Entries by Alan Seiden

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:

Where to Find Release Notes for ACS Updates

IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) is a critical tool for essential features such as 5250 emulation, SQL, Db2 performance, and open source package management. Every update is packed with functionality improvements, bug fixes, and security updates.

C​reating a Debug Log with the PHP Toolkit for IBM i

One of my favorite features of the PHP Toolkit for IBM i is its ability to generate a detailed debug log. The log includes connection information, program call options, parameters in and out, and performance timing. When we receive questions about the toolkit as part of our SmartSupport, a debug log helps resolve the question quickly. Why use the PHP Toolkit? It can call commands, RPG, COBOL, and CL programs, flexibly and fast. The debug log can make troubleshooting easier than with other methods that don’t have a log, such as stored procedures.

PHP 8.4 Is Here

PHP 8.4 represents another step in PHP’s evolution, once again improving performance and adding features to help developers write more concise, high quality code. PHP 8.4 is now available for IBM i from Seiden Group.

VS Code for IBM i: SEP Debugging Prerequisites

Code for i users have been showing great interest in Service Entry Point (SEP) debugging. SEP permits debugging of applications that run in a different job than the programmer’s job, such as a web server or prestart job. Available with Version 2 of the IBM Debug Service, SEP requires several prerequisites, including the IBM i Debug extension, PTFs, and Licensed Program Products (LPPs). This article focuses on the PTFs and LPPs, objects that are frequently overlooked.

What’s in Your ODBC Driver? A 2024 Update

Since IBM announced Yum support for installing the IBM i Db2 ODBC driver, as documented in our 2022 tutorial, users can update their driver more easily. To help users determine what’s changed, IBM maintains a list of fixes and enhancements for each IBM i ODBC driver release.

Use Those IBM i Service Vouchers — Program Ends In 2025

One of the best deals in IBM i services is about to end. Effective January 1, 2025, the “IBM i Service Voucher for Power” program is being withdrawn. The program has long provided Power hardware customers with vouchers for Expert Labs consulting. (Expert Labs was formerly known as Lab Services.) Many companies are not even aware that they are entitled to vouchers.

Compare Source Code with VS Code for IBM i

Code for i’s source comparison feature recently helped me find a bug. While comparing old vs. new versions of an RPG program, I discovered that a CHAIN had been changed to an SQL SELECT, which was fine, except that an important column name had been forgotten. I created a “before and after” Code for i screen shot for the programmer, who then fixed the mistake. As documented on the Code for i “Tricks” page, comparing source code takes only two steps. This technique works both for traditional source members and stream files stored in the IFS.

How Current Are Your PTF Groups? Find Out Using SQL

IBM i continues to deliver SQL interfaces to simplify our work and keep our technology current. Example: We recently needed to test an issue with Apache HTTP Server for i for a support client. IBM Support requested that we check for the latest HTTP PTF Group on our server. (PTF Groups are the names given to logically related fixes, such as those related to HTTP.) To find out if we had the most current group, we used the  SYSTOOLS.GROUP_PTF_CURRENCY SQL view.