Month: December 2022

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Talsco Weekly: Data Fabrics, Data Meshes, and the IBM i

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

Development:  An introduction to Git. What Is Git & Why Should You Use It?
PTF:  IBM i, SAP and Required PTF Lists. SOAP Web Services Error.
Data:  Data Fabrics, Data Meshes, and the IBM i.

Development

An introduction to Git

“Git is an Open Source Distributed Version Control System.”

Breaking it down:

Control System: Git is a content tracker.

Version Control System: New code changes the existing code in Git. Multiple developers can write code simultaneously. Version Control System manages this by tracking changes.

Distributed Version Control System: Git has a server repository and a developer’s local repository. This means that the code is not only saved in a central server, but also the whole copy of the code is present in all the developers’ computers. Since every developer has the code, Git is a Distributed Version Control System.

Why is Git useful?

Multi-developer projects are common. Git is used to avoid code conflicts amongst developers.

Project needs vary frequently. A version control system lets developers revert to a previous code versions.

Finally, parallel projects may share a codebase. In this scenario, Git branching is crucial.

The linked article offers a full introduction to Git, including and overview of the concepts, as well as easy-to-follow examples.

What Is Git & Why Should You Use It?

“From web developers to app developers, Git is useful to anyone who writes code or tracks changes to files.”

In fact, many of the clients in the IBM i community that we represent are asking candidates in the interview process, “Tell us about your experience using Git?”

While you might not be using Git today, there is a good change you will in the future. So, here is a quick overview to help familiarize you with the terminology.

What is Git?

“Git is the most commonly used version control system. Git tracks the changes you make to files, so you have a record of what has been done, and you can revert to specific versions should you ever need to.”

Ways to use Git:

“Git is software that you can access via a command line or a desktop app.”

When using Git, you will use a “Git repository” that contains all of the project files. It keeps track of, or a list of, the changes to files.

An online host like GitHub or Bitbucket lets you upload and download updates to your Git repo, making it easier to collaborate with other developers. You can push your files and revision history to a remote repository as well as pull remote modifications into your local repo.

Benefits of Git

“Git lets you branch out from the original code base. This lets you more easily work with other developers, and gives you a lot of flexibility in your workflow.”

PTF

IBM i, SAP and Required PTF Lists

For those running SAP on IBM i:

IBM I 7.5 TR1 and 7.4 TR 7 were launched on December 2, 2022, together with Db2 for I PTF Group SF99950 Level 3 and 23.

SAP Support Required PTF Lists, formerly Information APARs, now include these new levels. The Technology Refreshes, Db2 for I PTF groups, cumulative PTF packages, and High Impact/Pervasive PTF groups were upgraded. For IBM I 7.3, the PTF groups were upgraded with mostly bug fixes, while for 7.2, the Hiper PTF group was updated with the newest security fixes.

SOAP Web Services Error

If you haven’t installed the October 2022 HTTP Group PTF fixes for the WebSphere Liberty web application server on your IBM i machine, you may be lucky.

As IBM explains, “This vulnerability affects all platforms and is introduced with IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 22.0.0.8 and later fix pack levels.”

There are a couple of workarounds highlighted in this short article.

Data

Data Fabrics, Data Meshes, and the IBM i

Everyone is talking about data. Legacy data is one thing, but to have a future with “digital transformation promises breakthroughs in analytics, machine learning, and IoT,” that’s “more of a pipe dream than a reality” for many companies because their data is so messy.

Data fabrics and data meshes are two new ways companies are seeking to find a path through the data management and governance problems of the future.

Data Fabrics are a series of technologies that include data access, discovery, security, integration, governance, lineage, and orchestration.

In other words, “data fabric is a technology-centric approach for addressing data management and governance concerns arising from mass data silo-ization.”

Companies can make their own data fabric by putting together different tools, or they can buy a data fabric suite from vendors like Informatica and Talend whose ETL solutions have worked with IBM midrange systems.

IBM is optimistic about data fabrics and sells a data fabric product called Cloud Pak for Data. The OpenShift-based offering has a number of tools to meet the different needs of a data fabric.

Why are data fabrics useful?
They offer a balance between “decentralization and globalization.” In other words, they function as the virtual connecting point between data endpoints, solving hybrid data management problems.

What can data fabrics do?
AI can be used to continuously learn patterns in how data is changed to automate data pipelines, which makes it easier to find data and “automatically enforces governance and compliance.”

