January 09, 2008
Happy New Year from all of us at the System iNetwork Systems Management Newsletter. We wish all the best to you in 2008!
--Carsten Flensburg, Chuck Lundgren, Jesse West, Dan Riehl
December 19, 2007
The holiday season is upon us again. The year 2007 has flown by with uncanny swiftness. This time of year is a special time for giving, thankfulness, and remembrance. Not that we are Scrooges and slugs the rest of the year, but many of us tend to respect the holidays above other times.
I encourage all of us to find a special cause this season and give to those in need. Be it the Red Cross, local homeless shelters, Cell Phones for Soldiers, your local house of worship, or one of the many other great causes in your area. Remember, it is better to give than to receive.
I wish all of you a wonderful "giving" holiday season, and health, prosperity, and happiness in the new year.
Dan
October 24, 2007
Time for a Reminder
This year the U.S. Daylight Saving Time "falls back" November 4, 2007, at 2:00 a.m. For the EU, the Summertime period ends October 28th, 2007, at 1:00 a.m. UT. If you are running V5R2 or earlier, you have some work to do. However, if you are running V5R3 and higher, just make sure that you have loaded your CUM PTF tape in the last 18 months.
-- Dan Riehl, Editor
September 12, 2007
We missed you!
Yes, we skipped an issue. We did so because we publish only two newsletters in any given month and we had already met our quota by the end of August. So we took a break.
But we're back!
If you have tips or cool stuff that you want to share with our other readers, please send it to me. We are always looking for cool stuff to share!
Hope you're having a great week!
Dan
August 15, 2007
I would like to remind everyone that even though the Systems Management newsletter goes out every other week, it is only sent twice a month. Since the next date it would be scheduled to go out would be the third issue of the month, this will be last issue in August. I'll see you again in September!
August 01, 2007
According to Wikipedia, August 1st is the birthday of MTV. In 1981, MTV began broadcasting in the US and aired its first video, "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles.
Strangely enough, for the Dead Heads among our readers, today is the holiday celebrating the birthday of Jerry Garcia.
Just thought you'd like to know! Have a GREAT August!
July 18, 2007
You might be asking, "Did you guys skip an issue?" Ah yes, we did.
The last issue would have gone out on July 4th, which is the day the US celebrates our Independence Day holiday. So, while we do not get the two month summer break that some of our readers do, we took our one day off on July 4th. Fear not, our next newsletter break isn’t until November.
So, we're back! Fresh and rejuvenated from our holiday.
I hope you like this issue, which includes a few nice tips and the second part of the article on CL command exit programs. This time we deal with the CL command analyzer Retrieve exit point. It's cool!
June 20, 2007
This issue has some neat tricks and tips, and the first of a two-part series on using CL command exit point programs. The exit programs let you control the processing of CL commands and add your own command requirements.
On another topic, the NEWS Daily newsletter from Monday (June 18) included a link to an new article by Vicki Hamende about who I am and what I do. There's even a photo. What more could anyone ask for? <:) If you're interested, you can read the article on SystemiNetwork.com.
Have a Great Week!
June 06, 2007
An i5/OS API is an IBM-supplied program that provides access to internal functions and/or data. IBM supplies a multitude of APIs within the base i5/OS operating system that you can use to enhance the functionality of your application programs. There are several categories of OS/400 APIs, including security APIs, communications APIs, database file APIs, message handling APIs, and work management APIs. In this issue, I introduce you to a few favorites.
In addition, Carsten Flensburg wrote a new CL command that helps simplify your journal management tasks. It's a really cool new command.
Enjoy the newsletter, and please send any suggestions or tips that you feel would help us all manage our systems better and smarter.
April 25, 2007
I hope to see many of you at COMMON next week. If you get a chance, please stop by one of my security sessions and introduce yourself. Also, visit the System iNetwork booth and they'll be able to tell you where to find me in the COMMON Expo. I'll be at my employer's vendor booth during normal Expo hours. Really…stop on by and say hi!
April 11, 2007
I want to ask for your help on something that I consider VERY IMPORTANT. Do you like the directions of the System iNEWS magazine and System iNetwork website? Is there too much Java? Not Enough RPG? Not enough database or iSeries Access technical information? We would like your help to direct our efforts and content. We rely on feedback from readers like you to make System iNEWS and System iNetwork responsive to your informational needs. One of the best ways for you to tell us what you want is through our annual Reader Survey. If you complete the survey, you will be entered in a drawing for a Nintendo Wii, Apple iPod, Bose SoundDeck, or equivalent value in an Amazon.com gift certificate! Please, take a few moments out of your day to take our annual reader survey. Thank you, we really do listen.
March 28, 2007
Don't let Sunday play an April Fools joke on you. Read on for tips to ensure that your system is ready.
Thank you very much to all readers who contributed to this issue. Your input is greatly appreciated.
