Modernise Legacy Ops: Orchestrate IBM i (AS/400) Green-Screen and Batch Workloads with Workload Automation

Introduction
​Let us begin by exploring the IBM i (AS/400) Virtual Terminal integration—a robust capability designed to help HCL Automation Orchestration users centralize and modernize their legacy infrastructure. By bridging the gap between time-tested core systems and modern IT environments, this integration allows enterprises to seamlessly automate interactive green-screen operations alongside heavy background batch workloads from a single, unified pane of glass.

The IBM i Virtual Terminal plugin can be downloaded from Automation Hub to instantly enhance your Workload Automation setup and eliminate operational silos.

Overview
The IBM i (AS/400) Virtual Terminal integration for Workload Automation provides a native, highly resilient solution for modernizing legacy mainframe operations. By utilizing the native TN5250 terminal protocol and the robust IBM Toolbox for Java (JT400) interface, this integration bridges the gap between historical green-screen applications and modern, cross-platform IT environments. It allows organizations to automate complex, manual interface interactions alongside background batch workloads from a single command center—all without requiring any code changes to your time-tested IBM i applications.

Key features:
The IBM i Virtual Terminal integration is engineered to safely automate interactive terminal logic and background batch management:

• Advanced Green-Screen Scripting: Replay standardized YAML interaction scripts to automate traditional 5250 applications. It natively supports runtime variable injection, screen-scraping text extraction, and global error-pattern matching.
• Flexible Batch Processing (SBMJOB): Submit background batch jobs using native Control Language (CL) commands in either Synchronous mode (for complete lifecycle tracking) or Asynchronous mode (for immediate submission tracking).
• Intelligent MSGW Interception: Automatically detect when an AS/400 job enters a Message Wait (MSGW) state. The integration can fail-fast or automatically inject a predefined system default reply to keep critical night runs moving.
• Interactive Session Management: Execute freeform sequences of native CL commands and function keys (F1–F24, PageUp, PageDown) with configurable delays, accumulating complete visual screen logs for strict auditing.
• EBCDIC Output Translation: Directly fetch JOBLOG and Spool File data (such as QPJOBLOG) immediately after execution, automatically normalizing line endings to match Windows or Unix environments.
• Graceful Resource Teardown: Protect host resources by automatically dispatching cleanup sequences (F12, F3, SIGNOFF) upon task completion or unexpected failure, completely preventing orphaned sessions and disruptive system record locks.
• Secure Protocol Routing: Supports both standard Telnet and fully encrypted SSL/TLS sessions to ensure compliant, secure credential transmission across your data center.

Use Cases:
The IBM i Virtual Terminal integration brings legacy systems into modern event-driven architecture:

• Automated Financial Reconciliation: Logging into green-screen banking systems, navigating to ledger menus, entering closing dates, and executing the batch jobs required for daily balance updates.
• Nightly Payroll Batch Processing: Orchestrating complex payroll runs that require monitoring active lifecycles across multiple job queues (JOBQ, ACTIVE, END).
• Cross-Platform Inventory Sync: Triggering legacy AS/400 warehouse updates immediately after modern e-commerce data files are ingested from a cloud platform.
• Unattended System Archival: Automatically running administrative commands to clean up history logs or back up libraries during low-traffic operational windows.

Example workflow: Nightly Billing and Report Archival
The IBM i (AS/400) Virtual Terminal integration eliminates the need for manual graveyard shifts. In a Nightly Billing and Report Archival scenario, Workload Automation initiates the process by detecting the arrival of a daily transaction file on a Linux server.
The orchestrator launches a Virtual Terminal script task, using a parameterized YAML file to open a secure TN5250 session, navigate menus, and type the processing parameters directly into the interface. Once the data entry is scraped and verified on-screen, a SBMJOB command triggers the billing process. The integration actively polls the job; if a Message Wait (MSGW) state triggers, it safely auto-replies with the system default. Upon a successful finish, the integration retrieves the generated invoicing report spool file, translates it from EBCDIC, writes it directly to a network archive drive, and executes a graceful SIGNOFF to release all database locks.

Getting Started with IBM i (AS/400) Virtual Terminal Plug-in
This document describes the properties and usage of the IBM i Virtual Terminal Plug-in for HCL Workload Automation version 2.1.4 or later.

The IBM i Virtual Terminal Task Type Plug-in integrates legacy AS/400 processing into your orchestration environment. It enables you to execute green-screen scripts, submit batch jobs, and retrieve spool files using native TN5250 and JT400 protocols.

1. Navigate to the Task template in the Universal Orchestrator Console.
2. Create a new task and select the IBM i Virtual Terminal Plug-in.

Connection Section
In the Connection tab, provide your IBM i system credentials and network details:

• Hostname: Hostname or IP address of the IBM i system.
• Username / Password: Credentials for the IBM i user profile.
• Port & SSL: Specify the connection port and toggle the Use SSL option for encrypted TLS sessions. If plain-text Telnet is used, the plug-in automatically emits a security warning.
• Sign-on Pattern: Define a custom text pattern to accommodate customized system login screens that differ from the standard "Sign On" string. Click Test Connection to verify network connectivity, TLS handshakes, and that the expected sign-on screen is successfully reached.

Action Section
In the Action tab, define the specific operations you wish to perform against the IBM i system by selecting an Action Type:

• Execute TN5250 Script: Replay a YAML TN5250 interaction script to automate green-screen applications. You can define the script INLINE or dynamically reference a FILE on the agent host. Pass runtime scriptVariables to inject dynamic data into your automation.
  
• Submit Batch Job: Submit an IBM i batch job via a native CL command like SBMJOB. Run in SYNC mode to monitor the job to completion, or ASYNC mode for fire-and-forget execution. You can configure MsgwAction to automatically fail, ignore, or send a default reply if the job halts in a Message Wait state.
  
• Run Interactive Session: Execute a freeform sequence of CL commands and function keystrokes (e.g., F1-F24, PAGEUP, CLEAR) in a live simulated TN5250 session. Define custom wait times between steps to ensure screen loads are processed safely.
  
• Send CL Command: Execute a single CL command via the JT400 host server. Toggle the Capture Output option to retrieve the generated system message list.
  
• Retrieve Job Output: Fetch the JOBLOG or a specific SPOOL_FILE from a completed job. Define a maximum line count to truncate data, and optionally save the output directly to a file path on the agent host.
  
• Check Job Status: Query the current status of an IBM i job using its job number or a combination of job name and user profile. This action actively polls for MSGW sub-statuses and message severities.
  

In conclusion:
The IBM i (AS/400) Virtual Terminal integration transforms Workload Automation into an invaluable modernization tool. By automating manual green-screen interactions and handling complex batch recovery logic out of the box, it removes the risks of human error and operational silos—ensuring your trusted core legacy workloads run seamlessly around the clock.

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Divya P, Senior Software Engineer at HCLSoftware
Divya works as a Plug-in Developer and L3 Support Engineer in the Workload Automation Plug-in Factory team. She is proficient in Java, Angular, Git, Maven, Docker, Spring MVC and Spring Boot, and is passionate about building robust integrations that simplify enterprise workflows. In her leisure time, she enjoys yoga, walk in the nature and travelling to new places.

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Ernesto Carrabba, Product Manager, HCL Software
​Ernesto Carrabba is the Product Manager for HCL Clara, HCL HERO and HCL Workload Automation. Ernesto is a very dynamic product manager with experience in building and launching IoT products, combined with a master's degree in mechanical engineering and study researches on Augmented and Virtual Reality.

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