Reviving InfoSeeker - Revision history

PoC: +link

2025-03-16T11:34:55Z

+link

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:34, 16 March 2025
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	Initial tests showed that creating a shelf in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/BOOKS/'' fails: InfoSeeker consumes 100 % CPU and does not recover. The books themselves have been placed in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/'' for this test, and the book search path was set accordingly to ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/''.		Initial tests showed that creating a shelf in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/BOOKS/'' fails: InfoSeeker consumes 100 % CPU and does not recover. The books themselves have been placed in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/'' for this test, and the book search path was set accordingly to ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/''.

			== See also ==
			* [[IBM BOOK format]]

	== Weblinks ==		== Weblinks ==

PoC: /* Additional details */ added details

2024-01-21T20:27:07Z

Additional details: added details

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:27, 21 January 2024
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	** The ''.BOO'' extension is implicit.		** The ''.BOO'' extension is implicit.
	** The BOOK's name is searched in all paths listed in the ''QBOOKPATH'' system variable		** The BOOK's name is searched in all paths listed in the ''QBOOKPATH'' system variable

			Initial tests showed that creating a shelf in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/BOOKS/'' fails: InfoSeeker consumes 100 % CPU and does not recover. The books themselves have been placed in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/'' for this test, and the book search path was set accordingly to ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/''.

	== Weblinks ==		== Weblinks ==

PoC: /* Weblinks */ Linkfix

2024-01-21T13:41:08Z

Weblinks: Linkfix

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:41, 21 January 2024
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	** [https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-softcopy-reader-windows-v40-0 IBM Softcopy Reader for Windows V4.0] Download Page		** [https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-softcopy-reader-windows-v40-0 IBM Softcopy Reader for Windows V4.0] Download Page
	* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups		* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups
	* [~~http~~://~~ps-2~~.kev009~~.com~~/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf ~~Web Service~~], ~~no longer functioning~~		* [https://github.com/kev009/boo2pdf boo2pdf Source Code], not quite usable out of the box
	* [https://github.com/cyberdotgent/bookmgr-docker IBM BookManager BookServer 2.3 Docker Container] assembled from public sources.		* [https://github.com/cyberdotgent/bookmgr-docker IBM BookManager BookServer 2.3 Docker Container] assembled from public sources.

PoC: Less clear text

2023-08-26T18:08:56Z

Less clear text

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:08, 26 August 2023
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	== Making it work again ==		== Making it work again ==
	CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)<ref>Thanks to ~~Mark Waterbury~~ for extensive debugging and eventually providing a web link showing this command.</ref>		CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)<ref>Thanks to MSW for extensive debugging and eventually providing a web link showing this command.</ref>

	The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.		The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.

PoC: /* Weblinks */ +Link

2022-12-18T00:16:05Z

Weblinks: +Link

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:16, 18 December 2022
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	* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups		* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups
	* [http://ps-2.kev009.com/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf Web Service], no longer functioning		* [http://ps-2.kev009.com/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf Web Service], no longer functioning
			* [https://github.com/cyberdotgent/bookmgr-docker IBM BookManager BookServer 2.3 Docker Container] assembled from public sources.

	== Footnotes ==		== Footnotes ==

PoC: /* Weblinks */ +Link

2022-02-07T22:52:58Z

Weblinks: +Link

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:52, 8 February 2022
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	** [https://www.ibm.com/docs/da/zos/2.1.0?topic=system-installing-using-infoseeker-your-as400 Installing and Using InfoSeeker on Your AS/400 System]		** [https://www.ibm.com/docs/da/zos/2.1.0?topic=system-installing-using-infoseeker-your-as400 Installing and Using InfoSeeker on Your AS/400 System]
	** [https://www.ibm.com/resources/publications/searchInput Search for publications]		** [https://www.ibm.com/resources/publications/searchInput Search for publications]
			** [https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-softcopy-reader-windows-v40-0 IBM Softcopy Reader for Windows V4.0] Download Page
	* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups		* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups
	* [http://ps-2.kev009.com/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf Web Service], no longer functioning		* [http://ps-2.kev009.com/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf Web Service], no longer functioning

