Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Bytware, a well-known developer of security and management tools for the i OS platform, was just this week purchased by Help/Systems, another household name in the System i ecosystem. Help/Systems has been on somewhat of an acquisition feeding frenzy. About a month ago, it latched onto i OS security tool vendor, PowerTech, and two years ago it acquired Advanced Systems Concepts (ASC), a company best known for its data access product. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Day-to-day business priorities in most System i shops keeps IT staff with their backs to the wall. Companies realize there are issues relating to application and data integration that need to be fixed through modernization, but they also recognize the limitations of their existing systems. The reasons most companies haven't moved forward with modernization projects comes down to an inability to clearly map out a plan, a budget, or a commitment of staff to get the job done. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When an enterprise resource management software company makes a strategic decision to convert from a System i focus to a Windows focus in order to attract new customers, what message does that send to the System i installed base it has built over the years? Well, it should come as no surprise. This isn't the first time a software company has made such a move. Support for the System i will not dry up overnight, but what about the long term? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) We hear the words new and improved a little too often to put much faith in what they might actually mean in relation to value provided, especially when a lack of evidence keeps us sufficiently in the dark. That's why you might like to have some facts when comparing the System i5 570 machines from 2006 with the new Power 570 machines of 2008. Do you get more for your money or less? READ MORE >

(System iNews) Some folks believe open source is a non-issue in the System i environment, because porting open source applications to the platform is a nightmare no one needs to live out. Would a wooden stake in the heart of that rumor be enough to kill it? Probably not. But here's a Website--a programmer's dream, no less--that promises to reveal the open source potential on IBM i. Young System i professionals, take note. READ MORE >

(Search400) In this interview, Vision Solutions' CEO Nicolaas Vlok discusses how his company has been affected by the unification of System i and System p under the Power Systems banner. In his comments, Vlok calls IBM's Power Systems move "a pretty good business decision," and he makes note of how "the i community is presented with a great opportunity to expand into AIX." READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Dating back to the time when JD Edwards software only ran on the AS/400, there remains a large group of JDE users who have remained on the platform and, therefore, running DB2. It hasn't been an exclusively AS/400, iSeries, or System i environment in JDE shops for quite some time. JDE on Unix and Windows with Oracle and SQL Server databases are quite common. All will have their performance issues from time to time, and here's one good idea on how to deal with those. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Like a dog with an eye on the local butcher shop, system administrators in System i shops keep an eye on their servers--always prepared for the unexpected. Sorting through messages is a tedious and time-consuming task, and that's why there is message management software. It's automation that lets people do more productive things, and that automation is getting better and better. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM's WebFacing Tool has helped some companies Web enable their RPG applications. IBM says so, so it must be true. However, you won't find the Farmers Cooperative of Iowa in the WebFacing Tool Fan Club. They tried it and found it didn't get them where they needed to go. So here's what they did instead. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The JD Edwards user conference, OpenWorld, is always the right time and the right place for making product announcements. So it's no surprise that last week a few announcements were uncorked. In terms of product enhancements, the emphasis was on financial management, supply chain management, and human resources modules. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The biggest provider of ERP software for the IBM i platform is not JD Edwards. It's Infor, a company that for years has gobbled up ERP software companies like they were Halloween candy. Last week, Infor announced a software upgrade for the ERP suite once known as MAPICS. That software is now called ERP XA, and the latest enhancements covering features such as inventory management and query and reporting. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Aldon) IT departments are naturally built on a multi-platform system. There are no single platform solutions anymore. But in many cases, the building of a multi-platform development process puts the System i platform in the center. That allows the platform's traditional strengths of reliability, security, development productivity, ease-of-use, and management to combine with new technological advances including WebSphere, Java, Linux, SOA and more. However, multi-platform development has its challenges. This white paper talks about challenges and solutions for the multi-platform environment. READ MORE >

(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

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 7 -- Southfield, Michigan - An introduction to systems management and the IBM i will be presented at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting of the Southeast Michigan iSeries User Group. Guest speaker is Bob Padzieski. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at IBM Southfield offices located at 18000 West Nine Mile Road. LEARN MORE >

October 9 -- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin - Thinking inside the box is the topic of discussion that puts HarrisData's successful creation of browser-enabled applications in the spotlight. Greg Walker, the vice president of product development for HarrisData, will be the guest speaker. Walker has been with HarrisData for the past 27 years and has been involved in the IBM Midrange since 1975. His session will highlight how trusted code is developed in RPG on the IBM i. A session beginning at 4:30 p.m. will feature a high-level overview of the architecture and concepts and an explanation of what was done and why. It will also cover system requirements, cost, and return on investment information. A second session, at 7:30 p.m., will go deeper into the technical issues with a discussion on the separation of the business logic from the user interface and the addition of embedded SQL within our RPG code. Also included in this session will be the use of subprocedures and prototypes and the design of the architecture that allows flexibility in Web-enabling software with just about any browser-based logic, including NET.DATA, PHP, Python, and others. In between the two sessions is dinner and networking with the members. LEARN MORE >

October 9 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Barb Brown, a confessed system i bigot, devoted advocate for service oriented architecture and professional problem-solver, will discuss the System i Navigator as a database admin tool. Her presentation will include tips on how to use the basic visual explain features, the basic database mapping features, and understanding the key role of the database in developing an SOA strategy. The meeting is hosted by the Gateway/400 Group, an iSeries user group serving the greater St. Louis area. The meeting time is 11:30 a.m. with lunch at noon and the presentation following lunch. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. LEARN MORE >

October 15 -- Seekonk, Massachusetts - Paperless solutions for the System i presented by Dennis Sylvestre of Quadrant Software, is the featured topic at the monthly meeting of the New England Midrange Users Group. This presentation addresses the planning and implementation of document management, imaging, workflow and related solutions. The session combines the business strategies behind paperless process management with case study examples. The meeting is held at the Ramada Inn and begins at 5:15 p.m. 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 >