System iNetwork

August 2007

August 23, 2007 5:17 PM

The Missing Comments . . . Now Posted!

Hey, sorry . . . Maxed Out has been hit with a ton of spam, which led to many perfectly good comments not getting approved when they normally would have been. I thought everybody was out on vacation! I've approved the comments, though, so check out all the "new" comments to the last several posts, especially the discussion on the relevance of Notes/Domino (many of you say it is quite relevant) on the System i. (I'm working on a better way to deal with these new spam blasts, too, by the way.)

Posted by cmaxcer on August 23, 2007 at 5:17 PM | Comments (0)

Bob Tipton on a "Maniacal Focus"

I did a podcast with Bob Tipton this summer as sort of a preview to the System iNetwork's System i Core Decisions: Business Applications Roadshow that's hitting the streets this fall. The full-length podcast went a little long, and there was a lot of great material that didn't get used as initially planned — but I get to share the extras with you now. In the podcast, Tipton covers IT organizational excellence, fundamental ways to rethink application development and delivery, and the characteristics of businesses that have clarity of purpose that helps lead to the kind of organizational chemistry that can surmount any challenge. (Bob says it better than I do.) Here's a snip:

"Excellence-minded organizations have a single minded or maniacal focus on excellence in terms of their delivery — nothing gets in the way of that, and that's also true in their IT resources," Tipton says. "They have the ability to sort through choices, sort through options, and make the best decision moving forward. Sort of ironically, and this is maybe a counter-intuitive thing, especially for technology folks, is that excellence-minded organizations tend to get the people equation right first, they then work on their processes second, and then down the list they use supporting tools and technologies and systems to be able to support their people and processes."

There's a ton of a great stuff, so check out this podcast now — you can stream it by clicking on the link if your browser supports that or do a right click and download it to your desktop.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 23, 2007 at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

No NSFDB2 for System i in Domino 8

COMMON's Leadership and Advocacy group has sent COMMON members an exploratory note on IBM's decision not to release "the long anticipated support for Notes databases in DB2 on i5/OS" in the latest release of Lotus Notes/Domino 8.0.

"As part of COMMON's Leadership and Advocacy initiative, we are working on a formal response to IBM, but we want your reaction to this decision to determine how it will affect COMMON members," the COMMON note says.

To give your feedback, COMMON posted a quick, three-question survey that asks these questions:

• "Do you use Domino on your System i?"
  
• "Will IBM's decision to NOT include NSFDB2 for System i in Domino 8.0 affect your business?"
  
• "How will your business be affected? Will your development project(s) be delayed but continue with Domino on i5/OS? Will you have to re-deploy Domino on another platform?"
  

Posted by cmaxcer on August 23, 2007 at 6:46 AM | Comments (2)

August 20, 2007 9:52 AM

Is Notes/Domino Relevant to the i?

IBM, after two years of testing and development, has released Lotus Notes 8 and Lotus Domino 8 (ND8). Lotus Notes/Domino is packed with robust e-mail and collaborative features, and it boasts an integrated workspace for calendaring, instant messaging, presence awareness, and custom applications.

ND8 runs on i5/OS, of course, but geez . . . in the last two years I can't recall a specific instance where I saw or heard of "Lotus Notes or Domino" paired with "System i" in the same sentence. I must have read something: a press release, a stray comment online, maybe something mentioned in a conversation — wait, I got it, I remember some wisps about using Notes with click-to-call VoIP technologies on the System i — maybe in a 3Com or Nextel IP telephony story. Also, I briefly mentioned the public beta of ND8 back in March.

Either way, there hasn't been a lot of coverage to make it stick in my head. Perhaps that's a personal failing — my job is both to report the news that hits the System i world as well as to take a closer look at trends and niche areas of interest.

So is Notes/Domino vibrantly used on the System i around the world? Have I been missing all sorts of Domino action? Or is Notes/Domino mostly irrelevant to System i pros? Is it just another application that runs on the i5/OS, largely independent of line-of-business applications?

What do you think? Are there interesting, important, and relevant Notes and Domino "System i" stories out in the wild . . . or simply a few geese not worth chasing?

Posted by cmaxcer on August 20, 2007 at 9:52 AM | Comments (11)

August 16, 2007 8:29 AM

DB2 Web Query Chat Transcript Ready

Yesterday's iSociety fireside chat on DB2 Web Query, featuring IBM's DB2 Product Marketing Manager Doug Mack, is now available in transcript form. If you're wondering about DB2 Web Query and how it might replace Query/400, this transcript is a good place to start. In addition to some clarifying answers from Mack, there are links to key IBM Web pages and FAQs.

Here are a couple of snips:

Question from Alison: how much does it cost?

Drmack says: The price for DB2 Web Query - first off, there is a server component based on processor tier ranging from $1,600 to $48,000. With this you get a certain number of users, also dependent on the tier. The good news is that if you are a Query/400 licensee and current on SW maintenance, you can upgrade to this at no charge. From there, you can add additional features - more named users, OLAP or active reports option.

. . .

Question from Lwright: What is the major difference between DB2 Web Query vs Query 400?

