• Taming SQL Queries with a CozTool

  October 14, 2015 Alex Woodie

  Bob Cozzi has done a lot with the IBM midrange server platform–probably more than most, including founding the platforms’ first publication and presiding over its largest user group at one point. But Cozzi may have top it all with his latest creation: A handy little database utility called SQL Query File that he developed and sells through his software company, CozTools. SQL Query File is a green-screen tool designed to let IBM i professionals quickly and easily query their DB2 for i database using standard SQL, right from the command line. You can cut the SQL you previously used

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• LANSA Delivers LongRange Support for Windows 10 . . . Got Mobile Server Monitoring? iEye, Captain . . . Shield Goes ASP with JQG4i

  October 14, 2015 Alex Woodie

  LANSA Delivers LongRange Support for Windows 10 IBM i shops that have Windows 10 devices in their mobile sites may want to check out LongRange, the LANSA development tool for IBM i customers. Last week LANSA announced that LongRange is the first IBM i-centric mobile development tool to support the creation of Windows apps that run on tablets and regular PCs. Steve Gapp, president of LANSA Americas, says the new Windows support marks a turning point for LongRange, which the Downers Grove, Illinois, company unveiled back in 2012 to streamline development of native mobile applications (as opposed to Web apps)

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• IBM i Added To Power S822, PurePower Systems

  October 12, 2015 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  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

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• IBM i Tech Refresh Reiterates Database Emphasis

  October 12, 2015 Dan Burger

  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

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• Capacious LTO Gen 7 Tape Storage Comes To Market

  October 12, 2015 Alex Woodie

  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

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• BCD And Zend Aim For Expanded PHP Development

  October 12, 2015 Dan Burger

  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,

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• IBM Mothballs The Last Of The Power7+ Servers

  October 12, 2015 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  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

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• IBM i Tech Refreshes Bring New Features to Explore

  October 7, 2015 Dan Burger

  The IBM software engineers have prepared another batch of IBM i-centric accomplishments that will be rolled out next month as IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh (TR) 11 and IBM i 7.2 TR 3. Application development, systems management, and database upgrades are all lined up at the innovation dispenser and this is what is being dished out. Companies with the mind to modernize their RPG development, incorporate some open source languages, and do more with the Apache Web server should pay attention. Although it’s not part of the Technology Refresh, there are also upgrades to the IBM i Access Client Solutions

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• Keeping Ransomware Out of the VAULT

  October 7, 2015 Alex Woodie

  Cyber-criminals are increasingly targeting small and midsize American businesses with ransomware that encrypts the contents of a PC or a server until the victim pays $500, $1,000, or more in untraceable Bitcoin. After several of United Computer Group‘s VAULT400 customers were hit with ransomware scams, the company decided to team up with the security training company KnowBe4 to teach VAULT400 customers how to avoid falling victim to a ransomware scam. A ransomware epidemic is spreading across the country, impacting organizations of all shapes and sizes. “Never before in the history of human kind have people across the world been

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• OpenLegacy: Go from Green to GUI for Twelve Bucks

  October 7, 2015 Alex Woodie

  OpenLegacy wants to modernize your 5250 screens for $12 to $20 each as part of a new service it unveiled this week at the COMMON conference. Called OpenLegacy Click, the new service is aimed at smaller companies that don’t have the budget for full-blown modernization projects, but have a business need to convert a select number of 5250 screens to Web and mobile interfaces just the same. OpenLegacy is turning heads in the IBM i modernization space with an approach that emphasizes application re-use and open source technology. Its flagship IBM i product, called OpenLegacy iSuite, essentially models how IBM

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