A Rumba alternative for IBM i and mainframe users
WND rebuilds your Rumba+ profiles in the proof of value. Your IBM i users get full 5250 with printers and automatic sign-on, on Windows, Mac or a browser.
WND Terminal is an alternative to Rumba+ Desktop, the emulator Rocket Software took over from Micro Focus in 2024, for IBM i (5250) and IBM mainframe (3270) display and printer sessions. WND Terminal doesn’t read Rumba profiles, so WND recreates your session and keyboard settings as part of the free proof of value. It runs on Windows, natively on Mac, and in a browser through a gateway you host.
Rumba’s road to Rocket
Rocket tried to buy Rumba in 2008 and finally got it in 2024. Rumba+ Desktop is now part of a larger Rocket product line.
- AS/400 years
- Rumba becomes a common 5250 emulator in midrange shops and still has many users on IBM i.
- 2008
- Rocket’s $69 million bid for NetManage, Rumba’s owner, falls through in February. Micro Focus buys NetManage for $73.3 million in May.
- 2024
- Rocket gets Rumba after all, in its $2.275 billion purchase of OpenText’s connectivity business.
- 2025
- Rocket brings Rumba, Reflection, Extra!, BlueZone and others together as Rocket Secure Host Access, sold by subscription. Puneet Kohli, Rocket’s president of application modernization, told IT Jungle that customers are “not going to see a lot of change.”
At a glance
What WND Terminal does, from its documentation, next to what Micro Focus and Rocket publish about Rumba+. Where we couldn’t confirm something, the cell says so.
| Capability | WND Terminal | Rumba+ Desktop (Rocket) |
|---|---|---|
| IBM i (5250) display | Yes. 24×80, 27×132, IBM’s enhanced 5250 graphical windows, Japanese, Chinese and Korean | Yes (AS/400 display profiles) |
| IBM i printers | Yes, with host print transform | Yes (AS/400 printer profiles) |
| IBM Z mainframe (3270) and 3287 printers | Yes. TN3270E (RFC 2355), LU names, models 2 to 5 | Yes (mainframe display and printer profiles) |
| UNIX and HP sessions | No. WND Terminal is a 3270 and 5250 emulator | Yes (UNIX and HP display profiles) |
| Mac | Native app for Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 11 or later | Check with vendor. In February 2025, IT Jungle reported Mac support for Rocket Secure Host Access Pro as pending |
| Browser access | Yes. A gateway you host, with single sign-on, same policy and license | Web access is part of the Rocket Secure Host Access Anywhere edition |
| Reads Rumba profiles | No. WND recreates your session and keyboard settings in the proof of value | Native. Rumba+ stores profiles in a binary format |
| Macros | Short readable scripts (type, press, wait, move). Rumba macros aren’t run | Rumba macros (.rmc) and scripting files (.csf) |
| Automatic sign-on to IBM i | Yes, with password substitutes, under IT’s policy | Check with vendor |
| IBM i spooled-file list to Excel | Yes. Capture all pages, one key | Check with vendor |
| Audit log to Splunk or CEF/syslog | Yes. Security events, never screen contents or keystrokes | Check with vendor |
| License usage by person and department | Yes. Dashboard inside your network, 30, 60 and 90 days | Check with vendor |
| Price | $99 (Desktop) or $159 (Enterprise) per user per year, 100-user minimum | Check with vendor |
Rumba profile types come from the Rumba+ administrator guide and Rocket’s community list of Rumba file extensions, linked at the foot of this page.
What moves, and what needs a person
Most of a Rumba folder is display and printer profiles and keyboard maps. This is where each file type ends up.
| Rumba file | What it holds | With WND Terminal |
|---|---|---|
.rsda | AS/400 display session profile | Recreated as an IBM i connection in IT’s policy, with device name and screen size |
.rsdm | Mainframe display session profile | Recreated as a 3270 connection, with LU name and screen model |
.rspa, .rspm | AS/400 and mainframe printer profiles | Recreated as IBM i or 3287 printer sessions |
.map | Keyboard map | Made again as a WND keyboard map, once for each distinct layout |
.hsp | Hotspots | Key names on the screen, like F3=Exit, are clickable in WND Terminal. Anything else needs a person |
.rmc, .csf | Macros and scripts | Needs a person. Spreadsheet loads and list exports usually become Fill from Excel and Capture all pages |
.rsdu, .rsdh | UNIX and HP display profiles | Not supported. Those users need another product |
Rumba+ keeps its profiles in a binary format, and WND Terminal doesn’t read them. So WND rebuilds Rumba sessions for you instead of importing them. If the same share also holds PCOMM, Reflection, BlueZone or ACS files, the Migration readiness report reads those as usual.
