Navigator is the Future – Don’t Get Left Behind

As I was mulling over what topics to write for the next few blogs, I realized I needed to write one blog that is not on the newest features. But the message in this blog is very important; if you have not yet started to use Navigator for i, the Web console, you need to do so. This isn’t an option – if you review many of the 7.2 enhancements, the user interface for configuration and management is in Navigator. If you are not using Navigator, you are going to be missing out on some wonderful things.

Last week, I was at the COMMON Annual Meeting in Orlando. In nearly all my sessions, I asked for a show of hands for who was running 7.1. Yeah!!!! The majority of hands always went up. I also asked for a show of hands for who was using Navigator – the results were disappointing – usually just a couple hands were raised.

I have heard about troubles with the initial experience – but if that initial experience was before the enhancements made last year, you need to try it again. Yes, there were performance and stability issues, but they have been addressed. The 2013 enhancements (for 6.1 and 7.1) were critical in improving the Navigator experience; Navigator for i; Open for Business provides a summary.

With the 7.2 announcement, much of the capability that was missing from Navigator has now been added – in particular Management Central features such as system and message monitors and PTF support are now included with Navigator. About the only reason to use the System i Navigator client is for the database tools that have not yet made it to the Web console.

In the future, all my blogs will only talk about Navigator – I will no longer refer to System i Navigator.

For those of you who have not started to use Navigator, it’s very easy – but you do need to pay attention to a few things:

• • You need to be on 6.1 or later. If you’re not on 6.1 yet, you have bigger problems to worry about.
• • You need the latest PTF Groups (the HTTP server, Java, DB2 and Performance Tools) installed; the Navigator for i documentation in developerWorks lists the levels required. Note that while the reference documentation discusses key 7.2 enhancements, many of these usability and performance improvements are also included in the 7.1 and 6.1 updates.
• • All the products you need for Navigator are installed by default. Required servers, such as the HTTP Admin server, are also started by default. Simply point your browser to http://mysystem.mydomain:2001 – you’ll get a security exception that you need to confirm followed by a sign-on screen. It’s as easy as starting a 5250 session.
• • If for some reason your business does not allow you to run an HTTP server on your production system, you can still use Navigator. Read about how to do this in an older blog (the title may be misleading … but the content applies on how you can manage a second system).

There is so much function that is ONLY in Navigator. Start using it today.

 

 

Comments

[dale janus]

I am confused by IBM calling everything by the same name. There is a navigator client on the pc that we use all the time. We have not used web based navigator because when we first tried it, it was slower than the client based version and the display was inferior. Are you saying that IBM is now abandoning the pc based navigator client in favor of the web navigator client, like they have abandonded SEU for RDI?

[Ralf M Petter]

Yes the web navigator got much better in the last year, but it is still miles away from a fast and stable tool. The charts in the performance part are buggy and not very pretty. And Visual Explain and other database functions from the Windows based Navigator are still missing. An IBM i Admin needs now 4 complete different UI's to admin his system. Green screen for some tasks which are only available in Green screen. Navigator on Windows for Databaseadministration. The new Webnavigator for Performance and other new functions only available in web and last but not least the QShell to admin new functions like the samba support in 7.2. If you use virtualization on your system you need additional tools like a HMC. I want to know if IBM still knows that the "i" in IBM i stands for integration. To me it does not look that the great new functions added in 7.2 are really an integrated experience.

[Dawn]

Hi Dale,
I totally agree with you regarding the naming! Many people get confused about what the GUI interfaces are called. I tend to explain things as the "pc application" versus the "web console" to try to be clear when explaining what is what.

I wouldn't use the word "abandon", but yes, IBM is moving in favor of the web interface and the "pc based navigator client" is no longer being enhanced. System i Navigator (the PC client) will continue to be supported and you can continue to use it, but new function is being put in the web interface.

Yes, there are still things that are not yet in the web console - but the key word is YET - you can bet IBM is working hard to get all the functionality in the web console. Yes, when the Navigator web console first came out it was slow and a bit buggy and the functionality was lacking - but that was 6 years ago. Significant improvements have been made since then, and in particular last year (2013) when the performance and usability issues were worked on; IBM knew it had to address those problems.

Personally, I much prefer the browser interface because I don't have to keep the client updated; just install the latest groups on the i and everyone who uses the UI has the latest updates.

Dawn

[Dawn]

Hi Ralf,

Regarding your comments about the Navigator web interface not being stable and parts that are buggy, please ensure you have the latest group PTFs installed (DG1, Java, DB2, and performance tools). If you still encounter problems, please report them to IBM so they can be corrected - IBM is working hard to make Navigator a solid interface. I know the folks on the performance tools team very well and if they know about the bugs, they will certainly work hard to fix them.

Your observation about four interfaces is correct. There are some green screen functions that will never be on the GUI. As I wrote in the prior reply to Dale, IBM is working to get the functions that are only in the System i Navigator client also available in the web console. And yes, you need to use the HMC if you are doing partitioning. And I hate to mention that if you are using the Virtual I/O server you have to learn to speak a bit of *nix.

I understand that multiple interfaces add complexity and seem to take away from the "integration" story, but it doesn't make sense for IBM to build unique interfaces for i when we can use general Power platform solutions (HMC and VIOS). Using these same Power platform interfaces should be viewed as good for i since we do things the same way as the other Power operating systems. And when IBM improves the HMC or the VIOS, we get it on i without having to do something special.

Dawn