Richard Schoen

New QSHONI Commands: Integrate Python, PHP, Java with CL & RPG

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QSHONI integration for IBM i RPG, CL and open sourceA few years ago I introduced you to my QShell on i utility – QSHONI. QSHONI makes it easy for traditional CL, RPG, and COBOL programs to call Python utilities and other QShell/PASE utility programs (PHP, Node, Java, etc.) and directly use their output. QSHONI opened up a whole new world of integrations to open-source apps from traditional IBM i applications.

I keep thinking I will run out of interesting things to add to the library, but the ideas keep on flowing.

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Alan Seiden

Compare Source Between Two Partitions using VS Code for IBM i

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Comparing source code between IBM i partitions has been a desired feature of Code for i. Although connecting to two systems within one Code for i window is not yet supported, comparing source from two systems IS possible.

Patrick Behr recently posted a comparison technique using Git that works for multiple files. Another technique, which seems well suited for comparing single files rather than multiples, was provided by Christian Jorgensen in the Code for i Github repository. We share both versions below.

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Alan Seiden

How to Speak IBM i

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IBM i termsSometimes 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:

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Alan Seiden

PHP 8.4 Is Here

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PHP on IBM iPHP 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.

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Alan Seiden

VS Code for IBM i: SEP Debugging Prerequisites

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Code for IBM iCode 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.

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Alan Seiden

What’s in Your ODBC Driver? A 2024 Update

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ODBC with Db2 for IBM iSince 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.

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Alan Seiden

Update Corrects an Issue Loading libpq.so

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PostgreSQLIBM has delivered a fix for an issue with the libpq (PostgreSQL) package. The libpq RPM installer script had a subtle issue where the symbolic links did not get created correctly. IBM i users saw warnings like these:

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Alan Seiden

Use Those IBM i Service Vouchers — Program Ends In 2025

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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.

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Alan Seiden

Carol Woodbury’s Security Advice from CIO Summit at OCEAN 2024

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Carol Woodbury

Carol 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.

Carol’s observations made a strong impression on both me and our CIO guests. Here are just a few.

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