Note: The code accompanying this article is available for download here.

A while back, I was working on a project that required an e-mail to be sent with a resulting spool file as an attachment and with a specific subject line and specific message body. I had no trouble figuring out how to send the spool file as a document and how to create the message body. The hard part was customizing the subject line of the e-mail. This was important because the subject line would have provided the users a hint about the urgency of the task they

If you happen to see a bald-headed old geezer staring at a shelf at the local home-improvement warehouse (motto: you can do it; we can laugh), that’s me. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’m foolish enough to think I’ll recognize it when I see it. My methodology is something like searching a database using wildcard characters, which is what today’s tip is about.

You probably know that database query interfaces typically allow for two types of wildcards: a wildcard that matches exactly one character; and a wildcard that matches zero or more characters. In SQL, my database

Unlike Windows servers, which can be rebooted several times a year, i5, iSeries, and AS/400 partitions are so legendarily reliable that IPLing one can become an event. And like any good event, it takes some planning to prepare for the opportunities and risks an IPL presents. To aid you in that planning, here’s my list of things to consider when you’re ready to restart a partition.

The IPL Roadmap

For the uninitiated, an i5/OS IPL is similar to a Windows reboot, which is when the operating system and machine are taken down and restarted. During an i5 restart, PTFs (operating