Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Meet Ross Mauri. Although he runs IBM's Power Systems division, he climbed the corporate ladder after beginning as an assembly language programmer in MVS development. Last week he was restacking the deck of financial statistics that account for Power Systems' successful second quarter results, including those that led to erroneous conclusions about how poorly the System i performed. The cards we got were better this time, but--wouldn't you know it--some of them remain face down. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) There were more than a few complaints about IBM's server platform revenue mash-ups that were used during Big Blue's report of second quarter earnings. They didn't come from the AIX side of the room. Some clarifications have been made as to how the System i revenue plummeted 47 percent, but IBM continues to keep meaningful figures inside the fortress. That does not, however, keep the educated guessers from getting closer to the truth. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) All for one and one for all. Put down your swords you wannabe musketeers. We're talking about security patches for specific OS/400, i5/OS, or i releases that are conveniently located and grouped for stop-and-patch efficiency. We might ask why it took so long to accomplish this, but let's just leave it at better late than never. READ MORE >

(MCPress) That's no misprint. IBM Power Systems had a "great quarter" despite 47 percent decrease in revenue from the System i servers. It may be misleading, but it's no misprint. Ross Mauri, general manager of IBM Power Systems, says only Power5 servers were counted in the tally, and that no i-based servers were entered after the Power Systems announcement was made on April 2. No reason was given for why the accounting was reported the way it was. READ MORE >

(Search400) Additional insights into how the Power Systems revenue numbers were totaled up for the second quarter of 2008 are provided by the media friendly GM of Power Systems. The key to understanding why the p side looks so good and the i side looks so bad is knowing that all Power6 servers were counted on the p side--even those that were sold to run i OS. Does IBM know how much revenue was created by selling Power6 boxes running i? Of course, but they aren't telling. READ MORE >

(Info World) Dear Abby had her hands full providing dating advice to a recently divorced farmer's wife in Harland County, Kentucky, so we turn to Bob Lewis' Advice Line, where Bob tackles the question of should a company stay with legacy applications or rewrite them? READ MORE >

(IT-Director) Although there are at least forty-eleven ways to Web-enable legacy RPG and COBOL applications running on midrange and mainframe hardware, IBM has recently pledged its love to EGL as the way modernize legacy applications. This article, by an industry analyst, locks in on mainframe modernization goals without noting that it also applies to the System i, but his comments and observations--whether you agree or disagree--apply to either platform. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Reliance on paper documents often creates workflow bottlenecks. Multiple people in multiple locations often need to view information and make decisions based on statements, shipping orders, invoices, contracts, and a long list of other documents. There's the copy machine, the fax machine, mailing costs, and time wasted in the paper-handling process. Electronic documents can ease this pain and offer a quantifiable return on investment and in this case it did. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The process of Web-enabling i5/OS or OS/400 applications should not require a non-graphical environment. Administering them from the same Web-based interface that the applications run in makes a lot more sense and eliminates a lot of manual coding. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Fast document retrieval is one of the most important attributes of an electronic document management system. Indexing capabilities play a big role in this as sometimes searches need to be made without specific document information. When most people think of electronic document searches, the word Google comes to mind. Here's what Google can do inside your firewall. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Tracking disk usage, reclaiming lost disk space, and forecasting disk requirements makes a big difference in the performance and efficiency of many System i environments. It's the equivalent of tuning a race car's engine. A little tweak here and there gets the most out of what you have. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM's new console management tool for the i platform will eventually replace System i Navigator, so System i and Power Systems i administrators will be transitioning to this tool. It's similar to System i Navigator, but learning its capabilities will take more than a single test drive. Here's what you do. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(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 >

(MKS) This white paper explores management issues surrounding application modernization and offers ways to minimize the impact to organizations and IT infrastructure. It emphasizes management and process controls to ensure the successful implementation of modernized applications. READ MORE >

(IBM) This report on virtualization technology focuses on implementing VMware Infrastructure 3 with System i integration with BladeCenter and System x. It presents reasons for considering this implementation and a guide for planning and installing it, creating backup and recovery, and the administration and management of a virtualized infrastructure. 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

August 12 -- Webcast - This online presentation examines one of the most difficult systems management tasks: gaining visibility into multi-tier applications. It focuses on supporting users, diagnosing problems, improving performance, and passing security audits, as well as the tools and techniques for monitoring and auditing database server jobs used by Java, Web applications, .NET access, and Excel. The discussion also will include the pros and cons of IBM's Navigator, i5/OS APIs and commands, and tools from Centerfield Technology, the vendor that is hosting this Webcast. The session begins at 11 a.m. CDT. LEARN MORE >

August 19 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on programming and operations tips is the highlight of the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. 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 located at 600 Anton Boulevard. This one begins at 6 p.m. LEARN MORE >

August 25-28 -- Chicago, Illinois - The IBM See Blue, Think Green Technical Conference examines the growing costs of IT data centers based on energy consumption. Session topics include best practices for efficient data center design, the financial benefits of IT energy management, software tools to measure and manage energy consumption, and new technologies to manage IT operational costs. LEARN MORE >

September 8-12 -- Chicago, Illinois - The IBM Power Systems Technical University will include more than 100 sessions focused on the i environment. Session topics include the new features in i 6.1, PowerVM software, server utilization and sharing I/O resources, consolidation of Intel and i applications, best practices for smooth migration to Power6 and i 6.1, steps to reduce energy costs, high availability, DB2 Web Query, PHP, MySQL, IP telephony, and Lotus Quickr. LEARN MORE >

September 9-12 -- Nashville, Tennessee - The Optimum Solutions 2008 Users Conference will feature sessions pertaining to payroll, human resources, and time and attendance software. More than 35 topics will be presented during the conference. LEARN MORE >

September 10 -- Long Island, New York - A warehouse management expo focused on productivity and efficiency increases, risk management, and growing businesses will be hosted by VAI, developers of enterprise software for the distribution, manufacturing, retail and service industries. From 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. there will be numerous workshops and accessibility to industry experts. LEARN MORE >

September 11 -- Trenton, New Jersey - A warehouse management expo focused on productivity and efficiency increases, risk management, and growing businesses will be hosted by VAI, developers of enterprise software for the distribution, manufacturing, retail and service industries. From 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. there will be numerous workshops and accessibility to industry experts. LEARN MORE >

September 15-18 -- Santa Clara, California - The Zend/PHP Conference brings together PHP developers and business managers from around the world for more than 50 technical presentations and networking events. Sessions range from beginner level to advanced topics and include in-depth tutorials, case-studies, and an exhibit hall displaying the latest products. Topics of specific interest to System i users include: modernizing i5 applications, Internet-working your i5, PHP security on i5/OS, open source applications, and customer case studies. Other session topics include: maximizing scalability and performance of Web applications, PHP testing strategies, creating rich Internet applications, building secure Web applications, and maximizing the business impact of PHP applications. Discount registration is available until July 25. LEARN MORE >