Drmack says: major differences...hmm....this is a long topic. First off, it is incredibly more powerful in terms of the kinds of reports you can develop. Parameterized reports can minimize the number of total reports to maintain. There is direct to Excel output. There is dashboarding and slicing and dicing of the data. Over 100 different charts
Please look at our website: www.ibm.com/systems/i/software/db2/webquery

DB2 Web Query will ship September 14.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 16, 2007 at 8:29 AM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2007 8:27 AM

IBM's Doug Mack on DB2 Web Query Chat Is Today

iSociety will host a Fireside Chat about DB2 Web Query for the System i and i5/OS today, featuring IBM's System i DB2 Product Marketing Manager Doug Mack.

It's set for 1 p.m. Central Time. Go to iSociety.org to get started — but there's also a more direct route: http://isociety.common.org/chat.htm. You need to be an iSociety member (free) to get in, though, so register beforehand if you haven't already.

Early Questions

iSociety is accepting DB2 Web Query-related questions before the event starts — just send your question to chat@isociety.org.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 15, 2007 at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2007 4:47 PM

Don't Miss the Last of the COMMON Video Blog Posts

We've posted the final installments of the iStudio video blog posts that Bob Cozzi conducted at COMMON. Cozzi covers Secure Perspective with IBMer Steve Finnes, System i telephony with IBMer Mike Russo, and a VoIP solution for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with Terry Gulet of Key Information Systems.

There's much more, of course, 13 in all, so check 'em out at http://www.systeminetwork.com/isnblogs/istudio/.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 14, 2007 at 4:47 PM | Comments (0)

The Fall Back-to-School Roundup

Since this is the first year COMMON has switched to its single "big" annual conference format, some System i pros may be wondering just what in-person education is left this year. At the spring COMMON conference, I asked COMMON President Randy Default how the transition was going — it was going well, of course, but he also noted that he suspected quite a few members would still be surprised this fall when they started looking for the former big fall event.

Despite the well-publicized moves, it's hard to erase years of conditioning surrounding the iconic COMMON conferences. While there's no big COMMON event, COMMON is still offering sessions this fall, along with a couple of other key System i in-person events. Here's what's coming:

Systems Operations on the Sytem i

This one-day COMMON seminar is devoted to an overview of System i operations and focuses on enhancing your skills in Save/Restore, Operations, and Work Management. It's led by System i pro Al Barsa, and it's in Houston October 1, Austin October 2, Phoenix October 3, and Denver October 4. To learn more, check out: http://www.common.org/seminars/2007/2007seminars.html#1001.

RPG & DB2 Summit

This event focuses solely on the RPG and database skills you need for your daily work — not Java, not Domino, not system administration. As you might expect, it features System i experts Susan Gantner, Skip Marchesani, Jon Paris, and Paul Tuohy, as well as guest instructors including George Farr, Scott Klement, Shantan Kethireddy, and Tom McKinley. It runs from October 2-4 in Minneapolis. To learn more, check out: http://www.systemideveloper.com/conferences.html.

System i Core Decisions: Business Applications Roadshow

This is System iNetwork's roadshow event, featuring Bob Tipton and Dave Ellison, who will walk attendees through collaborative exercises geared to their organization's challenges. The central organizing principle is aligning your core business with your IT efforts. It's in Irvine October 2, Forth Worth October 14, New Jersey October 30, St. Louis November 6. To learn more, check out: http://www.systeminetwork.com/coreroadshow/Index.cfm.

COMMON Focus 2007

This is COMMON's first annual workshop event, which will feature 18 in-depth, all-day educational lab and lecture-style workshops offered over three days. Attendees can attend only one workshop per day. It runs from October 14-17 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. For more, check out: http://www.common.org/conferences/2007/focus/index.html.

Missing Any In-Person Events?

If I'm missing any key events, don't hesitate to post a comment with the details!

Live, But Not Face-to-Face

I've got one more event worth mentioning, and even though it's not in-person, it's still live, and that's System iNetwork's RPG & Beyond Web Conference. It's set for September 18-19 and 25-26. To learn more, check out http://www.pentontech.com/onlineconf/isn/rpgandbeyond07/.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 14, 2007 at 9:30 AM | Comments (2)

August 7, 2007 9:23 AM

Required Viewing: Carson Soule as 'Info Maestro'

I want to point out a Webcast recording that should be mandatory playback for any System i pro who is invested in the platform — "What the Future May Hold for System i."

It features System iNEWS Tech Editor Carson Soule, IBM's Jim Herring and Ian Jarman, and COMMON President Randy Dufault. The depth and breadth of coverage is amazing, with the participants delving into IP telephony, i5/0S on a POWER-based blade, the growth of storage area networks, security, native encryption, MySQL, System i talent, the IBM Business Systems unit, the Power Systems unit, IBM's requirements process, DB2 Web Query, encryption, V6R1, and so much more.

The format is lively and easy to listen to: Soule performs as an information maestro, asking probing questions that invite useful answers from Herring, Jarman, and Dufault. Right out of the gate, Soule inquired about i5/OS on other hardware, and Jarman talked about convergence within IBM's POWER technology efforts.

