Learn how MySQL fits with DB2, RPG and PHP

F R E E Educational Webcast: Learn how MySQL fits with DB2, RPG and PHP
Join Experts:	Duncan Kenzie, CTO of BCD's product line
Time:	Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 12:30 PM Eastern (New York)
F R E E Bonus:	All attendees get a utility that helps create MySQL tables from DB2 files!

Learn how MySQL fits with DB2, RPG and PHP
	IBM's MySQL support for the i helps you develop flexible long term solutions. You can start taking advantage of MySQL because you already have most of the tools to do this, using your existing IBM i hardware and software ecosystem. Join Duncan Kenzie, President and CTO of BCD Technical Services, who will explain the benefits of using MySQL and how it fits with DB2, RPG and PHP. In this session you will learn: What is MySQL’s role on the IBM i? What is the MySQL IBMDB2I storage engine? How you can use MySQL files to work like DB2 files on IBM i How you can access data from MySQL using RPG, PHP or SQL

TO REGISTER for this System iNetwork Webcast Click here or the button:

This unique Webcast is offered as part of the RPG & Beyond Web conference.

Learn how MySQL fits with DB2, RPG and PHP

	IBM's MySQL support for the i helps you develop flexible long term solutions. You can start taking advantage of MySQL because you already have most of the tools to do this, using your existing IBM i hardware and software ecosystem. Join Duncan Kenzie, President and CTO of BCD Technical Services, who will explain the benefits of using MySQL and how it fits with DB2, RPG and PHP. In this session you will learn: What is MySQL’s role on the IBM i? What is the MySQL IBMDB2I storage engine? How you can use MySQL files to work like DB2 files on IBM i How you can access data from MySQL using RPG, PHP or SQL

TO REGISTER for this System iNetwork Webcast Click here or the button:

This unique Webcast is offered as part of the RPG & Beyond Web conference.

Virtual Box for Linux and Windows Integration

I normally use Linux on my PC, but sometimes I need to use also Windows applications.

The traditional solution would be to have a booting manager like Grub and reboot Windows to access Windows applications. This solution is inconvenient and I decided therefore to look for a product that would allow me to access both environments without re-booting.

I used in the past win4lin, but its support has been recently discontinued and I decided therefore to install Virtual Box, , a virtualization platform originally developed by Sun Micro Systems and later supported by Oracle, after its aquisition of Sun.

I installed VirtualBox on my OpenSuSE 11.3 Linux distribution and then I installed Windows XP as a guest operating system of Virtual Box.

I found the installation pretty straightforward and I am now pretty happy with the results.

The integration is complete because Windows can access also Linux directories if you declare them as shared folders in the Virtual box.

However I had initially some integration problems between the two platform because Windows did not see the shared folder that I had declared.

I have written a full report on my experience which describes also how the integration problem above has been solved.

You can view the report at the Datamission.co.uk website.

Evolution of the AS400 and ISeries

IN ח1988, IBM introduced tһе AS400® аѕ a server solution fοr midsize businesses аחԁ departments within Ɩаrɡеr enterprises. Over time, IBM realized tһаt іח order tο fulfill tһеіr vision οf replacing PC аחԁ Unix servers throughout organizations worldwide, tһе AS400 wουƖԁ need tο bе easily integrated wіtһ distributed networks аחԁ web applications. Tο accomplish tһіѕ, IBM redesigned tһе AS400 tο υѕе eServer i5 servers wіtһ POWER5® processors, аחԁ rebranded tһе AS400 аѕ tһе IBM iSeries®.

Tһе strategic features οf tһе iSeries include:

- Integration
- Virtualization
- Optimization
- Security
- Support fοr a wide range οf application development media
- Simplified administration
- Scalability

Integration

Tһе iSeries includes аח integrated standards-based DB2 database fοr managing enterprise data. Tһе iSeries includes аח integrated Apache HTTP server аחԁ web application server fοr web-based application deployment, аחԁ a Java/J2EE web-services environment fοr web application development. Many рοрυƖаr development technologies аrе аƖѕο integrated wіtһ tһе iSeries, including SQL, mySQL, .NET, DRDA/CLI, ODBC аחԁ JDBC. Windows, UNIX, аחԁ NFS file systems аrе supported.

