IBM i security acquisition by Kisco Systems, Node.js 22 release, Git stashing for RPG developers, SQL partition tables, unretiring workforce trends, default password risks and mitigation for IBM i systems.
Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly
- IBM i Brief: 🔒 Kisco Systems Acquires DXR Security in Seamless Transition. 🚀 Rocket Software improves IBM i software testing security.
- Development: ⚡ Node.js 22 is now available! RPG Developers: Need to git into Git. 🔍 RPG End Code Blocks - Extension Search.
- Data: 📉SQL partition tables: The exciting new possibilities for organizing data.
- Hiring: The Unretiring.
- Security: 🔒 Secure your IBM i system.
IBM i Brief
🔒 Kisco Systems Acquires DXR Security in Seamless Transition
Kisco Systems announced the acquisition of DXR Security, a significant move in fortifying its IBM i security services arm.
Delivers complete IBM i solutions with best-in-class software encompassing everything from operating system management and disaster recovery to monitoring, data protection, audit, and more.
DXR Security is an IBM i security services and education company known for its deep knowledge of IBM i security.
This strategic acquisition, by Kisco Systems will retain, industry veterans John Vanderwall and Carol Woodbury, who will stay on as strategic advisors.
For Kisco, their goal is to elevate the caliber of services offered and enhance market dominance in the IBM i security sector.
Both organizations are commited to a smooth transition ensuring maximum benefits for all stakeholders.
Key Takeaway:
As you read this press release note, this acquisition is due to the pending retirements of Carol Woodbury and John Vanderwall. Instead of simply drifting off into retirement, they have chosen to remain as strategic advisors and mentors to pass on their extensive IBM i System and Security knowledge.
“At some point in the future, we’ll be retiring, and we wanted to make sure our IBM i expertise and knowledge was transferred to an organization that will use it to continue to educate the IBM i community. - Carol Woodbury
IBM i managers who are looking to move into retirement should also consider acquiring new talent at least 6 months to a year before their departure. Doing this ensures the successful transition of vital institutional and business process knowledge.
🚀 Rocket Software improves IBM i software testing security
Rocket Software expanded its DevOps platform for IBM i platforms, enabling easier and more secure application testing. The update introduces masking capabilities to protect sensitive data from developers, ensuring compliance. IBM's support for IBM i platform until 2032 indicates continued investment in performance improvements.
Observation: Not sure why iSeries is used here vs IBM i.
Development
⚡ Node.js 22 is now available!
Highlights include require()ing ES modules, a WebSocket client, updates of the V8 JavaScript engine, and more! Node.js 22 will enter long-term support (LTS) in October, but until then, it will be the "Current" release for the next six months. Download Node.js 22.0.0. Notable changes include V8 Update to 12.4, Maglev Compiler default activation, and more. Try out the new Node.js 22 release and help shape the future of Node.js by participating in the ecosystem survey.
It is important to note that even what is considered newer development languages, such as Node.js, become unsupported, thus prone to tech debt.
RPG Developers: Need to git into Git
Using version control systems like Git is essential for managing changes to code. One useful feature in Git is the ability to "stash" changes. Here’s what stashing unstaged changes in Git involves and why it’s helpful:
What It Means to Stash Unstaged Changes:
Unstaged Changes: These are modifications in your working directory that have not yet been added to the staging area with git add. They could include edits to files, newly created files, or files that have been deleted but not yet committed.
Stashing: This refers to temporarily saving these unstaged changes in a clean state, enabling you to switch contexts or branches without committing half-done work. The git stash command takes both staged and unstaged changes out of your current working directory and saves them on a stack of unfinished changes that you can return to later.
How It Works:
When you run git stash, Git takes the modifications in your working directory (both staged and unstaged), saves them to a stash, and then reverts your working directory to the last commit state. It’s like pressing a pause button on your current changes.
You can also specifically stash only unstaged changes using git stash push --keep-index, which stashes your unstaged changes but leaves any staged changes in place.
Why It's Useful:
Context Switching: If you need to switch branches to work on something else, stashing lets you save your progress without making premature commits.
Keeping Work Safe: Stashes are useful for safeguarding changes that aren’t ready for a commit, ensuring you don’t lose your work.
Clean Work Environment: By stashing changes, you can maintain a clean working environment, which is particularly useful when pulling new changes from a remote repository that might conflict with your local changes.
Overall, stashing is a powerful tool in Git that helps developers manage their work more effectively, allowing for safe context switching and temporary shelving of changes without cluttering the commit history.
🔍 RPG End Code Blocks - Extension Search Here is a post about using VS Code for IBM i and missing automatic code block completions from RDi.
Data
📉SQL partition tables: The exciting new possibilities for organizing data
In this episode of TechTalk SMB, Charlie Guarino chats with Sven Jansson, an IBM i consultant and senior application architect with nearly 30 years of experience.
They discuss SQL partition tables, a data storage technique that allows for managing vast amounts of data efficiently on IBM systems.
Key points:
- Partition tables, which are free with IBM i 7.5, enable databases to store data beyond the traditional limits, supporting up to 256 partitions per table, each with a capacity of 1.7 TB. This method is particularly beneficial for high-volume applications like credit card transactions, where data grows rapidly.
- There are several technical aspects and advantages of using partition tables, including performance maintenance and seamless data management across partitions, making them ideal for scenarios involving massive data sets and potentially aiding in applications like AI.
Listen or read the transcript.
Hiring
The Unretiring “In what is no longer just a trend but rather a permanent feature of the new world of work, more people are “unretiring” and returning to the workforce.” While some workers are simply not retiring at all.
Security
Using default passwords poses a significant security risk on your IBM i system, as they are often easily guessed by unauthorized users.
By default, profiles in IBM i (7.5) now have *NONE, requiring explicit password assignment for new users to enhance security. It is crucial to create strong, unique passwords for each user, change them regularly, and utilize IBM i password management commands.
Ensuring strong password policies and educating users on password security are paramount. Detect default passwords with the Analyze Default Password (ANZDFTPWD) command and take necessary measures to enhance system security.
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