IBM issued several integrity PTFs last September to fix a security vulnerability in OS/400 and i5/OS V5R3 and V5R3M5. The problem, called the OS/400 Connection Reset Denial of Service Vulnerability, can be exploited by hackers to reset established TCP connections on iSeries and System i servers, according to security firm Secunia, which gave the vulnerability a “less critical” rating.

IBM issued four Program Temporary Fixes (PTFs) on September 26 to fix the problem, in which an established TCP connection can be reset by sending a specially crafted TCP packet. It appears that a hacker could potentially use this technique

LXI Enterprise Storage will resell FalconStor‘s virtual tape library (VTL) products as part of a new partnership the companies unveiled last week. While LXI previously sold its own VTL into its largely iSeries customer base, the FalconStor VTL solution is simply superior, and offers better scalability and performance, particularly during recoveries, an LXI official said.

It’s been almost two years since LXI bought certain assets of storage device maker T.D. Systems and began selling the LXI3200 VT/L to users of MMS, its OS/400-based backup and recovery software. “We had a VTL solution, but what we were finding was the

Lawson Software along with its partner Deloitte Consulting, recently introduced to the United States market an OS/400-based enterprise asset management (EAM) solution that had been sold in Europe and Asia for years. In other news, Lawson reported a net loss in the second quarter, and hopefully has taken the last of the lumps associated with the Intentia merger.

Lawson’s EAM solution was previously only sold in Europe. Now that the United States is gaining a stiffer regulatory climate, which has been the norm in Europe for years, Lawson decided to unhook EAM from the Europe, Middle East, and Asia

Seagull Software last week unveiled a number of new HTML capabilities in BlueZone Access Server, the new name it has given to the Host Access Server it obtained in its acquisition of Farabi last year. People can use the emulator with their choice of Web browser under the new version 4.1 release.

BlueZone Access Server is a three-tier emulator that provides users with secure access to hosts from a Web browser, either from a pure HTML client that loads in any Web browser (a new feature) or from an ActiveX control that loads in the Internet Explorer Web browser. The

Group 1 Software recently unveiled GeoTAX Enterprise Tax Management, a new software product designed to get rid of the guesswork in figuring out tax jurisdiction assignment, payroll, business personal property, and insurance premium taxes.

The GeoTAX Enterprise Tax Management solution is based on Group 1’s existing GeoTAX product, which helps companies assign sales tax jurisdiction for hundreds of millions of bills per month,. It is being used by some very large telecommunication companies. The new GeoTAX Enterprise Tax Management product now provides the same type of functionality for payroll, business personal property, and insurance premium taxes.

Group 1 says GeoTAX

CommercialWare this week unveiled CWSerenade, a new Java-based multi-channel merchandise management system intended as the upgrade for users of the company’s old RPG-based application, called CWDirect (formerly Mozart).

CWSerenade, which CommercialWare calls “an evolution” of CWDirect, satisfies a range of requirements for retailers that operate in several sales channels, including order management, fulfillment, customer service, warehousing, inventory control, merchandising, marketing, and finance.

Existing CWDirect users can upgrade to the new CWSerenade application with a minimal amount of trouble because the applications share common databases, screens, and logic, the company says. Customers can install the software on their choice of Java-enabled

Cybele Software recently unveiled a new release of z/Scope Classic, a Windows-based terminal emulator for accessing OS/400, mainframe, and Unix hosts. With version 6, the product now supports VT100, VT420 (DEC), and SSH emulation.

Cybele Software sells several products for accessing and integrating legacy applications. Its z/Scope product line includes several emulators designed to access certain host types, such as z/Scope Express for 5250. Customers that only need to use the IBM 5250 and 3270 protocols have a solution in the z/Scope Warp product, while z/Scope Classic, with version 6, adds Unix emulation to the mix, as well as an

CA last week issued security updates that fix several vulnerabilities in BrightStor ARCserve Backup, its multi-platform backup and recovery software.

On Thursday, CA notified customers about the vulnerabilities in several versions of the BrightStor ARCserve Backup product line, including versions 9 through 11, as well as its CA Protection Suites r2 product. The flaws were reported to CA by several companies, and could have allowed an attacker to take complete control of an affected system, according to Secunia, a security firm based in Denmark, which gave the flaws a “moderately critical” rating.

CA posted updates that fixed the problems

Service oriented architecture (SOA) software developer SOA Software made big gains in the SAP ecosystem this week when it announced its products has been certified by SAP, that it has joined the software giant’s partner program, and that it will participate in SAP’s Enterprise Services Community.

SAP launched the Enterprise Services Community in April 2006 to address some of the business and technical challenges in building multi-vendor SOA environments. The group set out with intentions to use SOA in three specific uses–the banking industry, radio frequency identification (RFID), and geospatial information systems. Since then, it has scoped out specific ways

IBM yesterday announced plans to open two centers, in Dubai and France, dedicated to the pursuit of service oriented architecture (SOA) technology. Big Blue expects eventually to have eight SOA centers around the world, in Asia, North America, South America, and Northern Europe.

According to IBM, the new centers will serve as a focal point for the training, implementation, and demonstration of SOA technology, both developed by IBM and by its partners. The centers will be staffed by IBM SOA experts, and will also count university students and representatives of ISVs as participants.

“Opening these centers is a direct response