Since the entry Power8 machines launched early last year, we have been arguing that Big Blue needs to offer IBM i on a larger span of the Power Systems machines it has in the portfolio. Customers should be able to device which is the best box for them, just like Linux and AIX shops, rather than have IBM decide that for them ahead of time. IBM’s desire to help managed service providers build denser and cheaper clusters seems to be playing into the favor of IBM i shops that want to run their own machines.

This is a good side

Whether or not the majority of IBM i shops have an interest in SQL, IBM continues to make database enhancements its top priority as it rolls out new Technology Refreshes for its eponymous Power Systems operating system. The fact that Big Blue makes the DB2 for i database a priority is an indicator of its importance at the heart of the system. The i 7.1 TR11 and i 7.2 TR3 enhancements keep the database heart beating strong.

Ever since the TR program launched with the release of IBM i 7.1 TR1 in September 2010, we’ve seen database enhancements take the

IBM i shops that are feeling crunched by exploding data volumes may want to check out the latest LTO Generation 7 tape drives that will soon be available from IBM and other manufacturers. Sporting a native capacity of 6 TB per cartridge and a data transfer rate of 300 MB per second, the new LTO 7 drives and media offer twice the capacity and performance of LTO 6 gear, and present a bargain for those demanding low-cost, long-term retention of massive datasets.

The LTO Consortium unveiled the final LTO 7 specifications in September, and they were down from the original

PHP brings multi-platform capabilities, but for many IT Jungle readers it’s all about the IBM i and the RPG green-screen applications that are being lined up and converted to browser-based apps using open source PHP. The popularity of PHP in the IBM midrange community continues to grow. It’s undeniably the most successful open source story in the community. Along with that is the partnership between Zend Technologies and BCD Software. It continues to grow as well.

BCD and Zend last week announced a stronger bond in their business relationship, which has been in place for three years. For BCD,

Next year is when IBM will start rolling out its Power8+ chips, and since the Power8 chips have been in the field since April 2014, it is no surprise that Big Blue is winding down the Power7+ processors that date from October 2012. But if you have a Power7+ system and want parts, or have reasons to add Power7 machines to your fleet, you still have some time on selected models.

In announcement letter 915-205, which came out on September 29, IBM warns customers and business partners that it will be removing the remaining Power7+ machines that have not