1. Modern Monitoring Methods for Power Systems

Get control of the alerts you receive, rather than allowing the alerts to get control of you. Written by Martin Norman Editor's Note: This article is an introduction to the white paper "Modern Monitoring Methods for Power Systems" available free to

2. Breaking the Top Four Myths of Tape vs. Disk Backup

Are you overlooking tape because you think it's outdated? Times have changed…and so has tape. Written by Ed Ahl Disk as a backup target has become a key enhancement in many data centers. Disk is believed to be faster than tape, almost as cost-eff

3. Planning for Legacy Transformation

Businesses today must continually innovate or face shrinking market share by competitors who are ahead of the curve. Written by Eden Watt Innovation can take many forms, depending on your business, but agility in Information Technology is often cri

4. Five Reasons Why Smaller Organizations Should Consider High Availability

Dramatic changes in cost and ease of use have made downtime-reducing technologies more accessible. Written by Vision Solutions Editor's Note: This article is an introduction to the white paper "Five Reasons Why Smaller Organizations Should Consider

5. Thinking About Using a 15K Drive for Your Database or Email Server?

Here are six tips for selecting HDD and SSD drives that may cause you to think twice. Written by Chris Smith One of the hottest topics today among IT managers is storage and how to configure it in a virtualized data center that may be complemented

6. Consult the Jargon Buster to See if You Are Up on HA/DR Nomenclature

A pseudo role swap is definitely not a dream about assuming your boss's job. Written by Simon O'Sullivan Editor's Note: This article is an introduction to the white paper "HA/DR Jargon Buster" available free to download from the MC White Paper Cent

7. SlimWare Sources the Crowd to Improve its Free and Fee-Based Utilities

This software vendor offers useful free utilities and has developed a novel way to add value to its products. Written by Chris Smith Bloat can be a bad and dangerous thing. A friend of mine got his pilot's license a few years back, and we began pla

8. Power i Forecast: Speedy Solid-State Drives

Are SSDs inching past being used just for cache to speed up IOPS, or could they soon be an option for tier 1 storage? Written by Chris Smith With the introduction of IBM i 6.1, a number of features were introduced to the operating system to support

9. Power i Forecast: Directions in High Availability

New, powerful lower-cost software is putting HA within reach of SMBs as are innovative virtualized and hosted HA cloud solutions. Written by Chris Smith Natural disasters and increasing requirements for 24/7 operations have created a need among IBM

10. Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for IBM AIX Environments

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

11. Natural Disasters of 2011: Are You Prepared in 2012?

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

12. Set Up a Private Cloud at No Risk with IBM SmartCloud Provisioning

The lightweight, breakthrough cloud solution is designed to be highly fault-tolerant but takes you several steps beyond simple virtualization. Written by Chris Smith The momentum behind cloud computing continues to grow even though many organizatio

13. An Overview of Disaster Recovery and Availability Technologies for IBM Power Systems

Download this in-depth report of IT protection and recovery technologies/strategies for IBM i (i5/OS) and AIX environments. Written by Vision Solutions Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper "An Overview of Disaster Recovery

14. Technology Focus: Keeping Tabs on Your Database Maintenance Tasks

Database maintenance tasks are necessary but don't have to be tedious or excessively time-consuming if you have the right tools. Written by John Ghrist The storied strength of the IBM i in the area of database operations has been a strong selling p

15. Dynamic UIM Menu Help

Menu documentation doesn't have to be boring anymore. Written by Mike Faust If you use User Interface Manager (UIM) menus to create your System i menus, you're probably already aware of the ability to use help panels to define your menu help. What

16. Give Management Their Own View of System Performance

If you're getting too many annoying phone calls inquiring about system performance, consider installing MPG's Performance Navigator with its new EXPO feature. Written by Chris Smith How many system administrators have faced the dreaded phenomenon w

17. Take the First Step Toward Optimizing Your System with iSCORE

The freeware from Vision Solutions measures 10 system performance and database indices, including available DASD. Written by Chris Smith If the thought ever crossed your mind that you are spending far too much time optimizing your System i, then yo

18. Technology Focus: Virtualization and Consolidation Options for IBM i

Looking for virtualization or consolidation resources specific to IBM i? Here are some places to start. Written by John Ghrist For larger enterprises using IBM Power Systems (IBM i), options for reducing long-term operating expenses and streamlinin

