Newsletter

This newsletter includes:

• How to Make Your E-mail Server Like You!
• Need Another Tape Drive? Go Virtual!
• Types of Mimix Switches and Best Practices
• iAdmin Fall 2021
• Disaster Recovery Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• iPOWER Hour Podcast Episode 32: Will the “Great Resignation” Leave Your Business Exposed?
• Upcoming Events
• iTech Spotlight
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (September 2021)

With Summer almost in our rear-view mirror, signs of fall are fast approaching. Everyone was expecting a new Technology Refresh for IBM i due later this Fall, but IBM released it earlier with the announcement of the POWER10 Enterprise server. The scale-out servers are coming “sometime” next year is what was announced. This means the POWER9 machines for most of the community are still the bell-weather state of the art, server to migrate to.…

This newsletter includes:

• A Simple IBM i Penetration Test Lesson
• Why External Storage Makes Dollars and Sense for IBM i
• Need a New HMC? Why a “Virtual” HMC May Be a Very Good Choice
• Please Take This Survey for COMMON
• iTech 2021 Baseball Games
• iAdmin Fall 2021
• Disaster Recovery Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• iPOWER Hour Podcast Episode 31: The Benefits of Full System FlashCopy
• Upcoming Events
• iTech Spotlight
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (August 2021)

Last weekend was a weekend of preparation and planning as Hurricane Henri made a direct path towards Danbury, CT.  The storm shifted directions quite a few times, and in the end, we were very lucky as it moved east and all we got here was a lot of rain.  I mean a lot of rain, but that was ok. I would rather be prepared, and the hurricane misses us than unprepared and it hits us.  Would you be ready if you had a natural disaster strike your company?…

As many of you know, I have long been a big supporter of COMMON, the IBM Power Systems Users Group, having served on its board for a few terms, as well as having the honor to be President of COMMON for 3 terms. I believe that the COMMON organization has the best in-person education in the world. No matter if you are going to COMMON North America, or COMMON Europe, they both help educate the IBM I community.

As with every organization, they have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization is trying to gather information to know how to best serve the IBM i community, and if you could answer a few questions, that would be extremely helpful. It would be helpful to COMMON, but could also help you in that COMMON can create education that would satisfy your needs.  If you have heard me speak, you will have known that I believe that our own education is something we all have to manage ourselves and be responsible for. That means knowing where you can get the education to advance your career and skillsets, what to consume, and how does this makes you more valuable to your current company, and any future employer.

Please spend 5 minutes on this survey.  Thanks for your time.

[Take Survey Here]

More from this month:

• A Simple IBM i Penetration Test Lesson
• Why External Storage Makes Dollars and Sense for IBM i
• Need a New HMC? Why a “Virtual” HMC May Be a Very Good Choice
• Please Take This Survey for COMMON
• iTech 2021 Baseball Games
• iAdmin Fall 2021
• Disaster Recovery Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• iPOWER Hour Podcast Episode 31: The Benefits of Full System FlashCopy
• Upcoming Events
• iTech Spotlight
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (August 2021)

This newsletter includes:

• Anonymizing the IBM i FTP Banner
• Advanced Security Testing: Planning Strategically and Determining End Goals
• iTech 2021 Baseball Games
• Disaster Recovery Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• Upcoming Events
• iTech Spotlight
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (June 2021)

The summer is supposed to be a slow time, but we are going at a breakneck pace installing new machines, doing migrations, and OS upgrades. It seemed everyone was ready to move forward in June, and now we are extremely busy.…

This newsletter includes:

• POWER9 Install LAN Console Bug
• PWRDWNSYS Taking Forever After a Full System Save?
• Evaluating the State of Your IBM i Security
• Moving to Standardized Security Testing Series: Advanced Security Testing
• Disaster Recovery Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• iPOWER Hour Episode 30: A Recap of COMMON NAViGATE 2021
• Upcoming Events
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (June 2021)

Happy Birthday IBM i (AS/400, and iSeries).  This Monday was 33 years strong, and still going.  The customers who made the decision to get on board this train have been very lucky through the years, and from future roadmaps, I think there is still a very, very good future in what lies ahead. From spending time in Rochester (prior to the pandemic), and having virtual meetings lately, I can tell you that Steve Will and his team have been hard at work bringing new features and functions to the next release of the operating system. While the next release is “officially” referred to as iNext, numerous IBM Executives have referred to it as IBM i 7.5.…

This newsletter includes:

• OpenJDK Disables Legacy TLS Versions
• Why Sharing the /QDLS Directory in NetServer Should Be Avoided
• What Do I Need To Do Full System FlashCopy Backups?
• 4 Disaster Recovery Services That Can Improve your IBM i Recoverability
• iPOWER Hour Episode 29: What’s Going On With All The Ransomware Attacks?
• IBM i Security Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• Upcoming Events
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (May 2021)

