Code for i users have been showing 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 since 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.
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VS Code for IBM i: SEP Debugging Prerequisites
/0 Comments/in VS Code for i /by Alan SeidenAvailable since 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.
Version 3 of the Debug Service is now available. For prerequisites, see the official documentation’s Debugging General Requirements.
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What’s in Your ODBC Driver? A 2024 Update
/0 Comments/in IBM i, ODBC, Open Source /by Alan SeidenTo help users determine what’s changed, IBM maintains a list of fixes and enhancements for each IBM i ODBC driver release.
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Update Corrects an Issue Loading libpq.so
/0 Comments/in Open Source /by Alan SeidenRead more →
Use Those IBM i Service Vouchers — Program Ends In 2025
/0 Comments/in IBM i /by Alan SeidenRead more →
PHP: The “RPG” of Open Source for IBM i
/0 Comments/in PHP /by Amy LantzReliable. Versatile. Fast. The terms we use to describe modern RPG applications apply to PHP as well. That’s why PHP remains a top choice to supplement RPG for IBM i projects involving the web, APIs, and high-volume transactions.
One sterling example is Curbstone’s PCI-validated payment solution, which uses PHP-based portals to process over 8 billion dollars in credit card payments annually with 99.99% uptime availability.
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Compare Source Code with VS Code for IBM i
/0 Comments/in VS Code for i /by Alan SeidenCode 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.
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How Current Are Your PTF Groups? Find Out Using SQL
/1 Comment/in IBM i /by Alan SeidenIBM 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.
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“BOB” for IBM i: Demonstration by Edmund Reinhardt
/0 Comments/in VS Code for i /by Alan SeidenAt Seiden Group’s September 13, 2024, Code for i Fridays meeting, IBM’s Edmund Reinhardt presented a one-hour tutorial on the Better Object Builder (BOB).
This comprehensive demo was given by request. A regular attendee had asked for a complete demonstration, start to finish, of how to use BOB to compile source in VS Code; prepare a make file from scratch; and to use Source Orbit. These tools can help developers who wish to use Git with stream files instead of traditional QSYS-based source members.
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Carol Woodbury’s Security Advice from CIO Summit at OCEAN 2024
/3 Comments/in CIO Strategy /by Alan SeidenCarol Woodbury
I had the privilege of hosting security expert Carol Woodbury as she led a roundtable discussion at this past summer’s OCEAN TechCon. Carol is IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor with our friends at Kisco Systems.
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Code for IBM i Minimum Requirements
/0 Comments/in VS Code for i /by Alan SeidenThe Code for i maintainers have updated the Code for i documentation
with clearer minimum requirements.
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