Informing the IBM Community

Author: Andy Youens

  • i-UG Springs into Life in 2024

    i-UG Springs into Life in 2024

    The IBM i User Group (i-UG) in the UK sprung into life in February 2024 with their first event of the year at sunny Rochdale. I say sunny, being from the south of the UK, ‘sun’ and ‘the North of the UK’ are not words that go together! The i-UG chairman, Mike Ryan kicked of…

  • Use SSH Keys to Stop User Password Access

    Use SSH Keys to Stop User Password Access

    This article shows how easy it is to use SSH keys to stop users, or yourself, from having to use a password to gain access to a SSH session. Why? The first question is always … SSH keys are more secure than passwords, as they are longer, more complex and harder to guess or crack…

  • Setup a User for Open-Source

    Setup a User for Open-Source

    In my article this month I will be taking you through the stages to allow a user to access, and use, open source on the IBM i. This has to be the most asked question of our client base. “I’ve installed open source on my Power server, but how do I get to use it?”…

  • Node.js v20 on IBM i

    Node.js v20 on IBM i

    It is time to get back to Node.js on the IBM i.  Node.js v20 is the latest version of this great programming language.  Please note that Node.js v14 moved out of support from April 2023, so time for you all to upgrade, and what should you upgrade to? My recommendation is going to be Node.js…

  • Language Comparisons Continued …

    Language Comparisons Continued …

      In my previous article, I explored a range of functions and delved into how syntax varies across different programming languages. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, I highly recommend giving it a read. You can find the article right here. As a quick reminder, I’ll be showcasing a variety…

  • Language Comparison’s

    Language Comparison’s

    As the landscape of programming continues to evolve, many of us IBM i developers find ourselves exploring a diverse array of languages beyond those with which we began our coding journey. As more and more of us get involved with different languages I thought it would be a good idea to give a guide to…

  • Generating PDFs

    Generating PDFs

    Those of you that took a look at my updating of open source packages on IBM i, will know that I have always been one for recommending the conversions of Spool files to PDFs when ever possible. My open source updating article can be found here https://powerwire.eu/open-source-updates/ This article created a spool file of all…

  • RPG Data-Gen Operational Code

    Looking back at when I first started writing articles for PowerWire.eu nine years ago, I was bought onboard to cover RPG articles.  Looking back over the last few years I have failed miserably in this task and maybe got too carried away in the ‘open-source’ frenzy. In this anniversary month for the IBM i we…

  • Eclipse AI Chat Integration

    My good friends at Remain Software have just released an AI chat integration feature for Eclipse and Rational Developer for i . According to their website, ‘This tool leverages the power of AI to provide contextual suggestions, code snippets, bug checking and documentation proposals.  Empowering you to write code faster and more efficiently.’ Yes, it…

  • Environment Variables

    The IBM i operating system is highly dependent on environmental variables, which can have a significant impact on its performance. In this article, we will dive into the various environmental variables and their effects on the IBM i. What are environment variables? Let me start at the beginning, what are environment variables? Environment variables allow…

  • DB2 for i Multisystem

    In this article I will be taking a look at a feature we should all be installing, and using, on our IBM i servers. As I mentioned in a recent article I wrote on the advance job scheduler (which can be found here), IBM announced in May 2022 that half a dozen previously chargeable licensed…

  • Node-RED & Security

    I gave a quick demonstration of Node-RED to a client recently and I didn’t get the response I was expecting. On bringing up the Node-RED browser interface, the first question I got asked was why doesn’t Node-RED use a TLS (Transport Layer Security), or SSL (Secure Socket Layer), connection to the server. Great question, I’m…