You, Me, and IBM i

Polish technical support expert and Technical Account Manager Dariusz Maliszewski kicks off our first episode of season two. He joins us to discuss his career path, which ebbed and flowed from taking basic support calls, to supporting customers on site, to taking on a unique dual role as both as a support engineer and as a member of the Premium Support and Expert Care team. Along the way, Dariusz shares insights into how IBM TAMs engage with the accounts they oversee to deliver a great support experience, drops some knowledge about NetServer, and still has time to talk about company cars and coffee machines.

Helpful NetServer links:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/mapping-drive-i5os-netserver
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/netserver-best-practices

More information about Expert Care and IBM's Hardware and Software Maintenance Services
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/entitled-systems-support?topic=management-expert-care-overview
https://www.ibm.com/downloads/documents/us-en/10a99803f32fd7d6

In this episode, we sit down with Nina Ng, an IBM support veteran whose cosmopolitan career has taught her to speak fluently in the language all customers expect: the clear and timely communication of correct answers. From her roots in the Philippines to her life today in Singapore, Nina Ng has built a reputation for technical excellence, empathy, and infectious good humor. Join us for a thoughtful look at what it really means to connect across cultures, one call at a time.

In this episode, we are joined by none other than IBM's own Scott Forstie, who sits down to talk about all things SQL. From how he got started at IBM, and how he goes about writing SQL that others can learn from, to the business of challenging users to transition to database technologies that will ensure that their newest employees can hit the ground running. Alex and Scott also discuss system security and the future of SQL in the AI age. After you listen, make sure to seek out Scott and Tim Rowe's iSee video blog at COMMON.org, and the other links below to learn even more SQL.

http://ibm.biz/Db2foriSQLTutor
https://learn.common.org/products/ibm-isee-video-blog
https://gist.github.com/forstie
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/1119129/

Loralie Fritel has been helping customers install, upgrade, and manage their IBM i Systems since 1998, and on today's episode she does a joins us to talk about her particular area of expertise, PTFs. So..what is a PTF? What's the best way to put them on? And how do you pronouce Loralie Fritel? Just hit play and find out.

Some helpful PTF links:

IBM i Technology Refresh https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-technology-refresh
PTFs: FAQs / Question and Answers https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ptfs-faqs-question-and-answers
Best Practices: PTF or Fixes Installation https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/645469
Installing cumulative PTF packages https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5.0?topic=scenario-installing-cumulative-ptf-packages
Automatic ordering of PTF groups https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5.0?topic=fixes-automatic-ordering-ptf-groups
IBM i Group PTFs with Level https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-group-ptfs-level
IBM i APARs/PTFs have migrated to Known Issues/Fix Information https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-aparsptfs-have-migrated-known-issuesfix-information

We also want to put in a plug for Michael Mayers IBM i Reference blog is a user-created site that provides helpful links for PTFs, Upgrades, TR Enhancements, and more. The IBM iGSC celebrates and thanks users like Mike who work independently to promote and support the IBM i community.

In this episode, we meet Jerry McKee and do a deep dive into SSL, TLS, Self-Signed Certificates, and get some great tips on securing your networks from bad actors. And as an added bonus we get some fun stories about AS/400 reliability straight from the guy who soldered the chips that made them so in the first place. It’s a no-nonsense breakdown of how customers can keep their data and devices safe in a world wired for risk.

Configuring SSL for ADMIN wizard - IBM

Setting up IBM i to use SSL

Configuring Your IBM i System Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocols and Cipher Suites