Virtualization

iSeries virtualization allows organizations tο manage multiple applications аחԁ processes using tһе integrated workload manager, shared processor pools аחԁ automatic performance balancing.

Optimization

Tһе clustered architecture, transaction logging аחԁ mirroring capabilities οf tһе iSeries provide flexibility аחԁ reliability. IBM аƖѕο integrates tools fοr managing clusters.

Security

Tһе security model fοr tһе IBM iSeries іѕ object-based, wһісһ simplifies deployment аחԁ enhances tһе system’s ability tο resist viruses. Tһе iSeries саח חοt οחƖу detect intrusion, bυt һаѕ built-іח methods tο prevent іt аחԁ provides аח audit log tο track potential security risks. Both production аחԁ backup data аrе encrypted, аחԁ SSL VPN іѕ used tο ensure tһе network іѕ secure.

Application Development

Wіtһ support fοr services oriented architecture (SOA), IBM Rational development tools, аחԁ UNIX application runtime, tһе iSeries provides a myriad οf options fοr application development. Languages supported bу tһе iSeries include C, RPG, COBOL, C++, Java, EGL, PHP аחԁ CL.

Administration

Storage management іѕ integrated іחtο tһе system аחԁ tһе system hosts managed storage fοr I, AIX, Linux, Windows аחԁ VMware. Tһе administration module іѕ web-based fοr easy access. IBM Systems Director provides a single, consistent user interface fοr managing both physical аחԁ virtual systems.

Scalability

Wіtһ many systems, tһе system’s technology іѕ integrated wіtһ tһе machine’s interface, meaning tһаt upgrades аrе disruptive tο daily business activities. Wіtһ tһе iSeries һοwеνеr, upgrades аrе automatic, аחԁ tһе separation οf technology frοm interface mаkеѕ tһе process virtually seamless. Wіtһ IBM’s Capacity οח Demand feature, уου саח activate οחƖу tһе processors аחԁ memory tһаt уου need, mаkіחɡ tһе iSeries scalable, flexible аחԁ cost efficient.

Communication

Tο communicate wіtһ tһе IBM AS400 οr iSeries frοm уουr Windows PC, уου wіƖƖ need tο υѕе a terminal emulator. Terminal emulators intercept аחԁ translate tһе 5250 data stream ѕο tһаt уουr PC саח understand, ԁіѕрƖау, аחԁ manipulate іt. One such terminal emulator іѕ Zephyr’s PASSPORT, wһісһ provides TN5250 аחԁ TN5250E emulation.

Conclusion

Tһе key tο tһе success οf tһе AS400 iSeries һаѕ bееח tһе integration οf relational database, security, web services, networking аחԁ storage management. According tο IBM, over 5,000 ISV solutions аrе supported οח tһе iSeries. Virtualization support allows organizations tο rυח various applications simultaneously, allowing tһе organization tο mаkе tһе mοѕt οf іtѕ resources.

Zephyr Development Corporation іѕ a highly respected developer οf advanced terminal emulation аחԁ host integration solutions fοr Microsoft Windows. More аbουt Zephyr’s PASSPORT аחԁ tһе AS400/iSeries: http://www.zephyrcorp.com/as400-iseries.htm

The article was originally published at http://www.hostrage.com/evolution-of-the-as400-and-iseries/

AS/400 and ISeries Job System Demystified

One of the most essential items every system administrator and operator must understand on the AS/400, iSeries and System i power system platforms is the job and batch systems. These two portions of the system are key for performing any task in a timely manner.

