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OS/400 Edition
Volume 2, Number 3 -- Jan 24, 2003
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Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(Guild Companies) IBM popped the champagne corks this week as it premiered an updated iSeries product line--a major hardware announcement. Not only did Big Blue add new iron to the line, it significantly revamped the iSeries pricing and packaging model that makes the iSeries absolutely competitive with the Unix midrange and invites dollar-for-dollar comparisons with Windows and Linux servers. There are two new editions (Standard and Enterprise) of the OS/400 software stack, capacity on demand availability on all but the smallest machines, fewer software tiers, and projected price decreases inspired by Green Streak. And while IBM hasn't exactly removed the 5250 governors from the iSeries line, it has repackaged 5250 green-screen support in a way that should make customers happier.


(Guild Companies) One of the traditional limitations of iSeries disk drives is that their controllers couldn't support the higher capacity drives without slowing down performance in an OLTP environment. But IBM may have solved this problem with the introduction of two new controllers that allow customers to operate with fewer arms and use the fatter SCSI disk drives that vendors such as Seagate Technology and Hitachi offer server manufacturers like IBM. And as a not-so-insignificant side-note, the cost per MB on these disks is a lot lower than on traditional OS/400 DASD, which should have a big impact on iSeries budgets. IBM's RAID5 controllers can plug into the new iSeries servers via PCI-X slots or into new and old iSeries servers via PCI-X expansion towers.
(Lotus Advisor) To make it easier for customers to find and choose Lotus products, IBM Lotus Software will adopt new names for several products during 2003. Notes and Domino software names remain unchanged, but IBM will change several Lotus product names with the next major release of each product. New product names include IBM Lotus Instant Messaging (Lotus Sametime, instant messaging components), IBM Lotus Web Conferencing (Lotus Sametime, e-meeting components), and IBM Lotus Team Workplace (Lotus QuickPlace).
(Insider Weekly) In order to make it more affordable for iSeries shops, Big Blue also dropped its price point for the WebSphere Application Server (WAS) this week. IBM is including one license for WAS V5.0 Express with both the Standard and Advanced Edition Option Packages for low-end Model 800s as well as for the larger i810, i825, i870, and i890 boxes. For the larger models, buyers can choose between a WAS Express license or a WAS V5.0 license.
(iSeries Network) As another part of this week's announcement, IBM officials said the company will replace its Software Subscription and Software Support Line with a new offering called Software Maintenance, which combines the two plans. The new plan will go into effect January 28. It entitles customers to new versions, releases, and modifications to OS/400 and related products as well as remote technical support.
(New York Times) How big is the iSeries announcement? Big enough that even the New York Times is covering it. In Monday's Technology section, the Times had a short article on the announcement that contained a few details other computer-industry authors may have missed. The Times reported that IBM would spend $500 million dollars over the next two years on applied research and development, marketing, and programs to work with software developers and business partners. The other interesting tidbit the Times noted is that the lowest priced iSeries machines will start at $9,995, which really would make them competitive with Intel boxes.
(ZDNet Australia) If the iSeries is to be successful outside its core customer base, it has to be evaluated and accepted by the non-iSeries world. ZDNet News & Technology looked at the announcement and proclaimed it "...the biggest iSeries announcement since the machine was launched, as the AS/400, in 1988." They reported that analyst reaction is positive, but ZDNet is withholding judgment until it sees the new servers' effect on the iSeries bottom line. And ZDNet is probably the first group to question whether IBM is "doing a Warp" with the iSeries, possibly repeating Big Blue's costly mid-1990s effort to promote OS/2 against the rise of Windows.
(Guild Companies) Al Zollar, the new general manager of the iSeries line within IBM's Server Group, is unfamiliar to many people in the OS/400 marketplace. However, he did compete successfully against Microsoft in the groupware and messaging marketplace, which earned him the plum assignment of taking over an iSeries organization that is several times larger than Lotus; an organization, we might add, which just launched a revamped line that has possibly set the stage for a platform resurgence. To introduce Al to the OS/400 faithful, Timothy Prickett Morgan sat down with Zollar and asked him some point-blank questions about the iSeries, how his experience with Lotus applies to the iSeries, and what he hopes to accomplish in his tenure on the platform.
(Guild Companies) Fast and furious, here's the latest industry scoop from this week's But Wait, There's More section: IBM reported 4Q revenues were up 7 percent for the quarter but down 2.3 percent for the year, with iSeries sales dropping 13 percent; Buell Duncan pulled off a classy exit from the iSeries world with a personal email to members of the iSeries Nation last week. Midrange Performance Group's announced that its Performance Navigator capacity planning and performance management product would support all the new iSeries hardware IBM announced on January 20. Aldon Computer Group opened its international headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. The COMMON user group announced it was adding an Availability/Business Continuity "course of study" to its Spring conference in Indianapolis. Global Software and Computer Configuration Services announced a strategic partnership, whereby CCS will become a reseller of Global's Spreadsheet Server for BPCS while Global endorses CCS to customers needing iSeries hardware. And in the category of you've-got-to-see-this-to-believe-it, we guarantee a chuckle after you read about the Operating System Sucks-Rules-O-Meter Web site, which takes a novel approach to gauging operating system popularity.

