September 2005

• Industry Observer - Electronic Voting Controversy Continues; Blast from the Past; Managing iSeries Navigator Performance; Patent Legislation
• The Essential Guide to SCM - SCM tools and processes not only provide an audit trail but are the foundation of any successful software development effort and are indispensable in your shop. This guide covers SCM basics and tells you how to get your own SCM solution into service.
• Keeping a Vigil on iSeries Security - System security's multiple aspects include access control, data integrity, controlling user authorities, passwords, and auditing system activity. NetIQ Corporation's NetIQ Security Solutions for iSeries provides tools for managing all these areas of concern.
• J2EE Is in Your Future - J2EE's cross-platform implementation leverages emerging trends in open source, operating systems, and hardware. Enterprise-ready, yet suitable for SMBs, J2EE is becoming the platform for the next decade.
• How to Stay Hot: What's an IT Pro to Do? - Knowing RPG alone isn't enough to make you a commodity in today's IT world. Our experts share their thoughts on what it takes to stay competitive (and relevant) in an increasingly challenging job market.
• Java Logging with Apache - You can use Log4j to record program flow and progress and runtime events — even when your program doesn't actually crash. And it's also a great debugging tool.
• iSeries Application Testing Tools - Today's applications are more complex than ever, making exclusively manual application testing prior to deployment time-prohibitive. One of these 11 tools can help you automate your application testing procedures.
• Hot New Products -
• Better RPG Through BIFs! - Despite what some people think, the new coding style focused on free-format RPG and BIFs is clearly better than the traditional fixed-format style. Find out why, and learn about 12 BIFs that can greatly improve your code.
• Improve and Tune IFS Performance, Part 1 - The i5/OS integrated file system (IFS) is a robust, scalable, highly secure, and highly available file system. Find out how it also can be high performing!
• The Continuing Inevitability of .NET - There is a reason for the large number of ex-Java programmers in my company. Put most simply, they are dramatically more productive in .NET. In fact, .NET adoption is at an all-time high.
• RPG and the IFS: Working with Directories - IFS directories let you organize your files to make them easier to find and manage. Discover the ins and outs of directories and how to use them from your RPG programs so that your applications integrate well with other operating systems' applications.
• IBM Announcements -
• How to Secure the Integrated File System - Do you know who has access to critical system directories? If you haven't secured your integrated file system (IFS), you might be unpleasantly surprised by the answer. Use this step-by-step guide to ensure that your system is protected.
• A Day in the Life of an IFS Java Programmer - This typical programmer must handle the requests of two clients: install Jakarta Apache Tomcat 5.5 and create a hot-deployment device for a WebSphere shop. See how he approaches these tasks to ensure they're complete by the end of the day.
• Using the Table View in WDSc - Using Remote System Explorer isn't the only way to view and work with RPG source in WDSc. Consider the table view, which offers more of a PDM flavor to WDSc. In fact, the Table view is the only place where you'll find some of your favorite PDM options.
• Lessons Learned from Michael Jackson - Astro sees some lessons that various tech companies could learn from the Michael Jackson case.
• Backup World Not as Dull as Its Reputation -
• Import and Export Management Central Environments - With this handy tool, you can reduce the time spent importing and exporting items between central systems. What's more, it lets you quickly customize your monitors, definitions, systems, and system groups.
• Dr. I Doctor - Dr. I Doctor explains how to calculate bandwidth requirements for Voice-over-IP traffic, and describes using a low-cost residential Internet router to share a printer between two networks.
• Wholesale/Distribution and Retail Trades Face Massive Customer Demands - In the new wholesale/distribution and retail environment, companies face on-demand environments with no tolerance for downtime. As customers leave little room for error, proactive retailers are looking to IT and the iSeries-i5 for gains.
• Just Between Us Programs - In this installment, you get the scoop on how a job stores messages, how to have one program object send a message to another, the types of messages a program object can send, and the actions those messages can require a job to perform.
• Feedback -
• Protect Vulnerable Employee Data - One of the most sensitive kinds of corporate information is employee data. Armed with such HR booty as birth dates and SSNs, identity thieves can destroy the lives of ordinary workers. Takes steps to guard your employee information.
• Middleware Helps Supplier Meet Web Catalog Requirement - When a major account wanted Cenveo, a commercial printing products supplier, to electronically interface its Web catalog with the customer's procurement system, HiT Software's Allora middleware simplified the project.
• Is There a Cell in Your Future? - A new semiconductor chip named Cell is expected to disrupt traditional computing architectures. What makes it special is its Synergistic Processing Elements and its potential as a blueprint for future chips.
• Tech Tips -
• Killer Club Tech -
• Virus Protection for the IFS - The i5/OS OO architecture is inherently virus resistant. Unfortunately, that resistance doesn't apply to the IFS, which can be a vector for infecting other systems on your network. IBM finally provides the means for native IFS virus scanning and repair.
• Integrating Your Business Processes with WBI - IBM's WebSphere Business Integration (WBI) could represent a big step towards a truly on-demand environment. If you're considering WBI for your company, here's how to get it up and running in short order.
• f.y.iSeries -
• Readers' Choice - iSeries NEWS readers recommend solutions that have helped them. This month: Quadrant Software's Formtastic Fusion5 · Linoma Software's Surveyor/400