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RPG and DB2 Summit Podcast, March 24, 2011 by iPro Developer
Help/Systems has released Robot/SCHEDULE Enterprise, enterprise job scheduling software that extends the power of Robot/SCHEDULE, job scheduling and batch job management software for IBM i, to UNIX and Linux servers. Robot/SCHEDULE Enterprise lets users automate job scheduling and event monitoring on their UNIX and Linux servers. Users control these activities from their PC using the Robot/SCHEDULE Explorer, Job Completion History, Schedule Activity Monitor, Job Schedule List, and more. Users can monitor UNIX and Linux servers for events such as the creation, deletion, or modification of a file or directory; whether a file is growing; when processes start or end; or even create their own manual events. These events then can be used for event-driven job scheduling in Robot/SCHEDULE. For example, a file arriving on a UNIX server can launch a process on a Linux server, which can then start a job on a System i. Users can send messages to other Help/Systems products, Robot/ALERT recipients, the Robot/CONSOLE Message Center, and the Robot/NETWORK Status Center. Users also can send a status message to a user, or a job completion message to Robot/SCHEDULE.
--Rita-Lyn Sanders, Programming & Systems Management editor
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RPG and DB2 Summit Podcast, March 10, 2011 by iPro Developer
4/1/09: NOTE: Linda needs to add Figures 2, 3, and 4 after she gets the galley PDF from art & prod.
Using SQL in your RPG applications is a great way to modernize your programs and, in many cases, simplify your coding. In this article, I show how to use embedded SQL to perform row (record) and column (field) retrieval and explain when to use which SQL statement. You'll see that it's easy to do most if not all your table (file) access in SQL without the need for F specs.
Although SQL terminology uses the word "table" for "file," the word "row" for "record," and the word "column" for "field," for the remainder of this article, I use the IBM i/RPG terminology of files, records, and fields. I use SQL terminology in the code comments, though, so we can all get more used to seeing SQL terminology. To keep the code focused on the topic, I include no robust error checking after each statement. I provide the basics, though, of what you need to check for after an SQL statement runs. Because you must have more error checking in your production applications, make sure you review "Foolproof Guide to Embedded SQL Error Handling" (May 2007, article ID 20877 at SystemiNetwork.com). For more information about working with SQL, also check out "Working with Multiple Tables in SQL" (March 2008, article ID 21170).
Figure 1 shows the RPG program that has all the embedded SQL statements for this article (a downloadable version of this program is available at SystemiNetwork.com/code). The primary file used for this program is QIWS in the library QCUSTCDT. The file should be available on your i system so that you can test and play with this sample program easily. Figure 2 shows the QIWS file and its structure.
Create a Temporary File and Load It with Records
The code at callouts D through F in Figure 1 shows how to perform a common IBM i application function: Create a temporary file and load it with records from a file. IBM i programmers often use a CPYF function in a CL progr
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RPG and DB2 Summit Podcast, February 24, 2011 by iPro Developer
The world has changed dramatically over the past few months, even as it was changing in the last decade. New blood is much harder to come by in the world of IBM i. Companies need to be proactive rather than reactive and take the time now to examine who their next hires will beand where those people might come from. The changing economy won't make the task any easier.
In early December 2008, System iNEWS editor Rita-Lyn Sanders and I briefly discussed what the System i market might offer in 2009. I off-handedly commented, "This is my seventh recession. They are all the same and yet they are all different." Her immediate reply, "How so? What does that mean?"
Lesson One: Spring is coming. As I finish this piece, it's January 9. Here in Iowa, the afternoon turned colder and freezing rain mixed with snow. The forecast for next week calls for highs in the single digits. But, the days are getting longer; spring will come again! Correct?
Lesson Two: There are things you can't control. The broad market indexes and funds are down 25 to 45 percent for the year. The Dow Jones Industrials closed this afternoon at 8599.18, down more than 400 points for the week or nearly five percent. It was its worst week since late November. The Labor Department announced employment figures for December 2008. Employers had cut another 524,000 jobs, bringing the total loss for the year to 2.6 million. The unemployment rate rose from 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent, matching a rate not seen since early 1993 or the waning months of the 1982 recession. With less than two weeks until the inauguration, president-elect Obama just outlined his proposed stimulus package. It is a staggering $800 billion with a projected budget deficit for 2009 of $1.2 trillion. While those numbers are volatile, still very unpredictable, and will be different when you read this, "this too shall pass."
Globalization is here to stay. The events of 2008 remind us of the speed in which we all became an inter
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NEWS on i Podcast - October 21, 2010 by iPro Developer
The Latest on IBM i Security
IBM has released a Redbook detailing security capabilities and recommendations for 6.1. The Redbook includes recommendations for creating security policies as well as specifics that you can use to implement those policies on the i. The Redbook covers security topics ranging from system values and group profiles to encryption and virus protection. There is also an entire section devoted to network security and a chapter covering compliance requirements (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley).
The latest version of IBM's security guide Redbook for IBM i is available online.
In Search of Standards
There isn't much that Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft agree about, and even if there were, there wouldn't be many opportunities for these Internet behemoths to work together. However, the three companies have found common ground with a simple scheme to improve selection of the "primary" version of a web page. While the search engines themselves will be the main beneficiaries of this new standard, you might see fewer duplicate pages in your search results once the system is implemented.
News.com explains the new standard and why the major search engines all agreed to cooperate.
Employment Conundrums
Ironically, the layoffs at U.S. companies, including IT giants IBM and Microsoft, have not lessened interest in expanding the H1-B visa program. However, the juxtaposition of layoffs and visa requests is likely to bring the discussion to a head. Congress, in its role as financial gatekeeper, is asking questions about the H1-B program, and it's possible that the number of visas will be reduced in future years.
BusinessWeek explores the connection between layoffs and H1-B visa requests at Microsoft.
Related Links
Computerworld reports that the economic stimulus bill passed in February 2009 curtails use of H1-B visas by companies that receive federal bailout money.
InformationWeek describes IBM's novel offer to displaced workers: relocation to India
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NEWS on i Podcast - November 18, 2010 by iPro Developer
Even as analysts reported tumbling server sales in EMEA, Big Blue boss Sam Palmisano issued a bullish message to investors earlier this week.
"We will not simply ride out the storm," said Palmisano. "Rather we will take a long-term view, and go on offense."
IBM’s CEO pointed out that 65 per cent of its business comes from outside the stricken U.S. economy and emerging markets like China, Brazil and India continue to "outgrow the market".
Here, however, Palmisano was playing both sides of the bat. While stressing its international business credentials, IBM is currently positioning itself as something of a tecchie saviour in North America. It is pushing its smart infrastructure message strongly and aggressively promoting its services to the public sector as it eyes up the mega-project revenue stream poised to flow from the new president’s administration.
Canny moves like this should come as no surprise. After all, of all the big tech beasts, IBM is the one that has weathered the most recessions. It was pretty much business as usual at Big Blue during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In fact, it did very well out of the U.S. public sector in those days by winning a contract to administer employment data for 26 million people after the Social Security Act of 1935, described as "the biggest accounting operation of all time." One does have to wonder who else was in the frame, but the project apparently opened the doors to a number of other large U.S. government contracts.
Domestic strategy aside, Palmisano said: “IBM is now a different company than it was a few years ago. As a result, we entered this turbulent period strong and we expect to exit it stronger.” As well as reiterating its dynamic infrastructure message, he also highlighted IBM’s punt on cloud computing and the diversified nature of its global business.
While IBM’s share price is holding up extremely well, clouds of a different nature are rumbling on the horizon in Europ
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NEWS on i Podcast - September 16, 2010 by iPro Developer
This year, Cobol turns 50. Because Cobol is the foundation on which most of the business and government computer systems around the world have been built, we can expect it to live for many more years. Nonetheless, many things have evolved since 1959; one of them is the replacement of the OPM paradigm with the ILE paradigm. In the OPM paradigm, the primary code blocks for Cobol programmers were programs, subprograms, and subroutines, where "program" was synonymous with "main program," "subprogram" was a separately compiled executable object (invoked by means of dynamic program call), and "subroutine" was a paragraph or a series of consecutive paragraphs invoked by a PERFORM statement. In this article, let's look at some OPM gotchas and learn how you can avoid them with the capabilities that ILE offers.
