on directory listings are provided for Sametime instant messaging ²
• users may add directory names to Sametime buddy lists ²
• provides EIM registration and self-management of user identities for your network's single-signon environment ²
• the shared directory can also serve as a user registry for other applications within your network

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More Information 

Read the topics below to learn more about IBM Business Solutions.

• Packaging & ordering information - How to order IBM Business Solutions
• Prerequisites - Hardware & software requirements (V5R3 System i and i5/OS Information Center document)
• Documentation- Sources for additional information
• PTFs & Support- Information about fixes you need, for each release
  • V5R3

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