Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) A watched pot never boils. Of course, that's not true. It just seems that way when you are in a hurry. Applying the "watched pot" concept to the advent of Power6 chips in the System i line seems like an easy thing to do. We've been anticipating Power6 in the second half of this year, but rumors of a delay are bubbling. Hey, maybe in this case, the watched pot doesn't boil. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) After IBM's first quarter 2007 financial results were laid on the table last week, Merrill Lynch followed up with its interpretation of what the numbers mean. Despite a 13 percent slide for System i sales, based on a year-to-year comparison, the overall sales of Power-based servers showed a 6 percent gain. Not bad. But Merrill Lynch is also in the business of making forecasts, and the one for System i is not so sunny. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) IBM's user-based pricing on new 515 and 525 models is under the microscope as customers noodle their possible upgrade options. A focal point in this potential dilemma is the pending phase out of the model 520s. Here's a snapshot of circumstances that might develop. READ MORE >

(ZDNet) This review of the most recent beta version of Lotus Notes 8 describes it as "unstable for everyday work" and advises those who want to play with Notes 8 to have systems with plenty of power and memory. And although the productivity applications use OpenDocument format files as their default format (an attractive alternative for those who pay heavy licensing fees to Microsoft), this beta test proved less than satisfactory when attempting to interoperate with other productivity applications such as Microsoft Office. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) You would be hard pressed to find anything more poorly managed and poorly configured on the System i than its security. That's ironic given that the box is practically a bank vault compared to the X86 platform. Lack of control over user profiles and special authorities is often a monkey wrench in what should otherwise be a secure system. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM has been on top of the portal software market for the last four years according to IDC, which releases an annual report on this topic. One thing that Big Blue has learned about portal projects is that organizations are looking for shortcuts to implementation. To that end, the Big Blue product development team produced the WebSphere Portal Express product and now it has introduced a collection of "accelerators" designed to simplify the building of portals through the use of templates. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Cross-platform auditing of security-related logs typically requires the writing of custom scripts that collect, consolidate, and provide reports. In short, it is a pain in the old parameter. What if you could generate audit reports using off-the-shelf software that allowed output via e-mail, PDF, Word, Excel, and plain text? Don't tell me you'd rather write the custom scripts. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If it wasn't for things like financial fraud, insider trading, pension fund crime, identity theft, and dozens of other categories of white collar crime, we wouldn't have the waves of regulatory compliance laws that have IT departments scrambling to initiate strict internal policies and audit trails. It has certainly put a spotlight on who did what and when. Not surprisingly that spotlight also shines on message management. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It doesn't have the name recognition of JavaScript, PHP, or Perl, but if you are interested in building advanced Web applications I suggest you don't overlook the scripting language called Curl. The company, which goes by the same name, has updated the compilers, the browser-based runtime environment, and the IDE to take advantage of the latest updates to the language. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) California Software, an independent software vendor in the System i and System z markets, has been renamed Infinite Software. Its software products are primarily used for modernizing and migrating applications. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Where in God's green acre is Marywood University and why should you care? The answers are Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor's degree program in business information technology that includes System i-specific courses. Of particular note is a five-day RPG skills class that begins June 4. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Power Tech) The data in this report originates from iSeries security assessments conducted during the past 12 months. It may open your eyes to risks that require attention in your own IT department. Confidential information may not be as protected as you think it is. READ MORE >

(Curl) The decision about Web application development strategies takes into consideration such things as development, maintenance, and infrastructure. It also takes into account application capabilities and quality. This white paper looks at these factors from the standpoint of a scripting language and development environment known as Curl. READ MORE >

(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 >

(Bytware) The Integrated File System is one of the most ignored parts of the system, yet it enables many of the most powerful and most used features on OS/400. Most people don't realize that even if they are not using their system as a Web server or a network file server, they should have concerns about the IFS because what you don't know could weaken the security of your system. This white paper is authored by security expert Carol Woodbury. READ MORE >

(IBM) Implementing Linux on System i comes with its own set of performance questions. This paper relies on customer experiences to provide best practices that are useful in determining factors that affect the overall performance of Linux-based workloads on the System i. It covers topics such as memory allocation, virtual SCSI adapters, adapter frame size, and virtual LANs. 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 27 -- Atlanta, Georgia - A full-day session on migrating RPG applications to the Internet will be presented at a workshop hosted by the Association of Midrange Computer Users. Guest speaker is Paul Tuohy, a noted author and trainer in RPG subjects. This session focuses on using RPG IV and the iSeries HTTP server without worrying about Java, ASPs, JSPs, or WebSphere. An emphasis is placed on coding HLL programs to write data to Web pages, writing HTML, using CGI APIs, and using the CGIDEV2 APIs. LEARN MORE >

April 29-May 1 -- Anaheim, California - The COMMON IT Executive Conference will provide high-level information and case studies from IBM System i executives, networking with other IT leaders running on System i5, and exclusive access and meetings with independent software vendors from the System i community. Registration for the IT Executive Conference also includes full registration and access to sessions and events at the five-day COMMON Annual Conference. LEARN MORE >

April 29-May 3 -- Anaheim California - The COMMON 2007 Annual Conference & Expo will include more than 500 sessions and hands-on labs featuring topics in business strategy, database, systems management, networking, and application development. . It is designed to help IT professionals get the most from their technology investments by providing access to the latest knowledge and expertise. The five-day event includes more than 900 education hours presented by real-world experts with hands-on experience, an expo area where new products and services can be reviewed, and a separate IT executive conference. COMMON is the world's largest group of iSeries (AS/400) users. LEARN MORE >

April 30 -- Anaheim, California - The OCEAN User Group meeting will take place at the COMMON Conference and feature a panel discussion featuring System i luminaries Frank Soltis, Bob Tipton, Alison Butterill, and Elaine Lennox. OCEAN members will also receive a one-day pass to the COMMON Conference Expo. The event takes place at the Anaheim Marriott beginning at 5 p.m. LEARN MORE >

May 1-3 -- Anaheim, California - The 2007 Server Blade Summit puts the attention on evaluating, implementing, and managing blade systems and virtualization solutions to improve IT operations and reduce costs. Topics include server and desktop virtualization, blade server systems, server consolidation, storage, networking, systems management, power and cooling. Keynote addresses will be presented by executives of by IBM, Microsoft, VMware and Countrywide Financial. Countrywide is one of the largest System i customers in the United States. LEARN MORE >

April 29-May 2 -- St. Louis, Missouri - IBM's PartnerWorld conference is designed to share IBM strategy, solutions, and programs with its Business Partner network. This event focuses on business management topics and networking opportunities that build and strengthen business relationships. Sessions examine market opportunities, innovation and IBM offerings. Peer-to-peer networking meetings are set up to share strategies and explore mutual opportunities. And, a Solution Center showcases IBM and Business Partner products and services. LEARN MORE >