These categories are still valid in today's systems. The majority of the production code still relies on the PERFORM statement as its main control-flow mechanism. Subroutines invoked by the PERFORM statement ("PERFORMed subroutines" for short) are sometimes defined as "internal subprograms" or "parameterless procedures," where global variables behave as transition parameters. At first glance, PERFORM resembles a variation of a procedure call: After the block of instructions is executed, control returns to the successor of the invoking PERFORM statement (the "continuation point"), behaving as a procedure call return. However, unlike true procedures, PERFORMed subroutines can share code in several awkward ways. Moreover, the introduction of GOTO statements in the middle of PERFORMed subroutines can cause transfers of control that do not stick to the standard call/return behavior. I will illustrate this point with two code snippets. Although they look bizarre, I've found worse code in the real world.
LABEL1.
PERFORM LABEL2 THRU LABEL3.
DISPLAY "END".
STOP RUN.
LABEL2.
DISPLAY "2".
PERFORM LABEL3 THRU LABEL4.
LABEL3.
DISPLAY "3".
LAB
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Challenges of the Overly Powerful Users by iPro Developer
Mel Beckman and Chris Maxcer discuss one of the common and dangerous security lapses, too many users with too much access to critical data.
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RPG and DB2 Summit Podcast - August 26, 2010 by iPro Developer
As any longtime IBM i-focused pro knows: technologies, languages, frameworks, and strategies come and go, but core RPG holds stronga foundation forged from unflappable business logic. That is not to say that even the most modern RPG-developed applications won't face challenges or opportunities, but still, it's clear that in some organizations the RPG foundation isn't set to grow; and moreover, it might even have to survive a jackhammer or two chipping away at it.
This is where PHP can come to the rescue.
And isn't thatcome to the rescuea loaded phrase? You bet it is. It paints a picture that is entirely false for many companies who understand and value their RPG applications, and yet it's also true. Somewhere in between the extremes of green-screen love and rescue lies the real power of PHP.
What Is It?
PHP is a widely used, general purpose scripting language for web development. You can embed it in HTML, build dynamic, database-driven web pages, and create standalone graphical applications. It's relatively easy to learn and use. More than 22 million Internet domains deploy PHP, including Yahoo! and Facebook. The total PHP developer community is estimated at close to 5 million, and it includes a rich application ecosystem with thousands of free and open source PHP applications.
We've been covering PHP for about three yearsa little when Zend Technologies started offering its Zend Core for i5/OS in 2006, and a lot more as i-focused pros have caught on. (If you missed Jon Paris's "Attention RPG Programmers: PHP Spoken Here" (ID 62702), dig up your issue and read it ASAP.)
In the meantime, more than 12,000 IBM i customers in 150 different countries have downloaded Zend's PHP solutions for running PHP apps on IBM i.
Making the Leap from Useful to Ubiquitous
While PHP can be useful to i-based organizations, there's a big leap between installing it to run the free help desk software solution Mantis/400, for example, and l
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RPG and DB2 Summit Podcast - July 22, 2010 by iPro Developer
Microsoft Word has long had many programmability features; two of the most widely used are Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and the venerable mail merge feature. Mail merge can work with an ODBC driver connection, so it has long been possible to use Word with IBM i data.
Starting with Visual Studio 2005 and its Visual Studio Tools for Office add-on, and continuing now with Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft is putting tremendous effort into making its Office products work with .NET features. In fact, most of the Microsoft product line is becoming .NET-enabled, so learning .NET is useful for far more than Windows and web applications.
You see an example of using .NET programmability with Word 2007 in Figure 1. Note the Customer Prompt panel at the right side of the Word window. The Customer Prompt panel is a Word "add-in," which is a standard way for programmers to add features to Office products.
Another add-in that you may already be familiar with is the IBM add-in for Excel, provided with System i Access for Windows.
The data displayed on the panel comes from the IBM i database, using the Balance Due amount as a lower limit for customers to display. On the left side of the Word window is a mail merge template document, with the mail merge fields ready to be filled in with data.
If you have not used mail merge before, you need to understand that you cannot simply type the merge fields into the document with the chevron characters; you need to use the Mail Merge wizard to create the document and put the fields into the template correctly.
Another alternative is to use the Insert, Quick Parts item and insert merge fields. As you see in the figure, the names of the merge fields are the same as the names of the fields in the grid (which shows the field names from the database file), although the names can be different.
When you click one of the rows in the grid, the data merges into the document. Figure 2 shows what the merged document looks
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NEWS on i Podcast - July 15, 2010 by iPro Developer
"The 'catalogue' of objects and debris showed a possible approach between the paths of the two satellites, but an approach doesn't necessarily mean a collision, and you would need more information to be certain. It is not a case of two satellites coming together out of nowhere; they had been followed. The U.S. catalogues can give an alert, but these are not necessarily completely exact."--Philippe Goudy, deputy director of the French space operations control center at Toulouse, as quoted by UK.Reuters.com
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Special Edition: NEWS on i Podcast - June 24, 2010 by iPro Developer
"Fred--if you have managed to get _any_ support out of IBM for CGIDEV2, then please let the rest of us know how you did it!! Part of the reason I began to take an interest in PHP was because IBM had done absolutely nothing with CGIDEV2 since they bought it back in-house. I haven't had the problems with PHP that you have and find that the performance is perfectly acceptable even on relatively small systems. It will never be as fast as compiled RPG, but that is to be expected."--Jon Paris *Read more...
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NEWS on i Podcast - June 17, 2010 by iPro Developer
In this week's NEWS Daily podcast, I cover Zend Core preloaded on new IBM i systems, YiPs playing in the sandbox, and ProData's DBU/RDR readers choice nod. *Listen now...
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NEWS on i Podcast - June 3, 2010 by iPro Developer
Today, "going green" has caught the attention of many businesses as a way to not only save the environment but also to cut cost from their budgets. One obvious way to do this is to get rid of the paper that bogs down the purchasing, payables, order processing, and customer service processes. IntelliChief is Quadrant Software's answer to the demands of customers and the marketplace for a powerful content management platform that streamlines processes by eliminating paper and improving overall productivity.
With IntelliChief, users can capture, create, manage, archive, retrieve, and distribute mission-critical documents directly from their company's IBM Power System business application or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The following example of a purchase-to-pay process illustrates how IntelliChief can help you go paperless.
Purchasing
Users can ditch paper purchase requisitions in favor of customizable online web forms that replace all types of paper forms used throughout the company (e.g., time off requests, petty cash requests, expense reports). The purchase request web form is electronically forwarded for approval to the appropriate manager, who can review and approve it from his or her computer screen, and then pass the request to accounting. The accounting clerk reviews the approved request on screen and, once she has created the purchase order (PO) in the ERP system, IntelliChief captures the image of that PO and automatically faxes or emails to the vendor.
Receiving
When goods are received, employees can match packing slips against original POs directly at the warehouse or dock by using IntelliChief to search and display the PO on screen. They can then scan and archive the packing slips, bill of lading, and other receiving documents in IntelliChief. Now that the receiving documents are electronic, workers can route them via workflow to the accounts payable (A/P) electronic inbox, where they can stay until the invoice arrives. Because d
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NEWS on i Podcast - May 20, 2010 by iPro Developer
PHP Spoken Here
Thanks for the great article ["Attention RPG Programmers: PHP Spoken Here," January 2009, article ID 62702]. PHP has been in my awareness for some time now, but I haven't taken the time to learn anything about it. Thanks for the foundation. Now, if I did want to start playing around with it, do I have to buy something first? We're on 5.4.
