November 2004

• Industry Observer -
• RPG and the IFS: Introduction to Stream Files - The documentation for working with the IFS APIs may seem forbidding to an RPG programmer, but you can easily use the IFS from your RPG programs. This first in a series of articles about using the IFS from ILE RPG starts with the basics of stream files.
• iSeries Applications in Vivid Color - IBM has made significant changes throughout the V5 releases to support color applications. Glenn Rose walks you through these color enablers to show how you can use them effectively.
• SANs the Exception for iSeries Shops, but Potential Is Growing - Not much talk has come from the announcement that V5R3 extends support for multiple I/O. For those users who opt for direct-attach storage managed through a SAN infrastructure, support for multipath I/O is significant.
• Our Fork in the Road - IBM chose AS/400 platform modernization over community relationship building. Now customers must choose to move on — not lament the past.
• f.y.iSeries -
• The Fall of the Application - We haven't yet seen the huge surge of new, modern applications that everyone is waiting for. It takes a real economic incentive to justify such an adventure, and IBM has provided that incentive.
• Hot New Products -
• ROI for RFID: Reality for Mid-Size Companies - Radio frequency identification has been in use for 60 years. But until now, the cost of implementing an RFID solution has been prohibitive for most companies. That picture may be changing.
• iSeries and Windows — Some Synergy at Last? - Windows and iSeries machines interact constantly, but crossovers of operational concepts between platforms have been infrequent. Some recent product announcements show that might be changing.
• Backup and Recovery Solutions for iSeries - 24/7 operations at many enterprises make system backups more important while making it more difficult to find time to do them. These solutions can help you automate backups and, in some cases, carry them out while users retain system access.
• Bytware's StandGuard Anti-Virus - The iSeries Integrated File System can, and does, act as a safe harbor for worms and viruses. Using PC-based anti-virus tools to scan IFS drives isn't fully effective, however. Bytware's StandGuard Anti-Virus is a native OS/400 solution to the problem.
• Security Considerations for the IFS - Why should you care about the security implications of the IFS? Because the IFS enables many of the most powerful and most used features on OS/400 and i5/OS. Find out what steps you need to take to secure your IFS.
• IBM Announcements -
• Spinning for Success - If you spin it just right, you could make a case that fully saturated server and storage markets are vibrant signs of the overall good health of the IT industry. Um... yeah... but don't you still need to make a profit?
• Use of SCM Tools Restores Health of App Development Cycle - When Puget Sound Blood Center, an organization conducting research and providing medical, blood, and tissue services, needed better automation and workflow features for managing changes to software applications, it turned to MKS, Inc.'s Implementer, Integrity Manager, and MKS Source Integrity Enterprise Edition.
• Tips for Managing the IFS with iSeries Nav - Save time when managing your integrated file system (IFS) environment with these little-known tips.
• IFS Essentials - Understanding how to use the IFS is a critical prerequisite to getting the most value out of your iSeries server. These tips and techniques will help you master the IFS.
• Tech Tips -
• Rebuilding a Damaged SQL Catalog - This tip comes from Power Tips for iSeries Database & SQL
• iSeries Access ODBC Driver Keywords -
• The Good, The Bad, The Ugly -
• Mastering Modules, Part 2 - Knowing how to organize modules and service programs containing code for reuse, and how to convert copy members and subroutines to procedures, can help you create effective module applications.
• Sorting a Subfile with a Keyed Data Queue: The RPG Version - Learn how to use a keyed data queue to sort and rank a subfile and how to recognize and deal with problems you might encounter along the way.
• Extending a WebFacing Application with Web Tools - Discover the ease of integration between a WebFacing application and a Web Tools application. Here's an example of how you can extend a WebFacing screen by writing a new Web Tools application and then linking the two.
• Execute Stored Procedures via IBM's .NET Data Provider - Follow these steps to access stored procedures on the iSeries from a client application written in Visual Basic .NET.
• FAQs: iSeries Access Family -
• Dr. I. Doctor - Dr. I. Doctor explains how to clean up spyware and block future infestations and recommends ways to simplify VPN user configuration.
• User IDs and Functional Privileges - Service tools are very powerful. Controlling access to them is vital to protecting your system and the security of your data. Take advantage of IBM's new service tools security enhancements.