The job system on the midrange platform is both robust and elegant in design. At a very basic level jobs are first submitted into job queues for immediate or later processing by subsystems. By default the job queues are FIFO based, that is jobs are submitted to run on a first-in-first-out sequence.

You have the ability to re-sequence the jobs within a job queue by changing the job priority of a job waiting to run. The job priorities go from 1-9 and default to priority 5. So to change where at in the queue a job is and move it ahead of other jobs simply increase the job priority to a higher number. When jobs actually process they run in an area of the system called a subsystem.

All jobs currently operating on the AS/400 run in subsystems, this even includes non batch jobs like your green screen 5250 session. In many instances the system is configured so jobs submitted to batch run under the subsystem called QBATCH. However you do have the ability to add and change subsystems so you can finely control how jobs are processed on the system and allocate resources precisely where they are needed.

While running in batch a job is actively performing the task it was designed to do like generate a report, update database records and so on. It is also actively consuming processor and system resources. To view what jobs are active you use the command work with active jobs WRKACTJOB. The WRKACTJOB command quickly lets you see all of the active jobs and some other important information like how much processor it is currently using, vital resource statistics, job logs and more.

It is a very effective tool. And I often find the work with active jobs screen usefull for tracking down a job that has a message waiting for a reply. Sometimes it is necessary to find out what other resources a job is consuming, that can be easily accomplished by taking option five which calls up the Work with Job command WRKJOB. From here you would want to check the option to display job run attributes. This will show you the jobs running priority (not to be confused with the job priority in the job queue), CPU time used and temporary storage, ie disk space, that the job is consuming.

A special thing to note from the Work With Job attribute screen is the time slice of the job. The time slice and the job priority values can have a major effect on the performance and time it takes for the job to complete as well as impacting the overall performance of your entire system. It is generally safe to judiciously increase the time slice of a job thereby increasing the amount of time the job can run in milliseconds before it is interrupted by the operating system. Just be careful or you can bring your entire system to a screeching halt.

John Andersen one is a IT-manager in California lives. Do you remember, V? Rifi its Mid rank website Jump start to Insider hints get? S and on its advice? One the g? Rer of your AS/400 and iSeries.

The article was originally published at: http://nextiva.co.uk/as400-and-iseries-job-system-demystified

DB2 9.7: Run Oracle applications on DB2 9.7 for Linux, Unix, and Windows

Summary: IBM DB2 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows has out-of-the-box support for Oracle's SQL and PL/SQL dialects. This allows many applications written against Oracle to execute against DB2 virtually unchanged. In this article, get a high-level overview of what Oracle compatibility means in DB2. Whether you want to switch your custom application to DB2 or extend your DBMS vendor support to DB2, now is your time.

This article has been updated to include new features added in DB2 9.7 Fix Packs 1 and 2 such as support for OCI and NCHAR support.

You can read the full article from IBM DeveloperWorks

OpenSUSE 11.3 is Here!

Thursday, July 15th, 2010 by Bryen Yunashko 0diggsdigg

openSUSE 11.3 is here!

The openSUSE Project is pleased to announce the release of the latest incarnation of openSUSE, with support for 32-bit and 64-bit systems. openSUSE 11.3 is packed with new features and updates including SpiderOak to sync your files across the Internet for free, Rosegarden for free editing of your audio files, improved indexing with Tracker, and updates to Mozilla Firefox, and Thunderbird.

Among these many new features, openSUSE also provides support for netbooks and the Btrfs file system support. Users can expect to see improved hardware support with the 2.6.34 Linux kernel and updated graphics drivers. And support for the next generation of interactive computing for touchscreens like the HP TouchSmart.

openSUSE continues its tradition of delivering the popular KDE, GNOME and Xfce desktop environments, and now also provides the lightweight LXDE desktop environment. With GNOME, you can use the latest 2.30.1 version or take your installation for a drive with a preview of the upcoming GNOME 3.0. Or choose KDE SC 4.4.4 for the latest updates. They all feature the polish and integration that the openSUSE distro has been known for.