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Vendor Announcements, Promotions And Deals

(Guild Companies) There are a number of new wireless-capable thin-client terminals available, as three established thin-client vendors--Affirmative Computer Products, Computer Lab International, and NLynx Technologies--all recently announced new product offerings that feature the Windows CE embedded operating system, 5250 emulation software, and 802.1 1b wireless local area network connectivity.


(Guild Companies) Midrange vendor Island Pacific unleashed a tsunami of announcements at the National Retail Federation convention in New York last week. First, the company announced partnerships with KMG Solutions, VisionCompass, and Wazagua, as well as an alliance with Planalytics and an OEM agreement with Raymark. The company also announced it has a new president, Steven Beck, and it has appointed industry veteran Harvey Braun as its new chief executive. To put the icing on the cake, the company also celebrated two big customer sales--footwear retailer The Walking Company and women's clothing retailer Group USA. Now that's the way to let people know you're here.
(Guild Companies) iSeries tape management specialists LXI Corp. last week announced that OS/400 shops can now get the performance benefits of using IBM's 3580 LTO Ultrium tape drives without actually buying one. LXI says the new 3580 emulation capability in its OmniServe bridge/router allows OS/400 servers to "see" non-IBM LTO tape drives as if they were full-fledged IBM drives, providing up to a 20-percent increase in data transfer speeds.
(Guild Companies) Logility recently announced an upgrade to Logility Voyager Solutions, its suite of supply chain software for OS/400, Unix, and Windows servers. Version 6.5 is the first major update of the suite since the software was ported to OS/400 two years ago. It features a new component, called Voyager Navigate, that's designed to give companies a real-time view into supply chain activities and help them apply their workers' efforts in the most effective manner.
(Guild Companies) Magic Software entered the enterprise application integration (EAI) market last week by unveiling a new software solution plan called iBOLT. Magic's iBOLT plan calls for new products, new partnerships with integration specialists, and an enhanced support organization. Based on Magic's eDeveloper fourth-generation language development environment, the iBOLT will feature GUI-development tools and a wide range of adapters and connectors to ERP, CRM, supply chain management (SCM), databases, and homegrown solutions. The iBOLT product release is slated to start "in the coming weeks" but there wasn't any solid timeframe or specific product names at press time.
(Guild Companies) This week's News and Briefs section covers current OS/400 events including Business Computer Design International's announcement for ProGen WebSmart Original Edition 3.03, the newest release of BCD's OS/400-based common gateway interface (CGI) Web application development and deployment environment. Business process integration vendor Metaserver's also launched the P/C Carrier Integration Solution, a package that is designed to help insurance companies streamline their operations. Crossroads Systems announced the general availability of its ServerAttach SA40 storage router that allows older AS/400 technology to participate in Fibre Channel-based storage area networks (SANs). Meanwhile, Transaxiom and INTTRA announced that Transaxiom's axsFreight transportation software can now directly access the INTTRA-LINK software application for managing a majority of the world's global ocean containerized shipments. 360Commerce, a developer of enterprise software for retailers, and labor management software provider Kronos announced the creation of an interface that links 360Store and 360Enterprise--360Commerce's Java-based software for retailers--with Workforce Timekeeper, Kronos' Java-based attendance management and payroll creation software package. And California Software put its competitors on notice by offering users of competitive 5250 and 3270 emulation programs, such as those offered by Attachmate and NetManage, "free" licenses for its BABY/ACCESS product. To get the license, companies must sign a maintenance contract with California Software.

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New Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Aldon Computer Group) Aldon is offering free white papers on Application Modernization, Source Control Management tools, and TestBench for iSeries integration with Aldon/CMS. You can download these papers from Aldon's site after visiting a registration page.


