Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) The time for a conversation about your next purchase of a Power Systems server is now. And the first question you should ask is "Should I pull the trigger on a Power6+ deal or wait for the Power7 next year?" I can answer that question with another question: Do you want more power or a lower price? Either way, these insights will help you get what you pay for. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If Larry Ellison was a mafia member, he'd probably be known as Larry the Mouth. To show that he deserves such a moniker, listen to how he proclaims Oracle's Exadata V2 can do what no other database maker or server maker could do. In his mind, data warehousing or OLTP processing on a clustered machine is like sailing in uncharted waters. Hello, Larry? Ever hear of the IBM AS/400? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Over the years, IBM continually enhanced the U2 database and application development products, yet those products have been relegated to the back room of Big Blue's Information Management Software unit while more attention was given to more popular relational databases such as DB2. Last week IBM sold U2 to Rocket Software. That's probably good for U2 users because new business intelligence and business process management tools may be in the pipeline. READ MORE >

(The iSeries Blog) About a month ago, Bob Cancilla was swimming in shark-infested waters while pointing out that IBM' s interest--and more importantly its investment--in the AS/400 has all but expired. Next thing we know, the blog and Twitter soapboxes from which he spoke are gone. Cancilla has also changed jobs in the last month, but he hasn't changed his mind about the AS/400's fate. He has new blogs to let people know. READ MORE >

(Fast Company) We all understand cost-cutting measures. We don't like them, but they are reality so we deal with them. Cost engineering is as much a fact of life in IT as anywhere else. Although this article is not written for IT folks, the lesson about the advantages of simple, less costly solutions that focus on essential needs rather than extraneous features is smart thinking. READ MORE >

(MCPress) Application development is always the focus at DevCon--an annual educational conference, which this year is offering free lodging while the event runs in Las Vegas if you register by October 9. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. This might be a good time to fill your head with new ideas, because I can guarantee you that not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) I know that ERP software companies are trying hard to make their applications the best that's possible. But sometimes they end up being too complex and too expensive. I'm sure that's unintentional. I believe bad ERP software is an accident. On the other hand, good ERP software is a miracle. (Insert laugh here. That was a joke.) Take a look at this ERP system with a simplified database design. This is no joke. Unless you think less complex and less expensive are funny. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When IT is not very good at getting the right information to the right people at the right time, you've got problems and the dissatisfied people will let you know about them. The dissatisfied are usually management-level employees with attitude. Can you fix these types of problems without breaking the bank? The answer is "yes." READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) High availability does not mandate high purchase prices. You may be surprised to learn that entry-level high availability software can be purchased for less than $15,000. And if that's a surprise, the list of features is going to startle you, too. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Virtual tape libraries, in an IBM AS/400 environment, emulate LTO tape drives. They are a fairly simple integration and have gained in popularity. But calling them common would be stretching the truth, unless you look at the high end of the AS/400 installed base. As data protection needs increase, VTL demand will grow, too. Here's a name you need to know if you are researching VTLs. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Connecting .NET-based mobile applications running on a smart phone or PDA to data residing on a DB2/400 database can be a very useful tool. From an application development point of view, you need to be able to run queries, commands and stored procedures, and retrieve result sets to make this work. You also need to think about security. READ MORE >

(MCPress) Testing applications for bugs, errors, and other problems before putting them into production is something everybody does, right? Sure. It's just a matter of how much effort is consistently put into it. Automated testing software helps, as does a little more knowledge on the subject. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Seagull Software) The term "screen-scraping" has a bad reputation. Yet next-generation screen-scraping software can be an application modernization solution that solves the problems green screens present. In this white paper, you get the myths regarding screen-scraping plucked, cleaned, cooked, and served along with explanations regarding why these myths are preventing some companies from improving their business applications. READ MORE >

(Vault400) This report describes how a disaster recovery data protection plan does not have to rely on cumbersome tape backups or complex high availability solutions. The focus is on electronic vaulting of data using your network and high-level security. READ MORE >

(Bsafe) This archived Webinar examines ways to lower costs and reduce the administrative burden created by regulatory requirements such as PCI, SOX, HIPPA and GLBA. Topics of discussion include security management, system access control, automated policy enforcement, and simplified compliance techniques using templates. READ MORE >

(ProData) Even years after the U.S. government enacted Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, and other regulations, companies continue to define and redefine business processes and functions that touch sensitive data within their organizations. This whitepaper examines how journaling and auditing tools can greatly simplify the job of continuously providing regulatory compliance. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

September 21-25 -- Orlando, Florida - The IBM Power Systems Technical University features more than 250 sessions tackling topics such as blade servers, Power VM, DB2, PHP, and MySQL, workload consolidation, high availability, and security. A special focus will be on making data centers greener by delivering more capability with less energy consumption and fewer footprints. LEARN MORE >

September 24 -- Webinar - Creating IBM System i Web applications using BCD WebSmart PHP is the focus of this online technical session. The presentation includes how to create an application, change the HTML, and call an RPG program. The session begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

September 29 -- Lombard, Illinois - The featured topics at the monthly meeting of the OMNI User Group will be PHP on IBM i. A getting started session on PHP will be presented by Mike Pavlak, a solutions consultant with Zend, beginning at 4 p.m. A second session on the Zend application development framework will be presented by Alan Seiden, a senior developer at Strategic Business Systems, at 6:15 p.m. In between is a pizza dinner. The meeting will be held at IBM's Oak Brook Terrace offices. LEARN MORE >

October 1 -- Webinar - Creating IBM System i Web applications using BCD WebSmart ILE is the focus of this online technical session. The presentation includes how to use templates to quickly create Web applications, defining business and presentation rules, application security, and accessing DB2/400, SQL, and MySQL databases. The session begins at 1 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

October 1 -- Webinar - An eight-part online session on project management and working with technology vendors to prepare a successful implementation will be presented on an every-other Thursday schedule through October 1. This is session number eight titled "Leading a Successful Project." Subject expert Susanne States, director of sales and client services at S4i, is the session leader. States is a tenured veteran of organizational development and project management. The focus of these sessions will be on driving efficiency, improving customer service, and gaining competitive advantage by putting in place adequate processes and resources. This session begins at 11 a.m. CDT and concludes at 12:30 p.m. All previous sessions are available in an archive. LEARN MORE >

October 6 -- Burlington, Vermont - The fifth annual Vermont Technical Mini-Conference features training and education opportunities in four areas: application development, system administration, database, and management and professional development. Each of the four educational tracks contain four individual sessions. A complete session grid is available online. The registration cost is $125 before September 22 and $150 after that date. LEARN MORE >