Resources

Blog

Common Excuses for Not Automating

By Tom Huntington on Tue, 03/31/2020
Whether it’s staffing, budget, or complexity, we’ve heard all the excuses to forgo automation. The next time you hear—or find yourself making—an excuse, have the response ready.
IBM i Automation
Interview with Steve Finnes
Article

IBM on IASP for PowerHA Implementations

By Chuck Losinski on Tue, 03/03/2020
You’ve heard about IASP technology many times over the years, but you’ve been ignoring it, haven’t you? Steve Finnes confirms that it’s past time we “get to know it, understand it, and not be afraid of it.”
IBM i Automation
Blog

Your IFS Is Probably a Treasure Trove of Unsecured Data

Wed, 09/12/2018
Consider the type of information contained in the PDFs in your directories and spooled files in your output queues. Aside from taking up disk space and consuming time during a backup, what's the issue with leaving these reports on the system? The issue is the contents of those reports, along with who has access to them.
IBM i Cybersecurity
Article

The Many Ways Robot Supports SNMP

By Chuck Losinski on Fri, 02/23/2018
Many devices send status updates using SNMP or simple network management protocol. Make sure you’re getting the message. Read on to see how Robot supports SNMP.
Monitoring
Article

The Commercial Power of SQL-Based Monitoring

By Kurt Thomas on Thu, 09/15/2016
The SQL-based monitoring feature in Robot Monitor means organizations can now apply the valuable insights, analysis, and real-time notifications that they use for system information to information from broader business applications.
Monitoring
Blog

Big Data? BIG DEAL!

By Kurt Thomas on Tue, 08/30/2016
With the dawn of the big data era upon us, what can IBM i systems administrators expect in terms of the demands that will be placed upon them and what kind of resources will be required to cope? Find out what the managed services industry can teach us today about what the future holds for us tomorrow.
Monitoring
Article

Astronauts Rely on Checklists (and So Should You)

By Kurt Thomas on Tue, 08/30/2016
What do astronauts and IBM i admins have in common? Checklists! These seemingly simple yet effective devices serve as our external memories and deliver process consistency, but they’re not without limitations.
Monitoring
Article

Disks Busy vs. ASP Busy in Robot Monitor

By Kurt Thomas on Thu, 08/25/2016
Did you know that the Disks Busy monitor reports the average percentage across all your ASPs, not just System ASP? You could be teetering near an I/O overload and not know it! If you have multiple ASPs, use the ASP Busy monitor instead. Here’s why.
Monitoring
Article

High Availability Fail Tales (and How to Avoid Them)

By Kurt Thomas on Thu, 08/25/2016
Chasing a high availability state is a common goal for IBM i administrators and one that can be thwarted by a single issue left unattended. By sharing some of the most frequent tales of what went wrong from real-world environments, you’ll be able to avoid these same scenarios.
Monitoring
Article

Monitoring the Demands of Fast Disk

By Kurt Thomas on Wed, 08/24/2016
The IT industry is decisively moving away from traditional hard disk drives (“platters”) in favor of Flash-based solid-state drives (SSDs). It’s a welcome change; it makes much more sense to circulate only electrons instead of disks of metal with electrons on them.
Monitoring