June 5, 2019
June 5, 2019 | Volume 16 Issue 35
- LEAD ARTICLE: Practical Linux: P Is for PHP
- FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy - Database Modernization: A Bit of Database Theory
- FEATURED ARTICLE: What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Infuses Db2 with AI to Bring Data Science and Database Management Under One Platform
- WEBCAST: Profound.js 2.0: Extend the Power of Node to your IBM i Applications
- FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: Capacity Planning for Your Peak Season

Practical Linux: P Is for PHP
P stands for PHP, the programming language of LAMP.
By Joe Pluta
Two earlier articles of this series (here and here) walked you through the first two videos from Catherine Gaughan-Smith's fantastic tutorial series on installing a virtual Ubuntu LAMP stack. The third video in her series walks you through configuring both PHP and MySQL. These are both relatively large, important steps that most of us green-screen folks have never even had to think about, so I'm going to devote one article to each step. Today, we focus on configuring PHP.
Moderna and IBM Plan to Collaborate on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Distribution Data Sharing

RPG Academy - Database Modernization: A Bit of Database Theory
Let’s kick off this new subseries of RPG Academy with a review of database theory. You might already know a few of these things, but these concepts are crucial to the rest of this series on database modernization.
By Rafael Victória-Pereira
As this is the first article of a new subseries of RPG Academy, let me start with an overview of what you can expect from this and the next few articles. This subseries will focus on helping you set up your database modernization process. It will start with some database theory, which will be useful later, followed by some tools to help you in the modernization process. Then, it will discuss the database modernization process itself. However, it’s simply not possible to do a thorough discussion of this process in a single article or even a whole series. Entire books have been written about this subject, and even most of those don’t cover all the details. Here, you’ll get a helicopter view, zooming in on a few crucial details.
What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small.
This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business?
This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
- Why IBM i skills depletion is a top concern
- How leading organizations are coping
- Where automation will make the biggest impact
Enjoy!
Download your copy today!
2019 State of IBM i Modernization
The annual Profound Logic ‘State of IBM i Modernization Survey” takes a look at the trends and attitudes that shape the IBM i modernization market. We reached out to the IBM i community, and the response was outstanding: close to 800 people, nearly 300 more than last year, took the survey. This enthusiasm resulted in very interesting findings for how businesses plan to use and modernize the platform in the coming year.
As you read through each section of the survey, you will see our summary of the results and suggestions for the future. We hope the survey will help your business better understand what is possible for your IBM i platform in the coming year.
Node Webinar Series Pt. 1: The World of Node.js on IBM i
Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.
Part 1 will teach you what Node.js is, why it's a great option for IBM i shops, and how to take advantage of the ecosystem surrounding Node.
In addition to background information, our Director of Product Development Scott Klement will demonstrate applications that take advantage of the Node Package Manager (npm).
watch now!
What Most IBM i Shops Get Wrong About the IFS
Can you trust all of your users all of the time?
A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six month later.
A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:
- How phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated
- Three little-known ways malicious programs can reach your IFS
- Why the IFS is IBM i’s “Typhoid Mary”
You’ll also learn why some of the most common malware solutions still leave IBM i systems vulnerable—and what you can do to protect your organization.
Easiest Way to Save Money? Stop Printing IBM i Reports
The thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing.
Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:
- Automated report distribution
- View online without delay
- Browser interface to make notes
- Custom retention capabilities
- Seamless product integration
Rerun another report? Never again. Try the Robot Report Management Solution FREE for 30 days.
Comply in 5! Well, actually UNDER 5 minutes!!
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms.
Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product.

What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
The AS/400 platform (a.k.a. iSeries or IBM i) is behind the scenes at many organizations around the world, reliably storing trillions of records and running the large-scale applications that power their business.
By Chuck Losinski
Editor's note: This article introduces the white paper What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires, which is free to download from the MC White Paper Center.
The advantages of this platform have been obvious to its user community—who are its most stalwart supporters—for decades. But this community is in the midst of a demographic shift. Many of the most experienced AS/400 resources are reaching retirement age.