Entries by Alan Seiden

MCP + AI for IBM i Teams (with a MongoDB example)

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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard defines how AI tools connect to systems such as databases, services, and internal utilities. Instead of every AI product inventing its own custom connector, MCP provides a standard interface. A good example comes from Seiden Group’s Jack Woehr in his article A Simple MongoDB MCP Server Agent. Jack was also just named MongoDB Creator of the Month. (MongoDb is a flexible NoSQL database that can manage large amounts of unstructured or semi-structured data.) If you’re attending conferences this year, Jack will be talking about AI at NEUGC (April 7–9, 2026) and at COMMON POWERUp…

Seiden PHP+ Delivers PHP 8.5 to IBM i

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Each year brings a new PHP release. We’ve prepared Seiden PHP+ so that IBM i users can adopt PHP 8.5 shortly after it becomes generally available (GA) around November 20, 2025. As I mentioned in Keep Your PHP Secure: Why Regular Updates Matter, PHP users should adopt a regular upgrade schedule to make upgrades easier. November 20, 2025 UPDATE PHP 8.5 and Seiden PHP+ 8.5 are both available as of today. Notable Enhancements in PHP 8.5 Two updates stand out to me:

Keep Your PHP Secure: Why Regular Updates Matter

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Cybersecurity best practices require regular security assessments, including for PHP. PHP is actively maintained, with a new update released every month. We recommend installing PHP patch releases at least quarterly. You can review all official updates on the PHP changelog page, which lists every change, including CVE security fixes. The Seiden PHP+ changelog provides additional updates we include in our supported package.

What the Shai-Hulud npm Worm Means for Node.js Developers

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The Node.js ecosystem has been disrupted by self-replicating malware called Shai-Hulud. In September 2025, researchers found that Shai-Hulud had infected more than 500 npm packages, including some from trusted maintainers. The worm did not just publish a few bad versions. It spread automatically, using stolen credentials to infect other packages owned by the same developer.

Ransomware Lessons from Brussels Airport and IBM i

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At Brussels Airport recently, I noticed airline staff working from paper passenger lists because their digital systems were unavailable. The EU Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) later confirmed the disruption was caused by a ransomware attack on a third-party airline system (Reuters report).

Mapepire Q&A

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A friend in the IBM i vendor community asked me about Mapepire from a popularity and security perspective. He had read about Seiden Group’s support for the Mapepire Db2 for i driver. I have provided his questions and edited versions of my answers below.

Seiden Group Now Supports Mapepire for Node.js and Db2 for IBM i Connectivity

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Seiden Group is pleased to announce that we now provide production support for the open source Mapepire database connector for IBM i. This includes support for Node.js applications and cloud-based or containerized workloads that connect to Db2 for i—whether from IBM i itself or from external systems. Many developers already rely on Mapepire every day—sometimes without realizing it—because it’s the back-end to the Db2 for i extension for VS Code. We’re excited to help clients adopt this lightweight, high-performance connector.