Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) A lot of people will tell you that their budgets are still tighter than a pair of new shoes. But according to surveys that are cast about by Gartner, companies are loosening the purse strings when it comes to new iron. The need to support new and existing workloads is apparently overcoming the nervousness that had business tied up in knots. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Maybe it's time your IT department came out of the closet. I mean literally. It's surprising what passes for a data center in some companies: closets, backrooms, any and all out-of-the-way places. It's so bad that IBM recognizes a market for the Scalable Modular Server Room--sort of a data center in a can. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Every head has its own special headache. But backup and recover efforts have some headaches that are shared by data center managers around the world. Common sources of pain include tape mounts, replication, off-site storage, encryption, tape costs, and security. Can't get no relief? Try this. READ MORE >

(MCPress) The PHP scripting language, despite some heckling from compiled language zealots, has provided Charles Atlas-like power, as lifting the full tonnage of Facebook page views demonstrates. Add to that the application development speed of a rattlesnake strike and you have a formula for success. So why did Facebook move to transform PHP apps into C++? READ MORE >

(System iNews) Two months from COMMON and counting. What's to be expected? We've yet to hear the official entry level Power7 server availability forecast, so that news, if timed for maximum news coverage could provide a bump. Ditto for the timing of the new i operating system, which seems likely to get some time in the spotlight. And, then there's the 50th anniversary aspect celebrating longevity and a revised session grid that includes 61 sessions never before presented at COMMON that points the way to the future. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) To hear some people talk, you'd think RGP programmers and Web applications repel one another like oil and water. That's not exactly true, even though you can quickly find examples where it is. The Web application development options are there. Some more comfortable and more widely used than others. The community developer licensing method is one way to go. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Tools for data mapping, data conversion, and data integration are becoming increasingly popular as developers wade into data stored in a variety of formats, including major relational databases such as DB2, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MS Access, as well as territory inhabited by XML; EDI, HL7; XBRL; flat files; Excel; and Web services. And while we're at it, let's talk about automatically generating code for file transformation applications in major languages. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you know data security, you know tokenization, a form of encryption that PCI regulatory compliance has brought to the attention of retailers, payment gateways, and financial institutions. Because tokenization providers have ignored the issue of interoperability, customers are being put in jeopardy, according to one source that is speaking out. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The multi-platform developers among you--those doing work with i/OS, Unix, and Linux--will understand the value of a tool that allows the addition or removal of features to previously installed products without completely uninstalling and re-installing the program. There's other conveniences as well, such as returning a system to its original state, which is handy when incomplete or corrupt product installations take place. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Access to the IBM i server from the new Google Android smart phone is now on par with the accessibility status of the Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry. The software supports auto log functions, device naming, and stores log in and configuration details for up to 20 AS/400 sessions. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(ProData) Distributed database environments have made data integration and cross-platform access involving the IBM i (System i, iSeries, and AS/400) an important cog in efforts to increase productivity and implement real time processing. This report concentrates on data integration software that eliminates database replication while sharing and synchronizing data. READ MORE >

(SOXresource.com) The critically important task of keeping correct data backups on an enterprise system is made easy with the IBM AS/400 and its modern iterations where saving, restoring, and compressing data are built into the operating system. Here are a few quick tips on how to make use of what the system offers. READ MORE >

(Linoma Software) "Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers" is a white paper that elaborates on increasing IT manageability, decreasing security exposures, and adhering to compliance and auditing requirements. READ MORE >

(Safestone) Nike's IBM AS/400 environment is featured in this case study that explains the importance of continuously monitoring critical files and providing alerts when an unauthorized action is taken. It highlights the management of internal audit requests and the reduction in internal help desk calls. READ MORE >

(IBM) The energy required to power and cool computers can be a significant cost to a business. This paper, for IBM Power7 Systems users, covers topics such as facility planning, peak energy usage control, and system availability. All this is explained within the context of the IBM-developed EnergyScale technology. 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 10 -- Fort Wayne, Indiana - This meeting of the Status Midrange User Group will feature a presentation on the recent IBM product announcements. The meeting will be held at Goegleins restaurant located at 7311 Maysville Road. It begins at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

March 11 -- Webinar - Rapidly advancing technologies and increasing pressure for better return on investments are the driving forces behind terminal emulation standardization projects. Managing these projects using products from Open Text will be highlighted in this session presented by Open Text enterprise connectivity experts. The Web event begins at 11 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

March 11 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Carol Woodbury, former chief security architect of the OS/400 operating system and currently president of SkyView Partners, will make a presentation on step-by-step procedures to object level security 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 presentation following lunch. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. LEARN MORE >

March 12 -- St. Louis, Missouri - Pat Botz, president of Botz & Associates and formerly the team lead for IBM Lab Services Security Consulting, will discuss object level security, one of the most powerful security features of the IBM i OS, i5/OS, and its predecessor operating systems. The meeting begins with lunch at noon and the presentation following lunch. The meeting will be held at Spazios restaurant located at 12031 Lackland Road. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. LEARN MORE >

March 12 -- Conference Call - The Young i Professionals, a group of progressive, career-oriented IT workers interested in the modern business computing work-world and IBM i and Power Systems, will have a conference call discussion on new sandbox applications, open source development, and the upcoming conference season. The call is open to all interested individuals and begins at 1 p.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

March 16 -- Bloomington, Minnesota - A presentation on SQL grouping functions is on the agenda at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting. IBM's Tom McKinley will be the guest speaker. The session begins at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Comfort Inn located at 1321 East 78th Street. LEARN MORE >

March 16 -- Costa Mesa, California - Incorporating AJAX with PHP will be the featured topic at the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. This presentation by consultant Jeff Olen will highlight the creation of Web applications that are fast and easy to maintain. Olen is the co-author of "PHP Programmers Guide for IBM i." Dinner and networking begins at 6 p.m. with the presentation at 7. The meeting location is the IBM South Coast Office located at 600 Anton Boulevard. LEARN MORE >

March 16 -- Nashville, Tennessee - This meeting of the Tennessee IBM Mid-Range User Group will feature a presentation on PTFs by Todd Victor, a specialist in IBM i hardware, i/OS, and high availability. His emphasis will be on using Fix Central to download PTFs and using Virtual Image Catalogs to load and apply PTFs without CDs. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt located at 2613 West End Avenue. It begins at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

March 17 -- Seekonk, Massachusetts - Trigger programs will be the featured topic at the monthly meeting of the New England Midrange Users Group. The meeting is held at the Ramada Inn located at 940 Fall River Avenue and begins at 5:15 p.m. LEARN MORE >

March 17 & 18 -- Delavan, Wisconsin - The 25th annual Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professionals Association (WMCPA) Spring Technical Conference will be held at the Lakelawn Resort. A sample of the educational topics that will be presented by some of the System i community's top experts include: security, backup and recovery, RPG, PHP, XML, CL, and SQL. Deatails of this event will be added to the Web site as they become available. LEARN MORE >