Alliance All-Ways Secure is at work today helping customers automate their connections with the IBM Advantis Global Network (now a part of GXS). Our experience with the IBM network and sample configurations in All-Ways Secure will get you up and running quickly.  Supports multiple Accounts, User IDs, and message classes. All-Ways Secure provides full audit trails and scheduling for your connections to the IBM Advantis network.

Alliance All-Ways Secure contains configuration examples to use with Advantis and is fully compatible with the FTP interface to Advantis. You can exchange System i database files, ANSI X.12 EDI documents, flat files, and other types of files with Advantis users. All-Ways Secure knows how to automatically process files received from Advantis and is an ideal way to process data received from your trading partners.

 

SSL FTP with IBM Global Network and Information Exchange

For connectivity to IBM Global Network using the Internet you can use the Alliance All-Ways Secure SSL FTP client.  IBM uses standard PKIX certificates to secure the connection with 128-bit SSL encryption. Alliance supports this type of connection with V5R1 and later releases of OS/400 and i5/OS. You can connect directly to the IBM Global Network from your System i for fully secure data transmission.  The Alliance SSL FTP client can be used with common firewall products. 

The Alliance SSL FTP client integrates directly with IBM System i Digital Certificate Manager for native System i security and management of certificates. When you receive your PKIX certificate from IBM you use DCM to import the certificate and the Certificate Authority. Alliance documentation describes the process of requesting and importing certificates in a step-by-step guide.

You can use the Alliance FTP commands from your CL programs, or bind the Alliance FTP service program to your ILE RPG and Cobol programs to make them FTP capable. Sample programs in the Alliance product library can get you up and running very quickly.  Full application logging and FTP history logging is included with the IBM Global Network interface.

You can take advantage of our extensive experience with Advantis to get started. We will help you get an Advantis account set up so that you are up and running fast. [top]

 

EDI over the Internet

The Alliance support for secure FTP communications with the IBM Global Network means that you can immediately start using the Internet for your EDI communications. Your trading partners on the IBM network do not need to make any changes in their systems. They can remain on legacy types of connections while you migrate to faster and less expensive network technologies.

In addition to Internet support you can use the IBM Global Network to transform your EDI and application data to a variety of other data formats including XML, ANSI X12, and AS2.  You can quickly respond to trading partner changes in data formats without the expense of additional software and programming costs.  For example, you can have the IBM network map ANSI X12 data to XML format for delivery to a trading partner. All of the data transformation happens on the IBM network. You are insulated from expensive and unplanned requirements. [top]

 

Automatic scanning for files

Alliance provides many automation features for communicating with the IBM network.  The Alliance Auto-scan function will automatically inspect your Information Exchange mailbox for new EDI documents and download them to your System i.  Once on the System i Alliance will translate the documents and call your application program to update your database. All of this happens without human intervention giving you 24 hour around-the-clock processing.

In addition to inbound file processing, Alliance can automatically send your EDI files to IBM using a library scan facility.  Your EDI translator or application program create EDI files for delivery to your trading partner and copy the file to an Alliance library. The file is picket up and delivered to the IBM network with secure FTP. Once delivered to the IBM network the file is indexed and moved to a back up library. In the event of a network failure you can easily use Alliance panels to re-process the file. You do not need to repeat the EDI translation process.

Alliance provides a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to let your developers embed EDI and secure communications directly into your business applications. These APIs include callable programs, System i commands, and bindable service programs. A rich set of sample programs can get you started quickly. [top]

 

Integration with EDI translators

Alliance SSL FTP support easily integrates with many EDI translators including Inovis TrustedLink (formerly Premenos, Harbinger, and Peregrine), Extol, and Sterling Gentrans. You can replace the SNA and dial Bisynch communications in these products with Alliance secure FTP transfer.  You do not need to change the mapping logic in your EDI translator.  A simple change to import and export files to database files quickly enables your EDI translator to communicate over the Internet.

In addition to providing secure Internet EDI data transfer, Alliance provides an Enterprise strength solution for automating FTP transfers. Automatic recovery, sophisticated error notification, file indexing and backup, and audit trails are just a few of the features that make the Alliance solution the ideal solution for your Enterprise.

For customers without an EDI translator solution you can use the Alliance EDI Workbench/400 product to perform EDI translation.  EDI Workbench/400 is an System i developer’s tool that makes EDI translation easy and affordable to accomplish. [top] 

 

Migrating to Point-to-Point trading partner communications

More and more companies want to communicate directly with their trading partners rather than use the services of a Value Added Network. But their existing EDI translator and communications infrastructure make it difficult to migrate existing relationships, and implement new relationships on a point-to-point basis.  Alliance software helps you migrate in a controlled fashion. You can use Alliance to securely transfer EDI data directly to your trading partner’s server, and receive data from them.  If the trading partner requires encryption technology, you can use the Alliance PGP Option for strong encryption.  Alliance provides a road map for transitioning legacy EDI implementations to point-to-point relationships. [top]

 

Value Added Network bridging

In complex trading partner communities you may find a need to exchange EDI documents and data on a variety of value added networks.  The IBM Global Network provides a rich set of interfaces to other VANs including GXS (formerly GE Information Services), Peregrine, and Sterling.  You can consolidate your trading partner connections to the IBM Network to save money on connections, and simplify your communication interfaces. [top]

 

Your System i as an EDI server

Alliance can help you turn your System i into a sophisticated EDI communications server.  Windows, UNIX, and mainframe applications can use the System i as a delivery hub for EDI data.  For example, Alliance can scan IFS directories that are mapped to a Windows or UNIX server to send files to the IBM Global Network. Files that are received from the IBM Network can be pushed to Windows and UNIX servers.  By using the System i as a central EDI hub you can gain efficiencies and cost savings by eliminating redundant licenses. [top]

 

Frame relay

Many customers have installed frame relay connections to the IBM Global Network in order to achieve higher transfer capacities.  The frame relay connections provide both TCP/IP and SNA services for legacy systems.  By using Alliance secure FTP transfer over the Internet you can gain faster throughput and eliminate the frame relay connections. There can be substantial cost savings when you eliminate frame relay connections. With the proper Internet communications infrastructure you can also accomplish better network redundancy. [top]

 

Dial 2780/370 Bisynchronous modem connections

Many System i customers use modems to dial the IBM Global Network for file transfer. The dial connections are slow, expensive, and prone to failures.  You can replace these dial connections with the Alliance SSL FTP support for delivery over the Internet.  Once you’ve implemented Alliance secure communications you can completely eliminate the dial support for EDI. [top]

 

What to do next

Contact Patrick Townsend & Associates, Inc today to discuss how you can use Alliance technologies to save money and increase EDI efficiency.  The company is on the web at: www.patownsend.com or by phone at (800) 357-1019. International customers can call +01 360 357 8971.  Contact us by email at info@patownsend.com