Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Discontent is the cattle prod of progress. When you look at servers, it's the price/performance comparisons that lead to discontent. At least some people are going to see it that way. It's a simple determination of whether you are getting more value from your server investment today than you were three or five years ago. Here is how the new Power 550 M50 competes with its predecessor, the System i 550. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Staying on track with the "price of value" thinking, let's take a look at what IBM is doing with the development tools that are packaged with the Power 520 i servers. This doesn't look like the result of asking customers what they want and then giving it to them. It looks like selling customers accessories they will never use. READ MORE >

(Lukas Beeler's IT Blog) The single-socket, dual-core, JS12 Power6-based blade server became available almost six weeks ago, and a lot of people are saying it will be one of the hottest things going in the IBM "i" shops as soon as the System i, iSeries, and AS/400 customers begin to learn more about it. If you haven't heard about anyone's experience installing one, here's a story that might interest you. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Job searches can be a hairy animal. When fighting that beast, we sometimes go from the horns of a dilemma to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. All the while, the fur flies and the struggle goes on and on. There are some tips for making it easier though. One is to set out without any preconceived notions. Another is . . . well, you have to read this article to get that tip. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Even with Oracle putting BEA in its pocket, that combo doesn't knock IBM's WebSphere off its perch atop the portal market, which, by the way, now tops $1 billion and is picking up speed. According to IBM's portal product manager, WebSphere Portal deployments on System i account for 10 to 15 percent of all IBM portal deployments, and the purpose of those portals has changed from internal-only to customer-facing solutions. READ MORE >

(MCPress) Independent software vendors once made the AS/400 marketplace hum. It was their software--now referred to as solutions--that powered the demand for the IBM's legendary hardware and operating system combination. What's changed between then and now is the point being made in this opinion piece written by an application design professional who works for a well-known ISV. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) This is great IBM drama. A small company hurls an antitrust lawsuit at IBM and Big Blue responds with a patent infringement lawsuit right back. Lots of trash talking goes on for months. And, then, out of the blue, IBM buys some peace and quiet by acquiring the upstarts. Just because it erupted on the mainframe side doesn't mean it isn't worth a look. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) It's sad when you see IT professionals--with bloodshot eyes and disheveled clothes--muttering to themselves "Why does it have to be so hard?" It doesn't have to be so hard, you know? Take high availability, for example. This used to be right up there with rocket science and brain surgery on the old Complex-o-meter. But much of the complexity that made HA a heavy burden has been replaced with automation. And just in time to preserve some sanity. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If the company you work for can be described as a Blue Whale--a truly large enterprise devoted to IBM--you may have some first-hand experience with the network communication platform known as MQSeries or WebSphereMQ. Monitoring and managing this gigantic piece of software can keep a person busy as a cat watching nine rat holes. If you know what I'm saying, you also understand the performance drag that goes along with some system management tools. Managing while maintaining expected performance levels seems like a better idea, doesn't it? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) How are those reporting requests for income, cash flow, and budgets coming along, Mr. IT Manager? What used to be a monkey on your back is turning into a gorilla every time your boss asks that question . . . and he seems to ask it at least two or three times a day. I'll bet he'd like it if you showed him a few dashboard interfaces that give quick access to general ledger business intelligence. What do you think? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Down on the farm, people will tell you that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Keep that thought in mind as you walk into the data center and consider how you can take raw data and turn it into . . . well, a silk purse. Are you familiar with IBM's DataStage and Information Server extract, transformation, and load (ETL) tools? That's a start, but there's more to it than that. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Depending on how much you rely on UPS for your shipping requirements will have a lot to do with how much you care about transportation management applications and whether they integrate with your warehouse management and your ERP systems, and are certified by the UPS Ready program. Bringing that all together is what most people would call a supply chain success story. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(IBM) Because it was previously confusing to determine whether hardware problems had been reported to IBM because problem reporting was spread over HMC, service partitions, and the operating system itself, IBM has addressed that issue in i 6.1 (i5/OS V6R1). With the new OS, problem reporting information is listed in the Display Problem History panel. Details provided include identification of which system is responsible for reporting the problem, and whether the problem has been sent to IBM. Here's a tip that shows how to use the new information. READ MORE >

(Aldon) Maximizing the quality and the business value of IT services through best practices is the stated purpose of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), a collection of accepted industry standards. Implementing these best practices and industry standards is the goal of numerous organizations that ultimately hope to achieve ITIL compliance. This report covers the topic from several approaches including service desk, the alignment of services and development, workflow, and change management. READ MORE >

(COMMON) Job hunters can never have too many sources of employment. This online job board offers resume posting and automatic e-mail notification of new job listings, as well as consulting projects and internships for students. READ MORE >

(s4i Systems) Benefiting from content management systems means paying attention to the security-related challenges that come with self-service over public networks. This white paper covers CMS technology on the IBM System i and the forces that are driving these deployments. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

July 15 -- Atlanta, Georgia - An session on iSeries Operation Console and iSeries Navigator will be presented at the Atlanta Midrange Users Exchange meeting this month. Guest speakers are Paul Norland and Tom Wolfe. Norland will discuss console options, installation insights, and remote accessibility, while Wolfe will uncover benefits of using the graphical user interface convenience of Navigator. The meeting is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Brio Tuscan Grille located at 700 Ashwood Parkway. LEARN MORE >

July 15 -- Irving, Texas - Building a System i Web application with Java is the subject of Michael Daly's presentation to members of the Metro Midrange Systems Association, a user group for the Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas. Daly is a member of the MMSA board of directors. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 and Daly's presentation at 6:45. MMSA meetings are held at the Radisson Hotel DFW South. LEARN MORE >

July 16 -- Webinar - This one-hour session--presented by Ray Bernardi, Solutions Architect at ARCAD Software--will focus on user-friendly tools for the extraction of production data that ensures stable disk space and improves productivity in reproducing bugs, as well as practical tips for software testing. The session begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

July 23 -- Webinar - A one-hour session about using SQL queries to access remote data will be presented by ProData Computer Services. The company's RDB CONNECT is featured throughout this Webinar. The software allows full SQL access to MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Postgre and DB2. Topics of discussion include sharing data across platforms; importing and exporting remote data to and from the iSeries; using RPG, COBOL, and CL programs to directly communicate with remote databases; and using batch or interactive programs. The presentation begins at 2 p.m. CDT. LEARN MORE >

July 24 -- Webinar - Real-time monitoring of IBM i (System i, iSeries, and AS/400) security events will be discussed in this online session hosted by the security software and services vendor, PowerTech. Topics of discussion will include gathering network information that detects inappropriate or anomalous activity, identifying possible security breaches, integration with SIM and IDS consoles, and complying with SOX, HIPAA, PCI, and other regulatory guidelines. A preview of PowerTech's cross-platform security monitoring software is also on the agenda. Two sessions will be presented--one at 9 a.m. PDT and the other at 11 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >

July 24 -- Webinar - Real-time monitoring of IBM i (System i, iSeries, and AS/400) security events will be discussed in this online session hosted by the security software and services vendor, PowerTech. Topics of discussion will include gathering network information that detects inappropriate or anomalous activity, identifying possible security breaches, integration with SIM and IDS consoles, and complying with SOX, HIPAA, PCI, and other regulatory guidelines. A preview of PowerTech's cross-platform security monitoring software is also on the agenda. Two sessions will be presented--one at 9 a.m. PDT and the other at 11 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >