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The History and Evolution of the VM Workshop
February 11, 2021
The VM Workshop, begun in 1977, was a popular conference largely because the VM community was vibrant and the platform was widely used. “We had tens of thousands of users around the world,” says Len Diegel, president of the workshop and member of the board of directors. Diegel was also a manager on a VM […]
ArticlesHow Air-Gap Backup and Tape-Based Technology Protect Against Cybercrime
February 10, 2021
Cybercrime is a prevalent topic in today’s news. It’s changing the way business is conducted to maintain data integrity and protection from theft. Data is the life blood of any organization; cybercriminals seek to exploit data from human as well as security vulnerabilities inherent to the software or hardware structures. Much of corporate data today […]
E-BooksTechChannel E-book: Using Modern IBM i Application Development Tools
February 8, 2021
Today’s RPG is barely recognizable as its earlier version—in format, syntax, capability and flexibility. It evolved along with programmer needs into a fully free-form language that modern programmers can easily pick up. And RDi is the only editor that supports all modern RPG syntax and features. Similarly, one of the IBM i platform’s greatest strengths […]
ArticlesWhy Certificate Rotation Matters to Your Kubernetes and OpenShift Clusters’ Security
February 8, 2021
In a 2019 survey, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) found that a majority (84%) of respondents were running containers in production. That’s 15% more than the previous year. CNCF also learned that the percentage of organizations running 250 or more containers in production was up 28%. So, why is this happening? Organizations are increasingly […]
PodcastsSkip Robinson on SHARE, JES2 and Programming Over the Years
February 3, 2021
Reg Harbeck: Hi, this is Reg Harbeck and today I'm here with my friend and colleague Skip Robinson who is a major contributor at SHARE and a really experienced mainframer. Well rather than tell you all about it myself, Skip, welcome. Tell us. How did you end up at the mainframe and SHARE? Skip […]
ArticlesCreating Bootable AIX OVA Images
February 2, 2021
A new command is included with Technology Level 5 for AIX 7.2 allowing for a utility which will enable admins to capture a bootable OVA image of their AIX systems rootvg. Learn how in this tutorial.
ArticlesThe 2021 Arcati Mainframe Yearbook Is Now Available
February 2, 2021
I’m reliably informed that the 2021 edition of the Arcati Mainframe Yearbook has now been published. This fascinating publication is completely free and can be downloaded from the Arcati website. It’s interesting that there are still some mainframers who haven’t come across this publication, even though many mainframers look out for it each year in […]
ArticlesThe Incredible i Show Spotlights the Latest on IBM i
February 1, 2021
“The Incredible i Show” is an IBM i podcast hosted by Peg Tuttle and Tony Turetsky. Tuttle has worked on IBM i her entire 35+ year career, while Turetsky is a newcomer, named an IBM i Fresh Face in 2020. Tuttle and Turetsky launched this podcast to gather and disseminate information about IBM i. The […]
ArticlesHow COBOL REDEFINES the Way You Think About Business Programming
February 1, 2021
“I got it started. It should build itself now.” So a local builder advised a cousin-in-law of mine in rural Poland who was building a house, and had requested assistance with putting the roof in place. Being more of an academic than a builder, my cousin was baffled—all he saw was a mostly unfinished roof […]
ArticlesWhy AIX Admins Should Know vi and ksh
February 1, 2021
We may bash one another with our opinions, but every AIX admin needs to know vi and ksh
ArticlesAn Introduction to IBM IMS OTMA
January 29, 2021
IMS Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) is a component of IMS TM and is a transaction-based, connectionless client/server protocol
ArticlesThe Best Ways to Keep Your Data Private
January 28, 2021
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have turned to the internet to help get daily tasks safely completed. Whether it’s ordering your next grocery delivery online or hosting video calls from a make-shift home office, technology has become not just a luxury, but a necessity, for many. As vaccines begin to roll […]
ArticlesNoSQL Databases: Frequently Asked Questions
January 25, 2021
Q: What is NoSQL? When you hear someone use the term NoSQL, they’re referring to non-relational databases. Some people will tell you that NoSQL stands for “non SQL.” However, the more fitting term is “not only SQL” as some NoSQL databases continue to support SQL. NoSQL databases utilize a flexible system of storing data, compared […]
ArticlesGetting the Most From Your Application Development Tools
January 25, 2021
This past summer I tackled the daunting project of rebuilding an outdoor deck. My collection of tools is hardly of beginner level, but surely not contractor grade either. There was one particularly onerous section that was too difficult for my carpentry pay grade and it was blatantly obvious a trained professional was in order. When […]
ArticlesUnderstanding IMS OTMA Commit Mode and Synchronization Level
January 25, 2021
The IMS OTMA client communicates information to IMS and receives information from IMS in a prefix passed in front of the message (or command). Among several information present in the prefix are COMMIT MODE and SYNCHRONIZATION (SYNC) LEVEL. OTMA SYNC Level The OTMA client specifies the sync level on each input message. The OTMA sync […]
ArticlesWhat Coding Language Should You Teach Yourself?
January 25, 2021
Coding and programming are major additions to any worker’s skillset and can make the job market a much easier place to navigate. Companies everywhere are looking for candidates who are already trained in various coding languages, and the good news is that with all the online resources available for free, it’s easy to teach yourself […]
ArticlesIBM i Performance Data Investigator: Memory Allocation Perspectives
January 22, 2021
IBM’s recent enhancements to the Performance Data Investigator (PDI) charting engine includes some new memory perspectives (charts) which provide additional usage statistics that help visualize and understand memory usage on your IBM i partition. IBM i memory tuning has traditionally been a dark art: adjust tuning parameters and see how the system behaves. It was […]
ArticlesBridging the Generational Gap
January 22, 2021
It’s no secret that mainframes are still relevant and constantly changing to keep with the new demands for increased speed and stability. The new machines are being built smaller and are processing faster than ever before. This evolution triggers the same questions at conferences, resource planning, and even with vendors: How can we plan for […]
ArticlesA Beginner’s Guide to NoSQL
January 19, 2021
Traditionally the way that SQL works is through relational databases. As such, it tends to run into certain issues, for example, complex design due to needing to avoid data duplication. Another big issue is the fact that SQL is only vertically scalable, and therefore can become quite expensive as a project expands. NoSQL was made […]
ArticlesUnderstanding How a ‘CM0 SL1’ Input Message Sent to IMS Connect Works in the Case of a Client NAK
January 15, 2021
IMS Connect (ICON) is the TCP/IP gateway for IMS. So, besides running the traditional IMS transactions on z/OS, an IMS programmer/database administrator (DBA) can now leverage applications running on the distributed side of the world (a Java web application, for example) to be able to easily talk to IMS databases. The Java web application would […]
ArticlesAutomate Your TSO Logons With Vista TN3270 Application Macros and a Windows Batch (.bat) File
January 13, 2021
In this tutorial, we look at all the steps that are involved in the process of automating TSO logons, using the Vista TN3270 application and a Windows Batch (.bat) file. Components Involved Step by Step Instructions Step 1: Create a new session file for your Vista TN3270 Terminal session Application As the very first step, […]
Articles2 Recent IBM i Enhancements
January 13, 2021
IBM recently delivered two enhancements to the operating system via PTFs and documented these enhancements on the General IBM i Operating System web page. Improvements to Restricted State This enhancement appears to be a stealth change, as I cannot find any mention of it in announcement materials. I found this enhancement by going to the […]
PodcastsMarina Schwenk on COMMON, Women in IT, and Unit Testing
January 12, 2021
Pictured above: Marina Schwenk (left) and Charlie Guarino (right) Charlie Guarino: Hi, everybody. I'm Charlie Guarino. Welcome to TechTalk SMB. Our first guest ever is an IBM software developer and admin, and somebody who is definitely not letting grass grow under her feet. I am very happy to introduce to our podcast, Marina Schwenk. Marina, […]
PodcastsEd Jaffe on SHARE, JES3, FORTRAN and More
January 11, 2021
Reg Harbeck: Hi, this is Reg Harbeck and I’m here today with my friend and colleague Ed Jaffe, who is really a mover and shaker in the world of mainframe, really active at SHARE and a major aficionado of JES3 and also of bourbon. Well before giving everything away, Ed, tell us about yourself. How […]
ArticlesThe Business Benefits of Modernizing IBM Z and IBM i
January 8, 2021
The title of a new white paper from IDC and sponsored by Rocket Software, “The Quantified Business Benefits of Modernizing IBM Z and IBM i to Spur Innovation,” authored by Peter Rutten, an IDC research director in the infrastructure group, pretty much gives away the report’s central premise. But what are the factors behind this […]