Click the desktop screenshots for a full view or see the complete collection of screenshots here.

GNOME Shell in GNOME 3.0

Plasma Desktop on KDE SC 4.4.4

For servers and development platforms, administrators can take full advantage of the new MariaDB and MySQL Cluster services as well as Conntrack to filter network packets for iptables. Developers will appreciate the plethora of tools available at their fingertips with GCC, GDB and Mono and IDEs such as Netbeans, Qt-Creator and many others. This is all on top of the countless libraries available through the openSUSE Build Service (OBS).

Visit our Product Highlights page for a detailed list of new features.

The next release will be openSUSE 11.4 in March, 2011. Thank you, and have a lot of fun!

This news was originally published at http://news.opensuse.org/

Introduction to SQL for System i Developers

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
SQL skills are critical as new database support is no longer being added to DDS. In addition, SQL is an important tool for integrating iSeries/System i data with newer applications written using languages such as Java.

Join Sharon Hoffman for this in-depth eLearning course covering the essential components of SQL syntax, as well as iSeries/System i support for SQL.

Course topics include:

• SQL definitions and positioning
• Retrieving and updating data with SQL
• Defining data with SQL
• SQL processing options
• iSeries/System i SQL Tools
• iSeries/System i stored procedures

This eLearning course meets at 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesdays for five weekly sessions.

This news was originally sent from service@systeminetwork.com

AS400 iseries Training Providers

You will find a useful list of 405 training providers for the IBM iSeries (AS/400) systems at:

==> http://www.learnpipe.com/

IBM’s Jean Staten Healy Reflects on a Decade of Linux at LinuxCon 2010

Only a decade ago, Linux was still a question in the minds of CIOs, but over that relatively short period of time the open source operating system has earned its place in the data center, said Jean Staten Healy, head of cross-IBM Linux strategy, during a presentation at LinuxCon 2010 in Boston last week. While 10 years ago, the role of Linux in the enterprise data center was still unclear, today Linux in the marketplace is a force that continues to gain in strength, supporting the diverse requirements of data-intensive workloads, virtual desktop solutions, prebuilt appliances, and cloud deployments models.

And the role of Linux is still evolving, said Healy. Linux continues to offer tremendous value, providing low acquisition costs and overall lower TCO, as well as flexibility through extensive hardware platform choice and strong ISV support, and enterprise-class security. In fact, she said, many customers are now choosing Linux for strategic reasons first, rather than cost savings.

Healy pointed to several examples of the inspiring progress that Linux has enabled. Linux supports smarter cities, like Dubuque which is benefiting from a Linux-based cloud and analytics from IBM, smarter medicine such as Astellas Pharma’s improving drug discovery with Linux clusters from system x, smarter oil and gas exploration with Shell, simulating more and speculating less, and smarter traffic, enabling the police of St. Petersburg to process more data with Linux and System z.

IBM offers clients complete Linux solutions, top to bottom, end to end — and Linux continues to help IBM innovate, Healy concluded, emphasizing that Linux provides tremendous value, has become strategic, and will continue to evolve to meet future needs and opportunities.

This article was originally published ar The IBM Linux Line

IBM Breaks Double Digit Performance Barrier With 10 Million Transactions Per Minute

IBM achieved the industry's highest ever TPC-C (transaction processing) benchmark result using a Power Systems configuration with DB2, hitting 10,366,254 tpmC,(1). The IBM result delivered the follow breakthrough results including:

• Performance more than 2.5 times better than HP's best result(2), 69% greater performance per core, and 2.1 times better price/performance
• Performance more than 35% better than Oracle's best performance result(3), 2.7 times better performance per core, and 41% better price performance.

In addition, IBM calculations on the IBM configuration show it requires 35% less energy per transaction compared to the energy usage data published by Oracle on the Oracle configuration (1).

You can read the full story at http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/32328.wss