Linux in System i

Jan 2 2009   4:21PM GMT

Biased CIOs spend more money and don’t solve problems, they create them

Posted by: David Vasta
IBM i, Bias, Bad CIO, Stupid CIO, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, System i, IBM, Save Money, Consolidation, i on Power, Linux on POWER, Linux in System i, David on Windows, David on IBM i

What happens when an IBM AS/400, iSeries, System i, i5/OS, POWER System, Lotus Domino/Notes) IT shop doing fine, keeping the company running and is stable, has happy employees, happy users and then out of no where a new CIO or IT Manager is hired who:

1. Does not understand IBMs offering from both the IBM Systems side and the Lotus side?
2. Is biased towards another major technology company for no other reason or with out any logic or facts.

Bias is defined as; a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice.

Now that we have established what bias is we can move on with the problem.

So there you are a loyal and hard working IBM i Admin, you and the Lotus Admin work hard to keep the company running. The companies main application for work is housed on the IBM i and everyone uses mail that comes out of Lotus Notes, plus Lotus has a feature no other application server has out there, rapid visual development, and there is always the one Lotus Developer, building applications for end users so they they can store information, access different types of data and make use of the Lotus and IBM i applications, and extend them to the company.

Everything is humming along, working well. Cost are in check, and with even more consolidation to the IBM i you could save more money.

The one summers day, or any season for that matter, a new CIO or IT Manager is hired into your company. Right after he says hello to everyone, his next comment is “We are going to replace all that IBM technology with Microsoft (or SUN).”

Continued »

Sep 30 2008   2:48AM GMT

System i Network - Server consolidation article - Recommended reading

Posted by: David Vasta
Microsoft Windows, DataCenter, Linux in System i, David on System i, IBM News, i on Power, i, i for business, IBM i, New Technology

I try to stay up to speed on all things IBM i, even if they confuse me from time to time. Server consolidation has never confused me and it should be on your list of things to do, or at least think about in the next 12 months. IBM is pushing it hard and it just makes sense. I am going to link you to a really well done article over at System i Network and hope you enjoy it.

LINK:: System i Network ::  Server Consolidation: It’s Not Just for Data Centers Anymore

Aug 25 2008   7:34PM GMT

Search400.com - Open Source on i

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, i on Power, i, PHP on i, IBM i

Today in my mail box I received the newsletter from the folks at Search400.com and this is what it said:

FROM THE EDITOR
Open source for i
[Leah Rosin, Associate Editor]

Last month I attended OSCON in Portland, Ore., and learned from Bernard Golden that open source utilization in the enterprise is on the rise. At the conference, IBM featured its free DB2 Express-C version of DB2 9. When I asked Rav Ahuja, the strategy manager of information management at IBM, whether this would work on i, he explained that it would if you run a Linux partition. All of this was a great primer on the implementation of open source and, specifically, Linux on i. And now the first of a three-part series of Linux on i is here.

Let us know what you think. And if you run or develop open source apps on a Linux partition on i, consider writing a tip or submitting a guest column.

RELATED INFORMATION:
> System i Blogger: Linux Foundation launches killer development tool
> System i Blogger: Getting started with Zend PHP

Firs I am humbled that they linked to my blog on ITKE, thank you Leah!, and second lets talk about this for a bit.

It’s all about the money is it not? I am pro open sourced dude, but let’s face it if your not making money or able to support your code writing habit then it’s all a wash? While the Linux community is best known for their OPEN projects, the IBM i has not seen this kind of energetic code writing.

There have been attempts at OPEN SOURCED projects for the IBM i over the years but it’s been scarce, and nothing out there that could change the face of a buisness. I would love to see an open sourced web site for all IBM i projects with many many active projects.

There should be CRM and ERP projects for the IBM i, and there just aren’t.Projects like this would do two things, drive people to contribute and wake up CRM and ERP software offerings to kick them in the tend bits so that they know they need to step up the code they are working on because there is a FREE open sourced equivilant that is coming and could replace them. It does create competition, even if it is frustrating.

I don’t see this being something that is going to happen anytime soon. The community does not lend itself to lots of after hours late night coding. For one the IBM i is not a platform you can just get at your local Best Buy and write some code for at home with your newly open i/OS. If that were the case I think we would see more OPEN projects.

I would still like to see IBM really rethink how they sell the smaller IBM i systems. I would love to be able to put down less that $2,000 USD and get and IBM i that I could work on, or maybe IBM takes a really large IBM i and places it in Rochester and lets you have a partition to write code on and stuff. That would cost them little to nothing but would foster community growth. They should offer it for FREE and more over allow any student in college a larger chunk of the machine than you would let me have, and IT professional. I can’t afford to have a new 520 at home, but I could afford to log into a partition that was FREE, then I could create a project, open source it on SorceForge and let the world help me build it and make it better. Sadly I don’t think IBM is that “hip” yet and they never will be.

If you are looking for IBM i Open Source Projects check these links:

Link :: Open Source for i

Link :: The iSeries-Toolkit

If you have a good project idea then let it be known! If you think IBM should build a sandbox for us all, say it. They are reading this blog and they do wonder what we are thinking. I would love to build a CRM package for the IBM i that is open sourced and free.  I am sure some of you out there have done it a thousand times but never like you wanted. Now is your chance.

Aug 23 2008   9:52PM GMT

POWER = IBM i +AiX + Linux?

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, i on Power, AIX on Power, Linux on POWER, POWER Systems, i for business

It’s been a few months and not much has come from the POWER Equation. I don’t see what I expected to see from IBM over the new POWER thingies and I really wanted to see more. I have been on the IBM Power site every week for about 5 months now waiting for something cool to happen.

