1. Get Hyperactive Performance with Activity Levels

If you want control over your AS/400?s performance, you need to know what activity levels do and how to configure them.

2. Comparing IBM's and Microsoft's OLE DB Providers

OLE DB is a very hot topic all across the world of client/server development, as well as in the Internet and intranet spheres. Many programmers are searching the Internet, reading magazines, and buying books trying to understand this new technology.

3. TechTalk: Additional connection string options are available when using the Client Access for Window

When you connect to an ODBC data source using a tool such as Visual Basic (VB) and the Client Access ODBC driver, you specify a connection string. The connection string allows you to specify, for example, which data source name (DSN) to use from the

4. TechTalk: If you need help writing a sockets program, turn to QUSRTOOL.

I've covered some of the basics of writing a sockets program in previous articles (see "Introduction to Sockets," MC, September 1995 and "Plug In to Sockets," MC, January 1996). Sockets is a communications API commonly used over the TCP/IP protocol.

5. TechTalk: When it comes to case, an ODBC driver may be a little sensitive.

Q: I'm trying to use Visual Basic (VB) and an ODBC driver to access one of our diagnosis files. I've set up a data source, and I'm able to connect to the AS/400 through Client Access, but I get an error saying that ODBC can't find the library diag. I

6. Power Up Your IIS Web Site With AS/400 Data

Like a lot of people, the thought of hooking an AS/400 up to the Internet sends chills down my spine. I can sit here and mentally imagine thousands of hackers trying to break into the system to access confidential data or do damage. There are a thous

7. TechTalk: Set up a postmaster account on the AS/400 with SMTP.

Q: I've set up Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) on my AS/400 so that my OfficeVision users can exchange E-mail with users on the Internet. On most E-mail systems, a profile is set up so that a remote user having a problem sending a message can as

8. Is There a Place for SMTP in Your Environment?

In spite of the fascination with client/server and graphical front-ends, I suspect that many users still walk up to their desks in the morning and flip the power switch on a nonprogrammable terminal (NPT). Some companies that still use NPTs also have

9. TechTalk: Download PTFs in batch to avoid tying up your terminal.

Like many of you, I download the complete list of PTFs from time to time to look for hidden new functionality and fixes to bugs that are causing me problems. To download the complete list of PTFs for V3R1, you run the following command: SNDPTFORD

10. TechTalk: Community names are case sensitive with SNMP.

Q: I'm having a problem with Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). I've configured a community on my AS/400 called Plant using the Add Community for SNMP (ADDCOMSNMP) command. However, when I try to use my SNMP management software to query the A

11. TechTalk: You have plenty of options for remote TCP/IP connections.

Q: We're preparing to upgrade to V3R1 of OS/400 and would like to move away from Client Access. From what I've read in MC, TCP/IP seems like a practical alternative. We don't use anything terribly sophisticated, mostly terminal emulation. I recognize

12. TechTalk: Resolving Modem Sharing Conflicts

Oftentimes, a modem on the AS/400 is shared for several uses. You might use your Electronic Customer Support (ECS) modem for ECS, dial up to IBMLink, and dial in to another AS/400. Each of these usually uses a different line description. However, if

13. TechTalk: How Do I Find ODBC Errors?

Q: I'm writing an application that uses ODBC from Visual Basic (VB). From time to time, I get an ODBC error, but the messages are always rather vague. For example, I often get a message saying "Error returned by the ODBC driver." However, there's no

14. TechTalk: ODBC PTF

Q: I'm trying to access DB2/400 files from Microsoft Access. Our AS/400 is running V3R0M5, and I'm using the Client Access ODBC driver. I haven't been able to open a file on the AS/400 yet. I can open files using other tools and the same ODBC driver,

15. TechTalk: Windows NT Connectivity

Q: I'm trying to attach to the AS/400 using Windows NT Workstation. I've tried getting Client Access for Windows to work; after a great deal of wrestling, it was very limited. Do I have any other options? A: Because of the release of Windows 95, the

16. Introduction to Sockets

In the new era of AS/400 openness, there are many options available to access programs and data to and from an AS/400. One option we've discussed in MC a great deal is Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), an open standard for accessing data on a wide v

17. ODBC Performance Basics

Do you still use any of the very first programs you ever wrote on a midrange system? Probably not. Speaking for myself, I didn't have a clue what I was doing back then! When I first started programming on a System/38, I thought the only way to displa

18. TechTalk: Using Outer Joins in SQL

In this month's Significa, I explained that IBM has released support for outer joins in SQL as a set of PTFs. The question is, once you load and apply the PTFs, how do you actually code the outer join SQL statement? It is part of the FROM clause, and

19. The Maintain Journal (MTNJRN) Command

The Maintain Journal (MTNJRN) command provides a number of facilities to manage journals and journal receivers on your system. The command gives you the ability to change journals to new journal receivers and delete old journal receivers. When

20. Graphical Controls: An Introduction

One of my favorite war stories is about the user who asked to have his reports printed sideways. (This was in the days of band printers.) The user said he could get his reports printed sideways on his PC, why couldn't he do the same thing on the S/38

21. LAN Gateways and Microsoft's SNA Server

I can always tell when I walk into a shop that has just connected PCs to an AS/400 through a LAN. The data processing manager or programmer responsible for this usually doesn't have a single hair left on his head. He's pulled every one out, even the

22. ODBC Overview

In the good old days, all the data you needed to access was on one computer, and chances are the logo on that computer had three blue letters-IBM. Those days are gone and most of those who said, "You're always safe buying IBM," have been retired or a

23. The Display Audit Log (DSPAUDLOG) Command

The Display Audit Log (DSPAUDLOG) command is used to display or print entries from the security auditing journal, QAUDJRN. The security auditing function must be set up before you can use this command. (See "Silent Vigil: Logging Security Violations,

24. The ODBC Pre-flight

Brief: Every ODBC driver supports a different level of functionality. Applications that use ODBC often depend on a certain level of capability from the driver. Unfortunately, which driver is used isn't necessarily up to you. This article presents inf

25. The Display PTF Client/Server Utility

Brief: Keeping track of the PTFs on a system is a necessary but time consuming task. Keeping multiple systems at the same PTF level is even more challenging. The Display PTF utility is a client/server application to help make that chore more manageab

26. TechTalk: Ending a Job Abnormally

A bad job dies a thousand deaths; a good job dies but one. Some jobs are difficult to end. Communication jobs that have gone awry are particularly prone to not ending, even when you've executed an End Job (ENDJOB) command with *IMMED specified for th

27. TechTalk: Product Library cuts Code

There are times when you need your library to be first in the library list when a command runs. You can write some code that removes your library from the library list. (Monitor for an error if it's not already in there.) Then add your library to the