AIX 7.2 OpenSSH Is Now HW GZIP Enabled!
July 28, 2021
The latest version of OpenSSH for AIX 7.2 now supports POWER9 HW GZIP! The requirements for this new capability are as follows: *NOTE: It’s recommended to have this configuration on both the OpenSSH client and server LPARs for optimal performance. The required OpenSSH packages are available from the AIX Web Download Pack site. From the OpenSSH […]
ArticlesIBM Announces IBM z/OS V2.5
July 28, 2021
According to an IBM Institute for Business Value study “Application modernization on the mainframe” released today, 71% of executives surveyed say mainframe-based applications are central to their business strategy; and in three years, the percentage of organizations leveraging mainframe assets in a hybrid cloud environment is expected to increase by more than 2x. With this in […]
ArticlesWhat Does the Future Hold for Open Source?
July 23, 2021
First and foremost, let me say: it’s good to be back! As some of you have noticed, my blog has been “off the grid” for a while. However, I am thankful to have found my blog’s new home, and it’s a pleasure to be working with the great folks at TechChannel to make that happen. […]
ArticlesThe Pandemic and Modernizing Your Mainframe
July 21, 2021
The press often seems filled with stories about how mainframes were first available in the 1960s and implies that the technology hasn’t advanced since then—ignoring the fact that cars and jet planes are even older, and they can be seen to be updated all the time. So, why wouldn’t mainframes have been updated to give […]
ArticlesSurvey Says: The Truth About COBOL and the World Economy
July 19, 2021
On June 14, 2021, the COBOL Working Group (CWG) of the Linux Foundation Open Mainframe Project (OMP) had the opportunity to present at the Marist Enterprise Computing Community (ECC) conference about a topic that shouldn’t be so surprising if people didn’t overlook how interesting and compelling it is—COBOL. Ah, COBOL: Common Business-Oriented Language—a name for […]
AIX Patch Management With Ansible, and the Broader Benefits of Automation
July 15, 2021
I made one of the classic blunders during a recent trip to the Grand Canyon. This had nothing to do with a land war, or a Sicilian, but as an Arizona resident and avid hiker I should know better: always, always carry your water bottle, especially during the summer. I venture to the Grand Canyon fairly often. This […]
ArticlesUnderstanding Disk Space Utilization With IBM i Navigator Performance Tasks
July 14, 2021
Disk space utilization is simply how much of your available disk space is in use. Understanding disk space utilization is something all shops need to do since disk space utilization tends to creep up over time. In my experience, those who are not proactive in understanding where their disk space is going often end up […]
ArticlesWhat You Need to Know About Hiring for IBM i in 2021
July 14, 2021
A major shift in the workforce since the pandemic hit in 2020 has greatly impacted just about every industry, including IBM i. With the shift to work from home and many industries negatively affected by cutbacks and closures, numerous professionals are seeking less traditional means of employment. For the IBM i industry, these changes can […]
ArticlesBest Practices for AIX in a SAN Environment: Part 2, I/O Configurations
July 14, 2021
In my last article I explained the best practices for AIX in a SAN environment from a SAN perspective. I explained some best practices for SAN topologies, multipathing, FC-HBA configurations, among other recommendations. In this article, I’ll explain the best practices for the I/O configuration from the AIX perspective—that is, recommendations for data layout, filesystems, flash caches configuration […]
ArticlesOvercoming Unconscious Biases on COBOL and Women in Technology
July 12, 2021
TechChannel is excited to announce an upcoming monthly video series featuring conversations with women of COBOL, all of which will be moderated by (and is the brainchild of) Misty Decker, product marketing director, Micro Focus. Decker’s broad expertise within the mainframe ecosystem, along with her dedication to correcting misinformation and shifting unconscious biases, ultimately led […]