IBM i October Announcements: Enhancing Application Development, Modernization and Performance
IBM i CTO Steve Will introduces a new coding assistant, IBM Bob, plus Technology Refreshes, a new version of Rational Developer for i and more
Today we are announcing a set of significant updates across the IBM i portfolio, underscoring our commitment to continuous innovation, developer and system administrator productivity and platform resiliency. These announcements include the next Technology Refresh for IBM i 7.6 and IBM i 7.5, updated development tooling and new enterprise support for modern coding environments, giving organizations even more reasons to run business-critical applications and workloads on IBM i and IBM Power.
With these enhancements, clients can take advantage of deeper integration between IBM i and open-source technologies, making it even easier to modernize applications and extend their capabilities. These updates also strengthen security and high availability, ensuring organizations can confidently meet new demanding compliance and resiliency requirements. Together, these advancements reaffirm IBM i as a strategic platform for innovation, modernization and long-term growth.
Project Bob
The IBM i community has been waiting for an AI coding assistant to help with the immense volume of critical software written in RPG and other languages. We’ve been talking about such an assistant, and how it can help address the need for IBM i skills while also guiding application modernization. Today, that assistant was announced. These requirements are some of the many which are addressed by Project Bob. We are excited to use Project Bob as the foundational tool to help our clients move forward on IBM i and Power. I will be publishing another blog very soon to describe Bob more in detail and its usefulness for IBM i.
IBM i 7.6 Technology Refresh 1 (TR1)
IBM i 7.6 TR1 introduces new capabilities that expand performance, ease of use and integration across the operating system. IBM Navigator for i gains expanded web administration features, authorization list management and security enhancements to simplify system administration. IBM i Access Client Solutions delivers updates for SQL performance tools, Integrated File System usability and enhanced data transfer capabilities. Db2 for i receives improved SQL support, extended scalar functions for larger document processing and new error logging and indexing features. On the hardware side, new Fibre Channel multipath handling and vSCSI disk performance improvements reduce latency and boost system responsiveness.
IBM i 7.5 Technology Refresh 7 (TR7)
IBM i 7.5 TR7 builds on these innovations, with a focus on modernization and system flexibility. IBM i Migrate While Active adds a new Partition Mirror method, allowing full partition migrations over the network without downtime or save and restore operations. Navigator for i enhancements mirror those in IBM i 7.6, streamlining administration and strengthening security. IBM i Access Client Solutions introduces command-line plugin improvements, SQL workflow enhancements and better visibility for system configurations. Db2 for i features new SQL enhancements and expanded services, helping developers accelerate modernization efforts.
IBM Rational Developer for i V9.9
We are also announcing today IBM Rational Developer for i RPG and COBOL Tools Edition V9.9, the latest version of the strategic IDE for IBM i developers. Rational Developer for i V9.9 is built on Eclipse 4.31, offering improved integration and modern development tooling. It includes expanded RPG and COBOL language support, enhanced Git workflows and stronger project integration with IBM i Access Client Solutions. Rational Developer for i continues to support both Windows and macOS, enabling cross-platform development flexibility. Learn more about Rational Developer for i and get a free trial here.
IBM i Extensions for Visual Studio Code Enterprise Support
To further extend developer choice, IBM is introducing Enterprise Support for the IBM i Development Extension Pack in Visual Studio Code. This provides IBM enterprise support for the RPG, COBOL, CL and SQL extensions within Visual Studio Code. Fixes and updates are delivered exclusively through the Visual Studio Code Marketplace. These extensions are supported on IBM i 7.4 and higher, offering developers a modern and open source-friendly environment. Learn more and install the IBM i Development Pack for Visual Studio Code here.
With these October announcements, IBM i is continuing to expand our leadership in business resiliency, application modernization and developer productivity. From next-generation database and system enhancements to robust IDE and open-source tooling support, IBM i is helping organizations stay agile, secure and ready for the future. These advancements not only empower businesses to maximize the value of their existing investments but also simplify the path to adopting emerging technologies.
By building on the unmatched performance and reliability of Power11 processor-based servers, IBM i ensures clients can innovate with confidence and scale for the demands of tomorrow. Learn more about IBM i 7.6 TR1 and IBM i 7.5 TR7 here.