Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) RPG and COBOL programmers have not exactly rushed to embrace WebSphere Development Studio. Let's be generous and call it a mild infatuation up to this point. My observation is that a lot more hand-holding is required before any jumping into bed with WDS is going to happen. A romance could be in the works though with the introduction of WDSc Version 7.0. Is this the kind of chemistry that blossoms into (dare we say it?) love? It could happen. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) There's something magical about the System i local user groups. Magical as in now you see them, now you don't. They are a disappearing act, if you know what I mean. In major metropolitan areas like Denver and Phoenix, they've vanished. Some see this as a dangerous dose of apathy while others still see some vitality remaining in this pre-Internet form of social networking. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's almost as good as having Ground Hog Day four times each year. Analysts love the quarterly reports on server sales and revenue and, depending on the shadow they cast, they predict whether the winds will blow hot or cold. Now that the numbers have been tabulated for 2006, we know the market continues to be on an upswing, but the momentum ain't what it used to be. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Put yourself in a roomful of System i users who all work at different organizations of varying sizes and within various industries. Then ask how many are running Linux on their systems. Let them explain the benefits and then determine how many are important to you and your company. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) When IBM introduced the System i Capacity BackUp Edition boxes about six months ago, there was a ripple of hope created on Lake i5/OS as new options were being given to buyers. The most interesting aspect of the CBU boxes was a new pricing structure that was created as an incentive to buy. So, is anyone buying? READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) In the days before Sarbanes-Oxley and the other regulatory compliance laws, shady financial dealings in corporate America were almost as common as high-priced threads and German luxury cars. The next thing we knew there were smoking guns and financial records shot full of holes. Years later companies are still looking for ways to more effectively audit and automate systems and the IT department is in the thick of it. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It doesn't take a genius to guess passwords. Most people put less thought into passwords than they do when deciding whether to wear the black socks or the blue. It's sad but true. When put on the spot to chose a password that will survive even the most basic assault, most people experience severe brain cramps. Help is on the way. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) You work in IT. A lot of bad things can happen to you. One of those "why did I come to work today" moments happens when a backup tape or other portable media "walks away" while you're not watching. Shortly thereafter the thought occurs to you that if this data was encrypted there would be no need for banging my head on my desk. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) You might wish the performance of your iSeries server's direct access storage device (DASD) was guaranteed to run at peak speed, but then a toad probably wishes his butt didn't hit the ground every time he jumped. The moral of that silly little insight is that wishing isn't going to solve anything. You have to do something. And when it comes to DASD, performance is optimized by tracking disk usage, reclaiming lost disk space, and forecasting expected disk needs. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) I'm not here to tell you data integration is easy. When you have DB2/400 and one or more other databases to manage and integrate, you have your hands full. But like climbing any mountain, some routes to the top are easier than others. Rather than bush-whacking your own trail, you might want to try this bi-directional replication advice. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(IBS) This vendor of supply chain management software and services to distribution and manufacturing companies offers 14 white papers on topics specific to their areas of expertise. Topics include RFID, e-business challenges, supply chain links, XML, security concerns, and departmental roles in an e-business system. READ MORE >

(iSociety) Elaine Lennox, IBM System i vice president of marketing, is scheduled for a live chat session March 1. This is the second of a series of chats. The first featured System i General Manager Mark Shearer. You can read the transcript of that conversation by following this link. READ MORE >

(COMMON/IBM) If you've pushed your System i to the limits of innovation or know someone who has, then COMMON wants to know about it. The user group is requesting nominations for the IBM System i Innovation Awards, co-sponsored by IBM. There are six awards categories - solutions innovation, business resiliency, infrastructure simplification, i5/OS focus, education excellence, and community support. READ MORE >

(IBM) This IBM report discusses various aspects of AIX 5L implementation on the System i. The topics include an overview of AIX 5L native support on the System i including the benefits of a virtualization engine; explaining new LPAR concepts and tools and initial sizing of an AIX 5L partition; configuration of an AIX 5L partition with a step-by-step guide for AIX 5L partition setup and maintenance including a scenario of virtual I/O as well as direct I/O; and a step-by-step guide for AIX 5L installation including a case of virtual I/O as well as direct I/O. READ MORE >

