IBM has published a Redbook paper on its Express Runtime Web Environments for i5/OS, a nifty and free way to help System i users to install and configure a Web environment for their System i applications.

The product is an embedded part of i5/OS and has been since V5R4. In addition, users can also download it from IBM’s site. The 20-page paper gives an overview of the product in addition to detailing line-by-line commands on how to get it up and running.

What the product does is install a bunch of programs — such as V5R4 iSeries Access for Web and WebSphere Application Server Express — and configures them to get users started. It also includes a few sample Web applications to play around with, all of which modernize flght400, a common sample RPG application that does flight reservations.