Donna Goldman
Via email
My boss and peers are abuzz about your PHP article in the January System iNEWS. While I have started doing PHP research (and it's nice to know that your list of references match up to many I have already found), it would be nice to have a simple "to do" list of getting PHP up and loaded on a System i box for little (or preferably no) cost. The Zend products both appear to be for-cost, which is impossible for me at this point (our company put a freeze on all capital expenditures), and while it would not be the first time I loaded non-IBM products on our development box, I would rather know that I am going with the right ones. Thanks for any help/direction you can provide!
David R. Sager
Via email
I read with interest your article(s) about PHP in the January 2009 issue. One thing I could not find in your articles (and maybe this was not your objective) was how to run or execute a PHP script. I think that PHP needs to be embedded in an HTML page (correct), so this means that the page must be served out of somewhere. Have you written any articles about the set up, configuration, or the minimum things that a System i shop must have to execute PHP pages?
Antonio Mira
Via email
Author Jon Paris replies: Thanks for the kind words. Glad to hear that the article stirred up some interest. Fear not--installing PHP is not only easy but free! There's nothing you have to buy, and there are a number of options you can pursue. As you have surmised, it was not the intention of this piece to show "how" to run PHP. Other articles previously published in System iNEWS and elsewhere have
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NEWS on i Podcast - May 6, 2010 by iPro Developer
Now that IBM has officially unified its former System i and p hardware lines, the pricing between different Power Systems models should be basically the same with no more irritating cost hikes associated with a System i disk, for example. When IBM announced new options for the Power 520 and 550 Express in the fall, in addition to launching the new Power 560 and the JS12 blade server with IBM i pre-installed, the company trumpeted the new performance leaps and competitive pricing compared to HP and Sun offerings.
At the time, the competitive pricing referred to AIX editions because really, what's the point in comparing IBM i to Unix? I'm betting few-to-almost-none of these comparisons exist when it comes to real-world sales. Deciding between AIX and i? I'm not really seeing it as a serious choice because the differences in acquisition costs are miniscule contrasted to the differences in companies' in-house skills or the available talents of their IBM Business Partners and the applications sales biases associated with the solutions they want to run.
Let's put it this way: Very few Apple Mac consumers head into their purchase decisions by comparing the price tags of available Windows Vista-based laptops to the cost of available MacBooks. People who tend to buy Macs do so despite the price of acquisition, and I firmly believe that the vast majority of i sales and upgrades happen the same way. Either you want and appreciate the i, or you don't.
Show Me the Money
Still, what's going on with IBM i pricing? How do the different AIX, i, and Linux editions stack up in terms of cost?
Deceptively simple yet confounding answers exist. On one hand, everything has changed, and on the other hand, nothing much has changed.
"From a hardware pricing perspective, we do have parity in most cases. With the October Power Systems announcements—which include the 520-8203 and 550-8204 support—we now have a common and converged server line," says Stan Staszak, director of Sy
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NEWS on i Podcast - April 15, 2010 by iPro Developer
Remember Y2K? Remember all the dire predictions of destruction and social mayhem that would befall the unready? Remember the letters from lawyers threatening litigation should you be found Y2K-incompetent? Y2K turned out to be so much hoo-ha, didn't it? There were a few minor glitches, but for the most part the IT community prepared for the Y2K deadline professionally and competently. It was a non-disaster.
Contrast the Y2K mandate with IPv4 address exhaustion, the cause that has taken Y2K's place as lead IT bogeyman. The most obvious differences between the two threats is that IPv6 has no precise deadline, and technical problems related to IP address shortages seem painless for those of us who already have our IP space. And then there's the track record of IPv6 predictions—one forecasted address exhaustion as early as 2003! Isn't it perfectly reasonable to consider the IPv6 problem overblown, certainly not in need of attention today? We've got people to meet, places to go, bigger fish to fry. Call us when the IP address shortage is really serious.
The problem with that kind of thinking is that it doesn't consider the value of advance preparation. Yes, we could all ignore IPv6 until it's a crisis and hope for some miracle solution in the interim. We've already had one "miraculous" address space outage deferment, network address translation (NAT). NAT let millions of users get on the Internet without dedicated public IP addresses by cleverly sharing a single public IP address among many users in one location. But there doesn't appear to be a new miracle in the near future, and IP address consumption is accelerating at an alarming rate. If we wait until the last minute, the IPv6 transition is going to cost a lot more money and incur much more business and technology pain.
Internet architecture expert Geoff Huston estimates that, at current allocation rates, the Internet will assign the last IPv4 address some time in the next one to three years. Allocation ra
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NEWS on i Podcast - April 1, 2010 by iPro Developer
Analyzing Service-Level Agreements
The concept of service-level agreements (SLAs) is broad, but the principle behind SLAs is simple. Both the provider of a service and the purchaser of a service have a stake in understanding exactly what is being delivered, what constitutes acceptable performance, and what the penalties are for failure to meet expectations. Expectations are the key here and, in fact, SLAs are sometimes referred to as service-level expectations (SLEs). For example, bad feelings, if not lawsuits, are virtually guaranteed if the company purchasing a service expects 24/7 telephone support, but the service provider expects to deliver email support with a two-business-day turnaround. Once you understand the reasons for SLAs and why they help both parties, you may want to consider implementing SLAs for internal IT services as well as for outside vendors. You may also want to investigate some of the many software packages designed to improve reporting and monitoring of SLA metrics.
InformationWeek discusses the benefits and pitfalls of SLAs and the kinds of software that are available to help manage SLAs.
Related Links
In October 2008, CIO.com published the results of a survey on cloud computing. Security was the obstacle cited by the most respondents, but many also expressed concern about availability and performance, both topics that should be covered in SLAs.
How Technology Affects Access to Information
Most people have seen firsthand how digital storage of information and the Internet have changed our ability to retrieve data that used to be buried in government offices and expensive publications. From checking when library books are due to searching medical databases, technology has made it easier for people to get information on a wide variety of subjects. Electronic databases also change the equation for legal records, because what used to take a trip to the courthouse to request a specific record is often now available with just a
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NEWS on i Podcast - March 4, 2010 by iPro Developer
A UDTF for IFS Directories
I teach and write about IFS APIs quite often, and inevitably someone is frustrated by the limitations of the opendir(), readdir(), and closedir() APIs. These APIs do a great job of reading a list of files in a directory, but that's about it. They don't provide wildcard matching, sorting, or other useful querying capabilities. If you want those capabilities, you have to write the code yourself, which can be a little cumbersome.
The SQL SELECT statement has all of these capabilities, but of course, it's for reading a database table, not for reading files in the IFS . . . or is it? With a User-Defined Table Function (UDTF), I can use an SQL SELECT statement on data that I calculate in an RPG program. I thought it'd be pretty nifty to write a UDTF that returns a directory listing so that an SQL SELECT statement can be used to query it.
Once I've written my UDTF, any language that can run SQL queries (including embedded SQL from RPG, Java, Cobol, C, PHP, QShell, Visual Basic, .NET, Query Manager, RUMSQLSTM, STRSQL, and Navigator for i) can get the IFS directory listing simply by running a SELECT statement. How cool is that?
If you're not familiar with UDTFs, you can think of them as stored procedures. Both stored procedures and UDTFs calculate the contents of a result set and let your programs read it. However, I've noted the following differences:
The fields are known before the statement is executed (stored procedures can potentially change the fields on each call). This is great because it enables compatibility with embedded SQL in IBM i programs.
UDTFs are called repeatedly, returning one record each time. Stored procedures return all records at once using an array or cursor.
UDTFs are run with a SELECT statement, whereas stored procedures are run by a CALL statement.
The fact that a UDTF is run from a SELECT statement is very powerful, because it means that I can use WHERE, ORDER BY, and GROUP BY on the results.
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NEWS on i Podcast - February 18, 2010 by iPro Developer
Data communications networks
have grown from a few specialized application-specific information paths to
complex, omnipresent meshes that interconnect virtually every computer and
device in an enterprise. That mesh is a hodgepodge of technologies, protocols,
and applications. Not surprisingly, this complexity results in frequent
problems, many of which can cascade to become enterprise-wide catastrophes if
left unchecked.
