Model 204 & Sirius: Taking Care of Business

Customers from all over the world travelled to Salem to discuss how they were taking care of business with Model 204 and Sirius products. The long-term stability of Model 204, coupled with a steady stream of enhancements and add-on products have allowed our customers to stay in the lead while their competitors chased the "next big thing".

Once again we offered a dual track of useful training classes on Sunday. Robert Waggoner of Nodus, Inc. taught an introductory course for aspiring Janus Web programmers while Sirius presented intermediate and advanced topics in XML and Janus SOAP. Robert's material was excerpted from an excellent five-day course that Nodus can teach at your site.

Foils from all of the presentations are available online. See the information and tips below on the alternative choices for viewing these presentations.

Introduction to web programming with Janus Web

Robert is the founder of Nodus. Nodus has been continuously developing and delivering training for Model 204 and Sirius products for nearly twenty years. The material presented is an excerpt from Nodus' week-long Janus Web Server training workshop, which Robert can teach at your site.

Presentation Title			Speaker		Available Formats
Introduction to web concepts and Janus Web Server			Robert Waggoner (Nodus)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	Begins with a look at internet application programming in general. We'll look at the pertinent issues of the http protocol, the role of the browser and server, directory structure, Mime types, and basic HTML. Next we'll see how the Janus Web server, and some of the $WEB functions delivers the goods. The wrap-up will be a look at an existing 3270-based User Language query program, and beginning the process of "converting" that query to an internet application using Janus Web Server.
A simple Janus Web application from soup to nuts			Robert Waggoner (Nodus)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	Step by step we'll change the User Language code to present a form, use form fields to perform a database lookup, and present the resulting data. Along the way, a number of questions will arise, such as: How does the browser point to this User Language Program? What is the difference between GET and POST? What happens when I press the "Back" button? What about security? How might the HTTP protocol affect program design? What is JavaScript and how can I use it to improve my applications?

Introduction XML, XML APIs and Janus SOAP

This seminar introduces the concepts underlying the Sirius XML API, Janus SOAP. Starting with an understanding of web basics and User Language, it discusses all of the important topics relevant to implementing advanced XML applications with Model 204. An accompanying handout is available in PDF form.

Presentation Title			Speaker		Available Formats
Introduction to XML, XPath and the Sirius XML API			Alex Kodat		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	This presentation sets the stage for an in-depth discussion of the issues framing the Sirius XML API. No experience with XML is assumed and the technical level will be readily accessible. A high-level overview of XML concepts with examples is followed by a brief mention of XML parsing and navigation options, with emphasis on the standard XML document navigation language, XPath. The presentation closes with a brief exploration of the Object Oriented approach taken by other popular XML APIs.
XPath concepts and simple XPath expressions			Dave Evans		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Introduces the basic concepts of the XPath XML document navigation syntax. Uses examples to reinforce the notions of context, location paths and location steps. Although the material is technical, liberal use of examples should allow most people to follow along.
Advanced XPath expressions with examples			Dave Evans		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Assumes a familiarity with XPath concepts and simple XPath expressions. Builds upon the XPath base to introduce the concepts of axes, node tests and predicates. While examples help to make the material understandable, the topics are complex.
Janus SOAP - Evolution of the Sirius XML API			Dave Evans		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Janus SOAP is the Sirius XML API that contains extensive facilities to assist User Language programs with the management of XML documents. As customers have gained experience with Janus SOAP and other XML processing engines such as MSXML, we have steadily refined our API. The Janus SOAP API for release 6.5 of the Sirius Mods will be more powerful and more intuitive to customers who are already familiar with Microsoft XML APIs. This presentation outlines the changes we have made and shows how Janus SOAP will be used to "input" or create, modify, retrieve from, and "output" a document tree. The role of XPath expressions for node navigation and selection is explained with examples. An understanding of XML and XPath fundamentals is assumed.

