Highlights: IIUG Server upgraded to IDS 10
Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community.
Contents:
- Editorial
- Highlights
- Conference corner
- Education
- Developer corner
- Informix news
- IIUG Board
- Calendar of events
- Useful links
- Closing and credits
| Editorial | Back to top |
Dear friends,
This is my last issue as editor of the IIUG Insider. After two years and 26 issues I am moving to another assignment. I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Editing the Insider is a very demanding job. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. I am sure David Fraser my successor will have fresh ideas and energy that will improve our newsletter. But to make our Insider really better, David will need your help and participation. If you have technical articles, success stories, requests or even complaints, send them to david@iiug.org. This is our newsletter and the editor just compiles the content. Now that I am a reader like the rest of you I promise to follow my preaching and provide content to the Insider.
So long,
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Insider Editor
IIUG Board of Directors
gary@iiug.org
President’s Note:
I am taking the Presidential liberty of editing this issue of the Insider after Gary has submitted it for publication, so he has not seen in advance what I am writing. Personally, I am amazed at the job Gary has done as the Editor of the Insider for over two years. It is not easy to put this newsletter together each and every month. But like clockwork, Gary has done it 26 times, with each issue better than the previous one.
Gary is not leaving the IIUG Board, but rather will be passing the Insider torch. Gary is the only most recent of perhaps only four or five editors who have kept this great tradition of the Insider going over the 12 years of the IIUG. His run has been oustanding.
I would like to introduce you all to David Fraser, now an IIUG Board member in his third year, who will be taking over as Editor. David is from way down under, where the sheep roam in New Zealand. To reach David with any suggestions for the Insider, please e-mail him at david@iiug.org.
Once again, Gary thanks for a great 26 issues!
Stuart Litel
President
IIUG
| Highlights | Back to top |
IIUG Server upgraded to IDS 10
A long time coming… IIUG Server upgraded to IDS 10.V
Almost eight or nine years ago, when I was first elected to the IIUG Board of Directors, I was late for my first board meeting by a few hours. When I walked into the meeting, the board had already decided who would do which assignments for the coming board year. Being late, I got stuck with the job that no one wanted: I became the person who was in charge of the IIUG Server.
I came to find out that the server was constantly going down, that it was being used by a few hackers as a warehouse for illegal software downloads, and that we were the victim of people using our server to bounce their spam mailings. To top it off, no backup had been done in months.
My first act was to unplug the server, pack it up, and ship it off to the offices of long time IIUG supporter and founder of Advanced DataTools, Lester Knutsen. We immediately re-built the entire server from scratch, removed all the illegal software, put a halt to the unauthorized activities, installed auditing, set up a daily backup, put in a new firewall, and of course set it up on a new ISP line. Since that time, I am happy to say the server has had an uptime of almost 100% in the last two years and over 95% in the last eight years. The only major outage was when the mid-Atlantic states of the United States got hit by a major storm. That storm caused much of the area to lose power for days.
That original server was replaced almost a year ago with a generous and gracious donation from Sun Corporation. There was only one thing we had never done and that was to upgrade the Informix database. Now how could the IIUG not have the latest and greatest version of IDS running? The answer was simple. We all know how rock solid IDS 7.31 was. There was no need to change or upgrade the server.
Well this has all changed. Thru the gracious donation of IBM, the IIUG server is now running the latest and greatest IDS. IDS 10 has been installed and we will soon be using more features of IDS 10 for more offerings to the membership. Watch for these.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Cindy Fung, WorldWide IDS Product Manager of IDS for getting us the new IDS software. Also many thanks go to the IIUG great operations staff of Pete Perez, Walt Hultgren, Tom Beebe, Lester Knutsen, June Hunt, and of course all the people of Advanced DataTools for watching over this most valuable asset of the IIUG. Of course when Cheetah comes out, we will immediately switch to Cheetah!
Run Cheetah Run!
| Conference corner | Back to top |
Mark your calendar!! For May 6-10, 2007
Mark your calendar for the first week of May next year, and plan on attending the IDUG/IIUG North American Conference in San Jose California.
This will be the BEST technical conference ever offered to Informix users by the IIUG. We will be hosting FOUR full tracks of the latest and greatest INFORMIX ONLY technical content. These sessions will be given by Informix users, Business Partners, IBM Developers, and IBM Advanced Support.