March 14, 2007
Welcome to daylight saving time. I trust you all made it okay. For those of you who are regular readers, we provided the PTF information you needed to make the change relatively painless.
We can have another discussion about this before November 4th, when we Fall Back.
On another note, the System iNetwork Shop Profile Survey runs through March. Be sure to fill out the survey to help us build an accurate profile of the System i community. You can take the survey at http://www.systeminetwork.com/survey/shopprofile2007/ and earn a chance to win a Nintendo Wii.
February 28, 2007
Ready to Spring Forward? Sunday, March 11
The switch to Daylight Saving Time is upon us. This year's DST switch time is Sunday, March 11, 2007, at 2 a.m. IBM, in its attempt to keep us current, has recently updated its DST instructions for the System i. Please visit (or re-visit) the System i DST page.
February 14, 2007
February 14th? Hmmmm . . . Seems to ring a bell.
This is a public service announcement to our readers.
In the community spirit of helping to retain a happy and healthy readership, I just wanted to make sure that you were reminded that today is Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day!
January 31, 2007
Thank you very much for your continued subscription and support of the Systems Management Newsletter. I would love to hear your comments or suggestions for improvements or changes.
Also, if you have a tip or technique that you would like to submit, please e-mail it to me at SysMgtNewsletter@SystemiNetwork.com.
January 03, 2007
Happy New Year from all of us at the System iNetwork Systems Management Newsletter. We wish all the best to you in 2007!
Carsten Flensburg, Chuck Lundgren, Tina Rolf, Tony Angelo, Cindy Bushong, and Dan Riehl
December 20, 2006
This is the last issue of the newsletter for 2006. I want to express my appreciation to all of you for your continued support and subscription. I have tried to supply you with great content that is both timely and applicable to your daily tasks as system administrators and security officers.
A big thank you to the contributors, and to each of you who have sent your highly valuable feedback and suggestions.
If you have suggestions for improvements to the newsletter for 2007, please let me know.
I wish all of you a great holiday season, and a very healthy, prosperous, and happy new year.
All my best to you,
Dan
September 13, 2006
Many of us have not yet made the jump to i5/OS V5R4. In this issue, I focus on some new goodies we get by making the move.
I know that upgrading to a new release can ruin an otherwise great weekend, but hey, we're gonna have to do it sometime, right? The sooner we do it, the sooner we can start enjoying the benefits.
August 30, 2006
Welcome to the new System iNetwork Web site and System iNetwork Systems Management newsletter.
With the name change of our beloved AS/400 and iSeries to the IBM System i, the time has come to adjust the title of the newsletter.
We are dedicated to providing you with timely system managment news, tips, techniques, and great utilities. Please let us know of topics you want to see covered in the upcoming issues. Your input is invaluable.
June 21, 2006
Happy June 21st
The first day of summer. June 21st brings the summer solstice to our northern hemisphere and the winter solstice to the southern hemisphere. So, in the north we have the longest day of the year. For you down-under folks, it's the shortest day.
To commemorate this longest day of the year in the north, I've included a rather long expose of exit points and exit programs. Well. . . you have more time to read today, right? For those of you in the south, you can read by firelight.
Cheers!
June 07, 2006
In this issue, I wanted to focus on the ever-increasing problem of theft/loss of private and sensitive data. I want to discuss how we can prevent users from downloading sensitive data, as well as discuss the topic of hard-drive encryption.
Since February 2005, when Choicepoint Corporation announced that it had compromised the private information of around 145,000 individuals, the floodgates seem to have opened. Large U.S. companies such as CitiFinancial, Time Warner, Wachovia Bank, AmeriTrade, and Bank of America have all reported significant loss or theft of private, sensitive data.
The latest significant problem occurred on May 22, 2006. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs conceded that it had lost 26.5 million veteran identities, including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. A longtime trusted employee had downloaded the data to an external hard drive, and without permission, had taken it home. Well, the external disk drive and laptop were stolen in a home burglary. Now the VA is expected to spend several hundred million dollars dealing with the results of that breach.
The time has certainly come for controlling downloads and encrypting our laptop hard drives. In the next issue, I'll address the topic of encrypting our backup tapes. Many of the previously named companies had their sensitive backup tapes misplaced or stolen. The tapes were not encrypted.
April 26, 2006
A Big Welcome to Kendall Kinnear
This issue of the newsletter is quite special in that it is the debut of a column named Kendall's Corner. Each month i5 guru Kendall Kinnear will discuss and clarify cool iSeries technologies that we can use to help manage and run our systems more effectively and efficiently.
I have known Kendall for quite some time, and he is one of the most knowledgeable and helpful people in the world in the area of iSeries systems management. He IS the MAN!
