Does the program-conversion requirement in V6R1 mean you should put off your move to V6R1? That depends....

By Joe Pluta

A lot of issues have been brought to light regarding the latest release of i5/OS, perhaps none bigger than the object conversion issue. I've heard incredible amounts of static on the mailing lists about this, and it's perhaps the single most talked-about topic regarding the upgrade to V6R1. But is it really that much of an issue? I contend that, depending on whom you are, there may be much bigger fish to fry.

With its wealth of new features, i5/OS V6R1 will help the System i maintain its key role in many data centers.

By Lee Kroon

Last Tuesday, IBM took the wraps off a much-anticipated new version of the i5/OS operating system. In its announcement, Big Blue did more than just trot out new features and functions for System i users. It also indicated that the System i will participate in a cross-brand initiative to woo small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) away from competitive server vendors. That initiative will pair up i5/OS with new products that could change how the IT community perceives the operating system.

There's something for everyone in the new release, whether you're a developer or a user who just runs the occasional report.

By Chris Smith

Last week's announcement of upgrades to i5/OS in V6R1 will have users, developers, and IBM salespeople smiling for months.

The improvements to all aspects of the operating system, which of course includes middleware and database, were extensive. While my MC Press Online colleagues will explain changes in virtualization and development tools in their articles in this and  subsequent issues as well as in our other publications, I will focus on an overview of the high availability and database enhancements.

Though many Domino products will be supported on V6R1 in the future, the only Domino servers that work currently are releases 7.0.3 and 8.0.1, which is still under wraps.

By Chris Smith

Most System i administrators know that V6R1 is on its way and that in order to upgrade to the new version of the operating system they will have to first convert their existing programs before they can run on V6R1. What you may not know, however, is that there are special procedures for Domino servers, and not all Lotus Domino products will run on V6R1.

Find out what you can do with this terrific functionality.

The fall conference season is nearing its end. In fact, I'm writing this while on the way home from the System i Technical Conference in Orlando. To be honest, I am actually sitting in Miami as my return flight was delayed by a mechanical problem that resulted in an unwanted overnight stay...but that's another story.