One of the most useful features of VIOS is the Virtual Media Repository (VMR). This allows us to create and import ISO images and then map these to virtual DVD drives on our client LPARs. Most customers will use the VMR to store their IBM i and/or AIX install media and PTFs. Many AIX sites […]
Are IBM i Services the future of systems management?
IBM i Services are perhaps the best kept secret of managing and monitoring IBM i. Relatively few users of our favourite platform know what they are and even fewer use them regularly. This is a crying shame as they are truly remarkable. IBM i Services can tell you in seconds what it takes a skilled […]
Get started with the RPG debugging alternative
I wish to take you through the debugging of RPG programs or service programs with a tool some readers may not have come across called IBM System Debugger. It is a client-based tool that has the following advantages over the Rational RDi debug facility: • It is part of the base IBM i operating system, […]
Tips for a happy Zend Server on IBM i
We looked in my last article at how to get started with PHP on IBM i. Server side, this involved installing Zend Server – the PHP engine that makes things happen. In this article, I’m going to share some tips with you that relate to configuring this fine software to avoid problems and get the […]
How to delete directories from your IFS
This article was inspired by a recent support call I received. It made me realise that many of you may not have noticed that IBM added a handy parameter to the RMVDIR (remove directory) command back in v6.1 called SUBTREE. Let me set the scene and you can work out whether this is something that […]
Tutorial: using wizards with RPG and Rational Developer for i
I’m going to run through some of the shortcuts/wizards we can employ with RPG using Rational Developer for i (RDi). Nowadays, it is all about productivity. Gone are the days when we had a DPM (data processing manager) looking over our shoulders to ensure that we were thrashing out code (we didn’t have fancy job […]
The end of IBM i Access for Windows
It has been known as many things over the years: PC Support, Personal Communications, Client Access, iSeries Access. Now its latest name, IBM i Access for Windows, would seem to be its last. Love it or hate it, over the last 20 years we have all grown used to it and so when I was […]
Exclusive preview: How Windows 10 works with Power i
With the release of Microsoft Windows 10 looming, I thought it would be a good idea to go through how this new desktop operating system will interact with IBM i Power Systems. As my company is a Microsoft partner, we had the opportunity to review the Windows 10 Technology Preview. For this article, testing was […]
How to speed up your IBM i backups
With the ever increasing pressure to get more from our existing infrastructures, many of you will be under pressure to extend the working day of your companies’ IT systems. This means that scheduling regular downtime to perform appropriate backup is becoming more and more of an issue. There are of course several solutions that allow […]
How to use the SVC/Storwize CLI
Over the last five years, I have worked with both SVC and the Storwize Vxxxx family of products with IBM i and AIX on Power Systems. SVC and Storwize share the same software stack and GUI. There are some functions which are only available in SVC but, predominantly, the configuration and management is the same. […]