September 1996

• In This Issue -
• Letters -
• Untangling IT: IPCS: Too Good to Be True? - Robert Tipton contends that until IBM delivers a powerful, competitive Intel engine in the Integrated PC Server (IPCS), the value of the AS/400's integration won't make a dent in the world of PC-based application serving.
• Newswatch -
• Your Rights to Online Information - Discerning the rules for protecting and using online information isn't easy. Thomas Smedinghoff explains how U.S. copyright law applies to online information, and more important, what has yet to be resolved.
• International Update -
• Update -
• SQL Challenges DDS & RPG -
• SQL/400 vs. DDS: Which Should You Use? - Should you be using SQL/400 in addition to - or instead of - DDS to create your database files? Paul Conte's side-by-side technical analysis of SQL/400, DDS, and the OPNQRYF command will help you make the decision.
• SQL/400 vs. RPG IV: Which One's Faster? - Head-to-head I/O performance benchmarks by NEWS/400 Senior Technical Editor Paul Conte show RPG IV holding the edge in most categories, but SQL/400 finishes strong -- even winning a couple of contests.
• New Alter Table Command Eases AS/400 File Changes - Available with V3R6 and V3R2, the alter table operation makes changing DDS and SQL file descriptions simpler and more reliable. Mark J. Anderson shows how to change a file by entering an SQL Alter Table statement or changing a file's DDS and then executing a CHGPF command.
• Merge Your Custom Code with Vendor Software - Ted Fines introduces V3R1's File Compare and Merge Utility, which offers two commands - CMPPFM (Compare Physical File Member) and MRGSRC (Merge Source) - that help you find, compare, and resolve differences between a software package's newest release and your customization of an earlier release.
• HTML Tips and Techniques - There's no magic to creating World Wide Web pages. You probably already have the tools on your PC, and with the HTML tips and techniques Michael Shaw and Linda Harty provide here, you can be a Web wiz in no time.
• How to Read an RPG Program Dump - When a program fails, one place to search for clues, even before you run your debugger, is the program dump. Peter Clifford shows you how to quickly decipher RPG/400 and ILE RPG/400 dumps.
• Homegrown POS - When Ricks College decided to upgrade the point-of-sale (POS) application it uses to track student financial data, it switched from a packaged solution to one combining purchased hardware with software developed in-house. Terry Silva describes how his team evaluated the hardware components and developed the required programs.
• Exploring V3R6's Remote File System - Kathryn Cook and David Gimpl explain the QFileSvr.400 file system, a V3R6 feature that lets users on a RISC AS/400 access directories, files, and services on other AS/400s via Integrated File System commands.
• Installing NetWare for SAA 2.0 - Dale Ellis guides you through installing and configuring NetWare for SAA 2.0 in four manageable steps: Add configuration commands to NetWare, install CommExec, install NetWare for SAA, and configure the NetWare for SAA server.
• Buyers Guide: Windows Query and Reporting Tools - This Buyers Guide reports on the features and capabilities offered by 24 tools that provide Windows-based query and reporting of AS/400 data.
• Load 'n' Go: Managing AS/400 Network Passwords - Security dictates that passwords be changed every 90 days or so, but for users who access multiple local and remote AS/400s, doing so can be a hassle. Dalton Middleton's PWDRMT utility makes it easy.
• Tech Corner -
• NEWSMART/400 -
• The Hardware Report: IBM IInternal DASD - Ted Hooten reports on the current aftermarket for AS/400 internal disk storage.
• Buyer's Guide: RF Handheld and Vehicle-mounted Bar Code Readers - This buyers guide compares some features of radio-frequency and vehicle-mounted bar code readers from a group of representative manufacturers.
• New Products & Services -
• Street Talk -