Re: Access non-ibm file server fils from iseries

[Scott Klement <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tim,

> Our shop has an iseries (520 v5r4) and some NT servers with some shared
> folders. Is there a way of reading/accessing the NT server files from the
> iseries. Using the IFS is not a consideration.

The System i provides access to Windows machines through the IFS.

A lot of the time, when people refer to the "IFS" they're referring to the 
ability to store PC-like files on the System i.  However -- that's NOT 
what I'm talking about today.  The IFS includes many different things, 
including the ability to access Windows NEworking (SMB) file shares, the 
ability to access Network File Systems (NFS), the ability to access 
optical drives, the ability to access other iSeries computers over the 
network, the ability to access traidtional iSeries objects (You know, 
"library/object" objects) and the ability to store PC-style (stream) files 
on the system i hard drive... all of these completely different file 
systems are available through one integrated interface -- the "Integrated 
File System" (IFS) is the one interface!!

IT's not just for storing PC files on your System i!  It's for accessing 
Windows PCs over the network as well!

In the world of Windows, you might access a file using a UNC path like 
this:
    \\AcctServer\C\customers\5412\Letter20061210.doc

To access the same document from the iSeries, you change the path around a 
little bit. Instead of starting with \\, you start it with /QNTC.  And you 
use forward slashes instead of backward ones.  So to access the same file 
from an RPG program, you'd use the name:

    /QNTC/AcctServer/C/customers/5412/Letter20061210.doc

You must use that from the IFS interface.  From an RPG program, if you 
want to check if that file exists, you could use:

D filename        s            500A

 /free
   filename = '/QNTC/AcctServer/C/customers/5412/'
            + 'Letter20061210.doc';

   if (access(%trimr(filename): F_OK) = 0);
       // file exists!
   endif;

Obviously, you'd also need to create a prototype for the access() API.
(But, it'd work!)  For more info on IFS programming, please see the 
following document:

   http://www.scottklement.com/rpg/ifs.html

To launch Word, Excel, etc...  well, those programs don't run on the 
iSeries!  You'd need to run them on the PC. You could send a remote 
command to the PC, though.  You could do something like this:

D QCMDEXC         PR                  ExtPgm('QCMDEXC')
D    command                 32702A   const options(*varsize)
D    len                        15p 5 const

D cmd             s            500A   varying

 /free
      cmd = 'STRPCO';
      callp(e) QCMDEXC(cmd: %len(cmd));

      cmd = 'STRPCCMD PCCMD(''start winword "\\AcctServer\C\'
          + 'customers\5412\Letter20061210.doc"'')';
      QCMDEXC(cmd: %len(cmd));

I don't currently have access to my iSeries -- I'm typing this from memory 
-- so I may not have everything 100% right, but maybe the above info will 
help you get started (or at least give you some command names to search 
for information about.)

Also, if you remove the "winword" from the MS-DOS "start" command, it'll 
search for the best program to use for the file you've given.