Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Maybe IBM has figured out the obvious. If it doesn't treat its i customers on equal terms with its p customers the competition will take that advantage and run with it. Competitive advantages are something you want on your side, not something you gift wrap for your competitors. Converged platforms (remember, we're all Power Systems now) should not exist without equal incentives on both sides of the aisle. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Anyone who has a vintage OS/400 box should take a look at this article. IBM is laying out a plan that demonstrates how the cost of a new Power Systems i box can be equal or less than supporting what you have now. Scoff if you must, but if you are paying for hardware and software maintenance, this deal looks pretty strong. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When worldwide server sales decline 14 percent and shipments slip 12 percent, two things become apparent: average selling prices are dropping as companies develop a taste for server light (it worked for beer) and vendors are reducing prices to move boxes. IDC did the math on the fourth quarter of 2008, and it's the steepest server sales decline in seven years. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM is continuing efforts to rebuild its reputation in academia by incorporating its mainframe and midrange systems into the educational programs of colleges and universities around the world. In 2003, IBM had 24 schools in its Academic Initiative program, today it has 537 and the company believes more than 50,000 students are taking courses that cover mainframe hardware, software and operations. But is it doing enough for i? READ MORE >

(My Midrange Meddle) The story is familiar. You have a highly functional green-screen application that is perfectly adapted to your needs. The problem is that interface and the younger workers who find it about as comfortable as riding a unicycle without a seat. Building composite applications is no longer just for the big AS/400 shops. It's increasing productivity for small to mid size organizations, too. READ MORE >

(ZDNet) Don't get too hung up on defining cloud computing. Ten people will have 10 definitions, anyway. The important thing is the impact it will have on business. This panel discussion on the cloud shows how difficult it is to firmly grasp all that the cloud is and isn't, as well as all it can do and where it might fall short. READ MORE >

(Cloudonomics) Of all the dreams that cloud computing is expected to turn into reality, here is the element of criticality that is underestimated: Cloud computing is directly affected by network capabilities. Is it possible that the cloud can save us from the rapid build up of expensive infrastructure as well as the manual interventions we currently endure? READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Can open source software make a dent in the ERP market? It already has. Not a big dent, but the impact of open source ERP software is gaining notice. Coincidentally, the costs and service associated with existing ERP contracts is also getting a lot of attention, too. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Back up just a few steps, please. Are you backing up IBM System i data to a tape drive or virtual tape library? That's fine if you have plenty of time and money. Maybe there's a reason some companies are breaking bad habits by sending data to PC hardware using Ethernet interfaces and TCP/IP. READ MORE >

(MCPress) Since its formal announcement in August 2008, a new business intelligence option for System i has moved into customer-test mode. Will it be the catalyst for data warehouse projects in the small to mid size market? Expectations are high for this dedicated BI server that is built around DB2 Web Query and is a joint effort of five IBM business partners. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Tracking bandwidth usage is sort of like trying to nail jelly to a tree. It tends to be repetitive and the results are less than satisfactory. However, it's not that difficult if you have software that automatically monitors all servers, devices, and software living on your network, and feeds that information back to index servers. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) High availability deployments tend to rely on a combination of software, hardware, and services--not just one or two of those components. And HA tends to be customized to fit the individual requirements of each organization. Understanding the complete scope of the project before trying to solve the puzzle piece by piece is your best strategy. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Warehouse and transportation management systems that rely on paper and printed forms tend to struggle when it comes to customer service. Here's how companies are streamlining document production, as well as their product handling and distribution capabilities. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Databorough) "Modernizing and Improving the Maintainability of RPG Applications Using X-Analysis Version 5.6" is a white paper that discusses concepts and methods for design recovery and refactoring monolithic RPG applications into modern application architecture. A copy of this tutorial, including code, and a trial copy of the X-Analysis software is available from the vendor. READ MORE >

(HiT Software) This report examines the synchronizing of data between heterogenous databases with an emphasis on integrating IBM i DB2 with Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Data security and cost effectiveness are major topics. READ MORE >

(Bytware) Although you might think that only Windows users need worry about viruses, the IBM i, OS/400, AIX, and Linux systems in your network are also at risk and could even be the source of infections. This downloadable Webcast covers viruses and malicious code threats, how criminals use malicious code, how viruses gain access to systems, regulatory requirements for virus protection, and how to mitigate the virus threat. READ MORE >

