RPG programmers should be allowed to dream. The idea that RPG has reached the ultimate stage of maturity, therefore adherents to its logic and processes should not be permitted to consider the range of possible Web applications that can be developed with it, is a sure path to sealing RPG’s popular perception as a language has-been. Profound Logic says it has come up with an RPG programmer’s “dream architecture” for Web development with RPG Smart Pages version 5.0, which it unveiled last week.

RPG Smart Pages, or RPGsp, is a suite of tools enabling RPG programmers to build interactive Web

NetIQ this week will begin shipping a new version of its iSeries security software designed to make it easier for OS/400 shops to lock down their systems. NetIQ Security Solutions for iSeries version 8.0 includes updates to several products, and includes new features such as a “Delta Checkup” baseline analysis tool, better support for OS/400 IFS and iASPs, and better integration with NetIQ’s cross-platform security configuration and enforcement products.

NetIQ has been in the OS/400 security business since it acquired PentaSafe Security Technologies almost three years ago. That purchase brought four OS/400 products to the San Jose, California, company, including

A renewed focus on disaster recovery and security has highlighted the importance of running regular data backups and keeping vital business documents available. But the flip side of that coin is also important, namely the timely elimination of old reports, to protect an organization from lawsuits. Electronic Storage, a developer of the LaserVault document management and imaging systems for OS/400 and other servers, unveiled new software last week that automates the purging of old documents.

The new File Management module works with LaserVault Reports, Electronic Storage’s Windows-based application for archiving and indexing spool files and other reports generated from

IBM recently shipped a new version of its TotalStorage Data Retention 550, a Power5-based storage area network (SAN) device that can provide up to 56GB of storage for an array of OS/400, Unix, Windows, mainframe, and Linux servers. The new DR550 comes equipped with new replication and data encryption features, including support for write once, read many (WORM) disk, and AES and DES encryption. IBM also introduced a low-cost entry-level edition of the box, called the DR550 Express.

The DR550 and its predecessor, the DR450, which was launched in 2004, are designed to help facilitate compliance with data-retention requirements by