Re: keepalive in socket server program

Jeff,

That's why standards are important. It shouldn't matter what OS, hardware
or programming language is used. If the application is put together as
something for multi-platform use then the communications made would
hopefully follow standards used by most of the world.

I work with many customers for web services and RESTful calls and things go
well until the client tells the trading partner they're having problems and
that they're using an AS/400 (their term, not mine.. ). All of a sudden
the server side says "well, it won't work with an AS/400..."

Why not? If we're using HTTP as the transport layer, XML/JSON for the
data, the OS, machine, language used shouldn't have any bearing. That's
the whole purpose for standards in communication... no two devices are the
same. :)

And, in those cases were the server side says "no go" I usually step in and
look at things and figure out for the most part it's a CCSID issue, not a
hardware/OS issue. They change the CCSID of the data being sent and
giddyup... all is good.

Normally the issue stems from understanding of the process of communication
itself. I've done it thousands of times with hundreds of different
services so I normally can figure things out quickly (if they ask for help
that is!)

But when a developer is doing it for the first time a lot of the time
they're just guessing at how to do things.

With all the offerings for both client and server side web services
communications, I wouldn't think one would want to write it themselves.

But... it sounds like a very proprietary system. If so there still are
many bases to start with (Scott already mentioned one... and I'd go for
that if it really needs to be customized).

Brad
www.bvstools.com

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 9:37 AM, Jeff Young <jyoung0950@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Charles,
From what I can determine, they do not have any other IBM i clients.
I do not know what OS they use on their server, or what language they use
for their applications.
I do not know what other customers do regarding interfacing with their
software, but I must work within the interface requirements for
communications from and to their system that they have provided. In some
cases, they want data sent via FTP, and others they want sent via sockets.
The data sent via the socket interface is needed to be close to real time,
so FTP is not an option.


Jeff Young
Sr. Programmer Analyst

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 10:09 AM, Charles Wilt <charles.wilt@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Jeff,

Bit surprised the vendor wouldn't have an existing interface for the IBM
i...

Do they have _any_ example code, ideally in C/C++...

It'd probably be easier to port their code rather than build from scratch
in RPGLE.

Charles

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 9:56 AM, Jeff Young <jyoung0950@xxxxxxxxx>

wrote:

Richard,
The vendors server is going to be physically located at the same site

that

the clients IBM i system.
The client is a distributer and the vendor is providing "voice picking"
service where the data for picking will be transferred from the i to

their

server, then the pickers will use voice headsets will indicate what has
been picked for an order. That data will be sent back to the i from

their

server via a socket program.
This software vendor was the clients choice for a voice picking

solution,

and I need to provide the proper interface programs to make it work

with

the existing software.


Jeff Young
Sr. Programmer Analyst

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 9:50 AM, Richard Schoen <
Richard.Schoen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Seems to me a simple RESTful web service call might be a better

vehicle

for this, but I don't know your vendors technical abilities.

Your programming then becomes dead-simple rather than writing a

socket

server app.

Not that socket servers are hard, but why in today's world of web

services

:-)

Regards,

Richard Schoen | Director of Document Management Technologies,

HelpSystems

T: + 1 952-486-6802
RJS Software Systems | A Division of HelpSystems
richard.schoen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.rjssoftware.com
Visit me on: Twitter | LinkedIn

------------------------------

message: 6
date: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 09:34:59 -0400
from: Jeff Young <jyoung0950@xxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: keepalive in socket server program

Alan, Nathan, Richard & Scott,
Thank you for the information.
At this time, there is only going to be one client.
I am going to use a single server job to receive the data and send it

to

a

data queue for processing.
At some point, the data queue method may be to slow for the volume of

data

being received and I will have to look into another method.
The project that I am working on involves another software vendor,

and

they are defining the interface specifications and requirements.
I will check with them as to exactly they will send as a keepalive

and

what they want back.
As always, the information that I receive here in answer to my

questions

has greatly improved my knowledge.

Thank you all for you help.


Jeff Young
Sr. Programmer Analyst


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