Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Two new Power6 System p boxes were announced last week and we are wondering when IBM will announce similar Power6 System i boxes. Will they be introduced with user-based pricing, like the 2007 System i 515 and 525 servers or does IBM have something completely different in mind? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Although all is quiet on the Power6-based System i front, in terms of hardware for small to mid size organizations, kicking the tires on the BladeCenter S is definitely worth your time. Here's a box that can mix X64 and Power processors in a single frame and run i5/OS, Windows, Linux, and AIX applications all on the same collection of infrastructure." READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Companies that are looking at the Power6-based System i 570 servers as an upgrade to their existing machines will be mindful of doing so while keeping a lid on their software costs and some may even be aiming at lowering software costs. There is more performance, more memory, and more I/O bandwidth and memory capacity to support workloads. It's a savings potential that could be responsible for brisk sales for these first-off-the-line Power6 machines. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Storage area networks are prevalent among customers in IBM's Power Systems division--the high-end customers with System i and System p hardware. So Big Blue got to work on a System i disk clustering product that can be deployed in a SAN environment. To live in a multi-platform world, you have to play well with others. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Craig Johnson, IBM's i5/OS product manager, discusses customer interest in consolidating Intel servers and the System i in a BladeCenter environment. In this interview, he describes BladeCenter as "almost like consolidating your infrastructure, your ethernet switches, and fibre switches -- the blade is your server." For more of his insights into the potential of BladeCenter success, follow this link READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Application modernization projects take a long time to get the green light at many organizations. There's frequently a wait-and-see attitude at the executive level that is understandable. However, here's a project that has gone forward with positive results and lessons that might help put other projects into play. READ MORE >

(Search400) For the briefest of V6R1 announcement stories, this should be your choice. You'll get a one-sentence description of some of the features and a few short paragraphs based on the comments of industry analyst Wayne Kernochan, who opines on the topics of BladeCenter and the systems management standards known as CIM. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) A multi-function pocket knife, in most people's minds, is commonly known as the Swiss Army knife. A multi-platform server, unfortunately not so commonly known to most people, is the IBM System i. It runs i5/OS, AIX, and Linux supports Windows and Linux. (Pssst. Tell your unwitting IT associates--maybe for the thirteenth time.) With the availability of V6R1 in March comes features that increase the functionality of this multi-platform do-it-all server. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) You may be noticing a reoccurring multi-platform theme today. And maybe you'll take it as a sign of things to come. IBM is going to emphasize the interoperability of the System i more than it has in the past. Here's another V6R1 feature that hits that target: Systems Director Navigator for i5/OS. It's a Web console tool designed to manage System i servers as well as Windows, Linux, and Unix servers. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you haven't heard of DB2 Web Query, I'd be surprised. The stories in the press have been numerous, and IBM has sent its best experts out to the local user group meetings to get the word out about this replacement for Query/400. It's a big step up from Query/400, but much of the critical feedback has been about how much it costs. So IBM is addressing that issue. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What do you know about role swapping? (Insert punchline here.) No, seriously. This is an important aspect of high availability when switching from the production server to the backup server. Flawlessly executing a role swap can be a hairy operation. If you are considering an HA solution, take time to read about this product enhancement. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) While high availability is the subject, we've been wondering what IBM was going to do after it purchased HA vendor DataMirror in 2007. One of the DataMirror products is used for clustering servers. Although most often thought of as a solution only used in large enterprises, it is now being marketed in the SMB as a way to run workloads on both production and backup machines. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's only 14 months until IBM pulls the support plug on OS/400 V5R3. It's not too early to start making a plan for that day. Is upgrading to V5R4 or V6R1 in your future or will your company stay with V5R3 even though IBM will fold up and put away its support net? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) For some people, finding the right color socks to wear requires an all-out search. It's actually a lot easier to find information stored across corporate intranets, the Internet, and individual PCs. At least that's true if you are familiar with OmniFind, the enterprise search tool that will be added to i5/OS V6R1. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) System i disk use has become a bigger issue as storage has become a bigger issue for companies coping with information overload. When internal storage threatens to burst at the seams, you have a crisis on your hands. The best time to think about an early warning system and how much grief it can save you is now. You can thank me later. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) For the performance-minded System i propellerheads who are proponents of high-octane Java, V6R1 has a few enhancements that directly address your need for speed. And if you are thinking that V6R1 isn't in the cards for your organization in the near future, make a note that some of these performance enhancers are being made available as PTF patches to i5/OS V5R4. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) IBM's V6R1 announcements in digest form can be quickly perused in this article. A brief explanation of the operating system top features, upgrade paths from older versions of the operating system, and pricing information is included. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Vision Solutions) This white paper provides a basic understanding of the building blocks of IT and business continuity--from understanding the concepts of disaster recovery and information availability to calculating the business impact of downtime and selecting the right software solution. READ MORE >

(MKS) Change management allows businesses to automate IT and software processes, while uniting process frameworks such as ITIL, CMMI and CobiT. The goal is to achieve productivity gains and meet IT governance and compliance goals. This white paper closely examines controls for delivering IT changes. READ MORE >

