IBM has just announced today service extension support for IBM i Operating System V5R4. The extended service extension offering extends support for IBM i Operating System V5R4 for an additional year, from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. The extended support covers usage and known and new defect problems. A service start date of October 1, 2016 or later and the service end date of September 30, 2017 or earlier must be manually entered by the user. For further details, contact … [Read more...]
What You Don’t Know About IBM i Disaster Recovery Replication Solutions Can Hurt You
Operations with critical needs to quickly recover from IBM i (iSeries/AS400) server downtime want Disaster Recovery Replication Solutions. Disaster Recovery Replication Solutions allow users to recover in minutes, not hours…if they make the proper choices and clearly understand the limitations of each solution. There Are 3 Basic IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Server HA Solutions When it comes to Disaster Recovery Replication Solutions, you … [Read more...]
“End Of Life” IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Applications
This blog discusses considerations for those thinking about outsourcing “end of life” or “sunset” IBM i applications. I often hear these issues when speaking to larger Fortune 2000 clients that explore hosting their applications. I was talking to a prospective hosting client the other day. He called because he is interested in moving his “end of life” IBM i applications off multiple IBM 9406-520 servers to a hosted solution. Why? Several reasons. The BIG reason is to save … [Read more...]
Managing Technology? What’s That?
“Managing technology” means different things to different folks. There are many kinds of technology, and most of them need to be managed in some way or another. But even if we focus on information technology in particular, the notion of managing IT means different things depending on who you are. To IBM i (iSeries/AS400) owners, it means—for the most part—deciding how much computational capacity you are going to need (compared with what you have now) and taking steps to ensure that the needed … [Read more...]
IBM Has Announced BIG SWMA Price Increases
This bog briefly describes IBM’s SWMA (Software Maintenance for IBM Licensed Program Products) price increases beginning March 1, 2016 and an overview of some of your options. IBM plans big SWMA price increases effective March 1, 2016 announced on August 25, 2015 by IBM Announcement 516-035. You can expect to see your SWMA renewal to increase in a range of 11%- 43%, depending on the age and version of your software. For P05 and P10 users, expect to pay $150-$777 per year. Some … [Read more...]
Expert IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Skills Fuel Cloud Hosting Growth
This blog provides key insight into why IBM i users turn to expert IBM i hosting for their core business applications. I recently attended a summit sponsored by a leading High Availability software solution provider. Fifteen IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Cloud Hosting providers attended. The solution provider presented several recent studies that noted that 70% of IBM i users in North America have 2 or less IBM i skilled people on staff. In fact, about 36% have no on-premise IBM i … [Read more...]
3 BIG Reasons For IBM i Software Maintenance
This blog briefly explains the key reasons an IBM i (iSeries) users should KEEP IBM SWMA current. Most IBM i users I work with hunt for ways to improve productivity and cut cost. I often hear about clients that question the value of IBM Software Maintenance (SWMA) – because it looks like an expense line item that is easy to chop. 1. SWMA entitles you to IBM i Version Upgrades, PTFs and IBM phone software support. You may already know that with IBM SWMA you are … [Read more...]
5 Factors Why A New IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Server Is A Superior Value Compared To A Used Server
This blog looks at the projected costs of a used IBM server compared to buying a new one. Clearly, there are variations in pricing and server capacity. Nonetheless, without going into excessive detail you will get the point that a used server is generally a poor value for your next IBM i/iSeries server. Think Used IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Servers Are A Good Value? Think Again. You may recall a time when a used IBM iSeries/AS400 server offered a significant savings compared to a new … [Read more...]
13 Steps To Get FREE IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Software Keys For Your Backup Server – THE SEQUEL
This blog is The Sequel to How To Get FREE IBM Software Keys For Your Backup Server. Since my last blog on this topic, I became aware of IBM’s newest Backup Form to get IBM LPP Software Keys. Just like my last blog, my purpose is to explain the latest process so it is easier to understand and execute. Many IBM i (iSeries/AS400) users have a Backup Machine to continue to run their critical applications when unexpected downtime occurs. This can be as simple as a Backup Machine ready … [Read more...]
First Failure Data Capture: Why You Probably Never Heard Of It
A question IBM POWER users rarely ask—unless they work on other platforms—is what an intermittent error is? It’s a kind of bug that occurs without rhyme or reason. Your system may lock up, or worse, it may come to a complete halt. Windows users are very familiar with it—as well as users of non-IBM hardware—and it has been a major nuisance for years. But when it happens to mainframe-class systems it can be much more than a nuisance. It can be very costly. Several years ago, eBay … [Read more...]