In The Spotlight
IBM i has been around for many years, and many legacy applications run on the platform. By implementing Kafka, a distributed platform that enables near-real-time communication between systems in different locations, you can use an event-driven architecture alongside your IBM i application when designing a distributed communications system, rather than treating it as a legacy system.
By Joydip Kajilal
IBM i applications have processed business transactions reliably for decades, providing reliable, high-volume batch processing. Many IBM i shops also run interactive transaction processing, real-time database queries, and modern web and API workloads on the same platform. These applications have run high volumes of batch jobs on schedules such as end-of-day settlement processing, daily inventory reconciliation, file transfers, and many other jobs.
The data-queue APIs are among the oldest and most used APIs on the system. Two of these APIs, Send to a Data Queue (QSNDDTAQ) and Receive Data Queue (QRCVDTAQ), actually predate the System i—they were originally introduced on the IBM System/38.
By Bruce Vining
Editor's Note: This article is excerpted from chapter 6 of IBM System i APIs at Work, from MC Press.
The age of some of the data-queue APIs should not mislead you into thinking they should be avoided. The age of these APIs is more an indication of their importance!
Electronic Storage Corporation, developer of LaserVault Solutions
New iSCSI connectivity expands deployment options for IBM i, simplifies cloud and hybrid environments, and can coexist with Fibre Channel.
LaserVault ViTL is now available with iSCSI connectivity, allowing IBM i systems to connect to virtual tape over standard Ethernet networks without requiring specialized Fibre Channel or SAS connectivity. The new capability expands deployment options for IBM Power Systems environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid configurations, while preserving familiar IBM i backup and recovery workflows.
High-Performance Ethernet Connectivity
In initial testing, ViTL achieved approximately 380–400 MB/s over a single 10 Gigabit Ethernet connection.
Performance can also scale through parallel operations. Testing with two virtual tape drives performing simultaneous save operations achieved approximately 600 MB/s aggregate throughput, with each drive delivering roughly 300 MB/s. Actual performance will vary based on network, server, storage, and workload configuration.
“These results demonstrate the potential of iSCSI connectivity to deliver substantial throughput while using standard Ethernet infrastructure,” said Al Jensen, Vice President at LaserVault. “There is additional testing underway to explore performance across different network and cloud configurations.”
Fibre Channel and iSCSI Can Coexist
Customers are not required to choose between Fibre Channel and iSCSI.
ViTL can support both Fibre Channel and iSCSI connectivity, allowing organizations to use the transport mechanism that best fits each IBM i environment.
For organizations moving toward cloud or virtualized infrastructure, iSCSI also provides additional deployment flexibility. ViTL can be deployed in a Windows virtual machine without requiring a Fibre Channel or SAS HBA, using standard network connectivity instead.
Existing Backup Workflows Remain Intact
One key advantage of ViTL's iSCSI implementation is that customers can continue using familiar IBM i backup applications and commands.
ViTL presents itself to IBM i as a tape library and tape drive, allowing customers to continue using established backup and recovery processes. ViTL supports native IBM i SAV/RST commands as well as Backup, Recovery and Media Services (BRMS), and Robot Save, and GO SAVE.
Existing ViTL customers using Fibre Channel or SAS can also add iSCSI connectivity without converting their existing virtual tapes. Virtual tapes created through existing ViTL deployments can be restored using an iSCSI-connected ViTL environment.
About LaserVault
LaserVault provides virtual tape library, backup, deduplication, and data storage solutions designed to help organizations protect and manage their data. LaserVault solutions support IBM i environments and are designed to integrate with established backup and recovery processes.
For more information, visit Electronic Storage Corporation at www.laservault.com or email
This series focuses on program design and introduces you to ILE RPG operations that let you write well-designed programs by using a top-down, structured approach, including Selection and Iteration Operations. For Part One click here.
By Brian Meyers and Jim Buck
Editor's Note: This article is excerpted from chapter 5 of Programming in ILE RPG, Fifth Edition.
Selection Operations
Now that you understand how RPG makes relational comparisons, you can learn how to use relational operators with those ILE RPG operations that determine flow of program control. First, we illustrate the options for sending control to alternative statements within a program: selection (decision) operations.
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On February 15, 2025, IBM launched its highly anticipated 2025 Guided Tour series with a compelling session hosted by Carmelita Ruelca, a key figure in the IBM i community. Looking ahead to 2025, Steve teases a major IBM i release, part of the platform’s three-year cycle, promising significant security enhancements and deeper DB2 improvements. This aligns with IBM Power’s broader strategy, emphasizing performance, scalability, availability, and AI acceleration—areas where IBM i plays a pivotal role, contributing substantial software profit to the Power business. The platform is also doubling down on modernization, making it easier for new developers to engage through open-source tools like VS Code and Ansible, while integrating AI-driven workflows to streamline application development and management. Whether on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup, IBM i is designed to meet customers where they are.
Current Events All Events
Wed, Oct 14, 2026 9:00 AM EDT (7:00 AM MDT)
Organizations evaluating infrastructure platforms are increasingly looking beyond processor speeds and server acquisition costs to focus on long-term business outcomes. In this session, we'll explore how IBM Power11 is redefining the conversation by delivering an integrated platform designed for cyber resilience, operational simplicity, workload consolidation, and business continuity. Learn how leading organizations are assessing total cost of ownership (TCO), software licensing efficiency, security, and availability when comparing IBM Power11 to traditional x86 environments. Join us to discover why infrastructure decisions should be measured by business value, risk reduction, and future-readiness, not just hardware specifications.
Key speakers
Todd Boyd, STSM and Principal Product Manager, IBM Power
- 14 October 2026 - 14 October 2026
- World Wide Web
The hands-on conference where developers and technologists build real-world skills in AI, cloud, and emerging tech.
Build with purpose.
IBM TechXchange 2026 is the hands‑on conference where developers, engineers, scientists, and researchers build real‑world skills across AI applications, data management, cloud and platform engineering, infrastructure, and security, risk, and compliance. From hands‑on labs and workshops to technical certifications, roadmap previews, and direct access to product experts, this is where practitioners come to advance their expertise.
This year, TechXchange expands even further with the integration of HashiConf (link resides outside of ibm.com), bringing leading expertise in infrastructure automation and cloud provisioning, and the co‑location of IDUG North America and the COMMON User Group, creating one of the largest gatherings of technical user communities in one place.
- 26 October 2026 - 29 October 2026
- Georgia World Congress Center
- 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
September 29,2026
10:00 a.m. –10:45 a.m. CST
Reducing downtime risk requires more than just keeping data replicated. Organizations also need confidence that they can successfully fail over and recover when it matters most.
Join IBM i experts Tom Huntington and Bob Butcher for a practical discussion on how modern high availability solutions help organizations simplify failover processes, maintain data consistency across cloud and on-premises environments, and strengthen business continuity.
Register to learn:
- How policy-based HA and synchronous replication can help achieve zero data loss for IBM I
- Why role swaps are critical to HA/DR success and how Robot HA makes the process fast, clear, and repeatable
- How automated failover reduces operational risk and improves recovery confidence
- Why regular HA/DR testing matters and how Robot HA Care helps short-staffed teams stay ready for a successful role swap
In less than an hour, you'll gain practical insights to help reduce downtime risk, simplify recovery processes, and ensure your organization is prepared for both planned and unplanned outages.
- 29 September 2026 - 29 September 2026
- World Wide Web
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Why Migrate When You Can Modernize?
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. -
IBM i Transformation Risks Every Business Leader Should Know
Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore: -
What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
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:
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