Here are just a few samples from more than 55 technical sessions on the schedule:
- Exploiting Role Separation in IDS – Jonathan Leffler, IBM
- Put yourself on the map with Google Maps API, DB2/Informix, and PHP on Linux- Martin Lurie of IBM and Aron Lurie
- Using the Onpladm Tool for Informix High-Performance Loader- John Carlson, Home Depot
- Performance Tuning IDS In-Depth: The Next Generation- Art Kagel, Bloomberg LP
- IDS Installations, Upgrades and Maintenance: Best Practices- Thomas Girsch, Hilton
In addition to these great technical sessions, we will also be offering 6 half-day Educational Seminars given by some of the best Informix technical experts around.
Here are a few examples:
- Introduction to Java Development with IDS, by Jean-Georges Perrin
- Speed and Performance in IDS, by John Miller III of IBM
- Using PERL, CGI and DBI with Databases, by Darryl Priest of Piper Rudnick
Go Further! Share your experiences. Learn from what others have experienced first hand at the many networking opportunities available throughout the conference. Mingle with exhibitors in the exhibit hall. Benefit from extended face-to-face time with conference presenters and developers during the Speaker and IBM Developer Reception. Throughout the week you will be provided with many peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
One great example of networking with your peers would be the Special Interest Groups.
We are offering the following for Informix:
- Informix for Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
- Informix on Linux
- Informix Best Practices
Registration for this event is now open! Take advantage of the special early bird registration and attend IDUG/IIUG North America 2007 for only $1650.
http://conferences.idug.org/na/Registration/tabid/127/Default.aspx
Cindy Lichtenauer
IIUG Board of Directors
IIUG Conference Planning Committee
Information Management Technical Conference, Düsseldorf, Germany, May 21-25
Mark your calendar now – this is your chance to contribute and participate in the primary technical exchange and skill-building event for Information Management in Europe.
Of special interest to Informix participants:
The EMEA technical conference is delivering an expanded program of Informix sessions and activities this year. Conference sessions will include Informix topics scheduled Monday through Wednesday, and the German Informix User Group is planning additional activities on Thursday and Friday. The 2007 conference will have a full week of content for the Informix audience – just in time to learn more about the upcoming IDS ‘Cheetah’ release!
Please spread the word about this opportunity by forwarding this email to your teams, communicating on your websites, syndicating in your newsletters and including this in other communications to your teams.
Find out more at:
http://www.ibm.com/training/conf/europe/im
Audience: Available to Clients, Business Partners and IBMers
Technical Sessions
The event is hosted over 4.5 days and includes a total of 208 technical sessions.
Technical sessions are 1 hour in length.
Each attendee will have the opportunity to attend a total of 26 technical sessions throughout the week.
- IDS (Informix Dynamic Server)/Cheetah
- Architecting the On Demand Enterprise
- DB2 for z/OS & DB2 Tools
- DB2 Application Development
- DB2 for Linux, Unix, Windows & Tools
- IMS & IMS Tools
- Content Management
- Information Integration
- Information Warehouse (BI)
- Information Analysis
- Master Data Management
We hope you take advantage of this incredible opportunity to participate at the Information Management Technical Conference this spring.
Regards,
Cathy Elliott
Marketing Manager
IBM Information Management
cathyell@us.ibm.com
Save the date for Information On Demand 2007 Global Conference
Save the Date! IBM Information On Demand 2007, October 14-19, 2007, Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV. The premier information management event for business and IT executives, managers, professionals, DBA’s, developers, and business partners.
Early bird discount registration is available through May 31st.
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/conf/
Discount Pricing
| Note: Prices are subject to change |
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Call for Speakers Open April 5-29
Dear IIUG Member,
Nominate an education session for IBM Information On Demand 2007. IBM’s Information On Demand 2006 global conference was an overwhelming success, with over 5,000 people from all parts of the globe in attendance. This year’s event promises to be just as exciting, with over 600 education sessions and more than 7,000 attendees expected.
Being a speaker at this premier Information On Demand event covering all data servers and tools products, enterprise content management solutions and information platform and solutions, you get a privileged opportunity to share your experience and wisdom with your peers. Whether you choose to present as part of the Business Leadership or Technical Skill Building programs, conference organizers will be selecting session nominations that feature real-world examples of how to expand your business opportunities by harnessing information.