What 5250 users get on day one
Rumba grew up on the AS/400, so this is the part to test hardest in the proof of value.
Both screen sizes, and IBM’s graphical windows
24×80 and 27×132, with IBM’s enhanced 5250 interface for the graphical windows some IBM i applications draw.
Printers on the same policy
IBM i printer sessions with host print transform, set up by IT next to the display sessions.
Sign-on IT controls
Automatic sign-on with password substitutes. IT can turn it off for any group in the policy.
Japanese, Chinese and Korean
IBM i double-byte code pages are supported in 5250 sessions.
Spooled files into Excel
Capture all pages reads every page of an IBM i spooled-file list into one Excel table, headings once.
Entry screens from a spreadsheet
Fill from Excel types each row into an IBM i entry screen after a dry run, and writes the host’s answer back to the sheet.
What changes when you move
- Rebuilt by WND, checked by you.WND recreates your Rumba session and keyboard settings during the free proof of value. Your team checks them next to the old screens before anything is deployed.
- Mainframe and IBM i in one app.One app and one policy for both host types. IT can lock the host type for groups that use only one.
- A native Mac app.One native app for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, managed with a configuration profile from Jamf, Intune, Kandji or Mosyle.
- Seats you can prove.The usage dashboard shows who used WND Terminal in the last 30, 60 and 90 days. Fifth Third found 3,300 of 7,400 licensed seats unused in 90 days.
- Answers on the screen.Ctrl+E explains the error or message in front of you, using a model on the PC or inside your network. Nationwide cut mainframe service-desk tickets by 40% with it.
- Honest gaps.No UNIX, HP or VT sessions, and Rumba macros aren’t run. If a group depends on one of these, the plan says so before you start.
What customers changed when they switched
From WND’s published customer stories. The stories don’t name the previous vendor.
- Fifth Third BankEmulator bill down 81%. About 7,000 PCs moved in 11 weeks, with both emulators side by side for two weeks per wave.
- Nationwide40% fewer mainframe service-desk tickets.
- Union Pacific7,800 users moved in eight weeks, against a nine-month estimate.
Renewal context from the same stories. Fifth Third saw yearly increases of 9–14%. The Home Depot had 12% at its last renewal. Union Pacific had 10% plus a five-year commitment.
Other comparisons
Rumba facts on this page come from the Rumba+ Desktop administrator guide, Rocket’s community list of Rumba file extensions, IT Jungle, June 2024 and IT Jungle, February 2025, checked in October 2026.
Competitor information is based on public sources as of October 2026. Check with each vendor for current capabilities. “Check with vendor” means we could not confirm the capability from public sources. Rumba, Rumba+, Reflection, Extra! and BlueZone are trademarks of Rocket Software. IBM, IBM i, AS/400 and Personal Communications are trademarks of IBM. WND Software is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Questions
Can WND Terminal import Rumba session profiles?
No. Rumba+ stores profiles in a binary format that WND Terminal doesn't read. WND recreates your session and keyboard settings during the proof of value, and your team checks them before rollout.
Is WND Terminal a good fit for IBM i shops coming from Rumba?
It has full 5250 with 24x80 and 27x132 screens, IBM's graphical windows, IBM i printers, automatic sign-on with password substitutes and Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Test it on your own IBM i during the proof of value.
What happens to our Rumba macros?
WND Terminal doesn't run them, so each one needs a person. Many macros that load spreadsheets or export lists can be replaced by Fill from Excel and Capture all pages.
Does WND Terminal support Rumba's UNIX and HP sessions?
No. WND Terminal is a 3270 and 5250 emulator. Those users need another product.
Bring your Rumba users to a proof of value.
WND rebuilds your Rumba session and keyboard settings. Then one of your IBM i teams uses WND Terminal next to Rumba for two to four weeks. The proof of value is free and runs on your own systems.