Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) As difficult as this is to imagine, it's time for clarity in the virtualization arena. VMware's ESX Server is not now, nor will it be in the future, the most celebrated tool in IT history. And X64 servers are not the only machines that matter. When a server comes along that can manage multiple platforms in both the physical and virtual environments, we'll really have something to shout about. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The ability--or the good fortune--to be in the right place at the right time can make an IT manager look like a pretty smart cookie. This would be the case right now if your organization is in a position to activate CPU cores or add i5/OS licenses. There are savings to be had as the days wind down toward the end of the third quarter and some people will be able to take advantage. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you woke up this morning with operational efficiencies on your mind, you shouldn't feel like the Lone Ranger. Strategies and technology investments that can improve operations are on the minds of many business managers these days. A just-released report from the Aberdeen Group, based on feedback from more than 500 midrange shops, discusses differing ERP investments and implementations and to what degree they contribute to operational efficiencies. READ MORE >

(ZD Net) This excerpt from a book on the evolution of appliance computing puts the spotlight on the AS/400. Technical advantages are presented with particular attention paid to the database, serialization, and programming advancements. This is worth a look and even some feedback from some of our Four Hundred Monitor readers. READ MORE >

(System iNews) Although the .NET-Java Face Off in Chicago was canceled last week, denying us the pleasure of seeing Richard Schoen and Joe Pluta wrestling mano y mano live and in person, you still have the chance to see their best moves literally speaking. Both guys have put their most persuasive arguments for their favorite development environments into articles that you can find here. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) How do you mix the following items: oil and water, government and religion, drinking and driving, and DB2/400 data and Windows .NET applications? Suffice it to say, it's unwise to attempt mixing the first three. But here's a plan that not only makes the blending of data and applications possible, it makes it plausible. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) A lot of software implementation decisions come down to debates about buying off-the-shelf solutions or developing software in-house. The hottest of hot potatoes that get lobbed back and forth has to do with whether a company's unique environment rules out all off-the-shelf options. It often comes down to a marriage between totally customized and elements available off the shelf. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Web enablement of applications that run on the IBM i operating system using PHP has caught on in many System i shops during the past two years since it became available. As expected, new developments in this area continue to stoke this fire. Last week brought several new advances worth a closer look. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The consequences of security failures have organizations searching for best practices and guidelines for keeping the lid on this cauldron of dangerous susceptibility. FIPS validation, once associated only with government contract, has become an important seal of approval for many companies operating in global IT markets and proactively protecting themselves from liability risks. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) I hate to say it, but BladeCenter blade server configurations aren't what they used to be. That's because they used to be free to System i shops in upgrade mode. Although the free offer is history, there remains some discounting that will help customers leaning toward the blade persuasion. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(IBM) Migrating from internal to external disks, along with storage performance and high availability enhancements are covered in this report on the IBM DS8000 and DS6000 system storage devices. The information includes planning and implementing with IBM System i. READ MORE >

(IBM) System i integration with BladeCenter and System x allows businesses to operate heterogeneous environments that include Intel-compatible servers running VMware ESX Server in addition to core business applications on the i. Topics include planning and sizing, installation, backup and recovery, and managing the integrated ESX server. READ MORE >

(IBM) This publication describes best practices and recommendations for managing jobs and spooled output on the IBM i. It provides an overview of the various controls within the i operating system that can be configured to adjust the limits for spooled output and jobs. It also provides recommendations for setting these values. 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 25 & 26 -- Dallas, Texas - COMMON Directions 2008 is a two-day educational conference offering 50-plus i5/OS educational sessions on a variety of leading-edge topics, presented by some of the most respected speakers in the industry. Presented by the world's largest user group of System i (now Power Systems) professionals, this smaller version of the annual COMMON Conference and Expo is designed to maximize i5/OS education while minimizing time away from the office. LEARN MORE >

September 30 -- Independence, Ohio - Designing dashboards will be the highlighted topic during the Application Systems Users Group of Greater Cleveland meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. and takes place at Harry's Steakhouse. Guest speaker is Andrew Proctor, the administrative director of medical operations at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Proctor will discuss business intelligence that aids management with strategic and operational decision making. LEARN MORE >

October 2 -- Webcast - The modernization of mission-critical RPG and COBOL applications is happening every day. This online session, hosted by LANSA Product Manager David Brault, presents the real-life stories of how a university and an agricultural software company are modernizing legacy applications without changing a line of code. Both organizations have modernized applications using LANSA's RAMP to increase productivity. And in each case, the applications can execute against IBM i, Windows, Unix, or Linux servers, or in a Web browser. The session, titled "Companies Discover the Hidden Value of their Legacy Applications," begins at 11 a.m. CDT. LEARN MORE >

October 5-8 -- Burlingame, California - COMMON Focus 2008 is a workshop-style conference event, featuring three days of intense, focused education through all-day workshops. It will offer at least 15 all-day educational workshops, both in-lab and lecture-style formats, providing in-depth i5/OS education across a wide range of topic areas. It is set up so attendees attend only one workshop per day, providing specifically focused and in-depth topic coverage. This event, presented by the by the world's largest user group of System i (now Power Systems) professionals, is designed for more one-on-one interaction with the speakers and other attendees. LEARN MORE >

October 19-22 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - IBM i development technologies and learning the skills to implement them will be presented at the RPG & DB2 Summit. The developer-oriented educational conference is hosted by System i Developer, a training organization headed by noted RPG and DB2 experts Jon Paris, Susan Gantner, Paul Tuohy, and Skip Marchesani. Sessions will include topics such as RDi development tools and IBM i 6.1, WDSc/RSE, ILE, SQL, RPG IV, DB2, PHP and XML. The instructor staff also includes many other well-known subject experts, including IBM's George Farr, who will also give a keynote address revealing the latest IBM developments relevant to i programmers. Four optional half-day workshops, separate from the Summit, are also available. Registration for the RPG & DB2 Summit is $1295 ($1095 for alumni), if confirmed prior to October 4. The half-day workshops are priced at $250 for one workshop, or $325 for two. LEARN MORE >