Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Like waiting for your PC to reboot after a crash, it's taken a load of patience to finally reach Introduction Day for the Power processor-based, enterprise-grade blade servers. The GA date is November 30, but the first ones out the door will not support i5/OS. That's promised in early 2008--probably February or March. READ MORE >

(System iNews) There's nothing to fear, but fear itself, right? Well, what about a Power6 blade running AIX that's being priced at 10 grand? Doing a little price/performance comparison shopping with the existing System i offerings may put System i sales in a deeper funk. Then too, it might shine a light on the value of the i5/OS operating system. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Somewhere in the hallowed halls of IBM, where decisions like the one that split the System i division into two groups, a Power Systems Software unit was created within the Power Systems division. It doesn't operate like in the old days when operating systems and hardware were hand in glove. Things are different now and here's a peek at what's going on in those fancy conference rooms. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) How long has this been going on? A painfully long time. Let's just say Big Blue's struggle with its marketing and sales of the iSeries and System i servers has not gone unnoticed. So the announcement last week that the Vertical Industry Program that targets specific markets is showing promising results is certainly good news. How good? IBM is not really too specific about that, but the program is expanding. READ MORE >

(System iNews) IBM's opinion of its Vertical Industry Program an industry-specific approach to marketing and sales is that it has "dramatically outpaced projected success, launching over 160 sub-industries in more than 20 countries and exceeding financial targets." Examples of the successes are provided, but specifics relating to increased sales of System i boxes are not. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's been a little more than a year since high availability software maker, Vision Solutions, implemented its program that might be described as "if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em." They swallowed up two strong competitors--Lakeview Technology and iTera--and officials at the Southern California company report that sales are growing across geographies and in all sizes of businesses. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Like kids choosing up sides for a baseball game at recess, the game here is business intelligence and it's the IT businessmen choosing players for their teams. Oracle took Hyperion Solutions, then SAP snapped up Business Objects, and just last week IBM executives were all smiles as they picked Cognos to join the Big Blue machine. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Cross-platform security software makes sense in the multi-platform environments that most IT departments deal with on a daily basis. Wouldn't it also make sense to link System i security--beyond the basics--with the security information and event management (SIEM) products from tier-one vendors such as Cisco, Symantec, and others? Getting real-time reporting should be one of your priorities. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The word of the day is multi-platform. And the Four Hundred Monitor is here to spread the word. Just like sorting out cross-platform issues in the security area, as noted above, there are obstacles to be hurdled in multi-platform application development. Change management software is dealing with that in the System i environment now. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When System i pricing discounts reach the $50,000 range, that's usually enough to get the attention of some people who are already planning on doing some shopping between now and early next year. It's a good time to talk price/performance with your friendly IBM sales rep. Don't forget to remind him that the customer is always right. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Microsoft's Vista operating system for Windows Vista has been more than a small pain in the patootie for the developers of terminal emulation products. But if you are getting ready to replace Windows XP desktops with Vista-capable machines, here's some information you can factor into your decision-making process. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Today's active RPG programmers have expanded their application menus beyond the one-dimensional DB2/400 database and are preparing meals with hearty side dishes created from nutritious sources such as SQL Server and MySQL. Here's an application development program with realistic goals for creating programs that actually achieve business goals by integrating data from multiple sources. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Small and mid-size logistics companies hoping to run with the big dog freight companies can find advantages in the IT department rather than on the loading docks. For example, here's a transportation management system that is packaged with document management software. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) As far as I know, the IT industry doesn't have an equivalent to motorcycling's Iron Butt Award, which can be claimed by riding 1,000 miles with only stops for fuel and food. Now that's a statement about endurance. For System i vendors, getting to the one millionth software license is an achievement that says a lot about endurance as well. Congratulations ASNA DataGate. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's new. It's cool. It's IT Action Heroes. These aren't plastic toys that resemble Frank Soltis and Ray Ozzie on steroids. IT Action Heroes are real people you know and work with. Like Frank and Ray, though, they have rolled up their sleeves and done some outstanding IT work. Nominations are being accepted until December 10, so throw a hat in the ring today. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What kind of company uses multiple tape drives to back up its System i server and encrypts its back-up tapes as part of the process? That would be a pretty progressive organization, but there might still be a thing or two that IT department could learn about making that backup process sing. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(IBM & Databorough) This IBM redpaper covers the modernization and the maintainability of existing RPG applications. It discusses restructuring and reusing the RPG application's business logic and application data model and demonstrates how to write programs to use information stored in the cross-reference repository. READ MORE >

(LANSA) This report covers an application modernization approach called RAMP (Rapid Application Modernization Process), which was designed by the long-time iSeries software vendor LANSA. The company describes RAMP as capturing the best aspects of application refacing and system replacement while regenerating legacy iSeries applications into a graphical application framework that is architected for future expansion. READ MORE >