(Bytware and Search400.com) "Networthy iSeries" examines recent studies in iSeries security breaches in order to present solutions for protecting your data. The white paper demonstrates how the iSeries functions in a borderless network, highlighting the vulnerabilities that are present in the Internet world. Registration required.
(IBM) With WebSphere Express for iSeries due to go generally available (GA) on January 24, the Draft Redbook "IBM WebSphere Application Server - Express Handbook" is available just in time. The book focuses on getting started with Express, application design, how to use WebSphere Studio Site Developer, and other techniques.
(IBM) Another IBM Redbook, "Bring PHP to Your eserver iSeries Server,"is a good read for those interested in Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), a server-side scripting language for the Apache Web server. It allows Apache to process database information and to create dynamic Web pages through embedded PHP language statements in your HTML code. This Redbook documents how to download, compile, install, and configure both PHP v4.3.0 and v4.2.2 for use inside iSeries.
(Perle Systems and Search400.com) A white paper titled "TCP/IP connectivity in AS/400 Wide Area Networks" explores four options for integrating TCP/IP into the iSeries operating system. This paper runs the TCP/IP configuration gamut, including implementing a TCP/IP-only network, implementing a combined TCP/IP-SNA network, using a gateway product, and implementing AnyNet.

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Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

January 26-30 -- Get current with everything that is Lotus at IBM Lotusphere 2003 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. For more information, go to http://www.lotus.com/lotusphere/orlando.nsf/wdocs/lshome03 .


Now through February 28 -- IBM presents "iSeries and the e-Business on Demand Era," a one-day traveling road show presented in 72 venues across North America. IBM will discuss its 2003 product strategy and explain how the iSeries delivers an on-demand computing environment to manage multiple operating systems, including WebSphere, Linux, Windows, and OS/400. Registration is free. Go to http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/education/ondemand/ for more information and dates in your area.
February 3-5 -- The Washington Area Midrange Users Group is presenting an "AS/400 and iSeries Security Fundamentals" full-day seminar with Wayne Evans, iSeries security expert. Wayne will discuss ways you can more effectively manage critical security issues on your AS/400s. Cost is $250 for non-members and $225 for members. The seminar will be presented in Richmond, Virginia, on February 3; College Park, Maryland, on February 4; and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, on February 5. For more information, go to http://www.wash-midrange.org/evans0302.html .
February 4-26 -- Business-to-business integration vendor Tamgroup will present a number of Webinars on iSeries and B2B topics during February. Seminars topics include an overview of IBM's latest iSeries announcement, Portal 101 and Portal 201, B2B Integration, and Content Management. Go to http://www.tamgroup.com/www/registration.jsp?iSeries=1 to register.
February 10-13 -- Help/Systems will host its twelfth annual iSeries Operations Automation User Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference agenda ranges from formal discussions on the future of the iSeries to personal development topics. To learn more and register, go to http://www.helpsystems.com/education/userconf.html .
February 16-19 -- IBM will be hosting PartnerWorld 2003, its annual conference and expo in New Orleans, Louisiana. The three-day event allows IBM Business Partners and IBM executives to network and exchange ideas. For more information, go to http://www-1.ibm.com/partnerworld/pwhome.nsf/weblook/pw2003_index.html .
March 5-7 -- Registration is open for ASNApalooza 2003 in San Antonio, Texas. ASNApalooza is three days of ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) instruction and technical insight. For more information, go to http://palooza.asna.com .
March 9-13 -- The COMMON User Group will present its Spring 2003 Conference & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. COMMON is the best place for OS/400 professionals to get the technical information they need to do their jobs. Meet industry experts, attend hands-on labs, exchange information with fellow professionals, attend a multitude of educational tracks, and get real-world solutions at the vendor expo. COMMON has been the finest venue for OS/400 education over the past two decades, and it's still going strong. For more information and registration, go to http://www.common.org/Conferences/conf.html .
Continuous -- A previously recorded Webcast featuring Doug Mack, product marketing specialist for DB2 UDB, as he discusses updates to V5R2's database and DB2 UDB compatibility with SQL stored procedures and includes tips and techniques to avoid performance degradation. Go to http://search400.com/r/0,,8726,00.htm to listen to this presentation.


Editor: Joe Hertvik
Managing Editor: Mari Barrett
Publisher and Advertising Director: Jenny Thomas
Advertising Sales Representative: Kim Reed
If you have a resource, event, or any other interesting item that you want to see publicized in Midrange Monitor, send an email to Joe Hertvik

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THIS ISSUE
SPONSORED BY:

Aldon Computer Group
T.L. Ashford
Snap-E Books
ASNA


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