October 2005

• Basics of Using WDSc: WDSc 6 Is Out and Definitely Different - IBM recently released WDSc Version 6. The interface has changed quite a bit. It's a crisper, cleaner look, and you'll get used to it quickly.
• 6 FTP Tips for the iSeries - FTP is a venerable TCP/IP admin and app dev tool. Running on everything from mainframes to cell phones, it is the common denominator file transfer method between heterogeneous systems, including the iSeries. Learn how to exploit FTP in the i5/OS.
• Industry Observer - Technologies to Watch; Security Status Report; XML Best Practices; Patent Controversy Continues; and more.
• Readers' Choice -
• Integrating iSeries Applications in WebSphere Portal - iSeries developers can benefit from the new generation of Web portal technology by using a few easy tools to develop customized portlets tailored to their businesses' needs.
• The Future of iSeries: A Roundtable Discussion - On June 10, 2005, 10 iSeries NEWS technical editors took off the gloves in Westminster, Colorado for a candid discussion of IBM's new iSeries marketing talk, the state of IBM's WebSphere strategy, and what iSeries developers and managers should be doing for their careers. You are invited to eavesdrop.
• Feedback -
• f.y.iSeries -
• Hot New Products -
• Linux on iSeries-i5 - Since 2003, IBM has seen a significant rise in customers who want to deploy Linux for file and print serving, firewalls, anti-spam, anti-virus, Web serving, DNS, and server consolidation/server simplification strategies.
• IBM Announcements -
• ODBC Utility Eases Multiplatform Data Integration - If your next project requires integration of SQL databases with iSeries applications, iStudio400.com's iS/ODBC could be a useful tool.
• Third-Party Competitors of Query for iSeries - Do you need a means of running ad-hoc queries against iSeries databases but for some reason Query for iSeries doesn't do the trick? One of these other iSeries database query tools might fill the bill.
• FAQs: iSeries Access Family -
• Use .NET to Develop iSeries Data Queue Applications - Data queues are a fast data transfer method, so they're perfect to use as the basis for building Windows apps that interact with the iSeries. Even though no native .NET method yet exists for working with iSeries data queues, all is not lost!
• Hello, Any Messages? - Get a handle on the mechanics of the RcvMsg and MonMsg commands, and then explore how you can use them to enhance your applications.
• Advanced iSeries LPAR Architectures - You're familiar with some LPAR concepts, but do you really know how to configure partitions for maximum efficiency? These tips show how to squeeze the most performance out of your processors.
• Transfer Data from the iSeries to SQL Server - With the release of SQL Server 2005, Microsoft has totally changed the way you transfer data between SQL Server and other database platforms. The DTS tool is gone, and in its place is SQL Server Integration Services.
• Practical Use of XML in the iSeries Environment - XML has steadily gained popularity to the point where nearly all developers need to know at least some XML to do their jobs. Fortunately, the iSeries can handle many XML-related technologies in several programming languages.
• Dr. I Doctor - Dr. I Doctor describes how to recover from a Windows IPv6 activation error and explains use of Windows' pathping command for performance troubleshooting.
• The New Power Architecture - Astro overhears his master in a phone conversation in which IBM discusses an exciting new opportunity in the server market. But is it really new, and is it in fact exciting?
• Change Is Great! You First . . . - We can manage change more effectively by understanding that change is nearly always perceived as threatening, that it can disrupt informal political networks, and that it's more efficient to focus our efforts on the fence sitters than the detractors.
• An IT Manager's Holy Trinity - It's a tough time to be an IT manager. But it's no time for a low profile. You need to build a successful team, make smart decisions confidently, and improve your management of people and processes.
• BPM Alternatives for the iSeries are Multiplying - Business Process Management (BPM) applications have been a largely ignored part of the iSeries market before this year. Recently announced IBM solutions indicate a change in the wind.
• The Future of Managing Virtualization - The Virtualization Engine comes with many handy tools to help you manage your virtualized environment, and in the future, it will provide even more to help ease this management task. This preview gives you a glimpse of what's in the works.
• Global Temp Tables — A Result Set Alternative? - Global temporary tables let you get around a limitation in the SQL procedural language regarding stored procedure result sets. Instead of using an SQL procedure to return data via a result set, you could place that same data in a global temporary table.
• Tech Tips - Integrated File System (IFS), Java, Querying & Reporting, Performance
• The Essential Guide to Thwarting Hackers - Many network admins don't realize that hackers seek low-hanging fruit: networks that have inadvertently designed known weaknesses into their security. Learn how to systematically lock down your network by following the recommendations in this guide.