Installation Prerequisites

This document describes the hardware and software you will need to use ASNA Wings.

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There are two environments in which an ASNA Wings application runs:

1. Modernization environment – The environment where an ILE RPG program is being modernized.
2. Production environment – The runtime execution environment where your ASNA Wings applications run after having been deployed.

Each environment has two needs: hardware and software. This section discusses what you need for each environment to modernize your RPG applications with ASNA Wings. The next section provides installation instructions for all of the components.

The modernization environment

A high-level view of the modernization environment is shown below. This environment requires the Windows PC to be connected to the IBM i through TCP/IP. To get started with ASNA Wings application modernization, you only need this environment. You will be able to test your modernized applications, for a single user, in this environment.

The requirements for the Wings modernization environment are:

Hardware requirements:

• Windows 7, Windows 8.x Pro, or Windows 10 Pro PC with at least 2MB of memory
• IBM i with a running version of the application you want to modernize.

Software requirements on the Windows PC:

• Visual Studio 2019 (Professional, Premium, or Ultimate versions) or Visual Studio Shell – Any references in this documentation to VS refers to Visual Studio 2019, but Wings can also be used with the less feature-rich Visual Studio Shell.
• ASNA Wings Design Aid – This is the Windows client component of Wings. Upon installation, the Wings Design Aid tightly integrates itself with Visual Studio. During application modernization, you will use the Wings Design Aid exclusively inside VS since Wings does not surface its own user interface.
• Web browser – Wings requires Windows Internet Explorer 8 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 3.6 or higher, or Google Chrome 8.0 or higher.

Software requirements on the IBM i:

• IBM i V6R1 or higher (including V7R2)
• IBM Open Access RPG Edition (licensed program 5733), free since 2012
• ASNA DataGate for IBM i – This provides access to the IBM i for reading display file and message file definitions.
• ASNA Monarch Collector – This provides some lower level services to ASNA Wings for reading display file and message file definitions.

The Production Runtime Environment

You will need the production environment setup for deploying your Wings applications for all of your users. A high-level view of the production runtime environment is shown below. The Windows Web Server hosts your ASNA Wings applications making them available to users on your network. Because of potential scalability issues, ASNA Wings applications are rarely deployed across the public Internet.

Remember that you do not need this environment to start application modernization with Wings but you will need it to deploy your ASNA Wings applications for end-user use.

Users access your Wings applications through their browser. There is nothing additional to install on a user's PC. Wings works with Windows Internet Explorer 7 or higher, Firefox 3.6 or higher, or Google Chrome 8.0 or higher.

The requirements for the Wings runtime production environment are:

Hardware requirements:

• Windows Web Server 2008 R2 or later – The configuration of this server will vary for different environments, but at minimum we recommend 2MB of memory and at least a single core processor (preferably at least a dual core).
• IBM i (IBM i V6R1 or higher) – In most cases, this will be the same IBM i you used for modernization work, but it does not have to be.

Software requirements for end users:

• Web browser – ASNA Wings requires Windows Internet Explorer 8 or higher, Firefox 3.6 or higher, or Google Chrome 8.0 or higher. Users don't need any other software to use your Wings applications.

Software requirements for the Windows Web Server:

• Internet Information Server (IIS) – The HTTP server that comes with Windows Server 2008 R2 or later.
• ASNA DataGate Webpak – Provides ASNA Wings the runtime access to the IBM i.

Software requirements for the IBM i. Note that if this is the same IBM i you used to perform ASNA Wings modernization, it already has the software installed for runtime production. These requirements are:

• IBM i V6R1 or higher
• IBM Open Access RPG Edition (licensed program 5733)
• ASNA DataGate for IBM i – This provides access to the IBM i for reading display file and message file definitions.

Note that for runtime production work only, the IBM i does not need the ASNA Monarch Collector. That is only for modernization.