I have a job interview coming up and I know they use an AS400-like system, so I am trying to familiarize myself with it. I found that I can use a free public server from pub400.com but that site won’t load for me. Also, when I try to connect using the IP address I found using “ping pub400.com” in the command prompt, it also fails. For reference, I am using Mochsoft (mochasoft.dk) to connect. This is my first time using an AS400 system, so I’m a bit lost here.

Big Blue Decrees Its 2023 IBM Champions

January 30, 2023

Alex Woodie

IBM this year celebrates a bumper crop of IBM Champions, those technology experts who also display “extraordinary advocacy” for IBM products. In total, there are 839 IBM Champions hailing from 60 countries around the world, while in our little neck of the IT wood, there are about 90 members from the global IBM i community who gained the honor.

IBM launched the IBM Champions program in 2008 as a way to honor IBM customers and business partners who not only are subject matter experts but who also are active in the community. Today, there are 11 categories for the IBM Champions program, including AIOps, business automation, cloud, data and AI, hybrid cloud, IBM zAnoints, integration, Power, security, storage, and sustainability.

IBM looks to its Champions to be leaders in the respective IBM product communities, and also a source for new ideas and product direction. In return for their contributions to the community, IBM Champions are given special access to IBM software and services, as well as training and networking opportunities.

According to IBM Champions program director Libby Ingrassia, about two-thirds of the IBM Champions in 2023 are returning Champions, while the other third are newly named. Thirty IBM Champions have been named Lifetime Champions. All told, about 60 percent of the IBM Champions are business partners, while the rest are customers or participate in the community in some other way.

IBM Champions are chosen for contributions they make beyond the scope of their job, although sometimes their advocacy is affiliated with their company, Ingrassia writes in a blog post on January 19.

“For example, they may advocate for educate on IBM products or solutions within their organizations,” she writes. “Other IBM Champions write books or articles or blogs; some share their knowledge by speaking at conferences or other events. Most are involved in community, whether here at the IBM Community or by helping to run user groups. Most of the IBM Champions share their feedback to help make IBM’s products and offerings better.”

By cross-referencing the IBM Champion roll and the LinkedIn profiles of the 130 or so IBM Champions for Power revealed 87 folks who can be considered members of the IBM i community. The number is a bit mushy, as some IBM Champions do not share much information about their specific expertise on LinkedIn.

“I am thrilled and humbled to be named a returning IBM Champion for 2023!” wrote former COMMON president Larry Bolhuis, who tweets under the handle @DrFrankeni and is an engineer at iInTheCloud, which was sold to Service Express last year. “It is truly an honor, Thank you!”

“I re-upped :)” wrote Jack Woehr, who tweets under the name @JackWoehr.

“Thanks to IBM for recognizing my work to promote IBM i and naming me an IBM Champion again for 2023!” writes Richard Schoen, owner of MobiGoGo and tweeter from @richardschoen.

“#IBMChampion,” tweeted first-time IBM Champion Robert Berendt, an IBM i administrator who is active in the community.

“I’m honored to once again be named an IBM Champion, for 2023!” writes Steven Wolk, who tweets under the handle @SWolk. “It’s a privilege to be associated with such an amazing group of talented and dedicated people!”

“Pleased to announce that I’m an IBM Champion once again,” tweets Maxava’s Ash Giddings, who tweets from @AshleyGiddings. “it’s an honour.”

“Honored to be an IBM Champion and happy to work within this professional and friendly community!” the folks at the French security company Resiliane tweeted on behalf of IBM i security expert Guy Marmorat, who was named an IBM Champion for the first time.

“I am beyond excited and honored to be named a #IBMChampion for 2023!” tweeted COMMON board member Marina Schwenk from her Twitter account, @MarinaSchwenk26.

“It is an honor to be named an #IBMChampion again in 2023! Thank you, and congrats to all the other IBM Champions!” tweeted Brian Nordland (@BrianNordland), the Power HA and Robot HA product manager at Fortra (formerly HelpSystems).

“Really excited about being an #IBMChampion again this year!” tweeted Simon Hutchinson, who tweets from @RPGPGM.

All told, there are about 32 IBM Champions from the IBM i community in the United States, eight from Germany, five from France, five from Denmark, five from the UK, three from Spain, three from Italy, two from Belgium, two from the Netherlands, two from the Czech Republic, two from Canada, two from Sweden, two from Japan, two from Argentina, and one each from Mexico, Poland, Ireland, Austria, India, and Luxemburg.

You can find the complete list of IBM Champions for 2023 at developer.ibm.com/champions.

RELATED STORIES

Here Are the New IBM i Champions for Power

New IBM Champions Reflect on Their Journeys

IBM Power Champions: Showing Passion For The Platform

Meet The 2019 Champions For IBM i

A Youth Movement For IBM i Champions

IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 5

January 30, 2023

Doug Bidwell

Here’s a question for you: Are you using encryption to download software fixes from IBM? You may not know, and worse yet, you may not know how to figure that out. This is important because as we warned you last fall, IBM’s Electronic Fix Distribution and Fix Central systems will end support for unencrypted fix downloads starting on February 15 of this year.

That gives you two weeks and a day to figure it out. And this document from IBM helps you figure it out and tells you what to do.

Aside from this, it has been pretty quiet in PTF Land this week – looks like someone is wanting to watch some football at IBM tech support. . . .

Now, here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level since we last published:

PTF Groups 7.5:

PTF Groups 7.4:

PTF Groups 7.3:

PTF Groups 7.2:

New (or Updated) links added to the ‘Links’ tab in the guide this week:

New (or Updated) links added to the ‘QMGtools’ tab in the guide this week:

New (or Updated) links added to the ‘ACS_NAV’ tab in the guide this week:

New (or Updated) links added to the ‘Prtr Links’ tab in the guide this week:

Tips/Definitions: How long has it been since you did a SAVE 21?

