• IBM Patches Heartbleed Vulnerability in Power Systems Firmware

  May 15, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If you thought your IBM i server was completely immune to the Heartbleed vulnerability, think again. On Friday, IBM issued a security bulletin directing customers to upgrade their Power Systems firmware with a patch for the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL. In its security bulletin, IBM advised that Power Systems firmware was affected by the Heartbleed vulnerability, CVE-2014-0160, and advised customers to take action. The bulletin applies to the Power Systems server Firmware, HMC, and SDMC. You can find the bulletin at www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas8N1020034. According to IBM’s bulletin, the vulnerability impacts all current Version 770 (including Power 710, 720, 730,

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• IBM Patches Heartbleed Vulnerability in Power Systems Firmware

  May 15, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If you thought your IBM i server was completely immune to the Heartbleed vulnerability, think again. On Friday, IBM issued a security bulletin directing customers to upgrade their Power Systems firmware with a patch for the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL. In its security bulletin, IBM advised that Power Systems firmware was affected by the Heartbleed vulnerability, CVE-2014-0160, and advised customers to take action. The bulletin applies to the Power Systems server Firmware, HMC, and SDMC. You can find the bulletin at www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas8N1020034. According to IBM’s bulletin, the vulnerability impacts all current Version 770 (including Power 710, 720, 730,

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• Hotels Expand Agilysys Footprints As Vendor Sells UK Business

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Two major hotels, including the Caesar’s chain and a new 326-room Bahamas resort scheduled to open in June, recently licensed enterprise software from Agilysys, the software vendor announced this month. Agilysys also announced the disposition of its UK business as it pursues an international reseller strategy. Agilysys says Resorts World Bimini will use its Lodging Management System (LMS) and the Visual One Condo Accounting System in the management of its 480-unit Bahamas resort. Resorts World Bimini will also use LMS to manage a new 326-room luxury hotel set to open in June, it said. Representatives for Resorts World Bimini

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• Avoiding Application Modernization Disasters

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  When it comes to colossal IT screw-ups, there may be no better way to infamy than to bungle an application modernization project involving an IBM mainframe, AS/400, or other legacy host. It may not be the fastest approach, considering the years that are typically involved, but it will successfully leave the customer millions in the hole and feeling utterly helpless about the future. Miten Marfatia, CEO of legacy application modernization specialist EvolveWare, shared his secrets to avoiding the headlines. Marfatia has seen his share of modernizations gone awry as the chief executive at EvolveWare, a Santa Clara, California, company

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• Tributary Bolsters VTL Software with NDMP Support

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Virtual tape library (VTL) software maker Tributary Systems is now supporting Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) with a new release of its Storage Director VTL offering, which works with IBM i and other server types. The version 4.2 release also brings other NAS and data-pinning capabilities designed to streamline backups. When installed on a X86 server or appliance, Storage Director enables customers to back up data from practically any host, including proprietary IBM Power Systems, System z mainframes, and HP NonStop machines, as well as industry standard Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. In IBM i environments, Storage Director emulates an

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• Mrc Seeks Application Vendors in New Partner Program

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Web application development toolmaker mrc launched a new business partner program this month in the hopes of attracting more application software vendors to use its flagship product, m-Power. According to mrc, application software vendors (think ERP systems on the IBM i platform) are having a tough time attracting and keeping customers because of the difficulty in keeping up with rapidly changing technology, including cloud and mobile offerings. These application vendors have trouble attracting new customers because, when they go into a demo with a customer, they often realize what the customer was looking for only after the demo is over.

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• Astro-Med Antes Up with PureFlex Upgrade

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  We haven’t seen a big rush to adopt the PureFlex server among the IBM i user base. But some companies are making the transition to IBM‘s all-in-one integrated system, including Astro-Med, a Rhode Island manufacturer that relies on a JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP system. Astro-Med was drawn to PureFlex for several reasons. For starters, it was looking to simplify its IT infrastructure, shrink its data center footprint, and adopt a more modular and pay-as-you-grow IT environment. But according to an IBM case study on Astro-Med’s PureFlex implementation, that was just the beginning. “The solution needed to deliver high

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• HelpSystems Launches Mobile Initiatives, Acquires NAI for Workflow Automation

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  HelpSystems last week debuted Robot/NETWORK Web UI, the first of what is expected to be many mobile interfaces for its extensive IBM i product suite. The company also announced the acquisition of Network Automation Inc. (NAI), which develops the AutoMate line of workflow mapping and automation software. While it has been possible to access HelpSystems’ Web-based product screens from a smartphone or a tablet, the company hasn’t had a mobile strategy per se. That is changing with the launch of Robot/NETWORK Web UI, a new offering that allows users to see IBM i server performance information from the comfort of

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• Get Your IBM i Training Online

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Compared to commodity Wintel boxes, the IBM i server practically runs itself. That’s not to say there aren’t some specific technical skills required to operate the machine efficiently. Organizations have several choices when it comes to obtaining IBM i training for their IT professionals, including a growing number of online courses. Among the IBM business partners offering IBM i-specific training, Avnet Academy appears to offer the most number of courses. The educational arm of the server distributor offers a wide range of online and onsite training courses for many IBM i topics. The website currently lists about 55 IBM i-specific

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• Arpeggio Goes for the ‘Hacker Shutdown’ with 2FA Offering for IBM i

  April 22, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If you haven’t heard of Arpeggio Software, you’re missing out on cool stuff for your IBM i server. The latest batch of mostly free goodness comes in the forms of ARP-SMS, which provides an IBM i interface for sending messages via the Short Messaging Service. It’s also gearing up ARP-AUTH, which uses that SMS function to implement two-factor authentication on your lovely, lonely server. Arpeggio unveiled ARP-SMS in late March to enable organizations to effectively “use their IBM i like a smartphone,” the company says. The software integrates with Twilio‘s cloud-based service, and provides an IBM i version

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