Frequently Asked Questions
1. What versions of OS/400 are your products compatible with?
General Compatibility Statement: We strive to provide as much backward compatibility as possible for every release of every product. Significant compatibility breaks have arisen only when major hardware changes have occurred, such as with the introduction of 64-bit and 128-bit RISC systems. We expect to maintain this policy of broad backward compatibility in the future.
We have had only one known instance of broken compatibility arising from changes in OS/400 that are not directly related to major hardware changes. This incompatibility affects ProSign/400 only. With OS/400 V5, IBM introduced extended password support (passwords greater than ten characters). No version of ProSign/400 is compatible with extended passwords. Changes in OS/400 V5 also caused the command PSGUPDDSP in ProSign/400 versions 1 through 3 to become inoperable. This issue has been eliminated in ProSign/400 v4.
Versions 1 through 3 of our iSeries and AS/400 products: Are compatible with all versions of OS/400 from V2R3 through V5R4 with one exception. Beginning with version 3.2, FORMagic/400 and FontMagic/400 support only OS/400 versions V3R7 and above; the AutoMerge and PDF features require v4R2 or above. You must, however, have the appropriate CISC or RISC sub-version; there is generally no cross-compatibility for our products between CISC and RISC systems. Versions 1 through 3 are generally not compatible with OS/400 V6 and above.
Version 4 of our iSeries and AS/400 products: Are compatible with all versions of OS/400 from V3R7, including V6 and above, on both 64-bit and 128-bit systems. However, the FORMagic/400 AutoMerge and PDF features require v4R2 or above.
Back level support: We can often still provide support for older versions of OS/400; please call if you need back-level support.
2. Is FORMagic compatible with PCL6?
Yes, if you create forms with a PCL5e driver since both PCL5e and PCL6 printers are compatible with it. Specifically, we recommend using a plain LaserJet 4 (PCL5e) driver. There is no loss of efficiency in doing so. In fact, most host applications do not support PCL6 either.
PCL6 is to PCL5e as Chinese is to English, totally a different language, not an evolution of the prior version. For that reason, we will never support the creation of forms with a PCL6 driver. There is no reason to do so, and in fact it will break many applications because the PCL version in the form (created by your design product) and the PCL version used at run time (created by the host print spooler and generally PCL5e) must match (ie, the entire data stream must either be PCL6 or PCL5e).
FORMagic is therefore compatible with both PCL5e and PCL6 printers if you create forms with the LJ4 driver. Both types of printers are widely used with FORMagic applications today.
3. How do your products function in a disaster recovery or system migration situation?
Each of our current products using Activation Keys can simply be restored onto a new system, and it will immediately assume operation as a fully-functional evaulation system. All FORMagic/400 forms and FontMagic/400 fonts wil be fully operational. Such restoration can be made for any reason, including disaster recovery, system upgrade, startup at a new location, or general evaluation purposes. However, if you restore more forms or fonts than allowed by the evaluation limit, you will not be able to upload new or changed forms or fonts.
The above description applies to CISC-CISC and RISC64-RISC64 restorations. In general, our products are distributed without observability information. Restoration across a CISC-RISC64 boundary will require an additional step. After restoration, you must download and install the latest version of the product(s) being used. This is also necessary for restorations across RISC64-RISC128 boundaries unless version 4 of our product(s) was used on the original system. You must be careful to make proper choices to perform the installation as an upgrade, in order to preserve existing user objects such as forms and fonts.
The system will be functional for 30-60 days. There is no need to obtain temporary keys unless they are needed to overcome the evaluation limits described above. If you have an active support plan, temporary keys and any special support will be provided at no charge. If you do not participate in our support plan, normal fees for keys and support will apply.