The two solutions I know the best are IBM i and Linux. I do know something about AIX but not as much as I would like.

I can tell you that I am working ona site like IBM to pull POWER and experts together in one place. I do think the future of the POWER community is in unification and COMMON and the AIX Convention (If there is one?) should merge and come together.

Aug 13 2008   5:00PM GMT

Search400.com - Linux for IBM i: Introducing Linux to IBM i people

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, i, IBM i

Link :: Search400.com - Linux for IBM i: Introducing Linux to IBM i people

The IBM i is a great platform. Not many of you out there will argue that point. It’s solid, robust and very powerful. Part of that power is just that power or the hardware that we now call Power. The operating system (OS) is nothing unless it has rock-solid hardware to run on. So part of the IBM i’s stability is the hardware. Another fine example of a powerful OS that runs on Power is AIX. The problem is that not everything needs an IBM i or an AIX partition. Sometimes, you just need a file and print server or maybe a DNS or mail router. Of course you could do this all on Windows, but that gets really expensive and it does not run on Power. So, what do you do? Linux on Power: It’s easy, cheap and very powerful, much like its AIX cousin.

Aug 8 2008   2:02PM GMT

Forum Thread on System i Network - Zend PHP Getting Started

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, PHP on i, i for business, IBM i, Forums on i

PHP on the IBM i is going to be huge and here is a good thread that might help you get started using PHP on your IBM i. Thanks to all who have contributed to the thread.

Forum Thread on System i Network - Zend PHP Getting Started

Aug 7 2008   12:12AM GMT

Why is IBM still selling HATS and not pushing PHP?

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, PHP on i, IBM i

So full disclosure, I am an SME for COMMON and I speak and present about Linux on IBM i. I have pretty strong ties to the PHP @ IBM group in that the other two SMEs are both IBMers who preach the word for PHP, and other open source inititives at IBM. I have also worked for SEAGULL Software which sells what used to be called JWalk, which is a GUI modernization tool for the IBM i.

I was a Sales Engineer and don’t think I ever lost a deal to HATS when I was selling software…..any whoooooo!

Evidently HATS is still being pushed by IBM and the Four Hundred weekly email just reinforces that IBM is still lost. They should be pushing PHP on HTTP on the IBM i, yet they are still pushing a product that was pathetic 10 years ago, and can’t be much better now. I would love to see it and pick it apart compared to a PHP based web application.

Let the comments begin.

Jul 27 2008   12:51PM GMT

COMMON - Call for Presentations for RENO

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, COMMON - A users group

If you want to present in RENO you need to get your presentations in to COMMON now!

Here is the note I was sent:

This is to remind you that the Call For Presentations for new and existing sessions and workshops is closing on August 31, 2008 for the COMMON 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

The submission form can be found at: http://www.common.org/conferences/speakers/call.html

Annual Meeting - April 26-30, 2009 in Reno, Nevada
Deadline: Sunday, August 31, 2008

Get those presentations in, you never know what they will accept, heck they are letting me present you so you they will let your stuff in. I will be in Reno with all of my Linux Stuff for you all to enjoy. This year should be better for me as I have now had the full “off season” to get it all fixed up, work out the kinks and practice it a few times since then. My seven year old is getting tired of the Linux for Beginners session trust me….I think he could give it.

Jun 22 2008   2:48AM GMT

New Site is coming

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux, Lotus, SUN, FreeBSD, Apple, System i, Ubuntu Linux, Linux in System i, Domino on System i, David on System i, Lotus News, i on Power, AIX on Power, Linux on POWER, POWER Systems, i, i for business, OpenSolaris, IBM i

I am working on a new site, so between work, this site, writting for Search400 (which I hope they change the name of soon) and family, I have also found little time to start building a new site that will in the end be a hub for all things POWER based. I have to bring the community together under one web site.

So with that said, I am going to need people to provide content for the site. I need really dedicated insane people to help build the community from all parts of this equation. IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power, and POWER hardware. We need to come together in a big way and share. I am also going to cover Lotus, Ubuntu, OpenSolaris, OpenSuSE, FreeBSD and other things that interest me that I think are changing the way IT does IT.

Please send me an email and I will get you in on the fun, and if you know Joomla that would be great too…I am no expert on that CMS kit.

May 6 2008   2:28AM GMT

Learning from Microsoft’s Mistakes

Posted by: David Vasta
Linux in System i, David on System i, i on Power, i, PHP on i, MySQL on i, i for business

Now I am no developer, and when I say NO I mean NO so I am going to need some help making the connection. Seems as if the move for developers from Windows XP to Vista was a big one and may have been mishandled by Microsoft. Are we as an i community doing the same thing? Should we abandon RPG, COBOL, FORTRAN for the likes of JAVA, PHP and C?

Now being someone who likes new and shiny things I would say yes. I think the i attaching itself to PHP and MySQL is a step in the right direction and of course IBM have no idea how to foster that growth, and when I say that I mean no disrespect to IBM but, IBM sucks at build new communities. They don’t make things open source, and they don’t see FREE as a way to help. The recent Lotus movement where after OpenNTF being open for god knows how long now gets some attention from IBM is truly sad.

IBM should of course support the older languages, but should really place more emphasis on the new technology that is going to drive the system into a new era. Are we as i people destined for the same ill reputation as Microsoft and Vista because we are not “done right” and are not “hip” and a bit “free”. It’s time for IBM to really take a long hard look at the POWER platform and the OSes it runs and figure out how to tackle the next 20 years of growth. I can say PHP, C, MySQL, Python, AJAX, JAVA and other fancy words but how to get get them inside the i before it to late?