PASE is the AIX runtime environment that is integrated into the IBM i operating system. Most IBM i community members know of it. Comparatively few actually know it. It’s not a wild guess to say most IBM midrange shops that use the TCP/IP networking stack, the Java virtual machine, the Apache Web server, or the PHP runtime are unaware that these were crafted for AIX and are running inside of PASE. There’s reason to believe that PASE awareness may be on the rise. What’s that mean, if anything, to you?

PASE brings added functionality to the IBM i OS by

Equity Speaks: Q&A With The H.I.G. On HelpSystems

As expected, H.I.G. Capital‘s plan to acquire HelpSytsems cleared all regulatory hurdles, and the deal was finalized last week. In a Q&A with IT Jungle, the H.I.G. partners in charge of the deal elaborate on plans for HelpSystems, as well as their view of the IBM i market and the IBM Power Systems server.

Fraser Preston, a managing director at H.I.G., and Aaron Tolson, a principal, were the main drivers of the deal to buy HelpSystems from Summit Partners, which was announced in August. Preston and Tolson agreed to

IBM Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) found a front row seat during the IBM i Technology Refresh announcements this month because of its new tiered storage capabilities. IBM i Chief Architect Steve Will made note of it in his most recent You and i blog, which featured Will’s picks for top news items among the early October IBM announcements. That tells me IBM i customers have been delivering a message or two about what BRMS needed.

From Will’s blog: “Until recently, there was a rather simple ‘tiered storage’ capability in BRMS that would detect how frequently a library was

The solemn pod arcs in unison and disappears beneath blue water, leaving telltale plumes dancing in the breeze. I’m perched on weather-carved rocks on the extreme southern end of a small Canadian island called Saturna, watching a pod of killer whales sweep around the point. They pass by a mere stone’s throw from shore, on their way to ancient feeding grounds. But they are not alone. A hundred yards beyond, a picket line of boats filled with grasping tourists tracks their every breach.

Once hunted, they are now annoyed. Once victims of persistent greed, they now endure persistent curiosity. From

It may seem like the only thing that IBM cares about lately in the Power Systems business is boosting its Linux-based L and LC series lines. But as the latest Technology Refresh updates from October 5 demonstrate (which we have reported on extensively at IT Jungle in the past two weeks), Big Blue is keen on updating the software stack on which IBM i shops depend. And in some cases, this also includes the hypervisor and management tools, as well as Linux running next to IBM i.

In announcement letter 215-262, IBM is updating the PowerVM hypervisor that it