(Aldon) Choosing automated versus manual deployment processes during application development seems like it would be easy. The purpose of this report is to explain the benefits of automatically packaging and distributing code or content files to target locations during each stage of the development cycle. READ MORE >

(IBM) Cross-site mirroring--the replication of data at multiple sites in order to provide high availability and disaster recovery--is the topic of this technical paper. Topics of consideration include panning and installation, clustering, independent auxiliary storage pools, site object tracking, operations and performance considerations, and troubleshooting. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

November 15 -- Webinar - Learn to track and report on changes to your database files for regulatory compliance management or internal control requirements during this online session hosted by ProData Computer Services. ProData's DBU Audit software will be the focus of a presentation that explains the benefits of data stored in journals rather than spooled files and how this simplifies the tracking and reporting of database file changes. The event begins at 2 p.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

November 15 -- Webinar - Extending legacy applications to increase functionality and intuitiveness will be discussed in this online presentation by David Brault, product manager at LANSA. Highlighted in this session will be several examples of businesses that have transformed applications quickly and without major disruptions to their users. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CDT. An additional Webinar, featuring additional customer deployments, will be held November 28. LEARN MORE >

November 15 -- Webcast - Experts from IBM and Vision Solutions will present information on how to upgrade System i hardware (that includes iSeries and AS/400) and i5/OS (and OS/400, too) operating systems to the new Power 6 server. This process makes use of Vision Solutions' Migrate While Active software that is designed to eliminate the downtime and hassles typically associated with an upgrade. The session begins at 8 a.m. PST. LEARN MORE >

November 16 -- College Park, Maryland - The Washington Area Midrange Users Group will host its annual JAM, a technical conference for users, managers, and administrators of IBM OS/400, i5/OS, and AIX/L. Session topics include: systems management, application development, iSeries Web Access, SQL, RPG ILE, Java/WebSphere, and others. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Madison, Wisconsin - The latest i5 hardware and software announcements will be covered during the monthly meeting of the Madison Area Midrange Systems Users Group meeting. Maureen Mueller of IBM will be the guest speaker. The event begins at 8 a.m. and wraps up at 11 a.m. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Atlanta, Georgia - WebSphere Development Studio client for iSeries (WDSc) the Eclipse-based workbench from IBM has many tools that have nothing to do with WebSphere or Web development. This full-day session concentrates on the specific tools that are targeted to RPG programmers -- tools to replace SEU and PDM, for example. RPG experts Jon Paris and Susan Gantner will be presenting this training class, and registration fees for AMCU members are $160. The event will be held at the IBM Hillside offices. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Webcast - Encrypting iSeries data using in Linoma Software's Crypto Complete is the topic of this product demonstration. The discussion focuses on protecting sensitive iSeries database fields through strong encryption technology and integrated key management. This session begins at noon EST. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Irving, Texas - Understanding enterprise modernization and focusing on a higher level of IT strategy is the first of a two-session presentation by guest speaker Trevor Perry. His second session is a discussion of topics that can assist you in being an IT survivor. A review of past trends may give clues to maintaining current skills and developing new skills. These presentations are the highlight of the Metro Midrange Systems Association, a user group for the Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 and Perry's presentations beginning at 6:45. MMSA meetings are held at the Radisson Hotel DFW South. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Webcast - Security comes in an integrated software package providing powerful protection, systems management and auditing features. This session provides a product demonstration of Bsafe/Enterprise Security software and shows how its functionality can be divided into functions that stop undesirable activity and provide auditing and reporting features. The event begins at 10 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

November 21 -- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - Two sessions are scheduled for the monthly meeting of the Toronto User Group this month. The first will be IBM's Alison Butterill, who will be discussing PHP for Web application development on System i. Her session begins at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m. Trevor Perry will present "How to be an IT Survivor," his view of past trends and necessary future skills. LEARN MORE >

November 28 -- Webinar - Extending legacy applications to increase functionality and intuitiveness will be discussed in this online presentation by David Brault, product manager at LANSA. Highlighted in this session will be several examples of businesses that have transformed applications quickly and without major disruptions to their users. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

November 28 -- Independence, Ohio - DB2 Web Query for System i 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. Topics on the agenda include migrating or converting Query/400 applications, creating dashboards, analyzing reports through slicing, dicing and drilling into data, and working off-line or in disconnected mode. Guest speaker is IBM's Jackie Jensen. LEARN MORE >

November 30 -- St. Louis, Missouri - A one-day application modernization technical seminar focusing on the service oriented architecture, Web services, and extending the value of RPG-based applications and OS/400-based system hardware is being presented by ASNA. This event provides an introduction to Web Services and service oriented architecture while emphasizing team's skills. LEARN MORE >