Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(MCPress) With a single trumpet blaring (System i doesn't do fanfare all that well), IBM has tried to get the attention of its i5/OS customer base--and those outside the base who might think this platform is relegated to the history books--with PHP and MySQL. Well, adding a few more trumpets to the band might help. These are platform advancements that increase the number of applications and broaden the scope of application development. If your attitude has been ho-hum, consider this. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When are the System i Power6 servers going to arrive? Best guesses are after the first of the year and February seems more likely than not. How will the model lineup change? That's even trickier to predict, but here are few ideas about that. READ MORE >

(MCPress) More on the System i Power6 boxes . . . If you haven't already thought of this, keep in mind the system requirements will be V5R4 at the latest System Licensed Internal Code level. Your head may have been turned by the kick in the pants performance, but if your applications won't run on it you'll feel more like you've been kicked in the shins. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) High availability from down under does not describe a technical approach. It's simply a geographical reference to a company that continues to make inroads in the North American market despite its base of operations being located in New Zealand. Product development hasn't skipped a beat, and improvements in sales and support are poised to increase customer satisfaction in a product market that is gaining attention in System i shops. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Server sales representatives have territories. And according to all the sales executives I've ever known, there are no bad territories only bad sales reps. There are, however, good and better sales territories. And according to IDC analysts, the European market is as hot as it gets right now. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The consolidation of the trucking software vendors rolls on like a new 600-horsepower Kenworth pulling freight on the downside of the Continental Divide. Private equity firms are driving big changes in one of the System i server's biggest niches as fleet management and maintenance rivals are brought under one roof. READ MORE >

(System iNews) The supercomputer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is not made up of System i hardware. Instead, it consists of 160 System p servers. However, the technology trickle-down effect does not bypass the i5/OS platform. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Systems management tools for i5/OS servers are being purchased for what they can do based on their monitoring and automation benefits, but also for how they do it. Control consoles have gone from strictly green screen, to GUIs, and even to mobile interfaces. What do you want to do and how do you want to do it? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Application lifecycle management software is the "governator" of the development process. Most would agree that application development needs tough controls from both an operational and a legal standpoint. It's one area of the IT department where a control freak is exactly what is needed. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Fax in. Fax out. Many businesses hum along to the sound of the fax machine. But what happens when the incoming orders are backing up because the outgoing marketing materials or confirmation orders are taking precedence? That's why there is dynamic line allocation and other prioritization features, so that when the fax machine is humming, you know your business is, too. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Better than Houdini. More amazing than a David Copperfield and Lance Burton doubleheader. What is it? It's the Visual Studio developer who can pull data from a System i database into his Windows application. What's the trick? It ain't abra-ka-dabra. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The IBM marketing promotion called "Buy More, Get More Value," is aimed at customers who are willing to purchase their equipment online. Doing so makes them eligible for discounts on servers, tape drives, tape libraries, disk arrays, and other stuff. Used equipment is also getting the discount treatment, so don't overlook those bargains. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) At the intersection of payment transaction middleware and point of sale software is where you will find electronic payment technology for retailers. If you are in the retail business, the benefit of posting credit card transactions with direct updates to your enterprise resource planning package is obvious. Getting it accomplished may not be. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(MKS) This white paper explores the management issues surrounding application modernization and offers ways to minimize the impact on the organization and its IT infrastructure through better management and process controls. This report examines organizations accustomed to a single platform and the tools needed to help them coordinate a variety of development activities. READ MORE >

(BCD) Portals are being used to access enterprise information, applications, and documents through Web browsers. It's a way to organize content and consolidate security and user information. For those who are exploring portal technology, this beta program featuring BCD's Nexus would be a good way to become familiar with the landscape. READ MORE >

(IBM) Enhancements to the system planning and deployment tools and processes for a partitioned environment on the System i have led to decreased complexity in configuring and deploying Logical Partitioning for the purpose of running multiple operating systems. This draft version of an IBM Redbook, set for publication in July, explains the details of multiple systems management and maximizing hardware resources, with performance issues as a focal point. READ MORE >

(IBM) Preparing the System i i5/OS environment before starting the installation and configuration of WebSphere Portal Express Version 6 is a necessary first step before attempting to deploy it into a production environment. Included in this redpaper are explanations for configuring SSL to protect sensitive login information and performing a save of a WebSphere Portal Express V6 profile while it is online and actively in use. READ MORE >

(IBM) Upgrading from an existing AS/400e or iSeries server to a new model ranges from simple to complex. If you are going to make a plan for this migration (and pity those who don't make a plan), this redbook should save you all kinds of aggravation. You'll appreciate the insights into V5R4 and its new features such as thin console support, tape encryption, and i5 disk. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

