z/Scope Anywhere 8.5 Provides Web Access and a Simple Path to a Modern User Interface for Legacy Terminal-Based Applications

Wilmington, DE, December 11, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Cybele Software, Inc. is excited to announce the latest iteration of z/Scope Anywhere, version 8.5, a full-featured web terminal emulator.

“Anywhere” is in the name of z/Scope Anywhere for a very good reason. It alludes to an important advantage of the product - it allows secure web access of host systems to employees, contractors, clients, students, and other users from anywhere in the world with no setup or special applications required on the client side.

All that is needed is Internet access and an HTML5-compatible browser running on Windows, Mac, Linux®, Chromebook™, iOS®, or Android™ devices. So now your terminal applications will be available globally and on mobile devices with its support of both touchscreens and virtual keyboards, as well.

z/Scope Anywhere web-to-host terminal emulator comes with an array of useful features. It provides extensive support for multiple protocols including TN3270E, TN5250E, VT100, VT220, VT320, VT420, SSH1 and SSH2 Telnet Servers. It also includes an integrated FTP client with IND$FILE, KERMIT, X-MODEM, Y-MODEM, and Z-MODEM transfers and job queue management. And, it includes integrated TN3287 and TN3812 printer emulations with printing queue, print preview, and other print functions.

z/Scope Anywhere allows for several terminal sessions to be opened simultaneously. It has multiple display modes including Classic mode of older versions, a Cover Flow display mode that allows the user to visually flip through the connections, a Gallery mode that displays the connections as thumbnails, and a Grid mode that aligns and displays the connection sessions in a grid pattern. Additionally, browser tabs can be used to manage distinct connections among host systems.

Security is always a concern when interacting with sensitive data or crucial systems, so z/Scope Anywhere was designed to provide a secure 128-bit encrypted connection. It supports TLS (Transport Layer Security) and uses Secure Shell Version 2 (SHH2). Although depreciated, it also supports SHH1, SSL2, and SSL3.

Another great benefit of the product is that it provides an easy to implement means of upgrading the user interface (UI) of older terminal-based applications. Many corporations, hospitals, universities, and organizations still use legacy terminal-based applications running on IBM Mainframes, AS/400 Midrange systems (iSeries or System i), and other Unix-based host systems. Terminal-based applications normally do the job they were intended for just fine but suffer from a very dated UI. These text-based UIs were the norm forty years ago, and if you are accustomed to working in a Unix environment they may still be familiar to you. But this is not the case for the rest of the world.

Today’s end user is expecting a modern-day interface. As your workforce or user base transitions, learning how to use these older interfaces can be a real hurdle for generations used to the Mac®, Windows®, and the Web. However, it may not make economic sense to replace these legacy applications right away. This is where z/Scope Anywhere steps in to provide a cost-effective solution for a new modern interface that can be implemented quickly with common Web development tools.

z/Scope Anywhere lets you develop new interfaces and Web-widgets using just JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It also works well with the latest Web technologies like Angular, React, Vue.js, etc. z/Scope Anywhere’s JavaScript development framework is comprised of the high-level HLLAPI.js API library and the HostSurfer.js class.

HostSurfer is a JavaScript development framework that works with the HLLAPI.js library to interface with the application using the underlying original terminal screen as the data source. Since the new UI is a separate layer there is no need to change the original application. It can still be accessed as before, if needed. And if you run into any implementation challenges, Cybele Software also offers a collaborative support platform to help with all your mainframe modernization, legacy extension, and Web-enablement needs.

The latest version of z/Scope Anywhere, 8.5, is faster than ever. Its efficient new architecture allows for more concurrent users than past versions. The new license tab provides easy access to the current number of live connections. And, Version 8.5 now supports two-factor (2FA) or multi-factor authentication including DUO 2FA, SAML, Okta Oauth 2.0, and Forgerock OAuth 2.0.

For more information and details regarding z/Scope Anywhere features and licensing, please visit https://www.cybelesoft.com/zscope/web-terminal-emulator/8-5 or contact Cybele Software, Inc.

Requirements: A server machine running a Windows OS is required. For scaling and load balancing deployments, a gateway server(s) running a Windows OS is required. Compatible host systems include IBM mainframes, AS/400, and Unix-based systems. The client machine requires an HTML5-compliant Web browser such as Chrome, Microsoft Edge, IE10/11, Safari, Opera, or Firefox.