(IBM) System administrators planning to implement or upgrade to Domino 7 for i5/OS in their organization should have a look at this draft redbook from IBM. It provides tips and techniques for deploying and administering Domino 7 servers on i5/OS and explains the installation, configuration, and performance tuning of Domino 7 in this environment. It also provides information on moving Domino servers to the System i platform as well information on backup and recovery and troubleshooting Domino 7 servers running on i5/OS. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

March 1 -- Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania - A one-day seminar featuring Java, PHP, and the latest V5R4 technology environment is being hosted by the Mid Atlantic Midrange user group. This session is presented by Blair Wyman. Wyman works in the IBM Rochester Lab specializing in Java and PHP resources. He is a regular speaker at the IBM iSeries Technical Conference and a many local user groups, as well as other national iSeries technical conferences such as COMMON. The course fee is $285 for non-user group members and $250 for user group members. LEARN MORE >

March 5-9 -- Dallas, Texas - The Mastery Level Manufacturing course begins with a discussion of the business and organizational environments in which the manufacturing functions will operate. These sessions include defining items, associating them into product structures, and defining the value adding processes that convert raw materials into parts and that combine parts into products. Attendees will create their own menu, populate it with their own program versions, set up the requirements planning system, and run the end-to-end process from demand recognition through planning to product completed. Along the way, they will perform various materials management inquiries, and process reports. LEARN MORE >

March 7 & 8 -- Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - The annual Spring Technical Conference hosted by the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association features high-level training and education on topics that include RPG, Java, XML, HTML, SOA, SQL, AJAX, DB2, PHP, backup and recovery, and iSeries Access for Windows. Presentations will be made by well-known and highly regarded experts in their respective fields. A keynote address will be given by Frank Soltis, Chief Scientist for the IBM System i. This event is held at the Grand Geneva Resort. A vendor expo is included. LEARN MORE >

March 7 -- Webinar - A five-session Webcast on open-source software solutions for System i presented by Jim Mason of ebt-now is being hosted by the COMMON user group. The discussion focuses on ways to maximize the return on investment on the System i technology without the need for additional software by using proven, open-source solutions. The agenda includes sessions on Web workspaces, Office integration, Web database applications, and Web reports. The sessions will be presented on consecutive Wednesdays in March, from noon until 1:15 p.m. CT. LEARN MORE >

March 8 -- Kent, Washington - A half-day training session featuring service oriented architecture and database modernization is being presented by IBM's Doug Mack and Davor Gornik. Topics to be covered include the use of SQL compared to native database access, separating I/O modules from applications, restructuring the database to be more normalized, and leveraging DB2 functionality to put business rules into the database. This session will also focus on information infrastructure and understanding your current information structure, designing new systems and extensions, and mapping them to each other. The registration fee for members of the Pacific Midrange Systems Association (the local user group) is $50; nonmembers will be charged $80. Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 and lunch is included. LEARN MORE >

March 14 -- Webinar - Session two of a five-session Webcast on open-source software solutions for System i presented by Jim Mason of ebt-now is being hosted by the COMMON user group. The discussion focuses on ways to maximize the return on investment on the System i technology without the need for additional software by using proven, open-source solutions. The agenda includes sessions on Web workspaces, Office integration, Web database applications, and Web reports. The sessions will be presented on consecutive Wednesdays in March, from noon until 1:15 p.m. CT. LEARN MORE >

March 20 -- Webinar - This one-hour Webcast, hosted by looksoftware, is focused on trends in enterprise modernization. It examines topics such as RPG support for Web services and service oriented architecture; Java and .NET working together; smart client versus browser-based user interfaces; and extending the life of legacy applications. This event begins at 1 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

March 20-22 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - Building on the skills of RPG and DB2 database developers is the focus of the RPG and DB2 Summit, a three-day conference organized by a consortium of some of the leading independent System i gurus. Educational sessions will be presented by Susan Gantner, Jon Paris, Paul Touhy and Skip Marchesani. The guest speaker lineup includes George Farr, Shantan Kethireddy, Tom McKinley, and Scott Klement. Session topics include: new RPG skills, AJAX and XML for RPG programmers, iSeries Navigator, Remote Systems Explorer, creating and managing database objects using SQL, query optimizer, database engines, stored procedures, and triggers. For a list of important RPG- and DB2-related topic areas, check out the sessions link on the event home page where a link to registration information can also be found. LEARN MORE >