"A blade is a piece of technology on which you're going to run an operating system. And logically we could have a POWER blade that could run AIX, could run Linux, and could run i5/OS. And a blade doesn't need to be called System i because it doesn't really have the characteristics of a 'system' given that it's going to be in a BladeCenter," Jarman explained.

"So absolutely look forward to that kind of technology coming in the future," he added, and then noted, "If you look at the advantage of this to everybody, I see it this way: The convergence into the mainstream power systems technology in IBM is to the advantage of our System i community because it secures the future in the mainstream for our investments together in i5/OS applications."

Interesting points, indeed.

The Reorg in Rochester

Soule asked about the reaction to the reorganization news among the System i-focused IBMers, and Herring said it was great and that once Mark Shearer, IBM's VP and business line executive for Power Systems Products, noted that the changes were in response to customer needs, "People got it."

Plus, Jarman added, "A lot of us have been proposing this within IBM for quite some time."

There's so much more, including listener questions, all of which reveal lots of fantastic nuggets.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 7, 2007 at 9:23 AM | Comments (6)

August 6, 2007 7:16 AM

Shearer Chats with iSociety on IBM Reorg

Last week, Mark Shearer clarified the IBM reorganization during a fireside chat with iSociety. You should check it out directly, of course, but the most notable item was increased confirmation/hints about a POWER6-based blade for IBM's BladeCenter:

"The result of the org changes will be better products, a very clear long-term hardware roadmap, and innovative new capabilities," Shearer noted. "For example, i5/OS will be supported in new places . . . as you know, one of our most successful products in IBM has been the IBM Bladecenter — watch this space for a red hot POWER6 blade with i5/OS support!"

When asked for more detail on the topic, he added:

"We've recently previewed i5/OS V6 . . . which will be available in the first half of next year . . . later this year, you'll see IBM's first POWER6 blade . . . which will be blisteringly awesome. And if you put two and two together . . . you'll have one hot blade and one cool operating system," he wrote.

Cross-Platform Solutions

Of course, IBM's new Business Systems unit will sell more than simply POWER-based solutions, which we've already noted, but Shearer clears up any lingering questions:

"Now, in the SMB market, we'll begin rolling out 'systems sales reps' who can sell what you need, whether it's Intel, i5/OS, Unix, mainframes, or storage. This is in direct response to what our clients have asked us to do . . . to be more solutions focused. It's a trend not just in STG but all IBM to align around our clients rather than our technologies. I think this is a great move."

Shearer mentioned a few other notable items, and in addition to discussing why the reorganization will be good for the System i, he covered the System i academic initiative and the duties that IBM System i leaders Elaine Lennox, Jim Herring, and Mike Smith will end up with.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 6, 2007 at 7:16 AM | Comments (4)

August 2, 2007 9:40 AM

New Analyst Reports Tout System i TCO in Midsize Companies

IBM has posted a couple of new interesting System i analyst reports that cover the System i's lower total cost of ownership and overall business value.

The first, "The Business Value of IBM System i in Midsize Business Deployments," was written by IDC analysts Jean Bozman and Randy Perry. The report was sponsored by IBM and published in July.

The IDC report covers key IT issues faced by small- and medium-sized businesses, and utilizes data from previous studies on consolidation and overall operational costs. IDC also addresses total cost of ownership and total cost of acquisition, none of which is new information to most System i managers; however, IDC does make a particularly useful point about IBM's midsize company strategy:

"By reducing the entry prices, IBM intends to create more SMB market momentum behind its POWER processor-based System i servers. . . . With an expanded focus on midsize customer sites, IBM is taking the hardware price discussion 'off the table' by offering competitive prices within the volume server price range (servers priced less than $25,000). Instead, it is moving the discussion to business solutions, including system hardware and software provided by IBM, packaged software from ISV partners, and services generally provided by IBM channel partners."

We all know that entry price is a barrier, especially for smaller organizations. I'm not sure that the entry price can be swept off the table entirely, but if smaller organizations can stop looking at it long enough to hear IBM's business-focused messages, there's hope for new System i sales.

The second report, "Value Proposition for IBM System i: Cost/Benefit Case for JD Edwards World Deployment in Small and Midsize Businesses," was written by International Technology Group and also developed with funding from IBM.

This report deals with two potential approaches for midsize companies looking for an ERP solution: JD Edwards World deployed on the IBM System i platform and Microsoft Windows server-based ERP systems.

"Certain differences are immediately apparent," the report notes. "Few, if any, Windows server-based ERP systems focus on simplicity of operation and administration in the same manner as World software. Equally, there is no serious industry dispute that the Windows server environment has proved less reliable and secure than the System i platform. Which leaves lower costs — or, at least, the perception of these — as the primary argument in favor of Windows server-based approaches. But is that perception correct?"

You already know the answer to the question posed above . . . but if you're looking for more detailed proof, it's in the report.

Posted by cmaxcer on August 2, 2007 at 9:40 AM | Comments (1)