Install the iSphere Library

You need to install the iSphere Library on which many of the iSphere plug-ins rely. The recommended way, and the one that requires the least effort, is the Integrated Upload Feature. You can also install the library manually.

Note: The library is saved for V7R1, so you cannot use the Integrated Upload Feature if you are on an earlier release. The library can be compiled for V6R1, but you need to do that by yourself, using an i Project. (V7R1 is the earliest release the iSphere developers can save the library for.)

Important: We are sorry to let you know that we no longer have an option to create the iSphere library for V6R1. Version 3.5.4.r was the last release with a V6R1 library. All newer versions will be compiled for V7R1. Please refer to Using an i Project to read how to install the library from an i Project.

Select the option that works best for you:

Using the Integrated Upload Feature

Doing it By Hand

Using an i Project (no FTP)

Using the Integrated Upload Feature

• Start RDi 9.5.1.3+.
• Click on "Windows / Preferences".
• Expand item "iSphere".
• Click "Library".
• In "Host name:" enter the name of an IBM i host system that is configured as a Remote System in the Remote System Explorer view.
  Review the "FTP port number" and the name of the "iSphere library". The default FTP port is 21. The default library name is ISPHERE.
  Note: You may use another library name, but be aware that this library will be deleted if it exists.
• Verify the ASP group. The name of the ASP group is used for parameter RSTASPDEV of command RSTLIB when restoring the iSphere library. The possible values are:

  *NONE	-	The DLTLIB and RSTLIB commands are executed without the ASPDEV and RSTASPDEV parameters.
  asp-device-name	-	The DLTLIB command is executed with ASPDEV(*) and the RSTLIB command is extended with RSTASPDEV(asp-device-name).

• Verify the system CCSID. The system CCSID is used when validating object names.
• Click the [Transfer iSphere library] button.
• Use the refresh button to retrieve the version of the iSphere library. Once pressed, the version is automatically updated as the library name changes. Auto-update is disabled, when the host name is changed.

Use the "System Ccsid" field to specify the CCSID of your system. The value specified here is used for validating object names.



(The screenshot above is from RDi, but the WDSC screen is very similar.)

• On the following "Transfer iSphere library" dialog, click [Start Transfer] to start the FTP transfer.
  Use the ASP device name parameter to specify the name of the ASP device for restoring the library.

  *DFAULT	-	The DLTLIB and RSTLIB commands are executed without the ASPDEV and RSTASPDEV parameters.
  asp-device-name	-	The DLTLIB command is executed with ASPDEV(*) and the RSTLIB command is extended with RSTASPDEV(asp-device-name).

  

• If the iSphere library already exists, you will be asked to confirm that you want to delete it:

  

• The transfer will start and the steps will be displayed in the window as the transfer runs.
• At the end of the transfer request a [Print job log] button will appear:

  

• Review the contents of the window to check, whether the library has been successfully installed. If you need to report errors, use the context menu to copy all messages to the clipboard and click the [Print job log] button to print a job log on the host. Use the [Close] button to close the dialog.

  Alternatively you can use CTRL-A to select all messages and CTRL-C to copy the selected messages to the clipboard.

Use the connection properties to specify a different iSphere library for certain connections.

Doing it By Hand

There are two options for uploading the library by hand: FTP and IFS
For both options you start with retrieving the save file from the plug-in jar file.

1. Retrieving the save file from the plug-in

• Download the iSphere update site zip file from SourceForge.
• Unzip the content of the zip file into a directory of your choice of your hard disk.
• Navigate into directory /plugins.

  

• Rename biz.isphere.core_x.x.x.jar to biz.isphere.core_x.x.x.zip. It is the largest .jar file in the directory. Right click > Rename or F2.
• Unzip biz.isphere.core_x.x.x.zip

  

• Navigate into directory biz.isphere.core_x.x.x/Server

  

• Copy file ISPHERE into a directory of your choice of your hard disk. This is the save file you will need to transfer to IBM i. It's easier to copy it to a directory with a short path rather than typing a long path into the FTP command window below.
• Switch to a 5250 session.
• Create an empty save file in QGPL:
  CRTSAVF FILE(QGPL/ISPHERE) TEXT('iSphere')

Now decide whether you want to upload the save file with FTP or via the IFS. Choose option 2.a for FTP and option 2.b for IFS.

2.a Uploading save file with FTP

• Back at the PC, open a command window, start an FTP session and transfer the local ISPHERE file into the ISPHERE save file on your host using binary mode. The following example uses NAMEFMT 0 (OS/400 File Naming Convention), but of course you can also use NAMEFMT 1 (OS/400 Integrated File System Naming Format).

  

2.b Uploading save file via IFS

• Back at the PC, copy save file ISPHERE.SAVF to a folder on your IBM i.

  

• Switch to a 5250 session.
• Copy the save file from the IFS into the save file previously created:
  CPYFRMSTMF FROMSTMF('/home/Temp/isphere.savf')
  TOMBR('/qsys.lib/qgpl.lib/isphere.file') MBROPT(*REPLACE)

3. Restoring library ISPHERE

• On the 5250 session, restore library ISPHERE from the save file QGPL/ISPHERE:
  RSTLIB SAVLIB(ISPHERE) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(QGPL/ISPHERE) RSTLIB(ISPHERE)

• Now we need to clean up our PC directory. Go back to Windows Explorer to the /plugins directory.

  

• Delete the biz.isphere.core_x.x.x directory NOT the jar file!

  

• Rename biz.isphere.core_x.x.x.zip back to biz.isphere.core_x.x.x.jar It is the largest file in the directory, and the only .zip file there. Right click > Rename or F2.

  

• When finished, the /plugins directory should have only.jar files in it:

  

Using an i Project

If you cannot use FTP to install the iSphere library, you can try to do it with an i Project from RDi or WDSCi. First you need to copy the iSphere project from the repository to your workspace. You may either connect to SourceForge and check out the project directly from the repository or download a snapshot of the repository to your PC and import the iSphere project from there.

Please refer to The iSphere Host Project to learn how to checkout the project from SourceForge using SVN.

For the latter option, go to the iSphere project home at SourceForge and click Code on the navigation bar at the top:

Then click Download Snapshot and save the zip file to your PC. The name of the zip file should be similar to isphere-code-1046-trunk.zip, where 1046 is the revision number that you can safely ignore.

Open RDi and switch to the i Projects perspective. Select File -> Import... -> General -> Existing Projects into Workspace and click Next. Then choose option Select archive file and click Browse to select the snapshot zip file. Click Deselect All and reselect project iSphere. Click Finish to import the project to your workspace.

Eventually build the iSphere library as described in Library Build.