• Guru: Web Services, DATA-INTO and DATA-GEN, Part 3

  July 12, 2021 Jon Paris

  In this tip I’m going to discuss some of the options used with DATA-GEN and DATA-INTO to deal with the fact that element names in JSON and XML frequently contain characters that are not legal in RPG names.

  This is important because RPG’s -INTO and -GEN operations rely on names to map elements. So if the document we are processing uses names that are not legal in RPG how can we handle that? As you will see, when dealing with -INTO operations they are quite easily handled. DATA-GEN, on the other hand, presents a different problem and we will get …

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• Ransomware Attacks Hit Closer To Home

  July 12, 2021 Alex Woodie

  Fifteen hundred organizations around the world had their data locked up in the latest ransomware attack, including grocery store chains and schools. It’s unclear if any IBM i shops were included in the attack, which a Russian hacking group claimed credit for. But it’s clear that ransomware is a growing threat to all organizations, including IBM i shops.

  On July 2, as hundreds of millions of Americans hunkered down for the long Independence Day holiday weekend, hackers using the REvil were just getting started. The Russian-affiliated hacking group had already done the hard work of exploiting a five-year-old security flaw …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 27

  July 12, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  With the July 4^th holidays in the United States, it was a pretty quiet time for PTF updates from Big Blue. There were some High Impact and Pervasive (HIPER) and security patches released, and we took the time to update a few links within the IBM i PTF Guide spreadsheet, which we try to do during these quiet times. All four releases, including IBM i 7.1, had tweaks.

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • HIPERs
  • Security

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • HIPERs
  • Security

  PTF Groups 7.2:

  • HIPERs
  • Security

  PTF Groups 7.1:

  • HIPERs

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• Profound Goes Low Code with Node.js Framework

  June 30, 2021 Alex Woodie

  Profound Logic is now shipping a new release of Profound.js, its Node.js-based application framework for IBM i and other platforms. The big new feature with version 5.3 is the adoption of a low-code paradigm that eliminates the need for developers to get their hands dirty writing and maintaining code. However, developers can still go behind the scenes and write code if they need to.

  While there may be other low-code tools advertised in the IBM i community, Profound.js is the IBM i community’s first true low-code development environment, according to Alex Roytman, the founder and CEO of Profound Logic. …

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• So You Want To Do Containerized Microservices In the Cloud?

  June 30, 2021 Alex Woodie

  As a modernization consultant working in IBM’s Rochester, Minnesota, lab, Amy Anderson gets to hear from some of the most tech-savvy IBM i shops in the world. Her job requires her to know where shops are now, listen to where they want to go, and chart a path that takes them there. That can sometimes be quite a challenge, especially considering the rapid pace of technological change at the moment.

  “One of the things that we’re seeing now is the whole industry now is focused on modernization,” Anderson said during her session at the recent NAViGATE conference hosted by COMMON …

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• Illumio Adds IBM i Support with Zero-Trust Security

  June 30, 2021 Alex Woodie

  Illumio this week announced that it now supports IBM i with its zero-trust security framework, which is designed to isolate data and applications with “microperimeters” that prevent the spread of malware and hackers once they have breached the corporate firewalls.

  The zero-trust security model is gaining steam as organizations attempt to stop hackers from infiltrating their networks and pilfering valuable data or encrypting data as part of a ransomware attack.

  Previously, security experts recommended that the best way to keep bad guys out of internal networks was to implement multiple overlapping levels of security. This approach incorporated network security devices …

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• Four Hundred Monitor, June 30

  June 30, 2021 Jenny Thomas

  Before the IT Jungle gang heads out for a much-needed break over the Fourth of July week, we take a quick look at what’s been happening around the IBM i ecosystem and the bigger computing world. And while clouds are clearing as we head into the heat of summer, the cloud continues to dominate headlines across the board. As we look ahead to the Fall, we are seeing more training opportunities coming up – live and virtual – so be sure to check the Calendar listings below. In particular, don’t miss out on the final RPG & DB2 Summit, which …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 26

  June 30, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  Attention all IBM i shops. You may not be aware of it, but FTP is changing to FTPS/SFTP (secure) before the end of June or in early July 2021. (It’s not clear.) All orders submitted just prior to the change will be removed.

  Also, many thanks to Ron Schmitz for the IMGCLG link that I added to the IBM i PTF Guide sheet this week, which you will see below in its usual place.

  And finally, for those of you who are in the United States, happy July 4^th holiday, and for those of you who are not, why …

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• In Search Of Next Gen IBM i Apps

  June 28, 2021 Alex Woodie

  What will become of our RPG and COBOL applications? If IBM i chief architect Steve Will has his way, the core elements of them will evolve into what he calls “next gen” applications that can run in the cloud, if necessary.

  “We are not just focusing anymore on trying to help clients get past green screens to mobile interfaces or Web interfaces,” Will said during his recent COMMON NAViGATE session, titled IBM i PLUS Cloud is the Answer. “There are still clients and applications that need to get there. We understand that. But you can’t just stop there now. …

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• Final RPG & DB2 Summit Scheduled

  June 28, 2021 Alex Woodie

  With the return to in-person conferences taking longer than expected, the folks behind the RPG & DB2 Summit have decided to end the popular IBM i event. System i Developer will host the final event this fall, and it will take place online, as it has since the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to larger gatherings last year.

  Ending the conference was not an easy decision for the principals of System i Developer, Susan Gantner, Jon Paris, and Paul Tuohy, who have been holding the RPG & DB2 Summit twice a year since March 2007. Despite the headwinds posed …

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