Conference presentations

Presentation Title			Speaker		Available Formats
Sirius Update			Gary Gregory		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	As usual we have had a very busy year since the last Sirius User Group. This presentation will provide a brief overview of Sirius, review what we have accomplished over the last year and preview our plans for the future. Significant developments in our customer base will be discussed along with their implications for the future.
Web Services with Model 204 and Janus			Alex Kodat		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	This presentation presents the long view of Information Technology, its challenges and successes. This includes a discussion of why some systems fail and others prosper, and why Model 204 in particular has proven to be so durable. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the Web Services paradigm and how the combination of Janus Web Server, Janus Sockets and Janus SOAP brings Model 204 into the world of Web Services.
Extreme HTML - High performance web applications using Model 204 and Janus Web			Gary Bailey (Roadway)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	Roadway has continued to expand their suite of Internet applications based upon Model 204, Janus Web, DHTML and XML. This presentation will outline Roadway's application methodology, using a specific application to demonstrate the various techniques that have proven to be successful for delivering extremely high-performance browser-delivered applications.
Web-Enabling the Model 204 developer			Pam Wells (Roadway)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	This presentation will outline the steps taken by Roadway Express to transition its Model 204 development staff from a "classic" 3270-based Model 204 environment to the development of Model 204 web applications. The presentation will include the training approach, standards development, peer review techniques, and lessons learned.
Real experiences with Web Services and Model 204			Marcel Gabriel (Centrelink)		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Centrelink is using Model 204 and Janus to implement a Web Services architecture. This presentation outlines their experiences from the first application to go live, including an overview of lessons learned and their plans for the future. Fascinating insights into the comparative strengths of the integrated 4GL envrionment provided by Model 204 and Janus with the multi-tier Microsoft .NET approach make this of interest to managers and technicians alike.
Operating Model 204 in a Sysplex/LPAR environment			Gary Gregory		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	The Model 204 support for shared DASD and intersystem communications was developed prior to the advent of Logical PARtition (LPAR) support and Sysplex clusters. This presentation outlines procedures for using Sirius products to simplify operation of multiple LPAR or Sysplex environments.
SoftSpy Update			George Walter		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	ITS markets the very popular User Language debugger, SoftSpy. This presentation outlines recent enhancements to SoftSpy that make it a better tool for users that employ Sirus dollar functions and $-list structures. The support is especially useful for Janus customers.
Marks and Spencer Update			Clare Stephens Daniel Ascher (Marks and Spencer)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	This presentation will bring us up to date on Marks and Spencer's Web Services implementation using Model 204 and Janus Web Server.
Porting a Perl/Sybase application to Model 204			Chuck Gait (CSC)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	Rehosting a client/server application from one database system to another can be difficult. Especially when the same client application needs to support the existing database at one security level while simultaneously supporting the new database at a higher security level. This presentation will chronical our successfull migration of a substantial Perl application from Sybase to Model 204, including a discussion of the technical obstacles we overcame.
Real-time maintenance with SirFact			Alex Kodat		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	SirFact has been enhanced to facilitate dynamic maintenance of User Language code used in large production subsystems. This presentation outlines how these new features can be used to improve reliability and performance for production, test and development environments.
Presenting Model 204 data with vector graphics			Alan Brooks		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	Many different technologies exist for presenting Model 204 data in graphical format on the web. This presentation shows a few of the simple, low-tech ones, as well as a prototype Flash system that displays XML-formatted 204 data as real-time charts.
Xtend - a pc-based graphical editor for User Language			Tony Pickering (Yoda Software)		PDF document
	Yoda Software has developed a PC-based editor for Model 204 User Language procedures. The editor is aware of User Language syntax and contains extensive built in documentation and help facilities. It can access Model 204 either via Janus or Connect*. This demonstration and handout will be of interest to all User Language developers (and their managers) who would like to reap the productivity gains of a PC-based language-aware editor.
Model 204 as an FTP server			George Walter		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	As previously promised, Sirius will deliver FTP server functionality based upon the Janus Sockets product. This session presents the command language for controlling FTP server support and includes a demonstration of transfering data to and from Model 204 procedure files.
User Language programs as FTP clients			Tom Thoresen		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	This presentation will show how a User Language program can use Janus Sockets to act as a FTP client. This will include a demonstration of "pushing" a report from a Model 204 application to a Windows machine running an FTP server.
Centrelink Update			Tony Leng Leon Rasheed (Centrelink)		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Centrelink is one of the largest Model 204 shops in the world. This two-part presentation will first share a view of the opportunities and challenges faced by Centrelink management. An accompanying audio clip demonstrates a sophisticated speech recognition system used to access and update information in a Model 204 database. The second half will outline the scale of Centrelink's Model 204 processing and show just how much faster Model 204 has become as a result of performance enhancements from CCA and Sirius.
Janus compression facility			Tom Thoresen		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	All popular browsers support a variety of compression schemes. Janus now supports the two most popular compression schemes that allow you to tradeoff CPU costs for communications bandwidth. This presentation will outline the compression protocols supported by Janus and explain their individual strengths. Given the emerging importance of XML with its verbose data streams, these enhancements are "just in time".
Janus Web and Sirius Functions			Don Essick (Northrop Grumman)		Single document Linked foils PowerPoint Show
	This presentation outlines a few useful web utilities that illustrate how easy it is to write Janus Web applications. Through successive refinement additional features are added to show off more complicated programming constructs.
Power debugging of Janus applications			Alex Kodat		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Specialized facilities in the Janus product family combined with the highly integrated development environment of Model 204 make debugging Janus applications a breeze. This presentation and live demonstration showcases the various debugging facilities and how they can be used to maximize programmer productivity.
High-performance reorg of Model 204 files			Gary Gregory		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Fast/Reorg is a specialized combination of Fast/Unload and Fast/Reload that provides for extremely high-performance reorgs of Model 204 files. This presentation will provide an overview of Fast/Reorg and show how it can be tuned for optimum performance.
Model 204 Recovery Part II			Alex Kodat		Single document Linked foils Freelance show
	Model 204 implements several distinct recovery mechanisms. This presentation focuses on roll forward and media recovery with discussion of what can go wrong in recovery and how to deal with it. Will also include a discussion of Model 204 streams as pertains to recovery.

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