FTP security with FT4i, Skytap acquisition by Kyndryl, IBM i 2024 database enhancements, AI’s societal impact from Stratechery’s “The Great Flattening,” transitioning from RDi to VS Code for RPG development, free VS Code training for IBM i developers.
Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly
- IBM i Brief: 📢 Product Announcement: Plug the FTP Security gap with FT4i. Skytap Is Acquired by Kyndryl. Database Upgrades in 2024’s IBM i Technology Refreshes.
- AI: The AI Choice.
- Development: Looking to move from RDi to VSCode?
- Learning: TFree Training: Code for IBM i Fridays.
IBM i Brief
📢 Product Announcement: Plug the FTP Security gap with FT4i
FTP security attacks appear to be on the rise, reflecting a broader trend of increased cyberattack sophistication and frequency across various technologies and protocols.
While IBM i systems are known for having robust security features, they also have specific vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited through FTP or other protocols if not properly managed.
The standard install of both the FTP Server and FTP Client have no inbuilt security or logging as this is left up to normal OS object level security.
FT4i fills this gap.
FT4i is a security solution from Shield Advanced Solutions that logs user and FTP activity for both client and server processes in IBM i environments. It allows restriction and monitoring of access to the FTP server and FTP client, providing an audit trail.
This is crucial as standard installations of these services lack inherent security or logging. FT4i is designed to fill this gap, offering a GUI-based interface for easy management of FTP services. It aids in securing IBM i data, especially in a world with increasing IT infrastructure attacks.
In a significant move, Skytap, a company that simplifies the migration of on-site IBM Power workloads to the cloud, has been acquired by Kyndryl, IBM’s global infrastructure services provider.
This strategic acquisition is poised to boost IBM’s hybrid cloud services, as Skytap’s expertise in managing complex workload transitions to hyperscaler environments will be combined with Kyndryl’s cloud-native services.
The collaboration is expected to accelerate the deployment of advanced analytics, AI, and DevSecOps, enabling customers to efficiently migrate and manage their vital systems in the public cloud with minimal modifications.
This development stands as an important milestone in the market, signaling an enhanced focus on seamless cloud migration and operations.
Database Upgrades in 2024’s IBM i Technology Refreshes
The latest IBM i technology refreshes (TRs) emphasize enhancements to Db2 for i, including new aggregate functions and improved SQL-based services.
There are a couple of new functional enhancements in the database (Db2 for i):
- ANY-VALUE aggregate function
- CREATE ALIAS with *LAST member
As for IBM i Services, there are “15 new SQL services, made enhancements to nine more, launched one new dubbed Database Engineer (DBE) Service, and enhanced two other DBE Services.”
In SYSTOOLS, IBM introduced nine new services and improved a few existing ones for IBM i. The list can be found here.
IBM also enhanced 5 IBM i services as well:
- Submitted Job Tracker work management feature for IBM i
- New features in the SYSDISKSTAT disk-tracking system
- Enhancements to the SEND_EMAIL scalar function
- Enhancements to the GENERATE_SPREADSHEET scalar function
- Performance improvements for some audit journal helper functions
For more insights and in-depth information about the latest IBM i TRs, visit IT Jungle.
AI
Here is an article from Stratechery.
It’s a long-form article about The Great Flattening.
It discusses the concept of technology as a deflationary force, packing more power into smaller units and enabling creativity. The piece explores how the internet, expected to be a force for decentralization, has in reality led to a new plane of competition where user experience is paramount.
The following two paragraphs caught my attention because it touches on a very sensitive issue when it comes to the use of AI.
What is increasingly clear, though, is that Jobs’ prediction that future changes would be even more profound raise questions about the “bicycle for the mind” analogy itself: specifically, will AI be a bicycle that we control, or an unstoppable train to destinations unknown? Will human will and initiative be flattened, or expanded?
The route to the former seems clear, and maybe even the default: this is a world where a small number of entities “own” AI, and we use it — or are used by it — on their terms. This is the outcome being pushed by those obsessed with “safety”, and demanding regulation and reporting; that those advocates also seem to have a stake in today’s leading models seems strangely ignored.
If you are like me, this article might take you down a rabbit hole, with regards to how we should approach AI in the IBM i community.
Either way, is the rabbit already out of the hat?
Development
Looking to move from RDi to VSCode?
Have you been trying to use VS Code - Code For IBM i more and more to get used to it?
And, maybe one of the things you missed in VS Code vs RDi was it was completing your end code blocks automatically.
Here is an extension for VS Code to auto-add the end statements for various RPG operations.
Learning
TFree Training: Code for IBM i Fridays
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has been gaining popularity due to its power and the fact that it’s free and open source.
You might be thinking, “I already use RDi, and it works just fine for me.”
Those who have started to use VS Code, have this to say.
It’s faster than RDi and easier to learn than either RDi or SEU. It supports development in RPGLE, COBOL, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Node.js and other languages.
So, if you are interested in learning more about VS Code, sign up for free online training.
This is an excellent opportunity for IBM i developers to enhance their skills, solve problems, and contribute to the greater IBM i community.
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