As you read this newsletter, we will have done our first in-person conference in over 18 months: COMMON’s NAViGATE in Columbus, Ohio.  I am sure looking forward to getting back to the new normal, and meeting customers, prospects, individuals, and — well, just everyone. I’ve been cooped up way too long, and now that I am fully vaccinated, I am ready to get back to life.  It will be interesting, and Laurie and I plan to do a podcast and video clips on the conference to show you what the conference is like. While I understand the in-person is on the lighter side (as we would have expected), the virtual conference has quite a few attendees.…

April 2021 NewsletterRead More »…

This newsletter includes:

• Java Precedence in IBM
  
• IBM i 7.1 on Selected Power S922 and E980 servers
  
• Tailoring the Operational Assistant Backup Exit
  
• Security Testing for Denial of Service Attacks Testing
  
• iAdmin Spring 2021: Registration Open
  
• [Podcast Episode] The New FlashSystem 5200: Features and Functions to Know
  
• IBM i Security Resource Page
  
• iTech iTip Videos
  
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
  
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
  
• Upcoming Events
  
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (March 2021)

I hope that you and your families have been safe and healthy over the last year. It’s been just over a year now that the pandemic forced an abrupt, radical work-from-home experiment upon the entire world. One way or another, we figured out the irksome logistics with laptops propped on stacks of books, office phones forwarded to cell phones, GoTo Meeting calls, kids and pets in the background of our videos, and bedrooms becoming makeshift home offices. Most companies retreated and were looking inwardly.…

This newsletter includes:

• RNMTCPHTE (Changing host table entry IP without having to remove and add back)
• Controlling the Outbound IP Address Used with a Virtual IP Address
• Security Testing and the Approaches for Malicious Code Insertion
• Protecting Your IBM i from Power Outages or Power Surges
• iAdmin Spring 2021: Registration Open
• IBM i OS Upgrade Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• [Podcast Episode] The New FlashSystem 5200: Features and Functions to Know
• Upcoming Events
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (Februrary 2021)

Everyone at iTech Solutions seems to be firing on all cylinders right now, and I am extremely proud of them and to be part of the team. Sure, it is different and at times a little more difficult than it was 2 years ago, but we are continuing to lead the IBM i community not just with words, but by our actions and results. It’s almost a year since we first learned of COVID, and our lives were all turned upside down overnight. I hope you and your families are safe and sound. We have continued to work hard for our customers, and they in turn have rewarded us with their business.  We cherish those relationships and will work hard to continue to exceed expectations.…

This newsletter includes:

• Rolling Back Root Shares Carefully and Successfully
• Advantages to Virtualizing I/O Using VIOS
• What is IBM Full System Flash Copy (FSFC)?
• Why You Should Upgrade from IBM i 7.2 Before you Pay Extended Support
• IBM i OS Upgrade Resource Page
• iTech iTip Videos
• Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• iBasics: IBM i Education for the Beginner System Administrator
• [Podcast Episode] IBM i 7.2 End of Support – What Are Your Options?
• Upcoming Events
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (January 2021)

By now it is clear that 2020 was an unprecedented year, and 2021 has already been eventful. It is hard to say what will happen a month from now, much less a whole year! This is one of the reasons why we stress the importance of planning, preparing, educating, and having the right team. While we are all making resolutions to maximize our opportunities in the year to come, so are hackers resolving to increase their strength and productivity in 2021. So, if you’re making resolutions to improve your health and well-being, let’s not forget about the health of your systems.…

This has been a year like no other, and we hope this finds you and your family safe from the virus that has uprooted our daily lives. As 2020 comes to a close, we wish to thank you for allowing iTech Solutions to be part of your team. We hope that our IBM i newsletters, Blogs, Webinars, Sips & Tricks, iTip Videos, Two-Day iAdmin Conference, iBasics seminars, Slack Channel, and Podcasts have been educational and informative for you and that you have learned from them. We encourage your feedback on what other things we can add to make them more helpful to our customers, and others who read them. Look for even more to come this year in 2021.

We have continued our growth this year adding additional employees to improve our services as well as the breadth of our IBM i offerings. We hope that you have a happy holiday season, with good health, happiness, and prosperity in the New Year.  All of us at iTech thank you for your business, and for the confidence you have placed with us over the years.  We look forward to working together in the coming year, and we will continue to strive to exceed your expectations. Whenever we don’t, please reach out directly to me.…

This newsletter includes:

• Accidental Deletes on External Storage: How Volume Protection can Prevent a Disaster
• Reviewing MIMIX IBM i Protection Reports
• Important Notice Regarding the Latest POWER9 Model G Firmware
• Demystifying Quality Assurance Processes as pertains to IBM i Systems and Infrastructure
• Making the Case to Keep Your IBM i
• iTech iTip Videos
• [ Webinar Series ] Sips & Tricks: Coffee with iTech
• [Podcast Episode] The Benefits, Features and Functions of External Storage
• Upcoming Events
• IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (October 2020)

October has been a busy month. Between installs, upgrades, PTFs, managed services, and creating new educational sessions, the staff at iTech has been burning the candle on many ends.

We had our iAdmin Fall IBM i System Administration conference last Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20th and 21st.  With 851 people attending the conference from 48 US states and 56 different countries, we were well represented from all over the globe. That is a lot of IBM i people together for 2 virtual days of conferences.…