(Quadrant Software) An important part of a business continuity plan is making sure that critical business documents are available any time and from anywhere. Critical paperwork like purchase orders, invoices, and contacts are often overlooked. This pre-recorded Webinar outlines a plan for implementing a continuity plan as it applies to business paperwork and processes. READ MORE >

(System Objects) This method of application modernization, using the vendor's software called JACi400, is designed for RPG and COBOL developers to replace the green-screen interface with HTML/GUI. It includes coverage of the process of selecting the database, setting up the application for inquiry, data entry, or update, finalizing specifications, and deploying the application. 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 7 -- Fairfield, New Jersey - DB2 Web Query is IBM's replacement for Query/400. It's designed to modernize the reports generated and provide more advanced reporting. This session will cover topics such as importing Query/400 queries into DB2 Web Query and "Web enabling" the output, build new reports, building graphs, and techniques for report and data security. Guest speaker is Robert Andrews, an advisory software engineer at IBM. This training event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. It is produced in partnership with COMMON and the NESTU Users Group. LEARN MORE >

February 10-13 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - Insight 2008, the only conference that focuses on System i (AS/400 and iSeries) security and compliance topics is being hosted by PowerTech, a System i independent software vendor that specializes in automated security solutions. The event is primarily a PowerTech User Group Conference, but is also designed as a forum for sharing information and best practices for a wide range of System i security topics. Among the session topics on the agenda are: best practices for implementing security and maintaining compliance; PowerTech product tips and techniques guaranteed to increase productivity; security and compliance plans for immediate implemention; and PowerTech. customer success stories. LEARN MORE >

February 13 -- Clearwater, Florida - IBM storage solutions will be the featured topic during the Data Exchange Bay Area User's Group meeting this month. Rob Sutherland, an IBM System Storage Sales Specialist, will be the guest speaker. His presentation will examine the demands to protect and maintain corporate data and the burden that places on IT organizations. A particular emphasis will be placed on data encryption at the tape drive level. The meeting will be held at Bascom's Chop Shop located at 3665 Ulmerton Road, beginning at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

February 13 -- Webinar - Discrete manufacturing operates in environments ranging from make-to-order to make-to-stock and within global marketplaces where the number of potential markets has grown and so has the number of competitors. To capitalize on diverse customer requirements in a variety of geographic markets, requires adaptation of manufacturing processes to allow for greater customization and flexibility. This online presentation will examine the uses of IBM Servers and VAI software solutions to automate production, planning, and the quality process. The session begins at 2 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

February 14 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - A full day of training in RPG, WDSc, and RSE will be presented by Susan Gantner and Jon Paris. The full-day session, hosted by the Gateway/400 local user group for the greater St. Louis area, begins at 8:30 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

February 14 -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Two sessions are scheduled for the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. Guest speaker Mike Schambureck will discuss the benefits of System I server integration in his first presentation and then follow that up with a session that explains how to attach a BladeCenter to the System i using iSCSI. Schambureck is an expert from IBM Rochester. The first begins at 4:30 p.m. The second begins at 7:30. In between is dinner and networking with the members. LEARN MORE >

February 14 -- Kent, Washington - The Pacific Midrange Systems Association meeting features a session on System i security. Guest speaker Vince Fazio of MSI will discuss security technologies, how they are being implemented and used, and what is coming in the future. Topics of discussion will include storage/data resiliency, disaster recovery planning, recovery time and recovery point objectives for both single- and multi-server options. The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. LEARN MORE >

February 19 -- Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois - The OMNI User 20th Annual User Technical Conference will be held at the Drury Lane Theater and Conference Center. This conference is one of the largest System i local user group training and education conferences in the country. It features timely and cutting edge topics presented by national and local experts, as well as a vendor expo. Frank Soltis, chief scientist for IBM System i, will be one of the key note speakers. LEARN MORE >

February 19 -- Irving, Texas - Advanced Function Printing will be the featured topic of discussion at the monthly meeting of the Metro Midrange Systems Association, a user group for the Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas. Guest speaker is Bob Ross, president of Laser Software Technologies in Des Moines, Iowa. Ross' presentation will cover topics such as an explanation of AFP concepts, resources, data formatting, and structured fields. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 and the presentation at 6:45. MMSA meetings are held at the Radisson Hotel DFW South. LEARN MORE >

February 19 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on PHP and MySQL topics is the highlight of the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. Guest speaker is Erwin Earley, an advisory software engineer in the Rochester lab and an expert in open source-related technologies on System i including Linux and Zend's PHP. The OCEAN User Group serves the greater Orange County, California, area and meets the third Tuesday of each month. This meeting begins at 6 p.m. and will be held at the IBM offices located at 600 Anton Boulevard. LEARN MORE >

February 19 -- Bloomington, Minnesota - An introduction to converged IP Telephony on the System i will be presented at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting. The meeting begins at 2 p.m. at the Comfort Inn located at 1321 East 78th Street. LEARN MORE >