Designed to function as middleware, IceCap and Portfolio offer a robust, native solution for modernizing IBM i applications. By seamlessly embedding into the IBM i infrastructure without requiring changes to source or display files, the system maintains the integrity and stability of the original applications while introducing substantial enhancements in functionality and usability. This approach enables organizations to extend the capabilities of their IBM i applications within a modernized, web-enabled framework.
"IceCap modernizes without disruption - no changes to source code, no compromise on stability."
Nine core technological features make IceCap and Portfolio an ideal choice for modernizing IBM i applications:
Middleware Implementation
IceCap and Portfolio act as middleware, bridging IBM i applications and web interfaces. Operating between the original program and the browser, they function without requiring access to source files or modifying display files. This ensures that the base applications remain untouched, retaining their proven reliability.
Native IBM i Compatibility
Both IceCap and Portfolio run nativealy on IBM i, eliminating the need for additional servers or complex infrastructure. This native operation is key to delivering high performance and seamless integration, allowing organizations to leverage IBM i’s robust capabilities directly within the platform’s ecosystem.
5250 Interface Integration
IceCap and Portfolio support applications with traditional 5250 interfaces, including legacy programs written in RPG or COBOL, and are compatible with applications still operating in the S/36 environment. This broad compatibility allows organizations to modernize a wide range of IBM i applications.
Authorization Compliance
IceCap and Portfolio respect the IBM i authorization and security settings, mirroring the security setup of both the application and operating system. This approach ensures that user permissions and access controls remain consistent with established protocols, maintaining high standards of data security.
Browser-Based Accessibility
The solution provides access through a web browser, making applications available on any device with internet access. This web-based model promotes flexibility and accessibility, enabling remote work and multi-platform compatibility without requiring client-side installations.
Dynamic Display Adaptation
IceCap and Portfolio automatically adapt to changes in IBM i display files, ensuring that applications run smoothly even as display parameters evolve. This adaptability maintains uninterrupted functionality and supports ongoing application updates without manual reconfiguration.
Configurable Components
Both platforms offer extensive configurability, enabling organizations to tailor features and functions to meet their specific needs. Users can customize elements of the interface, navigation, and workflow without altering the original applications, enhancing user experience while retaining the core structure.
Tree Structure and Multitasking Support
IceCap and Portfolio organize applications in a tree structure, providing a logical, hierarchical view that simplifies navigation. Additionally, they support multitasking with tabbed and windowed views, enabling users to run multiple applications simultaneously for efficient workflow management.
Presentation Modes and Themes
With four presentation modes (Flat, Flex, Flow, and Flip) and eight color themes, IceCap and Portfolio provide a highly customizable user experience. These options enable organizations to customize the appearance of their applications to align with their branding requirements and user preferences, resulting in a cohesive and visually appealing interface.
IceCap architecture is designed to modernize legacy ERP systems by transforming traditional programs into web applications or services, providing a robust and scalable framework for enhanced functionality and usability. The architecture of IceCap consists of several key components and processes that work together to achieve this transformation.
The key components interact in the following cycles: The Virtual Terminal (1) supplies the 5250 screens to the Emulation (2), which enriches and transforms the screen to be shown in the Web Client (3). The Web Client returns through the Navigation (4), which can alter the workflow before returning to the Virtual Terminal, ready for the next cycle. Further details on each component are provided below:
In the IBM i operating system, a Virtual Terminal (VT) is a software-based emulation of a physical terminal. Virtual Terminals interact with the system, allowing users and applications to perform tasks as if they were using a physical terminal, but without the need for physical hardware.
"From raw 5250 data streams to structured JSON, IceCap transforms legacy terminal output into modern web interfaces - without breaking the original program logic."
Many IBM i applications are designed to work with terminal-based interfaces. Virtual Terminals provide compatibility with these applications, ensuring that users can interact with software as intended. Today, Virtual Terminals serves as the middleware for all emulation software, such as IBM Personal Communications, Mocha TN5250, and other 5250 emulators.
Virtual Terminals, being subject to the same security measures as physical terminals, ensure the safety of your data. This includes user authentication, access controls, and auditing capabilities to ensure only authorized users can access and interact with the system.