19. Is Your System's Performance the Very Best It Can Be?

If you're using the same old techniques from years ago, it's time you re-thought your approach. Written by Steve Pitcher Are you expecting an all-too-familiar AS/400 performance-tuning article written 15 years ago about disk arms, memory pools, and

20. QuickLook: MB Software & Consulting's Workload Performance Series

Optimize performance of applications and pinpoint system trouble spots with precise accuracy. Written by M B Software & Consulting Services, Inc. Workload Performance Series software is a comprehensive, integrated suite of modules that looks at

21. Assessing the Financial Impact of Downtime

Understand the factors that contribute to the cost of downtime and accurately calculate the impact to your organization's bottom line. Written by Vision Solutions Editor's Note: This article introduces the white paper "Assessing the Financial Impac

22. JAMS Cross-Platform Job Scheduler Has Enhanced Support for IBM i

The utility gives users a view of all jobs and their dependencies across multiple platforms and will send the operator a trouble alert by email, text, or voice. Written by Chris Smith There are a number of reasons that fewer IBM i operator jobs exi

23. Technology Focus: Tools for Tweaking Your System into a Higher Gear

No matter how well your systems perform, there are always ways to improve. Performance-management and capacity-planning tools help you find the best balance between high throughput and fast user-response time. Written by John Ghrist Despite the rep

24. Cloudify Your Applications by Creating a Software Virtual Appliance

Package your existing applications for automatic deployment into clouds. Written by Jarek Miszczyk The vast majority of IT professionals today understand that cloud computing constitutes a fundamental paradigm shift in how the software solutions ar

25. High Availability for IBM i

A technical review of software and hardware-based solutions. Written by Vision Solutions Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper High Availability for IBM i available free from the MC White Paper Center.    This article des

26. Critical Elements for Successful Business Continuity

What are the requirements for a successful high availability and disaster recovery strategy? Written by Maxava Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper "Critical Elements for Successful Business Continuity" available free from t

27. Virtualization Can Reduce Both Energy and Capital Costs

Regardless of size, most organizations are reaping the rewards, and addressing the challenges, of server virtualization. Written by Vision Solutions Editor's Note: This article introduces the white paper "The Future—and Present—is Virtual" avai

28. How to Achieve High Availability with System Management in Five Simple Steps

An approach to meeting the demands of a 24/7 availability environment and reducing the risk of downtime events. Written by CCSS Ltd. Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper "How to Achieve High Availability with System Manageme

29. Availability and i: Hardware-Level and Logical Solutions

There are a number of high availability solutions for IBM i-based systems, but they can be broken down into two broad classes: hardware-level and logical. Each has unique qualities. Written by Dr. Frank Soltis Reliability has been a hallmark of the

30. The State of Resilience 2010: IT Resilience and Recovery in Transition

As businesses adopt virtualization and cloud infrastructures to improve performance, they're shifting from tape to more efficient, flexible backup technologies including physical, virtual, and cloud. Written by Information Availability Institute and

31. Manage Constraints Easily with iSeries Navigator

Learn the simple way to correct tables with rows in a check-pending status. Written by Paul Tuohy Editor's note: This article is an excerpt from the MC Press book The Programmer's Guide to iSeries Navigator.   iSeries Navigator provides an easy-

32. Backup and Recovery Strategies Update for IBM i

There are many ways to back up your system and your data. What's important is that you actually choose one and use it. Written by Debbie Saugen The most valuable component of any computer system isn't the hardware or software that runs the computer

33. How to Avoid the Top Five Most Expensive Disk Issues

Learn the critical areas that can lead to major disk expense and what is needed to resolve them. Written by Greer Hahn Editor's note: This article introduces the white paper "How to Avoid the Top Five Most Expensive Disk Issues" available free at t

34. The Power of Information Availability: What Every Senior Executive Should Know

Recover business value from unprofitable downtime. Written by Bill Hammond Editor's note: This article introduces the white paper "The Power of Information Availability: What Every Senior Executive Should Know" available free at the MC White Paper