As a result, network
troubleshooting has become a critical IT skill, one that sometimes seems more
art than science. Expert network technologists know that any intuitive aspects
of network problem solving require a solid foundation of decidedly nonintuitive
components. Those components fall into three broad categories: network
instrumentation, diagnostic methods, and tactical tools.
Network instrumentation consists
of the continuous collection and logging of statistics about network performance
and traffic. Ongoing monitoring establishes the normal baseline behavior for a
network; excursions from this baseline are often early indicators of network
health problems. Diagnostic methods are rigorous procedures and policies that
help you quickly and accurately find the root cause of a detected problem.
Sometimes called root cause analysis, these methods have been found over time to be the shortest, if not the most
obvious, path to a solution. Tactical tools are software and hardware components
that let you delve deeply into the traffic flowing on your network when you need
to pick apart problems that resist deductive analysis.
If you don’t have these three
essential components in place today, you’re needlessly hobbling your network
troubleshooting efforts. Even if you have covered all three bases, it’s worth
reviewing the depth of your coverage to see where you might easily enhance your
problem-solving processes. Read on to see how troubleshooting essentials work
together to keep your network running
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NEWS on i Podcast - January 21, 2010 by iPro Developer
Most RPG programmers will never need to use multiple threads. Even those RPG programmers who can perceive a need for multiple threads may decide that using them is too complex. At this point, you might expect me to say that "I don’t want to scare you." The truth is, however, that I do want to scare you. It is easy to do the coding for multiple threads, but it’s extremely difficult, some say impossible, to use multiple threads correctly. What’s more, multiple threads are difficult to test because they may behave slightly different each time they run. With that said, we'll explore 6.1's new support for multithreaded programming in RPG.
So read on, but beware! Don't get too eager to try out these new techniques. If you do decide to introduce multithreading into your applications, you should read every word in the general Threads section of the Information Center, and read every book you can find on multithreaded programming. Then, read them again.
Thread Basics
Thread is short for the term thread of execution. A thread of execution is the sequence of machine instructions that the system performs as it runs the programs and procedures in your job. When you have two threads of execution in the same job, the system is performing two sequences of machine instructions simultaneously. The two threads could be running different programs, different procedures in the same module, the same procedure, or even the same instruction. When an application uses more than one thread, it's called a multithreaded application.
RPG has been able to run in threads since 4.4, with the introduction of THREAD(*SERIALIZE). Coding this keyword serialized access to the module. In other words, only one thread at a time could run in the module. The 4.4 support allowed RPG programs to participate in a multithreaded application, but doing so often hindered the application's performance.
Starting in 6.1, RPG can fully participate in a multithreaded application and possibly gain the perfor
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NEWS on i Podcast - January 7, 2010 by iPro Developer
Storage (aka "spinning rust") is one of the fastest-growing segments in our industry. Regulations and compliance force us to keep more data longer. New BI apps can collate massive amounts of data points for business value causing us to keep more data handy. New consumer-targeted web apps, such as streaming video, consume huge amounts of storage.
These new demands for storage are changing how storage products are engineered and marketed. As we move forward into this nebulous web 2.0/cloud/virtualized/your-buzzword-here universe, new web- and cloud-friendly storage offerings are getting a toehold. Are they all they're cracked up to be?
Hot: Consumer/SMB Web-based Storage
Storing files on Internet sites is not exactly new; the ability has been around for years and has made it easy to facilitate sharing, collaboration, and access to information from a variety of devices and locations. However, it didn't take off in a big way because usage was driven by small groups of consumers. But two factors are changing that.
First, key hardware companies are pushing the use of web-based storage for backup. Both Dell and HP, for example, have web backup offerings for their PC products (see dell.com/datasafe and upline.com). In addition, third-party companies are touting online backup options (e.g., ibackup.com, ironmountain.com, and symantec.com/spn). I'm not saying online backup is the greatest thing ever, but I am saying that (1) any backup is better than no backup, and (2) online backup is a viable option for consumers and small businesses.
The second factor is the emerging category of hardware products termed "netbooks." Netbooks are different from the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) and Mobile Internet Device (MID) products I've discussed before. Netbooks are small laptops running Linux or Windows XP, and their primary purpose is to access the Internet and use web apps. I'll talk more about netbooks in a future column; the key point here is that many netbooks r
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Tokenization: the easier route to PCI compliance by iPro Developer
During this free podcast, Mel Beckman discusses tokenization as it relates to web commerce as well as preventing tokenization from becoming a single point of failure. He also touches on the cost of tokenization compared to alternative approaches.
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NEWS on i Podcast - December 17, 2009 by iPro Developer
Original Software has announced TestDrive v6, the latest version of its visual-layer software test-automation solution. The product provides full out-of-the-box automation support for even more complex architectures, adding enhanced support for Java, Oracle Forms, and 3270 mainframe applications to its list of supported technologies, which include .NET, Ajax, Web 2.0, and Lotus Notes. Original's newest releases add 3270 automation support as well as further improving the functionality of the company's IBM i 5250 solution.
"Heterogeneous application architectures and infrastructures that support a mix of core technologies such as Java, SOA, and web and packaged application forms create a complex environment that requires more sophisticated testing and QM facilities," notes Bola Rotibi, principal analyst at IT advisory firm Macehiter Ward-Dutton. "Add to this the need to also test across applications that continue to reside on mainframes and you begin to understand why many organizations faced with this challenging background are forced to implement manual testing workaround strategies." Rotibi adds, "Testing solutions that support this diversity and can automate testing right across these complex environments could potentially generate a healthy ROI and speed up time-to-market by freeing up both time and resources."
--Vicki Hamende, application development & database editor
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NEWS on i Podcast - December 3, 2009 by iPro Developer
RONI Tools has been in business 89 years and is the largest independent tool wholesaler in Denmark (see Figure 1). The company maintains more than 20,000 different stock-keeping units in its Albertslund warehouse. The hand tools it sells come from dozens of international manufacturers such as Bahco, Hultafors, Irwin, and Stanley. In addition to maintaining a prominent position in Denmark's wholesale market, RONI Tools also serves Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.
The company deploys its core business applications on an IBM i and uses heavily modified ERP systems and financials to handle the hub of its business requirements. RONI's completely automated warehousing system has helped keep inventory levels accurate to the minute, but customer service representatives (CSRs) have only been able to check out realtime inventory data through a Lotus Notes/Domino-based system. "Aside from not being able to access order entry and inventory from any location that offered web access, the system did not update DB2/400 database files in realtime. It was also somewhat inflexible and didn't let us add important enhancements," says Jakob Løgstrup, CEO of Robert Nielsen I/S, the RONI Tools IT division.
System i technicians had hoped that the Notes/Domino collaborative software tools would be more tightly coupled with DB2/400, the database integrated into the i operating system, but with the announcement of Notes/Domino 8, IBM ultimately eliminated support for DB2/400 altogether. Because of that, RONI grew uneasy about going forward with Notes/Domino. The Danish company wanted a tune-up.
So, RONI sought a new tool for its repertoire. It discovered Business Computer Design's (BCD) WebSmart ILE.
The New Plan
BCD Nordic, which serves Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland, has partnered with BCD for 17 years to sell, service, and support BCD's modernization software. BCD Nordic created an advanced CRM and B2B website for RONI Tools so that the company
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NEWS on i Podcast - November 19, 2009 by iPro Developer
Dear Doctor,
One interface on our System i box connects to an Ethernet switch that connects through a fiber-optic transceiver (FOT) and cable that runs 3,000 feet to our training center, where another FOT turns the signal back into Cat-5e that plugs in to another Ethernet switch. We sometimes need to unplug PCs from our main building and take them to the training center for special classes. Often when we do this, the PCs won't communicate to our System i server over the fiber, yet they can connect to other Ethernet devices in the training center. I've tried rebooting the switches at either end (and even rebooting i5/OS) with no change. Oddly enough, computers left in the training center overnight always work fine the next day. What gives?