Conference organizers are also searching for IBM customers to lead or co-lead sessions to illustrate how to reduce costs, increase productivity, grow market share and truly deliver information on demand. Sessions that illustrate examples from the banking, government, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, retail or telecommunications industries are strongly encouraged.
Session abstracts from user groups, IBM employees, customers and Business Partners are all welcome. Session abstracts will be accepted until April 29, 2007. Presenters will be informed of session selections in June. Conference presentations will be due by July 31, 2007.
Review the Business Leadership, Technical Skill Building or Business Partner Business Development Day program overviews for specific session topics being sought. Go to http://www.ibm.com/software/data/conf/ between April 5 and April 29 to submit your session proposal.
| Education | Back to top |
IBM Redbooks – a great tool for building skills
IBM Redbooks offer a great way to grow your technical skills. They provide product positioning and value guidance, installation and implementation experiences, typical solution scenarios, step-by-step “how-to” guidelines, while often including sample code and other supporting materials. Redbooks are developed and published by the IBM International Technical Support Organization, ITSO.
Content is available in the domains of application development, IBM System i, p, storage, x, z, Information Management software, Infrastructure solutions, Linux, Lotus, Rational, Tivoli, and WebSphere. In each domain you can find a list of the most popular Redbooks, a list of the most recent Drafts, Redpapers (short technical documents written to reflect working experiences on a specific topic), Workshops (for highly experienced professionals on complex technical topics), Residencies (where Redbooks are developed over a 2 to 8 week process) and much more.
IBM Informix Education from IBM
Come to IBM to get all the latest information about the Informix product family. With courses grouped as Foundation (Basic), Level 1 (Intermediate), Level II (Advanced) and Master Series Workshop (Expert), you are certain to find the right level of Informix training to meet your needs. They are delivered in the classroom, some via e-learning and can also be customized to meet your needs. Get a window into some great skill building and certification opportunities by visiting our visit our Informix curriculum view.
/url/ibm_informix_ed.html
Training: The Key to Retaining Your most Important Asset
Today’s IT environment demands a workforce that can adapt to fast-changing requirements. Training reduces the risks involved in new technology rollouts, while shortening the learning curve needed to realize return on investment. Providing employees with skills-development opportunities helps attract and retain an agile IT staff. Training from IBM enables companies to maintain a highly skilled workforce through comprehensive training paths plus education to prepare for certification testing.
http://www.ibm.com/services/learning/ites.wss/us/en?pageType=page&c=a0012442
| Developer corner | Back to top |
Non-blocking checkpoints in Informix Dynamic Server
22 Mar 2007
Tune Informix Dynamic Server to take advantage of non-blocking checkpoints and RTO_SERVER_RESTART in an online transaction processing environment.
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/db2/library/techarticle/dm-0703lashlindex.php
UDR enhancements in IBM Informix Dynamic Server V10
08 Mar 2007
IDS support for OUT/INOUT parameters and Named Return parameters
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/db2/library/techarticle/dm-0703shenindex.php
Using Perl with the Informix Dynamic Server
01 Mar 2007
Develop powerful applications for IDS
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/dm-dw-dm-0703hebert-i.html
| Informix news | Back to top |
WorldWinner delivers twice as many games each day with IBM Informix Dynamic Server
Published on: 01 Mar 2007
“Informix Dynamic Server has helped make us the predominant site on the Internet for skill-based game tournaments. We’re seeing such extreme performance improvements that our speeds are now serving as a benchmark in the industry.” – Joe Bai, Chief Information Officer, WorldWinner
| IIUG Board | Back to top |
IIUG Board of Directors meeting in Boca Raton, Florida
The first board meeting of the year took place at Boca Raton Florida on March 25-27. We met Alyse Passarelli – Director, WW Data Server Sales, Jerry Keesee – Director, Informix Products and Cathy Elliott – IDS Market Strategy. The board heard about IBM’s plans for 2007 and about the Cheetah launch. The discussions were very good and I am confident that the positive turn Informix has taken will continue. The board has set new goals and assignments. We are going to continue to improve our existing services and are looking at ways to grow our user communities especially in EMEA, South America and Asia Pacific.
