Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Say adios to V5R4--a popular version of i5/OS, the name of the IBM i operating system when V5R4 was introduced in 2007. V5R4 lived long and prospered because it was a solid OS, and because the subsequent OSes, IBM i 6.1 and 7.1, require a program conversion process when crossing into their realm that stalled customers' upgrade plans longer than usual. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What could IBM do to make better use of its Power processor designs? How about this: Put them to work in cost-optimized systems, microservers, and at the midrange and low-end of technical computing; then give them jobs handling big data and analytics and underpinning systems that otherwise would employ X86 chips. The best thing about making Power chips more appealing is that AIX and IBM i live longer and better as result. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you know next to nothing about RPG open access, you have something in common with quite a few people who are either uninformed or misinformed about exactly what this technology is capable of providing. As application modernization projects become higher priorities, RPG OA will get a closer look. But as my friend Mark Twain liked to say, "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please." READ MORE >

(Bank Technology News) As it pondered a large capital expenditure for upgrading IBM iSeries boxes that were due for replacement, this banking company came to the conclusion that outsourcing its hardware was a better choice than buying. The conclusion was based on ease of adding products and services for its customers and, of course, the cost savings looked good, too. And as you might imagine, this brought huge cultural changes internally. READ MORE >

(MCPress) In the bright lights and promises of big time business intelligence and analytics, is there still a place for the simple and straight forward database query tool? The query tool vendors have some expected and unexpected ideas about what lies ahead for this familiar software. READ MORE >

(MCPress) The high availability market is an intriguing sliver of the overall IBM i user base. Changes in technology, changes in pricing, managed services, and the growth of Internet-based business have altered the landscape. However, one thing remains unchanged: the challenges of delivering HA and disaster recovery that pass the real-world test. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) When Big Blue introduced the IBM i 7.1 version of the operating system, one of the headliners of that event was a new technology called RPG open access, available only to companies running IBM i 6.1 and 7.1. That was a limited number of companies then. It's a considerably larger group now. Also, RPG OA was a licensed product then. It's available at no cost now. It's time to see if this technology has wings. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Terminal emulation normally isn't a headline topic. But mergers and acquisitions often are. And when one company acquires two IBM i-related vendors within a month, people in this community are going to stare. And then they're going to ask questions like: "What is Rocket Software up to?" READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you ask me, all financing should be zero percent. But that's not the way it works. No cost financing comes around, as they are fond of saying, "for a limited time only." That's what makes it an attention-getter. Right now Big Blue is blowing up financing charges if you say "yes" to a Power Systems server and storage array purchase. Not every piece of hardware is on sale, but it's a good time to at least go shopping. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Stick around. There's more than one way to save with IBM. The DB2 Web Query software development kit is also showing off some out of the ordinary deals. The last time we saw mark-downs on Web Query it was considered pretty drastic. This time the price cut makes the word "slash" an understatement. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Enforcive) Many organizations are dealing with regulatory compliance issues such as PCI, SOX, HIPPA, and GLBA. Template-based compliance management is being used to provide a consistent and systematic approach for creating and maintaining policies. These are templates aligned with best practices. They provide clear definition, auditing, and processes that help technical teams communicate with auditors and executives, as well as comply with regulations. READ MORE >

(Townsend Security) The importance of system logging is critical for companies concerned with regulatory compliance issues, because system logs contain information about system security and operational wellness. This podcast discusses compliance requirements and how the IBM i system logging differs from other platforms. READ MORE >

(Infor) The wholesalers and distribution industry is the focus of this 60-minute recorded webcast, which discusses Aberdeen research pertaining to actions to improved organizational performance. Social media in business and the benefits of investing during the economic downturn are two of the topics that receive emphasis. READ MORE >

(IBM) This publication provides a broad understanding of PowerHA SystemMirror for i, a high availability disk-clustering product based on native disk storage, storage servers, or storage area networks. Hardware-based HA is an alternative to the more commonly seen software-based HA. IBM thinks it offers a lot of benefits in clustered environments. 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 9 -- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin - Guest speaker David Gibbs will be presenting two sessions at the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. Gibbs, the owner and administrator of the well-known email-based discussion forum called midrange.com, will talk about email security in a session beginning at 4:30 p.m. Then at 7:30 p.m. Gibbs will discuss RPG and Java integration. In between his sessions there will be dinner and networking. The meeting will be held at Alioto's Restaurant located at 3041 North Mayfair Road. LEARN MORE >

February 9 -- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - This free educational workshop on RPG application modernization relies on hands-on experience working with RPG applications running on an IBM i. It features Open Access RPG--which means all RPG programming logic and file I/O remains on the IBM i--and ASNA Wings, a tool for converting green screens into browser-based replacements. ASNA plans on taking this workshop on a tour of U.S. cities. It calls it the "No Stinkin' Screen Scrapers Here Tour," and promises more than a PowerPoint presentation with a donut and a cup of coffee. The session will cover the basics of IBM Rational Open Access, an introduction to Microsoft's Visual Studio, how to use Wings to import and create browser-based alternatives to green-screen display files, and ways to enhance the user experience. The workshop is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

February 9 - Webinar - Web-enabling quotes, orders, and human resources documents that integrate with ERP systems for one-time data capture and entry gets the attention in this online session hosted by RJS Software and featuring that company's software for data collection and workflow. The use of digital signatures and routing forms through business processes are also on the agenda. The session begins at 11 a.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

February 9 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Craig Pelke, producer of training and instructional materials for IBM i developers, will discuss Microsoft SQL Server features that can be used with the IBM i platform at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. Topics will include replicating data from IBM i to SQL Server or from SQL Server to the IBM i, components of IBM i Access for Windows that are used to connect to SQL Server, how to define and use a Linked Server, how to run SQL commands using the Linked Server, how to use the SQL Server Agent and the SQLCMD command. SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Integration Services are also on the agenda. Included with the session is a PDF "hand-out" that illustrates the steps used to create a Linked Server and run SQL commands over it. This lunch meeting at Spazio Westport will start promptly at noon, with the meeting starting at 1 p.m. LEARN MORE >

February 14 -- Fort Wayne, Indiana - This meeting of the Status Midrange User Group will feature a presentation on getting started with PHP on IBM i. Guest speaker is Mike Pavlak, a solutions consultant at Zend Technologies. Topics include software installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and basic PHP script creation. Participants will learn how to enable DB2 content quickly and easily using PHP, the world's most popular Web scripting language. The meeting (morning rather than evening) will be held at Don Halls' Guesthouse located at 1313 West Washington Center Road. It begins at 7:30 a.m. LEARN MORE >

February 15 -- Webinar - Warehouse operations and inventory management using VAI S2K software is the topic of this online session. Topics included in this presentation include: greater control, increased accuracy, reduced costs, productivity boosts, and enhanced security. The session begins at 2 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

February 16 -- Webinar - Business analytics software is one of the most talked about areas in IT. Connecting people with information in an easy-to-use way and gaining more value form enterprise data leads to better business decisions. In this session, VAI S2K Analytics software is featured. The presentation begins at 2 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

February 20 -- Norwalk, Connecticut - At the Fairfield AS/400 Users Group monthly meeting this month guest speaker Walden Leverich explores the Web beginning with what initiates a request between the browser and the Web server. His session topics include what happens when users complete an online form, how cookies are passed, the inner workings of secure HTTPS, and what goes into writing stable, high performance Web applications. Leverich is president and CEO of a software development and consulting company. FASUG meetings are held at the Norwalk Inn, 99 East Avenue, and begin at 5 p.m. LEARN MORE >