Gentle User,
Your timing with this question is perfect, as many organizations are expanding their enterprise LANs with fiber cabling and encountering similar problems. The problem itself is one of ARP cache timing as Dr. I Doctor will explain in a moment. But first, here is an immediate solution to your problem: power cycle the FOTs at each end of the fiber link. This may seem like voodoo, but trust your Doctor, it will work.
FOTs are often treated as passive connectors, especially in legacy networks where they're used to interconnect copper-based Ethernet switches. You naturally focus on the switches as the active components and think of the FOTs as just another kind of adapter. But a FOT is, in fact, a full-fledged Ethernet bridge. Like any bridge, it switches packets between interfaces based on Ethernet hardware (MAC) addresses it learns from the devices plugged in at each end. Two FOTs also exchange bridge information between themselves. It's a complicated process, involving the spanning tree protocol and, if you're not careful, can cause the symptoms you're seeing.
The FOT in your main office learns the MAC addresses for all the PCs connected to your main office switch, retaining them for some preconfigure
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NEWS on i Podcast - October 15, 2009 by iPro Developer
It's June 21, 1988. The auditorium is filled with press. The cameras and lights are all on me. My colleagues in IBM engineering have just finished their announcement of the impressive hardware in the new AS/400. Hardware folks, you see, have a distinct advantage over us in software. They unveil impressive boxes with flashing lights, hold up new disk drives, and wave around circuit boards and tiny chips while touting impressive advances in speed, density, and capacity. Now it's my turn. I'm supposed to wow the press with OS/400.
Because I'm a magician, IBM had asked me to show off the new system less than a week ago. I had made the new AS/400 hardware appear onstage with dazzling pyrotechnics. As the orchestra soared and the smoke cleared the stage, hot spotlights illuminated the cool new AS/400 hardware. The unveiling received a standing ovation from the thousands of IBMers from around the world who came to the secret IBM preannouncement. (I still have in my garage the magic equipment I designed and built for the appearance of the AS/400.)
Today is the day of the public announcement, and the engineers have already showed off their hardware. My mission is to amaze the press with the software we programmers have poured our hearts, souls, and intellects into for years. But this is software--that intangible stuff you can't feel, smell, or photograph.
To impress the press gathered before me today with the magnitude of the software announcement, I wave my hands and make the blue velvet curtain behind me vanish in a bright flash of light and smoke, revealing an entire wall of boxes. The boxes contain the amount of paper it would take to print a single copy of the millions of lines of code in the new OS/400. Then, from a pan of fire, I produce the three large cassette tapes that contain the wonderful new OS. Cameras flash and videotape rolls.
The head of software development, Dick Sulack, expresses his appreciation, saying, "We finally outdid engineering at a p
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NEWS on i Podcast - October 1, 2009 by iPro Developer
Run SQL Scripts is a useful tool for working with script-based SQL workloads. The 6.1 release of the Run SQL Scripts application in IBM Navigator for i and DB2 for i has a plethora of new features that provide greater flexibility for running script-based workloads, prototyping JDBC applications, examining performance, assessing database information, and creating scripts based on open standards.
Work with More Script Files
Most SQL script workloads are based on either the RUNSQLSTM command on IBM i or a PC-based workload in Run SQL Scripts. You can also map a network drive to a script located in the IFS on IBM i and run the script with Run SQL Scripts. You typically choose a tool based on how well it can handle a particular workload. The tool you choose dictates the location of your SQL scripts. Run SQL Scripts 6.1 gives you more choice in the matter.
In 6.1, Run SQL Scripts fully supports server-based script files, including IFS stream files and traditional source physical files. Not to be outdone, RUNSQLSTM can now run scripts based in the IFS via the new SRCSTMF parameter. So you can now save a PC-based script to a file in IBM i and run it with RUNSQLSTM, or you can work with scripts from your RUNSQLSTM workload directly in Run SQL Scripts with no drive mapping or file conversion.
The Save and Open dialog boxes in Run SQL Scripts let you work with server-based files. In the Open dialog box (Figure 1), select the file system from the Open drop-down list and then select the file name and file type. Figure 1 shows the Open dialog box for PC files, Figure 2 shows the Open dialog box for source physical files, and Figure 3 shows the Open dialog box for stream files.
The recent files list will look a little different if you work with server-based files rather than PC-based files. For server-based files, the file name starts with file:// and ends with the IFS-style path. For example,
file://MySystemI/QSYS.LIB/KYLEG.LIB/QSQLSRC.FILE/MYSQL.MBR is a so
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NEWS on i Podcast - September 17, 2009 by iPro Developer
When I tested the links in one of our newsletters, the URL in Bob Cozzi's RPG World message that directs clickers to the conference website wasn't working. Since I didn't see any errors in the HTML code, I immediately emailed Bob and asked him if the server was down. He emailed back, saying, "The server is never down, it's a System i; the T1 line is down as are all the T1s in the Lombard area for some reason." *Read more...
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Virtual Tape: Is This Anything? by iPro Developer
Can you be sure that virtual tape can recover data as reliably as legacy tape backups do? Mel Beckman answers this question and more on virtual tape.
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NEWS on i Podcast - September 3, 2009 by iPro Developer
IBM i shops in the retail market have just a few short weeks to prepare for Cyber Monday, the first Monday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, which marks the official start of the online holiday shopping season.
Despite a shaky economy and predictions of bleak sales, The Nielsen Company suggests online retailers will fare well, having the largest chunk of customers (12 percent) who say they'll spend more money this year at online stores. The growing dollar store outlets also will enjoy a larger percentage of customers who say they'll spend more in these shops.
So what are you doing to get ready for the holiday season and attract customers? If you offer customers online sales, has your company employed any new IT strategies or deployed any new technologies to help with the holiday shopping melee?
Better yet, can I write an article on your i system retail strategy? Email me!!! *Read more...
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NEWS on i Podcast - August 20, 2009 by iPro Developer
CEO: "What? How could we have spent so much money in the past year on making sure we're compliant? What about funds for technology to support new business? New customers? Innovation in new product development? We're losing market share and dropping profits off the table like crazy. International competitors are starting to eat our lunch!"
CIO: "What would you have us do? You told us to absolutely, positively keep you out of jail and do everything possible to save you. Doing everything possible is very different from doing everything reasonable. Which is your top priority: high competitiveness with reasonable efforts toward compliance, or absolute compliance with spending on competitiveness coming second? Pick one."
CEO: "Dang."
What kinds of conversations are your CIOs having with your CEOs? In my experience, it is the rare CIO who is willing to push back against a corporate leader the way this one did. In fact, many IT organizations have lost their way completely because they don't have the backbone to fight. Why? Because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. Since the enactment of SOX, which has caused some of the most significant cases of unintended consequences in the relatively short history of IT, auditors exert far too much influence on the project priorities of IT organizations. However, you can keep auditors happy by understanding the requirements of compliance and practicing legal and honest business operations. Here, I share ideas about the state of compliance and the unique challenges facing IT.
The Legacy of SOX
What comes to mind when I say "Enron?" Corporate corruption? Unscrupulous executives? Fortunes lost? SOX was a direct result of the Enron situation. Just as one guy Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber" forever changed the process of boarding planes in the United States (now people have to expose the holes in their socks and stand in "stinky" security screening lines), Enron has made things far more smelly
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NEWS on i Podcast - August 6, 2009 by iPro Developer
Hey, tomorrow is the day: Sharon Hoffman, Paul Tuohy, Don Denoncourt, and Craig Pelkie. Four experts giving you an online brain dump on Application Modernization topics--the database, the code, the user interface, and the architecture. The title? "Maximizing the IBM i". Don't miss it. Seriously, tell your friends.
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Virtualization with IBM Power Systems by iPro Developer
Vess Natchev discusses the capabilities of IBM's POWER6 processor-based servers, the PowerVM virtualization platform, how virtualization is used to run IBM i apps on blades, and more.
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NEWS on i Podcast - July 16, 2009 by iPro Developer
The new version of IBMs Rational Developer for i for SOA Constructions has enriched tools for web application development. It has the capability of linking backend RPG, Cobol, and EGL to front-end user interfaces. It also helps with compiling, editing, and debugging traditional as well as new IBM i RPG or Cobol applications. This product will be available on November 26.
