21
Sat, Dec
3 New Articles
  1. You are here:  
  2. Home
  3. IT Infrastructure
  4. Operating Systems
  5. IBM i (OS/400, i5/OS)
  6. V4R5: Of Wizards and Korn Shells

V4R5: Of Wizards and Korn Shells

Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

I have to confess. When I first saw the V4R5 preannouncement summary, I was somewhat less than impressed. In fact, my first thought was. Why bother labeling this as a major release? Why not just issue a CUME tape and announce it as a really big PTF? As I dug deeper into it, though, I began to discover a lot of little nuggets of information that, upon further analysis, revealed this latest release of OS/400 to be chock full of useful features. Take a look at some of the pieces of V4R5 that I think will make your job easier.

Operations Navigator

The folks at IBM responsible for enhancing Client Access Operations Navigator have come up with some really exciting new functionality this time around. Everything from new wizards to graphical representation of AS/400 resources have been added to the OpsNav GUI. They’ve also added some very useful enhancements and new functionality to some of the existing OpsNav interfaces, all of which were designed to make your job easier.

Perhaps one of the coolest new features is the ability to display a graph of system resources, such as the amount of DASD in a given rack. IBM has taken the information that traditionally has been spread across many green-screen displays, such as Work with System Status (WRKSYSSTS) and some of the System Service Tools panels and combined them into one or more graphical displays available to you from the OpsNav GUI. Other enhancements include the ability to manage your internal Integrated Netfinity Server(s) from the OpsNav GUI. This feature will allow the traditional PC person to work in an environment in which they are more familiar with managing their Microsoft Windows NT servers on the AS/400. Also included are new wizards that take you step-by-step through adding new DASD, new features for existing functions, such as the ability to display the text of a running query (which will help when a query is hogging system resources, and you need to find out which query is causing the problem), and more. One brand new feature is the Visual Explain tool. This function of OpsNav will show you a visual explanation of a query that is run on the AS/400. Visual Explain will show you every step of the query optimization—e.g., opens, closes, outer joins, inner joins—all in an easy-to-view GUI. Experienced query users will be able to view this information, analyze it, and apply that analysis to queries to improve performance.

Logical Partitioning


Logical Partitioning (LPAR) has been available on the AS/400 for some time now. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, LPAR means that you can partition your AS/400 into two or more logical AS/400s. This ability allows you to maintain, for example, a primary partition for your core business functions and a second partition that can be used by your development staff.

V4R4 supported up to 12 logical partitions on a single box. With the advent of the

8XX series of AS/400s, LPAR can now support up to 24 partitions on a single box. Another new feature is the ability of OS/400 to count users across LPARs. This feature closes a hole in the previous release of OS/400, which allowed a shop to load the same version of a software package, such as Client Access, which is user based, onto multiple LPARs. That practice effectively doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled the number of users allowed to use the software. The new version of LPAR will count all users across all LPARs, thereby enforcing the licensing rules.

Some of the other new features of LPAR for V4R5 include the ability of all LPARS to have access to a common CD-ROM unit. Also new is the ability to dynamically add or remove DASD to a secondary LPAR without requiring an IPL of the primary LPAR, and the ability, on the 8XX series of hardware, to share CPUs across LPARs. This lets a single CPU be shared, based on a percentage you define, across two or more LPARs.

AS/400 Portable Application Solutions Environment (AS/400 PASE) was recently introduced on V4R4. AS/400 PASE allows compiled AIX binary objects to run on the AS/400, often with little or no change to the application’s core logic. Basically, AS/400 PASE opens up the AS/400 to the UNIX world by letting UNIX developers port applications to the AS/400. V4R5 brings several new features to AS/400 PASE. First, it’s now based on AIX 4.3.3, which is the latest level of AIX available. Other features are a new AS/400 command line interface, much like the Qshell interface, which allows immediate access to the AS/400 PASE environment and the ability to execute UNIX applications from the command line. Also new in this release is the ability to use the DBX Debugger on applications running in PASE; and to support standard UNIX shells, such as Korn, Bourne, and C Shells. Add to that a larger number of supported SYSCALLS and runtime APIs, which will increase the number of UNIX applications that can run in AS/400 PASE, and you have an environment that is quickly moving up to the front burners of the AS/400 world.

More, More, More

These are just a taste of the new features and functionality available to you with V4R5 of OS/400. As time goes on, MC will continue to bring you more in-depth analysis of how these and other new features may affect you.


PASE

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: