Re: Communicating with COM objects from iSeries via Java?

That's a really good observation about the cost of labor vs volume Tom.  Very 
important point to consider and one that did not occur to me until I read your 
reply.  

-----Original Message-----
    From: "Tom Jedrzejewicz"<tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxx>
    Sent: 12/12/05 7:11:46 PM
    To: "Midrange Systems Technical Discussion"<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
    Subject: Re: Communicating with COM objects from iSeries via Java?
    
    On 12/12/05, johnking@xxxxxxx <johnking@xxxxxxx> wrote:
    > Hello all,
    >
    >  We have a requirement to fax certain documents to users who do not have
    > email. The iSeries fax products I've seen so far are primarily designed to
    > translate and deliver spool files. We, on the other hand, need to push PDF
    > and Excel files that happen to be stored on the IFS.
    >
    >   I'd like to investigate the feasibility of submitting documents to an
    > existing WinFax server from the iSeries.
    > 1) WinFax provides an SDK that describes how to submit faxes via its COM
    > interface.
    > 2) IBM Alphaworks has a "Development Tool for Java-COM Bridge" project
    > that allows Java to manipulate COM objects. See:
    > http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/dtjcb. The IBM website says this
    > product falls under certain export-control rules, and I'm waiting to be
    > "approved" before I can even view the FAQ.
    > 3) This would be a batch process so there is no need for real-time
    > interaction between the iSeries and WinFax - we just want to submit data
    > from the iSeries to the WinFax process on the PC.
    > 4) I have some small experience calling Java from RPG and on the surface
    > it seems like this ought to work, but I lack all knowledge of PC-ish
    > things like COM and am totally lost in Eclipse. There was a thread on
    > Java400-L that referred to jintegra, jacob and jwin but that was in 2003 -
    > aeons ago.
    >
    >  If anyone has had experience with this, or can even tell me whether the
    > project is feasible, your comments are welcome.
    
    Although I have no experience with it, I am sure it is feasible, but
    it sure sounds like a lot of work, although it could be fun.  I would
    get a handle on the number of items we are talking about.  If there
    are only 2 or 3 a week, the cost per fax of even a day of work is
    astronomical.  On the flip side, if the volume of non-emails is high,
    an out-of-the box solution like FastFax might be justified.
    
    Alternatively, join a service such as eFax, where you send the email
    to 1112223333@xxxxxxxxxxx and it sends the fax.  It works essentially
    just like WinFax.  No coding required ... type "email-to-fax" into
    Google and get a pile of them.  They cost very little per month, and
    often have free trials.
    
    Another solution is to setup a "default" internal email address and
    tweak the sending program to route blank emails to the default.  Then
    have someone monitor the default mailbox and send them manually
    (through WinFax!).
    
    --
    Tom Jedrzejewicz
    tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxx
    
    -- 
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