02
Sat, Nov
2 New Articles

Bug Busters Announces New Releases of Both Menu and HA Systems

High Availability / Disaster Recovery
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The A la Carte Menu and Security System as well as RSF-HA each have new features to enhance functionality.

Bug Busters Software Engineering has announced Release 3.2 of the A la Carte Menu and Security System (ALC) as well as Release 8.5 of RSF-HA, the company's high availability offering for IBM i.

ALC lets IBM i administrators manage access to all of their system objects and applications from one central place, simply by creating and manipulating menus. RSF-HA is a complete high availability and data replication solution for the IBM i platform, bringing users more power at less cost than competing products, the company says. RSF-HA Release 8.5 updates both the base and HA versions of RSF.

ALC R3.2 delivers enhanced audit reporting and a new tool for converting IBM menus to dynamic ALC menus. With ALC menus, authority can be set for each menu option and users see only those options they are authorized to access.  Administrators can regulate access to menus and menu options by user profile, group profile, *PUBLIC authority; and authorization lists. ALC menus and menu options are true IBM i objects, so authority to access them is enforced by the operating system. This makes ALC highly secure, yet flexible.

Adopt the Power

A revolutionary ALC feature allows menu options to adopt the authority of another user profile.  This greatly simplifies IBM i security administration, allowing administrators to exclude direct access to production objects, while providing users with all the authority they need to perform approved functions.  Rather than having to manage thousands of individual object authorities, ALC lets an administrator manage access to functions, a much more natural way to approach the problem, the company says.

Confirmation

A new feature makes it easy to require that a user give positive confirmation before proceeding with a sensitive function. Users just specify *YES for "Confirm Before Running" for any menu option. A prompt screen will appear whenever the menu option is run, asking the user, "Are you sure?" A reply of *YES is required to continue.

Enhanced Reports

ALC offers several reports to assist in auditing system usage. Various reports can be directed to the display, printer or an outfile. Now, text for menus and menu options can be included in report detail listings. With ALC's reports, an administrator can see at a glance who did what when, and who's authorized to perform which functions.

New Conversion Tool

A new Convert Menu (CVTMNUALC) command makes it easy to convert a static IBM menu to a dynamic ALC menu. Any *DSPF type menu can be converted.  Once converted, the menu has access to all the power of ALC, including:

  • Set authority for individual menu options
  • Hold/release menu options
  • Set an option to adopt authority
  • Scroll multi-page menus
  • Dynamically add, remove and change menu options
  • Define global options that appear on many menus
  • Confirm before running, and more

Free Trial 

Free 30-day trials for ALC 3.2 can be downloaded from http://www.bugbusters.net

RSF-HA Release 8.5

RSF-HA Release 8.5 updates both the base and HA versions of RSF and adds IPv6 compatibility, role swap enhancements, a new tool for finding spooled files, and more.

IPv6

With this release, All RSF commands, options and functions have been updated to support the newest IP address formats for both outbound and inbound connections. While IPv4 addresses of the form n.n.n.n (where n is a number from 0 to 255) are still supported, you can now specify addresses in the form x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x, where each x represents a two-byte hex value from 0000 to FFFF.  All valid IPv6 address specifications are supported, including replacing a series of zeros with a double colon ::. .  With this enhancement, RSF and RSF-HA are enabled for the future, capable of operating over any network--nearby or far flung--regardless of the addressing scheme used.

Enhanced Role Swap

With this release, high availability role swaps are easier, faster and more flexible.

Previously, a role swap had to be run from the system console. Now, you can run a role swap in batch as well, eliminating the need to be in a particular location to perform the role swap. Several types of virtual role swap are now supported as well, making it easier than ever to test your replication environment. A virtual role swap is quicker than a full swap. With a virtual role swap, the secondary machine is swapped into production, tests are run, data changes are made and then the machine is returned to the backup role. At the end of the process, any changes made on the secondary machine during the virtual role swap are discarded.

New Spool Tool

Many environments, including high availability can generate job logs and other spooled files that contain useful information. The trick is to quickly find the spooled file you want when you need it.  A new Find Spooled File command lets you search through the body of spooled files and see a list of those that match your search string. This tool is ideal for finding a specific "needle" in the haystack of spooled files on your system.


                         Find Spooled File (FNDSPLFRSF)                    
                                                                           
 Type choices, press Enter.                                                
                                                                           
 Compare string . . . . . . . . .                 ___                         
 Wild card character  . . . . . .   *NONE          Character value, *NONE, ?
 User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   *CURRENT     Name, *CURRENT, *ALL     
 Output queue . . . . . . . . . .   *ALL___          Name, *ALL                
    Library  . . . . . . . . . . . . .           ____      Name, *LIBL, *CURLIB     
 Form type  . . . . . . . . . . .     *ALL               Form type, *ALL, *STD    
 User data  . . . . . . . . . . .     *ALL                User data, *ALL          


Compression

 You can now specify four different levels of compression--*HIGH, *MEDIUM, *LOW and *NONE--when replicating, sending or archiving libraries, objects and directories.  For large libraries, using higher compression can save time overall as overhead for  compression is more than made up for by time saved in transmission. These new static compression options compliment RSF's run-time compression options, which allow transmissions to be compressed dynamically, as they occur.

Same-System Remote Journaling

For some time, RSF-HA has allowed remote journaling to be used to transmit changes between two or more systems or partitions. Now, the same remote journaling logic can be used when replicating from one library to another within the same partition. This makes replicating within the same partition more efficient than ever.  As always, you can specify the type of replication journaling to use for each library and IFS directory.

User-Defined Options

All RSF "Work With" displays--including the Work With Sync Attributes display used to monitor HA status--now allow users to define their own PDM-like options for the display in addition to the pre-defined numeric options shipped with RSF.  Useful sample options are included with RSF 8.5, like WJ (work with jobs associated with the item) and WS (work with spooled files associated with the item.)

Added Leverage

New tools make it easy to perform certain HA functions for many items at once, where previously you were required to handle each item separately. These tools reference the items defined in the Work With Sync Attributes list.  The Synchronize From Attributes (SYNCATTRSF) command allows you to start replication for all items in the list.  The Check Defined Items (CHKATTRSF) lets you compare source and target libraries for each item in the list.  The Archive from Sync Attributes (ARCATTRSF) and Refresh from Sync Attributes (REFATTRSF) commands let your archive or refresh every item in your list.

Each command allows you to filter the list by generic name and target location.

Complete Solution

RSF-HA 8.5 allows you to replicate everything:

  • Libraries
  • IFS directories
  • User profiles
  • System values
  • Network attributes
  • Authorization lists
  • Configuration information
  • Data queues
  • Object-level authorities
  • Spooled files
  • Message queues
  • Data areas
  • And more...

Database record changes on the target machine are processed by unique key, greatly increasing flexibility and integrity.  RSF determines the appropriate unique key access path automatically. Two-way mirroring is supported, allowing updates to occur to the same files on multiple systems simultaneously.

For more details about features added to each release of RSF, please see: http://www.bugbusters.net/rsf_new.htm.

Competitively Priced

The RSF high availability feature is licensed separately. This complete solution is available for a fraction of the cost of traditional HA implementations.

Free Trial

Free 30-day trials for RSF 8.5 can be downloaded from http://www.bugbusters.net

MC Press Online's staff of reporters and editors are trained professionals who share a background in journalism and have a passion for technology. Many have been in the IBM midrange industry for more than 20 years and have a keen sense of what's important to IBM i and Power Systems users. If you have a news tip, story idea, or press release, email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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: