ODBC Connection Strings for IBM i Db2
As ODBC gains popularity for IBM i database access, developers of web applications and APIs need information on defining ODBC database connections. This article demonstrates tips and techniques for...
View ArticleContinuous Integration for PHP Extensions
Continuous Integration (CI) ensures that every time a developer commits changes to a version control system such as Git, the code is automatically built and subjected to automated tests. CI has been...
View ArticleEasy Security Improvements for Apache Websites
Some key security measures, such as using TLS encryption (https://) are taken for granted. Others are often missed until they are flagged by a security scan. Here are two easy changes that have helped...
View ArticleLiam Allan’s Next Adventure
To say that Liam Allan is a powerhouse in the IBM i community would be an understatement. Liam burst onto the IBM i scene in 2016 as a Club Seiden member and the recipient of COMMON’s Student...
View ArticleUsing Yum to Install or Update the IBM i ODBC Driver
The IBM i ODBC driver for Db2 has become easier to install. Formerly available only as a download requiring several steps, the driver can now be installed and updated on IBM i with Yum or Access Client...
View ArticleWhat’s in Your ODBC Driver?
Since IBM announced Yum support for installing the IBM i Db2 ODBC driver, as documented in our recent tutorial, users can update their driver more easily. To help users determine what’s changed, IBM...
View ArticleApache for IBM i: Where to Find Documentation
HTTP Server for i (Powered by Apache) is the IBM i integrated web server. Although this unique implementation of Apache is well documented by IBM, that documentation can be hard to find. Internet...
View ArticleIBM Champion Jack Woehr Joins Seiden Group
I’ve admired Jack Woehr’s contributions to the IBM i community—and his practical approach to IBM i modernization—for several years. This spring, I asked him if he would deliver my ODBC session for...
View ArticleRequests for Enhancement are now “IBM Ideas”
IBM i users have a new way to request enhancements from IBM. The Request for Enhancement (RFE) site has been replaced by the IBM Power Ideas Portal. I immediately noticed an advantage of the new...
View ArticleBe Careful When Using Yum Remove
The Yum install command installs open source packages. It also installs any sub-packages upon which the desired package relies. Yum remove does the reverse. It will remove a requested package. What...
View ArticleIT Leadership Summit on Security — A Recap
Many thanks to IBM and COMMON for their recent IT Leadership Summit on Security, held August 3, 2022, at IBM’s Astor Place offices in New York City. This free, noncommercial event for IT executives...
View ArticleUse IBM’s Apache Directive Finder Instead of Google
When it comes to finding information on HTTP Server for IBM i (based on Apache), Google is NOT the way to go! Recently Calvin did a web search for Apache’s ServerUserID directive. It returned old forum...
View ArticleEncrypting IBM i ODBC Connections from Linux
Several clients have asked how to encrypt ODBC connections between Linux and IBM i to keep their Db2 data safe in transit. To encrypt ODBC data, IBM recommends the industry-standard TLS encryption...
View ArticleLearn about Merlin for IBM i
You may have heard about IBM’s new Merlin tools for modern RPG development methodology. But what is it, really, and how would it benefit your shop? Seiden Group’s Jack Woehr, one of the top Merlin...
View ArticleCase-Insensitive Queries using ODBC on IBM i
When querying for character data using SQL, case matters. That is, “A” is not equal to “a”. The case of the search string may not match that of the data stored in your database. Even so, you might want...
View ArticleTips for Fast, Reliable Open Source on IBM i
Open source continues to gain traction in IBM i shops, and for good reason. It excels at delivering new interfaces and functionality for RPG and COBOL applications, plus it broadens the talent pool for...
View ArticleCode for IBM i: Project Mode
Visual Studio Code for IBM i recently acquired a series of enhancements that greatly enhance the RPGLE developer experience. Known as Project Mode, the new features allow RPGLE developers to easily...
View ArticlePHP 8.2 for IBM i Now Available — PHP 7.4 Frozen
It’s time to upgrade your PHP! If it seems like you just heard this from us, you’re not wrong. By gradually deprecating features and techniques that no longer represent best practices, PHP nudges...
View ArticleAutomate SFTP Transfers Using ‘expect’
A programmer asked recently how to automate their password-based SFTP transfer. How does one automate SFTP or any task that typically requires user interaction? This blog post shows how to achieve that...
View ArticleInstall and Use Node.js iToolkit for IBM i
Node.js has joined other popular IBM i open-source technologies, such as PHP and Python, for web application and API development. A server-side runtime for JavaScript, Node.js can run both on IBM i and...
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