Here it is again — time for a new board and new profiles… Let’s discover together board member Michael Segel.
| Q: | How do you use Informix in your “real” job (DBA, Consultant, Developer, etc.)? |
| A: | As a consultant, my role is determined on a project by project basis. In those projects where I have the ability to recommend a database, my first choice is almost always Informix. When doing proof of concepts, I try to use Informix as much as possible. Its stable, reliable and lets me focus on the solution. |
| Q: | How long have you been using Informix products? |
| A: | Since June 1989. (That was my original start date with Informix.) |
| Q: | What is your role on the IIUG Board? |
| A: | I am in charge of the IIUG sponsor program and Business directory and am participating in the LUG team. |
| Q: | Why did you volunteer to be on the board? |
| A: | I believe that Informix IDS is the best product on the market and I want to make a difference, helping to grow the Informix Community. Informix users have long had a strong passion for the product. Under the umbrella of the IBM Software Group’s Information Management pillar, it is important to help IBM to understand why such a passion exists and to help promote the brand. I also think that as members of the Informix Community, we should step up and take some of the burden and responsibility of keeping the IIUG running. |
| Q: | What do you want to accomplish this year on the Board? |
| A: | That’s a good and tough question. When I ran for the board, I didn’t have a set agenda. As a new board member, I thought it best to fill the gaps and to do what I can. Since being on the board these past couple of months, I’d like to focus on the issues that protect and promote the IIUG brand and to find out what we need to do to increase our membership and provide value to the community. |
| Q: | Where are you from? |
| A: | Originally Cleveland, Ohio, but I’ve lived in Chicago since ’89. |
| Q: | Best Informix story? |
| A: | Wow. There’s a couple of them. I’d have to say my most memorable was when Informix had their first User Group conference in Chicago. Hosting a C.D.I party and then the after party at a small place called Iggys. And yes, it was my fault that we kept Nils out past his bed time. 😉
Also when I attended the first User Group event, I got a chance to meet and talk with Roger Sippl. |
| Q: | Worst Informix nightmare. |
| A: | Unfortunately there’s a couple of them…
Many moons ago, I got a call from a Sun Microsystems sales rep. He had a client who ran Informix on a small Sun Sparc 5 box. Apparently they had a hard disk crash and needed to restore their engine. Only they didn’t back up the engine. So we tried to recover what we could from the disk drive and rebuild what we could from that and from a paper trail. Its never fun breaking the bad news to a client. Watching a couple former CEOs of Informix make some seriously bad mistakes. You have to remember that Informix is probably the best designed database currently on the market. Great engineers, not so great leadership. Watching companies switch from IDS to another brand because their application provider has dropped support for IDS. |
| Q: | Can you tell us about your family and hobbies outside of IIUG? |
| A: | Married, no kids but 4 dogs and two cats. It’s a full house. Hobbies? Besides walking the dogs? I enjoy digital photography, being a techie and an entrepreneur. I’m willing to try anything once, twice maybe, if its fun. 😉 |
| Calendar of events | Back to top |
| April – 2007 | |||
| Date | Event | Location | Contact |
| 27 | New England Informix User Group Meeting | IBM Facility, Waltham, MA | June Hunt |
| May – 2007 | |||
| Date | Event | Location | Contact |
| 6-10 | IIUG/IDUG 2007 – North America | San Jose, CA | Cindy Lichtenauer |
| 21-25 | Information Management Technical Conference | Düsseldorf, Germany | |
| 23 | Informix User Group of France | Paris, France | Jean-Georges Perrin |
| October – 2007 | |||
| Date | Event | Location | Contact |
| 14-19 | IBM Information On Demand 2007 | Las Vegas, NV | |
| Useful links | Back to top |
In response to your input, we have created a page on the IIUG web site containing all the links we used to include. Please find it at: /quicklinks.html
| Closing and credits | Back to top |
The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. IIUG’s membership database now exceeds 25,000 entries and enjoys the support and commitment of IBM’s Data Management division. Key programs include local user groups and special interest groups, which we promote and assist from launch through growth.
| Sources: | IIUG Board of Directors IBM Corp. |
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| Editors: | Gary Ben Israel Stuart Litel Jean Georges Perrin |
For comments, please send an email to gary@iiug.org.
