Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) If IBM does not do a better job soliciting new Power Systems customers on entry-level boxes, it is throwing away an opportunity that will come back to haunt it. Big Blue also needs to provide performance, pricing, and features that will convince i/OS shops with their heavy Windows usage to move more workloads over to the Power box. The question is whether Power7 will provide the needed entry server. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you were to compare the costs of running three business computing platforms: a Power Systems server running IBM i/OS 6.1 and DB2 for i (DB2/400); a commodity X64 server running the Microsoft Windows operating system and the SQL Server database; and a commodity X64 server running the Linux operating system and the Oracle database, would you expect the IBM i to 40 percent lower than the competition? This study says that comparison is right as rain. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Proponents of open source software say that peer-reviewed software is more reliable than proprietary software. But is anyone listening? The answer is yes. And the audience applauding open source is growing at both the midrange and enterprise levels. Open standards support, avoiding vendor lock-in, and ease of integration are all factors. Although IBM i shops are not all over the open source idea, there are reasons to believe change is in the air. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Oracle's future looks much like IBM's past. How you interpret that can lead to both good and bad conclusions. With the completion of the Sun Microsystems acquisition last week, Oracle is now a systems provider. That used to be IBM's main line of work until it began emphasizing services over systems. Will Oracle's plan to integrate machines from chip to disk to applications make system maintenance predictive, pro-active, and constant? Will it become the new IBM? READ MORE >

(MCPress) You all know Frank Soltis. There's no one better known in the AS/400 community, and he's a big attraction whenever and wherever he speaks. Recently in a Webinar speaking engagement, he was talking about cloud computing. His message was actually a security warning for those using or considering the use of external clouds. His advice: Build your own cloud. READ MORE >

(eWeek) Bernie Spang, IBM's director of product strategy referred to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison as "Larry the Fable Guy" after Ellison made comments such as "It's too bad DB2 can't run on modern machines and can't scale either." Ellison is a media magnet. Spang isn't. So even though Ellison is often full of--let's call it hot air--his words are clearly more powerful. Let's hope the nickname sticks. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) The i/OS faithful will love this story. It's about an RPG-based merchandise management system that strayed from the flock, and then realized a big mistake had been made by developing applications away from the IBM AS/400, iSeries, and System i. The software company is back home now with modern SOA development that takes advantage of IBM midrange iron. Success is sometimes an elusive bird. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Secure systems require strong authentication, extensive logging of information access, and impregnable encryption. And, the decision concerning what information to share and who to share it with should be taken very seriously. If you're not laser sharp with issues such as password management and managed file transfer, you should take better care of your business. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What can IT do for you in terms of cost-cutting and streamlining procedures? You have to ask the question before you can find the answer. Some IT departments don't wait to be asked. They look for inefficiencies and solve them. The progress made in Modesto, California, is a good example of improving the alignment of IT and business. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When it comes to generating reports, the process often seems like a front-end loader and a dump truck, even though something less massive would actually perform the job more satisfactorily. From that truckload of data, what you really need is a much easier way to locate precise data. The good-data dream doesn't have to be an application development nightmare. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Open Text) This white paper compares Web-to-host alternatives while highlighting the modular architecture of company's product in contrast to server-centric offerings from competitors. Key features that are showcased include thin clients, connection methods, repositories, directory integration, and security. Migration from other environments is also discussed. READ MORE >

(Tripwire) The collection and management of event logs can be a considerable resource and a boost to security and IT compliance, according to this report. Also discussed is why traditional log and event management solutions fall short of what an integrated product, like the one this company offers, can provide. READ MORE >

(S4i) Centralized document storage and maintenance are directly linked to improved customer service. However, a content management system goes beyond accessibility to digital assets. This white paper brings security, interoperability, and operational overhead into the discussion. READ MORE >

(SafeData) Well-managed high availability could be best handled as a contracted service, according to this white paper that explains regularly scheduled monitoring and testing of the replication and failover capabilities are necessary to ensure business continuity. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

See our full calendar of events at
http://www.itjungle.com/fhm/fhm-calendar.html

February 5 -- Sparks, Nevada - The Reno-Sparks Midrange User Group meeting features a presentation on software maintenance strategy and PDFs. Guest speaker is Clark Scholten. The meeting beings at 11:30 a.m. and is held at the Scolaris Company headquarters located at 255 South McCarran Boulevard. LEARN MORE >

February 8 -- Richmond, Virginia - The Mid-Atlantic Midrange Users Group and the Washington Area Midrange Users Group will co-host a series of PHP presentations by Mike Pavlak of Zend Technologies. The sessions begin with an introduction to PHP and continue with separate sessions exploring various PHP topics. These seminars begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. The registration fee is $260 for user group members and $295 for non-user group members. The Electronic Data Processing Services facility located at 3901 West Broad Street is the event location. LEARN MORE >

February 9 -- College Park, Maryland - The Mid-Atlantic Midrange Users Group and the Washington Area Midrange Users Group will co-host a series of PHP presentations by Mike Pavlak of Zend Technologies. The sessions begin with an introduction to PHP and continue with separate sessions exploring various PHP topics. These seminars begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. The registration fee is $260 for user group members and $295 for non-user group members. The Holiday Inn - College Park is the event location. LEARN MORE >

February 9 -- Fort Wayne, Indiana - Using Web services within an RPG program will be the featured topic at the Status Midrange User Group meeting. Guest speaker Jared Gerber is a senior programmer analyst and project lead with 30 years experience coding in RPG and CL. This is a morning meeting that gets under way at 7:30 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude by 9 a.m. It will be held at Don Hall's Guesthouse located at 1313 West Washington Center Road. LEARN MORE >

February 10 -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The Delaware Valley Computer Users Group and the Washington Area Midrange Users Group will co-host a series of PHP presentations by Mike Pavlak of Zend Technologies. The sessions begin with an introduction to PHP and continue with separate sessions exploring various PHP topics. These seminars begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. The registration fee is $260 for user group members and $295 for non-user group members. The Holiday Inn - Fort Washington is the event location. LEARN MORE >

February 11 -- St. Louis, Missouri - Scott Klement, IT manager and senior programmer at Klement Sausage Company, will be discussing patterns for reusable RPG and RPG user defined functions and table functions at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. The meeting begins with lunch at noon and the presentations following lunch. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. There's a new meeting location this month Spazios Restaurant in the Comfort Inn located at 12031 Lackland Road in Westport. LEARN MORE >

February 11 -- Webinar - Upgrading or consolidating existing terminal emulation solutions are the focus of this online session hosted by Open Text. Topics include choosing between thin client and fat clients, understanding the difference between Web-to-host and desktop solutions, and evaluating existing infrastructure. The presentation begins at 11 a.m. EST. Jonathan Carroll, a senior director of research and development at Open Text will lead the session. LEARN MORE >

February 11 -- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin - Two topics--using PHP on IBM I to create mobile applications and re-architecting IBM I applications for the Web using PHP will be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. Guest speaker is Lane Nelson of Harris Data. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. at Alioto's Restaurant located at 3041 North Mayfair Road. LEARN MORE >