Is there an alternative utility for ARSLOAD (ACIF) utility

[Michiel Koehorst]

Hello,

I am a business manager within Application Management Services and we are investigating if we can replace CMOD in our current Archiving application.

For this we would need a tool on Unix to convert mainframe AFP spoolfiles to PDF. In CMOD this is done using the ARSLOAD (ACIF) utility.

Do you know if there is an alternative utility / software module who could perform this task?

Thanks, Michiel

[Justin Derrick]

Hi Michiel.

ACIF doesn't convert files to PDF.  It reads either line data or AFP, and can optionally convert text to AFP.  The linedata (or AFP) to PDF transformation happens elsewhere, with either the IBM AFP2PDF tool, or a third party utility.

Can I ask why you're considering moving away from CMOD?  I might sound biased, but it really is the best long-term archive tool in the market.

-JD.

[Ed_Arnold]

Adding to what Justin just said:

arsload and ACIF do not convert afp to pdf. 

arsload can call the Infoprint or Xenos product to do the conversion.

The Infoprint product afp2pdf converts afp to pdf. 

Also, the Xenos company has a conversion product. 

Ed

[rick]

Hi Ed,
Would it possible to integrate Infoprint product to Ondemand as the way we use XENOS or do we need to do the conversion externally? If so, can you please let me know how it can be done?

[jeffs42885]

Any feedback on Fredericks Question?

[Ed_Arnold]

Just saying that's completely out of my area of expertise. 

Ed

[jeffs42885]

Thanks Ed. I am familiar with calling XENOS via ARSLOAD, but not Infoprint.. That's what I'm curious about.

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Well this is sad, we have one thread and 2 unrelated questions... it would have been better to have two threads here.

To answer the "old" primary question of Michiel.

I'm quite curious... you seem to not know the product (CMOD) with your question, and still you want to go away from CMOD for some internal reasons...
CMOD is an archive system, and for that it is one of the best product in the market. If you need a DMS system, or any kind of other functionality, then of course CMOD is NOT the correct tool for it.

Now to your main question To convert AFP to PDF. You have the tool (you need to have the license for it) AFP2WEB, which contains all the PDF conversion that you need. It is fast and good.
You also have Docbridge Mill, Assentis, ISIS Papyrus, OPUS, etc... to name a few. there are tons of tools to do it. None are freeware as much I know c(if someone know one, I'm interested!!)


@Frederik: No you cannot integrate Infoprint as you do with XENOS, you need to write your own indexer with Infoprint tools and generate an generic index file.

Sincerely yours,
Alessandro