(System iDeveloper) A new and expanded reference guide for users of Remote System Explorer (RSE), titled Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts for RSE (WDSC/RDi), is now available for downloading. It consolidates 46 useful keyboard shortcuts onto a single page and presents them in a format that makes it easy for developers to find the shortcut they need at a glance. The reverse side features tips on customizing RSE to improve productivity. All of the shortcuts and tips work with Version 7 of RSE in both WDSC and the newer RDi development environment. The guide is authored by the educators at System iDeveloper. The download is free. 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 -- Southfield, Michigan - Forensic methods on the AS/400 platform can be used for legal purposes or to debug and errant application. In this session, "CSI: iSeries," presented by security expert John Earl, you'll get insights and learn skills that can be useful in preserving evidence in the event that you are involved in a legal matter. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at IBM Southfield offices located at 18000 West Nine Mile Road. LEARN MORE >

March 11 -- Jackson, Michigan - System configuration and work management risks will be the topic of discussion at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting of the Midrange Users of Mid-Michigan. Guest speaker is John Earl, founder and Director of Security Technology for PowerTech. His presentation will reveal how OS/400 systems are exposed through bad security practices, and will provide real-world fixes. A first session dealing with security risks begins at 4 p.m. There will be a break at 5:30, and then a second session focused on OS/400 security by object type, begins at 6:30. The meeting will be held at the offices of Dawn Foods located at 3333 Sargent Road. LEARN MORE >

March 11 -- Tampa, Florida - The Data Exchange Bay Area User's Group will host its regularly scheduled meeting at Bascom's Chop Shop, located at 3665 Ulmerton Road, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The feature topic of discussion will be IBM Power Systems and System i security considerations. LEARN MORE >

March 12 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Barbara Brown, Director of Technical Services for Alliance Systems & Programming and advocate for service oriented architecture, will discuss Internet security using secure sockets layer and managing certificates on System i at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. Topics will include multiple applications such as Web serving (HTTP), file transfer (FTP), terminal emulation (telnet) and System i Navigator. 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 -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Acquiring a business-class voice over IP system is the topic of the day at the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. Guest speaker is Frank Dolik, president of D&A InfoTech. Dolik has been involved in the planning, installation, and support of IP-based phone systems for more than eight years. This session will focus on topics such as replacing existing PBX systems, dealing with existing telecom contracts, linking enterprise locations, and cost reductions attributable to unified network architecture. Two sessions are on the agenda. 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 >

March 17 -- Irving, Texas - What Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) will be the featured topic at the monthly meeting of the Metro Midrange Systems Association, a user group for the Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas. This session will show how EGL can provide you with a strategic advantage by allowing your business to create more modern systems while leveraging existing code assets through re-use. This session includes a demonstration of calling/debugging an iSeries RPG program from EGL and case studies. Guest speakers Eric Simone and Raymond Everhart will show how organizations are creating modern systems while leveraging existing code assets through re-use. The presentation also includes a demonstration of calling/debugging an iSeries RPG program from EGL and will highlight several case studies. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 and Perry's presentation at 6:45. MMSA meetings are held at the Radisson Hotel DFW South. LEARN MORE >

March 17 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on using PHP for Web services is the highlight of the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. Guest speaker is Sharon Hoffman. This session includes a short introduction to the PHP language and the operating environment for PHP in i5/OS. It will also cover PHP capabilities for working with WSDL and SOAP Web services standards, as well as building and parsing XML documents. The OCEAN User Group serves the greater Orange County, California, area and meets the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at the IBM offices and begin at 6 p.m. LEARN MORE >

March 18 -- West Chester, Pennsylvania - The Delaware Valley Computer Users Group will host a presentation on modern RPG and the IBM i 6.1 operating system with guest speaker Don Yantzi, IBM's technical lead for WDSc and Rational Developer for System i. Session topics include declaring files in sub-procedures, passing files as parameters, defining huge variables, and running in multiple threads. Yantzi will also cover RPG, COBOL, CL and DDS application development in Remote System Explorer and Rational Developer for i. This half-day seminar begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 12:30 p.m. It's being held at the West Chester University Graduate Business Center. LEARN MORE >

March 19 -- Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada - The Toronto Users Group's annual Technical Education Conference and Vendor Showcase will be held at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North hotel and conference center. A preliminary agenda is available on the TUG Web site. LEARN MORE >