35. QuickLook: S4i Systems DASD-Plus

The native IBM i utility provides for running numerous automated disk cleanup jobs to help improve system performance. Written by S4i Systems Editor's Note: To download and try DASD-Plus at no obligation, visit the MC Software Center.   DASD-Pl

36. Going Back in Time: A New Approach to AIX HA and DR

A comprehensive HA/DR environment includes the ability to "go back in time" using snapshots and continuous data protection. Written by Rich Krause The term "high availability" can be confusing in the IBM Power Systems realm because the definition o

37. IBM i 7.1 Journal and Remote Journal Enhancements

Filtering capabilities, automatic restart, and more! Written by Sandra Cabral IBM i 7.1, officially released last April 23, provides enhancements that help ensure System i will be a robust and reliable platform for many years to come. One of the gr

38. Cloud Computing: Proceed with Caution

It may be to your financial advantage to utilize the cloud, but do your homework first. Written by Info-Tech Research Group Small enterprises are often able to make higher-risk investments in emerging technology for lower costs and to take advantag

39. 101 Things You Can Automate on Your System i (iSeries) and 10 Top Tips for Peace of Mind

Find out why automating systems management is crucial for minimizing risk, guaranteeing continuity, and remaining competitive in today's highly pressurized business environment. Written by Martin Norman Editor's note: This article introduces the wh

40. Technology Focus: These Are Not Your Granddaddy's System Management Tools

Choosing a performance-management or capacity-planning tool largely depends on whether you think your bottlenecks are primarily caused by hardware, applications, or databases. Written by John Ghrist Let's face it; we're spoiled. If you look at comp

41. Be Sure Your Spring Cleaning Includes Tidying Up Disk Space

When in doubt, throw it out. Back it up first, but yes…throw it out. Written by Steve Pitcher Irony can be a funny thing. Last week, with the subject matter of this article in my mind, I ran into a sticky situation when our little AS/400 Model 17

42. With V7.1, IBM Continues to Focus on Virtualization as a Key Technology

Allow your server to change as your business changes. Written by Kristopher Whitney IBM i has a long history of virtualization. If you haven't looked into virtualization since IBM i 6.1, there are some key enhancements you should know about.

43. What's New in Systems Director Navigator for i in V7?

And how does that product relate to System i Navigator and Systems Director? Written by Robert Bestgen and Tim Rowe Managing your IBM i has been a focus item of IBM's for the past few releases. Users want a consolidated, easy-to-use, modern interfa

44. In 7.1, PowerHA Gets a Boost and a New i Name

From Geographic Mirroring to LUN-level switching to FlashCopy, there's lots of new stuff to be excited about. Written by Jenny Dervin IBM PowerHA for i was announced as a new product in 6.1, and customer implementations have been rapidly growing. W

45. Protect Data During Migrations to Virtual Systems

Migrating to a virtual system to consolidate servers can be a time-consuming, labor-intensive job that places your data at risk, but it doesn't have to be. Written by Henry Martinez The benefits of using virtual systems to consolidate physical hardwa

46. Four Things You Should Know About Cache Battery

If monitoring your cache battery is a "back burner" task, you could be making a big mistake. Written by Greer Hahn Editor's Note: This article is an extract from the white paper "Four Things You Should Know About Cache Battery," which is available fr

47. Bulletin: Tape Is Alive and Well at IBM

Still the leading industry technology for archiving data, magnetic tape gets a boost from researchers in Switzerland and Japan, who say it's much greener than disk. Written by Chris Smith If you are one of those people who has resisted the move to ba

48. Unlocking Your ROI for Power Systems Disaster Recovery

Organizations often view an investment in DR as insurance, but that perspective may blind them to the returns available from investments in advanced DR solutions. Written by Jeff Ashman Expenditures on disaster recovery (DR) solutions are frequently

49. Simplifying the Management of IBM i Environments

IBM i provides a wealth of valuable system management information, but third-party tools are required to put it to effective use. Written by Bill Hammond Editor's Note: This article is extracted from the white paper "Executive Overview: Simplifying t

50. Experience the Power of IBM Systems Director

Not sure you want to buy? Take it for a test-drive! Written by Greg Hintermeister When evaluating systems management software, it can be very easy to focus on the low-level technical details to decide if it can provide your business with what is requ