This component integrates with the original programs, serves the 5250 terminal screens as a data stream, and ensures that all data is received and stored correctly.
The Emulation component features a comprehensive toolset to manage the data stream from the Virtual Terminal. Before processing, the data stream is converted into a JSON structure, which can be accessed and manipulated via web service tools.
In its default configuration, the Emulation component prepares the data stream for a 1:1 presentation of the 5250 screen in the web client. The only modifications are extracting the screen title to display as the tab name and separating function keys (F-keys) to present them as interactive buttons.
Running natively on IBM i, the Emulation program has full access to all existing programs and files. Written in Free RPG, the program leverages the toolset to access the data stream, enabling RPG developers to modify existing 5250 programs to meet specific needs and provide a modern interface without altering the original programs.
For those without developer skills, IceCap provides numerous keywords and Tags that can be used to change and manipulate the visual appearance of the transformed application, giving you the power to customize your interface. This component handles the emulation, interpretation, and translation of text labels in the 5250 data stream.
The web client component transforms the JSON-based data stream into a new web-enabled version of the 5250 screen. Using a comprehensive set of keywords and the Emulation component, the presentation and behavior of the screen can vary from a 1:1 version of the 5250 to a full-blown web application.
Combined with Portfolio, the web client becomes a complete web-based system environment with session handling that operates across browsers, platforms, and hardware. The Portfolio unites IBM i users with users from other platforms into a single, standard solution, supporting user settings, roles, and permissions. The environment features an intuitive menu structure with a tab/window-driven application architecture. Additionally, an optional feature can generate new applications with a similar appearance to the 5250 Emulation and other applications in Portfolio.
This component presents 5250 programs as applications alongside other web and cloud-based applications in an intuitive multitasking system environment.
"You don't need new programs to create better workflows - you need smarter ways to use the ones you already have."
The Navigation component intercepts the data stream going back to the virtual terminal. By running natively on IBM i, it opens up various possibilities to change the workflow without reprogramming existing programs.
Over the past 30 years, workflows have undergone significant evolution. Today, users often complain about the extra time it takes to enter information into multiple programs and retype key details just to complete a simple process. Modern users expect fewer programs with multiple functions rather than many programs with simple tasks that require extensive menu operations and program switching.
The Navigation component is designed to enhance workflows in the IceCap architecture. It can chain programs together and combine them with additional business logic, thereby simplifying complex processes. It can navigate through menus and programs in the background, enter and process data, and even respond to error messages. Essentially, it simulates the user's time-consuming semi-manual workflows, making the system more user-friendly and efficient.
This component enables new workflows based on existing programs initiated by the new UI or added business logic.
"With IceCap, traditional 5250 programs can live forever - disguised as modern web services."
In addition to enhancing user interfaces and streamlining workflows, IceCap also serves as a robust web service integration layer, enabling legacy 5250 programs to be accessed and utilized by external systems. This capability transforms terminal-restricted 5250 applications into web-accessible services, significantly expanding their integration potential within modern IT infrastructures.
IceCap’s architecture supports this by emulating and interpreting 5250 data streams and converting them into structured JSON objects. These JSON representations serve as the foundation for web-based interaction, allowing 5250 programs to be triggered via HTTP requests. External platforms can interact with IBM i applications through URL-based function calls, either displaying the 5250 screen in a browser or executing logic silently in the background.
This URL-driven design allows 5250 programs to behave similarly to REST-style web services. Parameters can be included in the URL query, enabling dynamic interaction such as data retrieval, updates, and error handling - without exposing or modifying the underlying source code. As a result, core IBM i business logic becomes reusable across external platforms, including web portals, desktop applications, and automated workflows.
When combined with Portfolio, IceCap’s web service functionality integrates seamlessly into a broader application ecosystem. Portfolio manages session handling, user authentication, and UI control, allowing traditional 5250 applications to run side by side with web and cloud-based solutions in a unified and secure environment.
This web service capability allows organizations to modernize and extend the reach of their IBM i systems while preserving application stability and minimizing redevelopment efforts.
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