June 7 -- Webinar - Monitoring critical enterprise applications and services on the System i as well as monitoring multiple System i images from a centralized and automated resource is the focus of this session presented by software vendor SEA, maker of numerous automated systems management devices. This event begins at 3 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

June 7 -- Webinar - Electronic business information processing--specifically the sending, receiving, and tracking of invoices--will be discussed in this one-hour online session. Topics of discussion include upfront costs, systems integration, and supplier adoption. The event begins at 2 p.m. EDT. Presenting this information will be Tiyash Bandyopadhyay of nuBridges, a software vendor that specializes in business to business transactions. LEARN MORE >

June 11 -- Atlantic City, New Jersey -- ASNA, iSeries Modernization Technical Seminar. Unlock, extend, and leverage the value of your iSeries to enable business change! This one day iSeries modernization event introduces you to Web Services expands the definition of modernization unravels SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) while explaining how you can use your team's skills to take advantage of all of the benefits of these new technologies. LEARN MORE >

June 12 -- Beaverton, Oregon - A presentation on backup and recovery is the highlight of the regular monthly meeting of the Cascade iSeries User Group. Guest speaker is Albir Najib, a systems engineer from the SunGard System i operations team. The Cascade User Group serves the greater Portland, Oregon, area and meets the second Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at the IBM offices, 15400 S.W. Koll Parkway between 1 and 4:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

June 12 -- Orlando, Florida - Guest speaker Erik Papir, the vice president of Global Solutions Architecture at 3Com, will be talking about voice over IP (VoIP) at the Central Florida Midrange Users Group meeting. The presentation will cover lower costs generally realized with VoIP and the benefit of simplified network management with converged networks. The Orlando Campus of DeVry University, 4000 Millenia Boulevard, Room 110, is the event site, and dinner is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the presentation at 7:15. LEARN MORE >

June 13 -- Clearwater, Florida - The Data Exchange Bay Area User's Group will host its regularly scheduled meeting at Bascom's Chop Shop, beginning at 6 p.m. The feature topic of discussion will be business continuity and contingency planning. Guest speaker will be James Randolph, president of Carolina Consulting. LEARN MORE >

June 18-22 -- Scottsdale, Arizona - The IBM System i Spring Technical Conference features excellent training sessions on topics ranging from server consolidation and WebSphere to PHP and VoIP. Other topics include: Java Virtual Machine, free-format SQL in RPG applications and enhancements to CL, workload management, and database-performance management and index-maintenance tools. Educational sessions are geared for IS managers, programmers, system analysts, administrators, and operators. LEARN MORE >

June 18 -- Richmond, Virginia - The Mid Atlantic Midrange is hosting a one-day seminar titled "A Power Day of Java and PHP Technology--Grounds for Java & PHP" presented by Blair Wyman from IBM Rochester. LEARN MORE >

June 19 -- Norwalk, Connecticut - The Fairfield AS/400 Users Group monthly meeting topic is an an overview of the WebSphere Portal family of products for i5/OS. Guest speaker is Dan Hill, a technical consultant with IBM Systems and Technology Group Lab Services in Rochester. The session will include Hill's insights into portal solutions based on typical requirements and tips that will save effort and shorten time to deployment. FASUG meetings are held at the Norwalk Inn and begin at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

June 19 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on DB2 Web Query is the highlight of the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. Guest speaker is IBM's Doug Mack. DB2 Web Query is an end-user reporting tool that can be used for operational or data warehouse reporting purposes. This session will include live demonstrations of creating reports, graphs, and dashboards with this new product. Dinner is at 6 p.m. with the meeting from 7 to 8:30. The event will be held at the IBM Offices on Anton Boulevard. LEARN MORE >

June 19 -- Lombard, Illinois - The featured topic at the monthly meeting of the OMNI User Group will be portal technology. This session will describe how business problems can be addressed using portals. A key benefit promised by portals is the capability to deliver critical information to employees while they are carrying out the company business. Guest speaker is John Quirk, vice president of PSC Group, where he is responsible for managing the enterprise systems practice, which includes portals, content management, business intelligence and SOA. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel. LEARN MORE >

June 19 -- College Park, Maryland - The Mid Atlantic Midrange is hosting a one-day seminar titled "A Power Day of Java and PHP Technology--Grounds for Java & PHP" presented by Blair Wyman from IBM Rochester. LEARN MORE >

June 20 -- Philiadelphia, Pennsylvania - The Delaware Valley Computer Users Group meeting will feature System i General Manger, Mark Shearer, as its guest speaker. Shearer will discuss IBM's continued investment and future plans for the platform. There will be time for questions and answers as part of this session. Also on the agenda is Rick Clements, who will discuss the latest IBM product announcements. The meeting begins at 5:30 and will be held at the Union League of Philadelphia, which is located at 140 South Broad Street. LEARN MORE >