Kendall's Corner will run in the Pro or Pro-Vip section of the newsletter so it will not be available for associate members. If there was ever a reason to upgrade your account to Pro or Pro-VIP this is it.
Kendall is a Consulting System i5 Architect for Stonebridge. He has almost 30 years of experience in the IBM midrange space, from the System/3 through the System/34 and System/38, to the System i5. He brings substantial experience from his tenure at companies like IBM, EDS and StorageTek. He has experience as a Systems Programmer, Systems Analyst, System Engineer, Systems Administrator, Application Programmer, Application Designer, educator, and speaker. Kendall has coauthored the IBM iSeries Handbook and IBM System Builder since OS/400 V4R2.
Welcome Kendall!
March 29, 2006
Greetings from Spring COMMON 2006
As I recall, this year's Spring Common conference was originally scheduled for New Orleans, and then the location changed after Katrina. Yes, it changed a lot — to Minneapolis. The first few days of COMMON were very cold outside, but Tuesday was really nice.
COMMON doesn't tell anybody the number of paid attendees. That seems strange to me being a member of the group, but I know they need to keep the paying exhibitors and sponsors thinking the numbers are high. Well, there's not a crush of 10,000 people here, even including all the IBMers who drove up from Rochester for the day. There's maybe 1,300 people here. Though I actually did not count.
I am always mystified when I pass by the session rooms in which RPG is being taught. The rooms are a blow out! Full or nearly full — mostly people catching up on the "new stuff" in RPG, such as subprocedures and ILE. Wasn't it more than 10 years ago when ILE and subprocedures passed by in our rearview mirrors? I love our AS/400 community! I mean our "i" community.
I suspect that because ILE and subprocedures make RPG a participant in service oriented architecture (SOA), it is a required part of the "hot topic" road map at COMMON, which has a focus on SOA this spring. Does that mean that if you write RPG or Cobol without ILE you are not SOA COOL? I guess that remains to be seen — but Minneapolis in March is SOA COOL!
February 15, 2006
What's in a name?
As we all know by now, our beloved AS/400, or AS/400e, or eServer iSeries server is now the IBM System i5. Strangely enough, I like the new name. It's much nicer than eServer iSeries, which I always thought was totally lame! So I suppose in this newsletter I'll be an early adopted of the new name. I promise to TRY not to say "AS/400" any more. SilverLake anyone?
February 01, 2006
Today we provide you with some great insights into the January 31 IBM announcements. A new name (again) The IBM System i5, along with new hardware driven by the Power5+ processors, and new software i5/OS V5R4 with great new features.
I personally get excited about bithead stuff, and this announcement provided a lot for me. I now get subroutines in CL programs, the ability to save and restore spooled files, RAID 6, and virtual tape, which I have been dreaming about for years… That and much more is finally here.
This issue’s guest writers are among the top systems management gurus in the world. We welcome O. Kendall Kinnear and Axel Lachmann.
For this special announcement issue, we decided that it was best to make all the content available to our Associate members and our PRO and PRO-VIP members. So, for this ONE issue, we will not have the special section dedicated to premium content for our PRO-VIP members.
It’s a GREAT announcement !
Dan
January 04, 2006
Happy New Year from all of us at the iSeries Network Club Tech Systems Management Tips Newsletter.
We wish all the best to you in 2006!
Carsten Flensburg, Chuck Lundgren, Tina Rolf, Cindy Bushong, Dan Riehl.
October 26, 2005
Since we will not have another issue before Monday, October 31, I wanted to celebrate Halloween 2005 with you by including some scary content. Watch out for the Boogy Man, and Carsten has a Boo-tiful new command for you. We also have some really scary quotes for you. So, have a memorable Halloween this year…. Ugggg…. Less than two months til Christmas, Cheers!
Dan
October 12, 2005
We need your feedback - iSeries Application Development Survey
This is the last week for the reader survey on application development. The iSeries application development landscape has been undergoing fast-paced change. We really need your input in ensuring that we provide the content you need to form your strategies and implement them most effectively. Complete the survey, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win an iPod nano.
You can take the survey here:
http://www.iseriesnetwork.com/surveys/appdev2005/index.html
Please complete the survey so we can provide the content you need and want.
Thank you in advance,
Dan Riehl
August 31, 2005
It's not business as usual for us here at the Club Tech Systems Management Newsletter. Our hearts are aching for our friends and family in New Orleans, Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile, and all along the gulf coast. Know that you are in our hearts and in our prayers.
April 13, 2005
Welcome to the new HTML version of the Club Tech iSeries Systems Management Tips newsletter. We have all felt that the text-based version was a bit lame and are excited about the enhancements. As the newsletter reaches you, it is already available on the iSeriesNetwork.com Web site in the TechCenter. We hope you like the new presentation and welcome your comments. Thank you for your subscription to the newsletter. We try hard to bring you the content you need to manage your systems.