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NEWS on i Podcast - June 18, 2009 by iPro Developer
"With access to the GeoEye-1 imagery, Google can now begin providing images for Google Maps and Google Earth that will boast a resolution of 50 cm. That's just shy of two feet. When this new high-resolution imagery becomes available, Google Maps sightseeing will get a great deal more interesting."--Rick Turoczy, as quoted in Computerworld.com
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NEWS on i Podcast - June 4, 2009 by iPro Developer
Goofy Named Constants
Using named constants can be problematic. Name collision is a medium to large problem when it comes to named constants. Take the CONVERT subprocedure example, the named constants UPPER and LOWER are pretty common. The odds of name
collision with these names and those used in your own programs are pretty likely. So how do you avoid this type of collision?
Qualified Named Constants?
Unfortunately, we don't have the Qualified Named Constants feature in RPG IV. We do, however, have Qualified Data Structures. And if we're willing to compromise slightly, we can sort of simulate Qualified Named Constants.
For example, if you normally use named constants to identify colors used in web applications, you might have a line of code that looks like this:
D blue C Const(X'0000FF')
D myColor S 10I 0
/free
myColor = blue;
/end-free
Assuming you define BLUE as a named constant and /COPY it into programs that use it, you end up reserving the field named BLUE in those applications. The reserved field BLUE can cause name collision. If you use a Qualified Data Structure and named subfields, you can avoid this issue. Here's a simple example:
D color DS Qualified
D red 10I 0 Inz(X'FF0000')
D green 10I 0 Inz(X'00FF00')
D blue 10I 0 Inz(X'0000FF')
D black 10I 0 Inz(0)
D white 10I 0 Inz(X'FFFFFF')
Now when you need to specify the color BLUE, you could code something like this:
D myColor S 10I 0
/free
myColor = color.blue;
/end-free
This frees up the field named BLUE (as well as RED, GREEN, BLACK, and WHITE). In the /COPY member, instead of defining several named constants as RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE,
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NEWS on i Podcast - May 21, 2009 by iPro Developer
Our great System i has long been considered a security strongbox—a hacker's worst nightmare. Some even consider it to be unhackable. This perception has caused some of us to become complacent in our due diligence related to system security. But security through perceived obscurity is insufficient protection in a world of wily cyber criminals and malicious insiders.
According to the Open Security Foundation and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, since 2005 more than 234 million people have had their personal information hacked, stolen, lost, or misplaced. Hundreds of computer-related data thefts occur every year—often one or more per day. To view those of public record, you can visit the Data Loss Database at datalossdb.org. According to the Data Loss Database's published list, some of those thefts are occurring at System i shops both large and small.
Securing the System i is made especially difficult by tools that access data but leave no footprints. How can you protect the sensitive information in your care when it can be accessed without your knowledge?
Invisible Data Access Methods
When a thief steals your car, you know it: When you go out in the morning to start your car, it isn't where you left it. But how can you know whether someone has stolen a sensitive System i database file? The file is still there and there are no traces of illegitimate activity, but that doesn't prove that the file hasn't been breached or stolen.
IBM ships the System i with a variety of data access tools, many of which access data invisibly. We often add third-party data query tools, and we even write our own data access methods using socket programs and the database APIs. Although non-IBM data access tools might reside on your systems, I want to focus on the built-in IBM-supplied IBM i tools that access data invisibly.
If I download a database file using FTP or the System i Access file transfer facility, there's no built-in audit trail of the activity. There's no FTP
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COMMON holds answers to AIX and IBM i questions by iPro Developer
Now that IBM has converged its hardware line so that the former System i and System p are now the converged Power Systems line, this brings up some interesting areas of convergence -- for starters, the hardware might be converged, but what about the people? What about the kinds of businesses?
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NEWS on i Podcast - May 7, 2009 by iPro Developer
Click here to download the code bundle. To report code errors, email SystemiNetwork.com
It recently occurred to me that I've been programming longer than I've done anything else in my professional life. It's scary there's still so much to learn and comprehend, and so many hard-acquired skills seem to last only so long before emerging new technologies, methodologies, and programming languages du jour take over the agenda. In fact, change often seems to be the only constant in this business.
In the early '90s, I ventured into the world of RPG and CL and have since been devotedly occupied with the challenge of writing solid, well-structured programs. Here, I share with you the style and techniques I use when I write an RPG application or program. I've chosen and slightly rewritten a command called Work with Output Queue Authorities (WRKOUTQAUT), a utility that displays the output queue authorities assigned to one or more user profiles.
My approach is based primarily on personal preference and perception developed and adapted over the years rather than scientific principles or "programming schools." Given this limitation, it is still my intention to provide you with the inspiration that comes from looking over a fellow programmer's shoulder.
The WRKOUTQAUT Command
The original objective of the WRKOUTQAUT command was to provide a quick overview of user profiles' authorities to a specific output queue. Output queues contain all kinds of information in the form of spooled files waiting to be printed some of which contain confidential and sensitive data. Spooled files are part of important business processes such as invoicing, confirming order confirmations, and distributing papers, so access to and management of the output queues handling these spooled files should be very restrictive and well devised. The ability to immediately verify and manage authority to a specific output queue from one Work with panel allows for tighter security
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NEWS Daily Podcast - April 2, 2009 by iPro Developer
On September 3, IBM will launch Enhanced Technical Support – gateway for Power Systems and System i users with Software Maintenance, Support Line or Hardware Maintenance contracts on the UK mainland.
The improved service includes a personalised portal that will provide proactive online or email notification regarding a system's maintenance, security and performance. IBM says that the portal can provide graphs and detailed information on server performance and forecast performance bottlenecks before they happen. It can also provide reports that compare the fixes installed to a server with the available HIPER, PE and cumulative levels and also web views and reports with detailed configuration data information.
Enhanced Technical Support – gateway provides users with what IBM calls remote account advocate teams. Via the portal, the team will assist customers and IBM business partners with the installation and configuration of the new tools and the interpretation of their related reports.
IBM says that problems defined as critical by a client will receive priority handling. In case of such problems, the remote account advocate team will coordinate technical activities to ensure effective support and will keep the customer informed on the progress of the problem resolution.
You can read more in IBM's official announcement.
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Getting Started with PHP by iPro Developer
Sharon Hoffman outlines the reasons why you may want to explore PHP, resources to guide you through PHP installation, and tips for setting up Zend Studio.
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NEWS Daily Podcast - March 19, 2009 by iPro Developer
Q: I'm writing an RPG program that uses O-specs to send output to a Datamax printer, and I need to embed a x'02' in the print stream. Every time I try to do that, the x'02' gets stripped out. How can I make this work?
A: Anytime you want to embed ASCII hex codes in a print stream (it doesn't matter what type of printer) you can do so by using ASCII transparency support. I've used this support with HP Laserjets as well as thermal printers such as Datamax and Zebra.
Now, this technique is not foolproof. Whether it works or not will depend on how the data is translated from the IBM i spool to the printer's native language. So you'll have to test it out--but this technique works most of the time.
Background
Most of the time, when we write a spooled file using RPG's O-specs, the output is written to the spool in IBM's SNA Character String (SCS) format. Like most printer languages, SCS uses certain hex values as "control characters" or "escape sequences" that control how the printer behaves. When we write a record using O-specs, the system automatically inserts the appropriate control characters to make the output appear correctly on the page.
Back in the early days, most of the printers we used understood SCS directly, so the spooled file could be sent to the printer, and the printer would use the control sequences to render the output.
Nowadays, however, it's more likely that the SCS will be converted to the printer's language before the printout is printed. This step may be done by software on the system, such as the host print transform function, or by emulation software, or by a hardware adapter. How it works will depend on how your printer is configured and what sort of hardware is attached to it.
