Easy Job Scheduling and Queuing with Seiden PHP+ on IBM i

Seiden PHP+Using a job queue or scheduler to run PHP scripts helps ensure that PHP-based processes are run successfully and on time.

To make it easy for Seiden PHP+ users to schedule jobs, we provide job scheduler or queue functionality and support with our Seiden PHP+ SmartSupport.

Benefits include the ability to:

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Physical File GREP (PFGREP): Fast IBM i Source Code Search

pfgrep: Fast search for IBM i PFsOur 2023 article on searching source physical file members using the QShell grep command showed grep’s potential. In practice, while we found QShell grep to be flexible, we also experienced slow performance and occasional errors.

Now, our own Calvin Buckley has built an improved grep command called pfgrep to search traditional IBM i source physical file members. Quick and reliable, pfgrep is also free and open source.

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

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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What’s in Your ODBC Driver? A 2024 Update

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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Which PHP Versions Get Critical Security Updates?

PHPAlthough there are many reasons—including performance—to update to newer PHP releases, the number one reason is to avoid losing security updates.

Each version of PHP (7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, etc.) has three years of support before it is considered end of life. For two years, it gets bug fixes and all security fixes. In the third year, it gets only critical security fixes. After that, nothing!

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Node.js v20 and Other Updated Packages Require New IBM i Repositories

IBM i open source for businessAs we mentioned in our article on installing ODBC via yum, the latest IBM i open source packages require new repositories.

A notable example is Node.js v20. When we hear users say, “I don’t see Node.js v20 listed in available packages, and yum returns ‘No package nodejs20 available‘,” the reason invariably is that the new repositories, ibmi-base and ibmi-release, have not been installed.

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What IBM i Users Should Check when Learning of an Open Source Security Vulnerability

API & web security on IBM iA client asked about a vulnerability found in libwebp, which is used by PHP’s image-handling gd extension.

My first step was to find a reputable source for details. According to this trusted article about the vulnerability, the issue affected only libwebp versions 1.3.1 and earlier. I checked our own system and found we had a patched version from IBM, so we were safe. The client was, too.

Here is the procedure you can use for checking the version of this or any other open source package on IBM i. Read more

Use grep to Search IBM i Source Members (RPG, CL, COBOL, more)

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.

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IBM i Modernization Seminar at IBM France

On December 5, 2023, Alan joins fellow IBM Champions Koen Decorte and Charles Guarino at IBM France for a day-long seminar and networking event focused on IBM i modernization, AI, Business Intelligence (BI), and cyber resilience.

Sponsored by IBM and CD-Invest, the seminar agenda balances educational sessions with opportunities to ask questions and have informal discussions with the presenters and fellow attendees.

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Rebuilding the Tomcat Plugin in IBM i 7.5

Apache Tomcat on IBM iOpen source saves the day once again.

When one of our open source support clients discovered that Tomcat plugin for Apache was not supported on their test IBM i 7.5 system, they needed a solution. They relied on Tomcat to serve their Java web applications.

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