Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(ComputerWorld) If IBM wants to purge legacy systems and move its users to something that's easier for central IT to handle, why did they just take the midrange computer everyone still calls the AS/400 (even after it was renamed several times) and make it less expensive and more modern? Is this any way to mistreat a legacy system and its customer base? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's like the Grand Coulee Dam, the Cullinan Diamond, or the Steel Dragon roller coaster. The IBM Power 595 server is big. It's the biggest of the Power6 line, and it will be available to some big buyers May 6. Whether you can get it then or not depends on which operating system you want to run. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you're not quite Power 595 material--and let's face it, not many are--you can still do some bragging about the Power 570. Its dual-core Power6 processor speeds can rip along at 4.7 GHz, but you can also choose 4.2 GHz or 3.5 GHz when those better match your performance requirements. It also supports any combination of i5/OS V5R4 or i 6.1, AIX, or Linux. So, as you can see, choices abound. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The band plays loudest for new servers and systems software, but that doesn't mean there aren't other tunes worth listening to. Here's a medley of items with features that sound pretty good: storage and I/O, small form factor SAS disk drives, tape backup, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and a new deskside Hardware Management Console. Read on for the details. READ MORE >

(Enterprise Systems) If this was CSI: IBM Systems, the convergence of System i and System p into the Power Systems group would not be case closed. That's too cut and dried. The plan for converging platforms won't be complete until System z is brought into the fold. READ MORE >

(Search400) For those who didn't attend the COMMON conference and missed the stories already published and noted in Four Hundred Monitor, here's an overview of that event as seen through the eyes of David Vasta, a Lotus Notes administration team lead at Atlas Copco. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Taking advantage of existing digital infrastructure to substantially reduce telephone costs is just one reason companies are investigating voice over IP (VoIP) telephony. Take a look at your annual phone charges and an alarmingly huge money pit comes into view. But if you thought VoIP technology was only for the large enterprises, take another look. It's come to the small to mid size business market and it's well suited for the System i. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Corporate fraud seldom makes headlines, and that may lead many people to think it really isn't much of an issue. That would be a common misconception. The fraud-control business is doing quite well, and that, above all, indicates organizations are concerned about the risk of significant losses. A recent survey by the Association for Financial Professionals shows internal fraud, perpetrated by an employee, for example, was responsible for financial losses at two out of five organizations. Are you closing your eyes and just hoping nothing happens? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's fairly easy to keep things orderly by refusing to change anything. That, however, is not often the road to success. Change must happen, but some sense of order must be controlled. Application development is a terrific example. Being in control of the change process, particularly in a multi-platform environment, is too important to ignore or even attempt on a half-way basis. Get it done, but get it done right. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Everyone knows the answer to the question "What takes a licking, but keeps on ticking?" It's a Timex watch, right? Now let's change the topic to tablet thin clients. How much abuse can they take and still be counted on to perform admirably in adverse conditions? For the mobile workforce, here's something to think about. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The benefits of content management often start out with a narrowly defined goal, but after reaching that goal and finding an ROI worthy of an after-work party, the quest begins to connect the content management system to a variety of sources and targets in the business environment, including scanners, ERP systems, legacy applications, and service oriented architectures. Next thing you know, there are ROI parties happening all the time. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM is about to add Mashup Center to its composite line-of-business application development menu. This is Web 2.0-style productivity applied to the corporate world. You want some gravy with those mashups? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) iSeries Watchdog is not a pit bull running loose in the datacenter. It's software that collects indicators of health or illness on System i servers and then alerts operators and administrators to system problems and halt messages, keeps them abreast of the status of tape drives, as well as DASD and CPU usage. Rumors of a complimentary box of dog biscuits with each purchase are unconfirmed. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(ARCAD) This white paper takes a view of service oriented architecture in the System i world as the route to system flexibility and open communications. It ties business change with software change and makes the case that software has often been a delaying factor in business changes required to support new products and services. READ MORE >

(IBM) The new Power Systems Web site has a five-minute video recorded at the COMMON Conference when Mark Shearer, vice president of Power Systems marketing, and Ross Mauri, general manager of the Power Systems product line, introduce the new Power Systems lineup. READ MORE >

(IBM) Also on the new Power Systems Web site is information on individual server models that includes product details, features and benefits, specifications, and power performance data. Specialized Web pages are also dedicated to PowerVM and PowerHA. READ MORE >

(PowerTech) This assessment of security issues pertaining to the System i, iSeries, and AS/400 servers is based on data collected by the vendor. It reveals the common security risks that are uncovered (for instance, 76 percent of systems don't control or audit changes to data made through PC access applications and half of all systems have more than 20 users with default passwords). It's a good starting point for conducting your own security assessment. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

April 22-24 -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada - The 15th Annual Technical Education Conference and Vendor Showcase, sponsored by the Toronto Users Group for System i, includes a long list of sessions and hands-on labs. The three-day agenda, a list of speakers, and session descriptions are available online. The event includes a panel of experts answering questions about the future of the System i. LEARN MORE >

April 22 -- Norwalk, Connecticut - The Fairfield AS/400 Users Group monthly meeting topic is an overview of i5/OS hardware and software announcements presented by Tracy Smith, an IBM senior consulting IT specialist. FASUG meetings are held at the Norwalk Inn and begin at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

April 23 -- Woodbury, New York - The Long Island Systems Users Group monthly meeting topic is an overview of i5/OS hardware and software announcements presented by Tracy Smith, an IBM senior consulting IT specialist. LISUG meetings are held at the Fox Hollow Inn and begin at 6 p.m. LEARN MORE >

April 24 -- Fairfield, New Jersey - Guest speaker Tracy Smith, an IBM senior consulting IT specialist will discuss i5/OS V6R1 at the regular monthly meeting of the North Eastern Systems Technology Users (NESTU) meeting. Topics will include virtualization of i5/OS storage, encryption of backups, enhanced Java performance, BladeCenter JS22, WDS, RDi, SOA, RBD, and HATS. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. LEARN MORE >

May 4-7 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - RPG World, a three-day RPG IV training event, features session topics that include: subprocedures, subfiles, XML, RPG for Windows, i5/OS Version 6 enhancements, CL and ILE CL, embedded SQL, Web development with RPG IV, sending e-mail from RPG IV, and a professional development seminar. The list of expert speakers includes Bob Cozzi, R.S. Tipton, Greg Veal, R. Bruce Hoffman, Aaron Bartell, George Farr, Bertie Magee, and Schadd Gray. A $100 discount off registration is available when using the ITJUNGLE promotion code. Early registration deadline is April 1. LEARN MORE >

May 4-7 -- Orlando, Florida - The 2008 International LANSA User Conference will focus on modernization, extension, and integration of applications with Web services and SOA. Sessions and labs, set up according to skill level, are designed to help advance abilities and assimilate technological changes and business plans. The conference focuses on LANSA products and includes topics such as rapid application modernization processes, Web application, integrated development environments, design tips and techniques, and business process integration. LEARN MORE >