PoC: /* Making it work again */ appropriate

2022-02-07T22:40:44Z

Making it work again: appropriate

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:40, 8 February 2022
Line 9:		Line 9:

	== Making it work again ==		== Making it work again ==
	CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)<ref>Thanks to Mark Waterbury for debugging and eventually providing a web link showing this command.</ref>		CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)<ref>Thanks to Mark Waterbury for extensive debugging and eventually providing a web link showing this command.</ref>

	The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.		The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.

PoC: /* Making it work again */ +Credits

2022-02-07T22:40:04Z

Making it work again: +Credits

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:40, 8 February 2022
Line 9:		Line 9:

	== Making it work again ==		== Making it work again ==
	CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)		CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)<ref>Thanks to Mark Waterbury for debugging and eventually providing a web link showing this command.</ref>

	The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.		The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.

PoC: Expanded

2022-02-07T22:37:50Z

Expanded

New page

'''InfoSeeker''' was a 5250 based viewer for proprietary IBM "BOOK" files, providing system documentation before IBM finally adopted PDF as documentation document format of choice.

== About BOOK files ==
IBM "removed" InfoSeeker from OS/400 in V4R4, to force people to use either the poor quality Windows-based ''IBM Softcopy Reader'', or alternatively use the public internet based ''IBM Document Library Server'' (defunct<ref>It has been taken down from service at June 1, 2019. With it, a lot of older but still useful documentation vanished from the Internet.</ref>) which provided an online conversion from BOOK to HTML format to view content in a browser directly.

There once has been a web service to convert BOOK files to PDF, but the functionality was removed.

One possible alternative to view BOOK files might be the InfoSeeker viewer<ref>However, it cannot display imbedded graphics, neither bitmapped, nor vector based.</ref>, which was still completely included in V4R5. Compared to the officially working V4R3 version, it tested the existence of a data area. If it wasn't existing, the message line will just tell that ''STRINFSKR has been removed.''

== Making it work again ==
CRTDTAARA DTAARA(QUSRSYS/QBMGINFSKR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)

The length parameter isn't critical, because there is no content anyway.

After creating the data area <code>STRINFSKR</code> will function again.

== Additional details ==
* BOOK files and accompanying SHELF files are expected to be located in in ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/BOOKS/''.
** QDLS is a file system with limits of file names like MS DOS.
* ''/QDLS/QBKBOOKS/BOOKS'' is part of the ''QBOOKPATH'' system variable.
* To open a BOOK file directly, use <code>STRINFSKR OPTION(*BOOK) BOOK(BOOKNAME)</code>.
** The ''.BOO'' extension is implicit.
** The BOOK's name is searched in all paths listed in the ''QBOOKPATH'' system variable

== Weblinks ==
* [https://archive.midrange.com/midrange-l/199912/msg01738.html STRINFSKR], Midrange Mailing-List via Midrange.com
* IBM.com:
** [https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.2.0?topic=SSLTBW_2.2.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r2.ab0in02/ab0in022150.htm Using IBM Softcopy Collections on an AS/400 System]
** [https://www.ibm.com/docs/da/zos/2.1.0?topic=system-installing-using-infoseeker-your-as400 Installing and Using InfoSeeker on Your AS/400 System]
** [https://www.ibm.com/resources/publications/searchInput Search for publications]
* [https://groups.google.com/g/bit.listserv.ibm-main/c/iP290SgPgpI IBM Z Publications Archive site will replace the Library Server site], IBM-Main Mailing-List via Google Groups
* [http://ps-2.kev009.com/boo2pdf/ boo2pdf Web Service], no longer functioning

== Footnotes ==
<references />

[[Category: Software Configuration Guide]]
[[Category: System Administration]]
[[Category: System Internals]]