The Data Mesh

The data mesh, like the data fabric, helps simplify having “different data access, quality, and security standards, especially when moving data between data warehouses and data lakes.”

The Differences

The data mesh is focused on enabling independent teams of developers to work in a decentralized manner.
The data fabric, on the other hand, is more technology-centric.

In Summary:

IBM i has a role to play in the new generation of data fabrics and data meshes. The data fabric’s roots in ETL and data security make the connection with IBM i more apparent. Data fabric and IBM i have a clear future together, though opportunities are less obvious at this point.

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The post Talsco Weekly: Data Fabrics, Data Meshes, and the IBM i appeared first on IBM i (AS/400, RPG) Recruiting, Staffing & Consulting.

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5 Myths About Encryption on IBM i

It’s time to set the record straight about encryption on IBM i.

Strong encryption is more important than ever, with cyberthreats growing in number and sophistication every day. But most IBM i organizations are not encrypting their IBM i database.

In fact, the latest IBM i Marketplace Survey shows that many IBM i organizations have no plans to implement database encryption. When you consider all the ways strong encryption could avert a data breach disaster, this is quite a surprising result.

In this webinar, IBM i security expert Sandi Moore breaks down some of the most common (and persistent!) myths that stop IT pros from implementing encryption on IBM i. She’ll also give you a peek at our Powertech Encryption solution that makes database encryption easier, faster, and more secure than other options on the market.

If you’re concerned with protecting your IBM i data, you don’t want to miss this event.

Find out where your systems are secure and where they could be vulnerable with a free IBM i Security Scan: https://www.fortra.com/solutions/data-security/security-vulnerability-scan

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Surprise TR for IBM i 7.3

IBM did it before, making an unannounced Technology Refresh for IBM i 7.3 in the spring of this year, TR12. I have been informed that they have done it again releasing another unexpected TR, TR13, on December 1.

Perhaps I should not be surprised. IBM i can now be run on a Power10 server. Could these PTFs fix compatibility issues there? Could they be updates for security fixes as well? Only IBM knows.

You will find all the details for this TR PTF on this page: SF99727 730 Technology Refresh – level 13.

Read more »

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HOW TO OMIT LIBRARIES WHEN USING BRMS *ALLUSER

Objective

The subject is to show how to omit libraries from BRMS SAVE or found where is the setting of these omissions.

Steps

Override and before to address about the three methods to perform an omission during a backup, it is good to know that you can prevent them with the command STRBKUBRM and the parameter Omits. . . . . . . . . . . . . OMITS *PROCESS or *IGNORE. 

About the first method:

Using the Backup Policy => WRKPCYBRM TYPE(*BKU) menu

Select the option 2

Enter

In this view, we can see that the LIB QPFRDATA is going to be omitted if you have a backup item *ALLUSR.

This omission is right for all BRMS Control Group that uses the backup item *ALLUSR.

So if you want a Full Save, remove it in the backup policy.

Omitting libraries from backup:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.3?topic=group-omitting-libraries-from-backup

About the second one method:

Using the Heritage Navigator for i, it is possible to make some omit.

From a 5250 Session, it’s a manner to check whether the Heritage Navigator for i is involved for these omissions.

From the command WRKCTLGBRM and in front of a control group MYLIBS ⇾ select the option 2 and press F14:

Select the BRMS Client Omits column, when you have a *yes in this column that indicates that the IBM Navigator for i BRMS plug-in was involved to do the omissions.

In order to remove them, the Heritage Navigator for i is going to be used.

Have a look at the annex A at the end of this document.

* Note: review information about Heritage Navigator for i in the chapter Additional information.

The following screen shows the result of the command WRKCTLGBRM => option 2 selected and F14 pressed.

In this Case, they are no omissions from the Heritage IBM Navigator for i.

In this Case, they are omissions from the Heritage IBM Navigator for i.

About the third one method:

A list can be used to do the omission. Create a list.

Using a WRKLBRM Enter list in front of option 2:

In this example, you can see the *ALLUSR is in inclusion and with an exclusion for QPFRDATA and QGPL.

Example of a control group that uses a list.

Annex A: From Heritage IBM Navigator for i, How to find where are the omissions?

Additional Information

IBM Docs links

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/1142704

https://helpsystemswiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IWT/pages/165642463/Enhanced+Omits+From+Backups

https://helpsystemswiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IWT/pages/165642462/Omitting+Data+From+BRMS+Backups

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