Content Navigator

[peterPAN]

I heard that WEBi can be replaced by IBM Content Navigator.

1. How is content navigator different from WEBi? e.g. features, installation.
2. What are its underlying technologies? web services, user interface, plug-ins etc
3. How can it be customized?
4. How is security implemented in content navigator?

Any hints or links will be useful too.

Thanks in advance

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Hello peterSAN,

Well I would simply say that Content Navigator IS the replacement of WEBi.

It can do nearly everything that WEBi can do.

I don't have all the answers to your questions, except pointing you to the IBM Infocenter and a redbook:

http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/cmod/v9r0m0/topic/com.ibm.installingeuc.doc/eucao000.htm
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/cmod/v9r0m0/topic/com.ibm.usingeuc.doc/euche001.htm
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/cmod/v9r0m0/topic/com.ibm.developingeuc.doc/eucdi000.htm

And the redbook

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg248055.html

Hope that helps a little bit.

Sincerely yours,
Alessandro

[kbsiva]

When I speak to support they always  encourage us to start using content integrator even though IBM WEBi will be still supported. However I am not able to find Content navigator bundled with CMOD V9 in passport advantage. Not sure if this will be a separate license product? WEBi did not require a separate license,

Thanks,
Siva

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Hello kbsiva,

IBM Content Navigator is included as a free module in CMOD, as WEBi.

Try to find in passport advantage this part number: CRK1RML.

(you can find this part number in this page: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24034227)

Sincerely yours,
Alessandro

[michrist62]

Hello - If you are using AFP documents, and do not want to convert them to PDF for viewing say in a customer service area or as a internal user, then WEBi is better for you. ICN does not handle the AFP documents very elegantly as it requires some customization to launch an AFP viewer. I think ICN will be a great tool, but for many clients looking to replace the desktop, WEBi is still the preferred option until ICN catches up. I look forward to hearing more from the IBM lab on their timelines to support the CMOD document types versus just the P8 docs.

How are others handling ICN with CMOD?

Michelle Christensen

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Hello - If you are using AFP documents, and do not want to convert them to PDF for viewing say in a customer service area or as a internal user, then WEBi is better for you. ICN does not handle the AFP documents very elegantly as it requires some customization to launch an AFP viewer. I think ICN will be a great tool, but for many clients looking to replace the desktop, WEBi is still the preferred option until ICN catches up. I look forward to hearing more from the IBM lab on their timelines to support the CMOD document types versus just the P8 docs.

How are others handling ICN with CMOD?

Michelle Christensen

Hello Michelle,

We are doing the same, modifying the way ICN handle AFP by changing the viewer, in the ICN admin console.
We found some bugs, which have been corrected or in the process to be corrected in the next release of ICN (we hope at least :-D)

For new installation, we really go with ICN, and for already existing installation, we upgrade WEBi to the latest fix, and install concurrently ICN, so the customer can see the difference, and make he's own decision based on the experience on both platform.

Sincerely yours,
Alessandro

[peterPAN]

Hi

 Thanks for the info.
 We were able to install Content Navigator easily based on the above inputs.
 But the Configuration and Deployment Tool is tricky.
 It is UI based tool so we need to install some kind of Windows XServer and client.
 Does XMing work for you? IBM support advised us to use XMing 7+ version.
 Also there are a few gotchas where same information needs to be provided twice.
 e.g. Temp directory location for CMOD needs to be provided twice: first in deployment tool and secondly in CN UI.

 I found most of these features in CN are similar to those provided in Alfresco.

Regards

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Hi PeterPan,

Yeas I agree with you, ICN can be tricky... and these questions asked twice or even more... are quite annoying.
Sometimes I'm wondering if the people doing the configuration use really their software or not!! :-D

Concerning X Window, well except for the installation of WAS which requires X Window, then you can do everything without X... ok, you need to edit lots of XML.
My customer use Xming, Reflection from Hummingbird, etc... and apparently till now, we never had any issues, would like to hear about yours.

Sincerely yours,
Alessandro