IBM i computer, formerly named AS/400, iSeries, i5
We are curious how many shops are facing difficulties with IBM i observability. Will you help us do some research?
We want to know if observability is an issue for IBM i teams.
If you answered yes, we’ve seen some interesting articles lately that might be worth a look. Check them out.
During a recent client visit, a executive told me that his company was still running an AS/400. His employees had criticized the system as outdated and risky. He defended it because it was stable and reliable, but he also seemed to accept the idea that it was old.
I explained that while the company may once have had an AS/400, today they were running IBM i on Power hardware. They were using it like an old system, but it is modern technology, capable of much more. The executive was pleased and wanted to learn more.
IBM i’s compatibility with older applications is one of its strengths. A company can continue running proven green-screen software while supporting newer technologies and business requirements.
I reminded the executive that his IBM i system was already running some modern applications, including a PHP-based web portal. What’s more, his system had the potential to integrate with outside services, such as payroll, shipping, customer portals, reporting tools, and other systems through APIs.
IBM i offers an integrated design. The operating system, Db2 database, security model, work management, and application environment work as a team. This architecture supports IBM i’s reliability, data integrity, and security, making it attractive to varied businesses, including retailers, banks, manufacturers, distributors, and insurance companies.
That does not mean every IBM i environment is automatically modern. Some applications need modern web interfaces or API architecture. Integrations may need to be improved. Some systems need updated table design, security practices, newer open source tools, or better development workflows.
As companies explore AI, IBM i systems offer more than the trusted business data and rules that AI tools would need to access. IBM i offers a consistent, integrated, secure environment with a world-class database and a universal SQL interface. As a result, I’ve heard IBM i described as “the first agentic-native operating system.”
If you can imagine it, you can do it on IBM i. Backward compatibility lets you move at your own pace.
Now is the time to dream big, call the platform by its right name, and use the power that IBM has given us with this fascinating business platform.
Contact the Seiden team to explore new possibilities for your IBM i applications.
We’ve been receiving about one request per week to help clients troubleshoot or fix SMTP email issues on IBM i systems—especially when sending to Microsoft (Office 365) and Gmail accounts.
These problems can affect a wide range of systems, including:
Did you know that IBM i security guru Carol Woodbury began her career as an office admin at IBM? Neither did we!
Some of the dynamics that drove her success can be replicated by today’s IBM i teams and their management. In fact, her story could help you future-proof your IBM i team and bridge the skills gap.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
From the Seiden SmartSupport mailbag:
One issue I keep coming across is the inability to search for text in source members across all libraries. We use a commercial tool, but it is expensive and cumbersome. Coming from the Linux world, where I can “grep” for anything, I find this a ridiculous restriction.