In any case, whatever is interpreting the SCS data stream will see the control characters and convert them to the right data for the printer. That translation process is doubtless what's messing up your x'02' sequence--it's being translated to so
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NEWS Daily Podcast - March 12, 2009 by iPro Developer
Acme Enterprises, a long time IBM customer, is currently utilizing a System i with multiple CPUs. The company has a number of batch processes that perform mass update, delete, and insert operations against large transaction tables using Record Level Access (RLA) techniques. Several years ago, after upgrading to their first multi-CPU system, Acme IT staff members discovered that to take advantage of CPU parallelism, they must multithread their current batch applications.
The process worked fine for a number of years as Acme experienced modest growth. However, through mergers and acquisitions, the business doubled overnight. In addition, the eight-hour workday disappeared, and Acme approached a 24/7 environment. These new realities exposed serious performance problems, which severely affected production because several batch processes no longer completed within the required window of time.
Unplanned system upgrades had to be implemented, resulting in additional downtime. Eventually, throwing hardware at the application did not achieve any performance improvements. Several top executives wanted to replace the system; however, after consulting with IBM, Acme realized it was time to replace the application.
Application Performance Issues
Initially, Acme used the following approach to multithread its long-running batch jobs:
Submit a control job to perform the following steps:
Create an empty work file (TRANS_TEMP) based on the TRANSHIST file using the CRTDUPOBJ command.
Populate TRANS_TEMP with a subset of the rows in TRANSHIST using a combination of the OPNQRYF/CPYFRMQRYF commands.
Use RTVMBRD to return the number of records (NBR_RCDS) written to TRANS_TEMP.
Divide NBR_RCDS by the number of planned submitted jobs to come up with the number of records per job (NBRRCDSJOB).
Submit the jobs passing the NBRRCDSJOB value along with the starting record (FROM_RCD) value. The FROM_RCD value is calculated by adding the NBRRCDSJOB to FROM_RCD, which has
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NEWS Daily Podcast - March 5, 2009 by SystemINetwork
During the course of my life, I've seen more than my fair share of double standards (I'm not a young man). When I was a child, my parents frequently told me not to do things they themselves did with some degree of frequency. As a parent, I restored balance to the universe by telling my kids not to do things I did all the time. I've also experienced double standards in relationships, on the job, and in social situations. I've seen so many double standards it makes me...well, it makes me see double sometimes.
I assume most of you have experienced double standards in your lives as well. (Either that or my therapist has been lying to me all these years.) Therefore, it should not come as a surprise when I point out we have double standards in the IT industry. In particular, we have a serious double standard on the issue of server consolidation.
What's the nature of this double standard? Simply put, many people think server consolidation is good when we do it in our data centers, but bad when vendors do it in their product lines.
As is the case with many double standards, some aspects of it are completely valid, while others are utter nonsense. Let's take a look at the issue from both perspectives and see whether we can find some truths in the middle. (Or, if you want to take the parental approach, feel free to mumble, "Life is not fair get over it," and walk away.)
Why We Love Server Consolidation
The practice of server consolidation is drummed into the heads of most IT professionals from an early age. The drumbeat of this lesson is simple: More servers, bad. Fewer servers, good. However, to make life more interesting, server consolidation takes many forms, each having its own set of challenges and rewards. I tend to break server consolidation into four forms:
Reduce the number of servers
Reduce the number of hardware configurations purchased/deployed
Reduce the number of operating systems purchased/deployed
Reduce the number of server vend
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NEWS Daily Podcast - February 26, 2009 by iPro Developer
"Because of the complexity of ERP suites, SaaS offerings for administrative and operational functions typically have provided functionality that is confined to one domain, such as sales force automation, or one business process, such as payroll. . . . Thus, ERP SaaS suite offerings are still immature." --Denise Ganly, a Gartner analyst, as quoted by CIO.com
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NEWS Daily Podcast - February 19, 2009 by iPro Developer
Original Software has announced the availability of TestBench for iSeries Version 6.3, which reduces the risk of undetected errors and lets testers quickly and accurately identify faults within reports.
The Report Compare component lets customers evaluate a new report update alongside a previously validated baseline version, ensuring that when a program change is made the clients can instantly tell whether there has been any adverse impact to the report. Through TestBench for iSeries, System i users can anonymously extract data from live systems to a test environment, neutralizing the risk of testing on live data by no longer exposing real customer details and high security risk items to the live testing process. The testing functionality lets users view the effects of the application on the database in a test environment. Customers can then build rules to validate database effects for all future tests. The TestBench data-protection module lets users roll back the changes and reset the environment if it becomes corrupted by any testing activity.
--Vicki Hamende, application development & database editor
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NEWS Daily Podcast - February 12, 2009 by iPro Developer
Imagine a world where you can walk into a grocery store, pick items off the shelf, and tally your bill as you drop the food into your cart. Then, after you are finished shopping, rather than heading toward a long check-out line you merely stroll out the door knowing that what you bought is being charged to your bank account or credit card. Crazy? Not quite. The technology of RFID is already almost to this point. *Read more...
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NEWS Daily Podcast - February 5, 2009 by iPro Developer
U.S. Announcement Letter: 108-452
IBM has added a new internal tape drive option for the half-high tape slot in Power 520 and 550 servers. The drive is a #5619 80/160 GB DAT160 SAS tape drive. Two other tape drives are also available: a lower-capacity #5907 36/72 GB DAT72 SAS tape drive and a higher-capacity #5746 800 GB LTO-4 SAS tape drive. Yhe #5912 PCI-X SAS adapter is available to attach SAS tape drives or SAS disk drives. Other enhancements include the Power 520 1-core Growth Edition and Power 520 2-core 150 User Edition, the fact that the configuration flexibility of Power Systems running the IBM i operating system makes the previously mandatory WAN adapter an optional feature on POWER6 servers, and support for 141 GB SCSI disk drives added to the IBM POWER5+ 9407-515 and the 9406 models 800, 810, 825, 870, and 890.
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NEWS Daily Podcast - January 22, 2009 by iPro Developer
Programmers know we can perform database operations with SQL in RPG. We also can extend the RPG language using SQL's vast library of functions. Bob Cozzi demonstrates how in this week's Tuesday Tip. *View tip now...
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NEWS Daily Podcast - January 15, 2009 by
IBM has added two new tools to the DB2 Web Query business intelligence solution for i that it co-develops with Information Builders.
The first, DB2 Web Query Report Broker, improves the product's reporting environment with automated report distribution. DB2 Web Query reports can be scheduled and sent to single or multiple users and can be formatted as PDFs, a variety of spreadsheets, HTML, PPT and more. An Active Reports feature automates report distribution for mobile users who need to work offline.
Report Broker can "burst" reports based on sort fields so users can run a single report but break its output into sections. This allows a user to print a regional sales report, for example, with each sales manager getting only the section of the report associated with their own regional data. Event-driven report execution lets a user set up reports to be run whenever a database-triggered event occurs, such as an inventory level going below a certain threshold.
A new DB2 Web Query System Development Kit has also been introduced for creating web applications that integrate DB2 Web Query reports. It can be used to build applications with parameterised reports, display dashboards or graph/chart-based views. In conjunction with Report Broker it can integrate report distribution functions such as event-driven report execution and deliver them via web services. Web services in the kit include user authentication, retrieving report parameters and executing reports and checking for, or executing, report drill-downs.
IBM has added more licensing options to DB2 Web Query's OLAP add-on. It has also introduced a run time user option where user licensing is based on the set of reports made available instead of on the number of users who will access them.
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NEWS Daily Podcast - December 11, 2008 by SystemINetwork
As U.S. consumers buy more digital devices, they stockpile more of their favorite music, photos, movies, and games. On the average, consumers now store 907 songs, 924 photos, 25 movies, and 7 games on their digital audio players, digital cameras, camera phones, digital video recorders, and desktop or notebook computers.
46 Percent -- Increase in dollar value of stored collections in the past three years.
56 Percent -- Increase in number of stored movies.
134 Percent -- Increase in number of stored songs.
138 Percent -- Increase in number of stored photos.
88 percent -- Number of Americans who own some kind of electronic device that provides digital storage.
