How to Speak IBM i

Sometimes it seems that IBM creates its own terminology for everything. One young colleague told us she was eager to learn about the IBM i platform, but her older colleagues used so many abbreviations and initialisms, the “alphabet soup” deterred her and caused frustration.

We at Seiden Group try to bring teams together. In that spirit, here are several common IBM i terms and their definitions in platform-neutral terms:

• IPL: Initial Program Load
  Processes that run upon IBM i startup. People may say, “We configured program X to run automatically at IPL,” or may use it as a verb, as in “We IPLed the box,” meaning rebooted it.
• LPAR: Logical Partition
  An instance of the operating system that works independently of other partitions and has its own hardware resources allocated from a shared physical server. Like a virtual computer with its own IBM i instance, running on the same physical hardware as other partitions.
• PTF: Program Temporary Fix
  “A fix that is tested by IBM and is made available to all customers,” by IBM’s definition. (Temporary because it is needed only until the next operating system release.) Usage: “I installed a PTF that fixed the issue.”
• Spooled Files
  Printer reports. SPOOL is actually an acronym, but it’s not worth explaining here.
• AS/400, iSeries, i5, and System i
  Older versions of the IBM i operating system and associated hardware. Those older platform names are still in common use, even though modern IBM i has existed since 2008. At Seiden Group, we say “IBM i” whenever possible.

For more terms, see the official IBM i Glossary.

What are your favorite unique IBM i terms used by longtime IBM i pros?