The Guide at a glance: There are new defectives this week (01/28/23). Here is the defective PTF rundown, which is the last defective for each release:

Defect Defective APAR Fixing
Date PTF PTF
——– ——– ——- ——-
7.5 01/13/23 MH01946 MB04386 MH01947 (5733-910, When available)
MH01945
(this is not a typo, same on all three release levels)
7.4 01/13/23 SI81413 SE79143 SI82487 (Read the link in the guide!)
SI80771
SI80445
7.3 01/13/23 MH01946 MB04386 MH01947 (5733-910, When available)
MH01945
7.2 12/08/21 SI77634 SE73420 SI78039 (Read the link in the guide!)

Be sure to access the link in the Guide for further details.

Below is the usual archive of the IBM i PTF Guide to help you work through the PTFs in chronological order:

January 28, 2023: Volume 25, Number 5

January 21, 2023: Volume 25, Number 4

January 14, 2023: Volume 25, Number 3

January 7, 2023: Volume 25, Number 2

January 1, 2023: Volume 25, Number 1

December 10, 2022: Volume 24, Number 50

December 3, 2022: Volume 24, Number 49

November 26, 2022: Volume 24, Number 48

November 19, 2022: Volume 24, Number 47

November 12, 2022: Volume 24, Number 46

November 5, 2022: Volume 24, Number 45

October 29, 2022: Volume 24, Number 44

October 22, 2022: Volume 24, Number 43

October 15, 2022: Volume 24, Number 42

October 8, 2022: Volume 24, Number 41

October 1, 2022: Volume 24, Number 40

September 24, 2022: Volume 24, Number 39

September 17, 2022: Volume 24, Number 38

September 10, 2022: Volume 24, Number 37

September 3, 2022: Volume 24, Number 36

August 27, 2022: Volume 24, Number 35

August 20, 2022: Volume 24, Number 34

August 13, 2022: Volume 24, Number 33

August 6, 2022: Volume 24, Number 32

July 30, 2022: Volume 24, Number 31

July 23, 2022: Volume 24, Number 30

July 16, 2022: Volume 24, Number 29

July 9, 2022: Volume 24, Number 28

June 25, 2022: Volume 24, Number 26

June 18, 2022: Volume 24, Number 25

June 11, 2022: Volume 24, Number 24

June 4, 2022: Volume 24, Number 23

May 28, 2022: Volume 24, Number 22

May 25, 2022: Volume 24, Number 21

May 14, 2022: Volume 24, Number 20

May 7, 2022: Volume 24, Number 19

April 30, 2022: Volume 24, Number 18

April 23, 2022: Volume 24, Number 17

April 16, 2022: Volume 24, Number 16

April 2, 2022: Volume 24, Number 14

March 26, 2022: Volume 24, Number 13

March 19, 2022: Volume 24, Number 12

March 12, 2022: Volume 24, Number 11

March 5, 2022: Volume 24, Number 10

February 26, 2022: Volume 24, Number 9

February 19, 2022: Volume 24, Number 8

February 12, 2022: Volume 24, Number 7

February 5, 2022: Volume 24, Number 6

January 29, 2022: Volume 24, Number 5

January 22, 2022: Volume 24, Number 4

January 15, 2022: Volume 24, Number 3

January 8, 2022: Volume 24, Number 2

January 1, 2022: Volume 24, Number 1

December 6, 2021: Volume 23, Number 48

November 20, 2021: Volume 23, Number 47

November 13, 2021: Volume 23, Number 46

November 6, 2021: Volume 23, Number 45

October 30, 2021: Volume 23, Number 44

October 23, 2021: Volume 23, Number 43

October 16, 2021: Volume 23, Number 42

October 9, 2021: Volume 23, Number 41

October 2, 2021: Volume 23, Number 40

September 25, 2021: Volume 23, Number 39

September 18, 2021: Volume 23, Number 38

September 11, 2021: Volume 23, Number 37

September 4, 2021: Volume 23, Number 36

August 28, 2021: Volume 23, Number 35

August 21, 2021: Volume 23, Number 34

August 14, 2021: Volume 23, Number 33

August 7, 2021: Volume 23, Number 32

July 31, 2021: Volume 23, Number 31

July 24, 2021: Volume 23, Number 30

July 17, 2021: Volume 23, Number 29

July 10, 2021: Volume 23, Number 28

July 3, 2021: Volume 23, Number 27

June 26, 2021: Volume 23, Number 26

June 19, 2021: Volume 23, Number 25

June 12, 2021: Volume 23, Number 24

June 5, 2021: Volume 23, Number 23

June 5, 2021: Volume 23, Number 22

May 22, 2021: Volume 23, Number 21

May 15, 2021: Volume 23, Number 20

May 8, 2021: Volume 23, Number 19

May 1, 2021: Volume 23, Number 18

April 24, 2021: Volume 23, Number 17

April 17, 2021: Volume 23, Number 16

April 10, 2021: Volume 23, Number 15

April 3, 2021: Volume 23, Number 14

March 27, 2021: Volume 23, Number 13

March 20, 2021: Volume 23, Number 12

March 13, 2021: Volume 23, Number 11

March 6, 2021: Volume 23, Number 10

February 27, 2021: Volume 23, Number 9

February 20, 2021: Volume 23, Number 8

February 13, 2021: Volume 23, Number 7

February 6, 2021: Volume 23, Number 6

January 31, 2021: Volume 23, Number 5

January 23, 2021: Volume 23, Number 4

January 16, 2021: Volume 23, Number 3

January 9, 2021: Volume 23, Number 2

January 2, 2021: Volume 23, Number 1