Source: Study conducted by KRC Research and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
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NEWS Daily Podcast - December 4, 2008 by SystemINetwork
DNS is what gives the Internet its power. It's a force used by all active domains. It surrounds them and penetrates them. It has a light side and a dark side. It binds the Internet togeth . . . Ahem. I get carried away sometimes. But DNS is undeniably important to the Internet. And by extension, to your own local corner of the Internet.
We last revisited the state of the Domain Name System (DNS) three years ago ("DNS Revisited," June 2005, article ID 20138 at SystemiNetwork.com). At that writing, DNS had undergone a significant change: the introduction of competitive registrars and many new top-level domains. That era also saw major improvements in root name server security and resilience. However, DNS was still primarily a mechanism for resolving names into IP addresses.
Since then, DNS has taken on many new functions beyond simple name resolution, including some functions from "the dark side." Hackers began using the global network of DNS servers to engage in phishing attacks redirecting unsuspecting users to phony banking and e-commerce sites for summary fleecing. Terrorists also exploited DNS weaknesses to take down websites unfriendly to their causes. In most every organization, this negative activity triggered new, tighter DNS policies aimed at curbing these transgressions.
Despite its 25-year age, DNS has weathered these storms surprisingly well, adapting to a completely new environment that its inventors could never have foreseen. In fact, DNS has gone beyond adaptation, taking a proactive roll in curbing such Internet plagues as e-mail spam, using two robust DNS-based e-mail protection mechanisms, Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain Key Identified Mail (DKIM).
These changes alone eclipse anything DNS has been through in the past. But more change is coming much more. DNS is the key to the Internet's successful transition from the old, crusty, out-of-space IPv4 addressing scheme to the shiny new addresses-unlimited IPv6. Thre
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News Daily Podcast - October 02, 2008 by SystemINetwork
In this article I outline two ways of creating web services from existing System i programs. The first approach is to deploy RPG programs in the new IBM Integrated Web Services Server for i, and the second is to create web services in Rational Developer for System i for SOA Construction (RDi SOA). In addition to giving step-by-step instructions, I explain the benefits of each implementation method and provide hints on how to successfully deploy web services in a production environment.
What Is a Web Service?
In IT terminology, a "service" is a program or procedure that performs a business task. Examples of such tasks are "register a user," "find an item in a catalog," and "place an order." The main difference between standalone programs and self-contained procedures that implement business tasks and web services is the way you invoke the programs. A web service is a service that's called using standard service-oriented architecture (SOA) technologies, defined as "Basic Profile" by the Web Services Interoperability Organization. You can learn more about Basic Profile on the organization's website at ws-i.org. Although HTTP is one of the most common protocols used in web service invocation (hence "web" in the name), it's not a requirement.
Web services technologies specify how to invoke a web service. The Basic Profile specification covers the following items:
transport layer: HTTP (the only transport protocol supported by the Basic Profile standard), JMS, FTP, or other transport protocols (not supported by Basic Profile)
message invocation: SOAP
web service description: Web Services Definition Language (WSDL)
web services catalog: Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI)
Figure 1 shows how to use these technologies in a web services interaction. A developer creates a web service and deploys it in a web services server, which is often called a "SOAP server." In addition to producing a web service, the developer creates or generates
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NEWS Daily Podcast - November 20, 2008 by SystemINetwork
When you create or change a user profile, there are many optional parameters for which you can specify a value. Since we normally just clone an existing user profile to make a new one, most of us never get around to examining all of those optional parameters.
For example, did you know that you could specify the User Options parameter? You can use this parameter to do all sorts of things. Here, I'll discuss the User Options parameter in more detail.
When using the CRTUSRPRF, CHGUSRPRF, or CHGPRF command, one of the last parameters is User Options(USROPT).
The default value for USROPT is *NONE, so when we do not specify an alternate value, we get no special options for that user.
The alternate values we can specify include *CLKWD, *EXPERT, *ROLLKEY, *NOSTSMSG, *STSMSG, *HLPFULL, and *PRTMSG.
Here's an example of using the USROPT parameter.
CRTUSRPRF USRPRF(MYUSER)… USROPT(*HLPFULL *PRTMSG)
*CLKWD – Show CL keywords
F11 is a toggle switch to see choices or CL Keywords. *CLKWD simply changes the display you see first; choices or keywords.
When Prompting a Control Language command with F4=Prompt, we first see a textual description of the choices you can enter for the parameter on the right side of the parameter entry area. If we press F11=Keywords, we will see the CL keyword names to the left of the parameter entry area.
If we assign the user option *CLKWD to a user profile, these displays are reversed. In other words, you will first be prompted with the CL Keywords, and will see the choices after pressing F11=Choices.
As I recall from the old System/38 days, the CL prompter always prompted for CL keywords, and there was no F11 toggle to see the text for the choices. Choices were added in OS/400 V1R1. So, for those old hands who want to see things the old System/38 way, set the user option *CLKWD to see the keywords first. (I'm sure someone will correct me if I mis-remember the System/38 Command Prompt from 1988.)
*EXPERT – Use e
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PHP, Web Services, and The Cloud by SystemINetwork
What is the big attraction to PHP? Mel Beckman voices his thoughts on this question and more during this podcast.
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News Daily Podcast - November 13, 2008 by SystemINetwork
Crossgate, Inc., operator of one of Europe's central B2B transaction networks, has made a strategic agreement to work in cooperation with Trustweaver, a company specializing in international signatures. Crossgate and Trustweaver are collaborating to help ensure that customers' international digital invoices are compliant with different tax regulations. Trustweaver's services will be fully integrated into Crossgate's B2B transaction platform so that clients need only one EDI interface. The solution is a service for e-invoicing and does not run on the System i, per se. Steve Sprague, Crossgate's vice president of global marketing, adds, "We would, however, connect to those who are running backend System i servers as their ERP or those who have chosen to run SAP on the System i. The service is not dependent on the application platform we connect to as it is just an interface to us." More information about the service is available on Crossgate's website.
--Linda Harty, Security & Networking/Connectivity Editor
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Remote Journaling: keep the data flowing by SystemINetwork
Remote journal support is a cornerstone for most logical-replication driven high availability approaches. Hear two recent enhancements which can help keep the data flowing clean and clear across a remote journal connection.
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Timo Timo Podcast by SystemINetwork
How can I read an exported variable into a ILE CL program?
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NEWS Daily Podcast - October 16, 2008 by SystemINetwork
This is the abstract. Sed tincidunt consequat magna. Morbi euismod lacus non nisl. Duis posuere. Nulla sodales placerat purus. Integer enim. Donec ipsum elit, cursus et, tincidunt quis, rutrum at, lacus. Curabitur tristique, felis eu
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News Daily Podcast - October 23, 2008 by SystemINetwork
The PowerTech Group, Inc., has announced the general availability of version 3.0 of PowerTech Interact, its solution for capturing realtime security events. Interact provides realtime visibility to audit logs from the System i, letting organizations monitor server activity and protect the data on their System i servers. Interact 3.0 now delivers more monitoring capabilities, including enhanced IP tracking. Other new features include 25 new event types, support for LPP licensing, and a significantly smaller installation footprint. Many i5/OS security event types that appear in Interact are detailed in PowerTech's OS/400 Compliance Guide, available free on PowerTech's website. Interact 3.0 supports V6R1. Contact PowerTech for a free 30-day trial, info@powertech.com.
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News Daily Podcast - October 30, 2008 by SystemINetwork
Varsity Logistics and New Generation Software (NGS) are teaming to develop ShipView Plus, a new analytics/business-intelligence module for the IBM i platform. The product, which will be offered with Varsity's ShipSoft shipping execution and TMS solutions, will drive process improvement and ROI by targeting and controlling costs in shipping and transport. Featuring an easy-to-use suite of dashboards and analytic query and reporting capabilities, ShipView Plus will leverage NGS's business-intelligence technology to unlock and access operational, strategic, and historical information. Pilot customers are now implementing pre-sale versions, and ShipView Plus, Release 1.0, will be available mid-summer.
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