The Ultimate Resource for IBM i For Power Systems including AS/400, iSeries, and System i

Anyone who has been following this column for a while probably knows that I believe in using messages whenever possible. Messages are a wonderful way of keeping textual information out of my code, thereby allowing me to reword some text without having to change an application program, a command definition, and so on. One place where I find that many developers (CL and otherwise) are underutilizing messages is in the area of display file error-reporting.

Users can sign up for free access during a 60-day trial period.

chris_smith Written by Chris Smith

IBM is aggressively moving forward with its Lotus-based social networking and collaboration offerings, but it seems the company continues to ignore hundreds of thousands of IBM i customers it apparently believes are fat, dumb, and happy using yesterday's legacy Lotus Notes and Domino solutions.

Tune AIX for Optimal Performance

Lots of great tools are available to help you evaluate and manage performance.

david_tansley Written by David Tansley

This article looks at some of the popular tools available to gather information. Based on that information, you can then implement performance-related changes if required.

When looking at performance issues, I tend to group them into the following categories:

CPU bound
Memory bound
Disk access
Network
Process monitoring

What alternatives are there to legacy backups, and are higher standards expected today for the recovery of lost data?

Written by Vision Solutions

Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for IBM AIX Environments: An Executive Overview of EchoStream for AIX available for free download from the MC White Paper Center.

Planning for recovery is a requirement in businesses of all sizes. In implementing an operational plan that ensures that both data and applications can be recovered, IT personnel are generally confronted with several challenges:

How can I ensure my applications and data are recoverable without impacting business operations?
Do I have data protection approaches available to me that meet my recovery point and recovery time objectives?
Can I afford to implement a comprehensive plan that covers both my local and remote (disaster) recovery requirements?
Are there cost-effective alternatives that meet my requirements?

Mother Nature is unpredictable. You need to ask yourself: Are you prepared?

Written by Simon O'Sullivan

Natural disasters pose enormous threats to an organization's business operations, and 2011 will go on record as one of the most disaster-filled years in recent history. The year started with severe blizzard conditions over most of the U.S., which was soon followed by:

INDUSTRY NEWS >>

Surround Technologies Helps Modernize IBM i with Release of Accelerator for .NET V3.2

Besides support for IBM i, either natively or in combination with .NET, Accelerator contains an agile framework that generates SOA-compliant applications without proprietary lock-ins.
Read more >>

iROBAR from Innovatum Brings the Simplicity of Windows Labeling to IBM i

It provides the infrastructure to minimize custom programming and provide a robust, scalable solution, the company says.
Read more >>

Data Storage Corp. Partners with inFORM Decisions

Companies to provide document automation and data protection and recovery solutions for IBM i environments.
Read more >>

Nine Startups Vie for IBM Global Entrepreneur Honors

Analytics emerges as key technology to solving urban challenges, says IBM.
Read more >>

IBM Reports 2011 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results

While overall IBM revenue and income generally were up, revenue from the Systems and Technology Group (STG) was down 8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2010, while STG pre-tax income was down 33 percent. Total systems revenues decreased 7 percent while quarterly revenues from Power Systems did increase 6 percent against 2010, yet revenues from System z mainframe server products were down 31 percent.