Andy Youens

An IBM Power developer for the past 45 years. IBM i Consultant at FormaServe IBM Champion since 2021 Wrote IBM i Developer Certification Wrote Redbook on Power Modernisation Ex Royal Navy

User Groups Featured

You Need to Be at Common Europe Congress 2026 in Lyon!

The IBM i and Power Systems community is gearing up for one of the most exciting events in years: Common Europe Congress 2026, taking place in Lyon, France, from 15–18 June 2026. If you work with IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power, AI on Power, or the rapidly expanding

IBMi Featured

Stay up to Date with RPG Enhancements

If you’ve been developing on IBM i for a long time, you’ll know that RPG has a reputation for being stable, reliable… and quiet. Enhancements arrive steadily, but rarely with fanfare. As a result, many IBM i shops are still writing RPG that looks and behaves much like

IBMi Featured

The IBM i Skills You Need Are Already In‑House

The "Great Retirement" of the mid-2020s is no longer a theoretical threat discussed in boardrooms; it is a daily operational reality. As we move through April 2026, the IBM i community faces a unique inconsistency. The platform is more capable than ever, powering global supply chains, hybrid cloud

Hardware Featured

P05 - The Waiting Game

For the IBM i community, the "Power11 Spring" has arrived with a side order of anxiety. We are currently sitting in a strange hardware purgatory. On one hand, the Power9 Scale-Out machines that have been the bedrock of many SMEs are now officially "legacy" as of

Hardware Featured

Understanding IBM Power VS

With IBM offering £2,000 in free trial credits, now is an ideal time to explore how Power Virtual Server brings enterprise workloads to the cloud. IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) represents a significant evolution in how organisations can deploy and manage their Power-based workloads. Rather than requiring on-premises hardware,

IBMi Featured

Hello Bob!

The landscape of AI-powered development tools is evolving rapidly and IBM has entered the arena with a distinctive offering. IBM Bob, announced in October 2024, represents the company's answer to GitHub Copilot and similar AI coding assistants, but with a distinctly enterprise-focused approach that sets it apart from

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i-UG (UK) Announces 2026 Summer i-Power Event

Join us for the 2026 Summer i-Power Event! The i-UG (UK) is thrilled to announce that the 2026 Summer i-Power event will be held at Leonardo's Hotel in the heart of Milton Keynes on the 2nd and 3rd of June next year. This event promises to bring together

Featured Featured

MFA: A Complete Guide to Affected Areas - Part 2

This article continues our deep dive into Multi, Factor Authentication (MFA) on IBM i, focusing on the new features introduced in version 7.6. If you’re new to MFA or need a refresher, you can start with the first part of this series, What is Multi, Factor Authentication? available

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MFA: A Complete Guide to Affected Areas - Part 1

This article continues our deep dive into Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) on IBM i, focusing on the new features introduced in version 7.6 If you’re new to MFA or need a refresher, you can start with the first part of this series, What is Multi, Factor Authentication? available

IBMi

What is Multi-Factor Authentication?

Why Your Digital Life Depends on It! IBM’s latest release, IBM i 7.6, brings a major security upgrade to our favourite server: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This built-in feature is a game-changer and it’s something every admin should know about. Implementing MFA can feel like a daunting task,

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i-UG i-Power 2025: The Premier IBM i Event in the UK

The i-UG i-Power 2025 Conference is set to be one of the most exciting events for IBM i professionals in the UK. Taking place at the Mercure Northampton Hotel, this flagship event brings together industry experts, developers, and IT professionals to explore the latest advancements in IBM i technology. The

IBMi

Your Guide to Using cURL

At the two recent i-UG (the largest IBM i User Group in the UK), I gave a presentation about three great open-source utilities on the IBM i. Those being: cURL LFTP rSync Having just checked, I have written about the last two on PowerWire, so for completeness, I must write

IBMi

Say Hello to IBM i 7.6

Big, Bold & Better Than Ever! Attention, IBMi fans! The wait is over, and the latest and greatest version—IBMi 7.6—is finally here. Who would have guessed that name! Let us have a quick light-hearted look at this release. We cannot be serious all the time. If IBMi

IBMi

Mapepire Introduction

In my last couple of articles, I have shown python accessing data on the IBM i, accessing both DB2 for i and SQLite. The SQLite article used an SQLite package to get the data, and for the DB2 for i example I used ODBC to retrieve data from the IBM

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noxDB Intro

In November 2024 I was invited to the Benelux Common conference in the Netherlands to give a couple of workshops, and what a great event it was. I had the opportunity to meet up with a good friend of mine Niells Liisberg from Denmark, where we had time to look

IBMi

Open Ports on IBM i

In this article I will talk about another great open-source utility for our IBM i. A couple of years ago I wrote an article on a great open-source utility called Service Command. It can be found at this link. As part of this package, we have a command called SCOPENPORTS.

IBMi

Python DB2 for i Access

Introduction In my previous article, I wrote about how to access a SQLite database and output the SQL resultset in a neat table. If you need a recap, my previous article can be found at this link. In this article I will show you how to access a DB2 for

IBMi

From SQL to Python: IBM i Database Queries

Introduction In this article I will show how we can use python on the IBM i to retrieve records from a SQLite database and output the results in a nicely formatted table. I will be using Python 3, which can be found in Open-Source Package Manager from ACS. Now we

IBMi

i-UG's 2024 Summer Event Workshops

The iUG’s summer event is just around the corner & this year promises to be more exciting than ever. With a focus on innovation & practical skills, the workshops are designed to empower IBM i professionals with the latest knowledge & tools. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or

IBMi

Access for Client Solutions 1.1.9.5

As the seasons change, so does the tech landscape. And just like clockwork, IBM has graced us with the latest iteration of their Access for Client Solutions (ACS) product. Say hello to version 1.1.9.5! In this article, we’ll delve into the exciting updates, enhancements, and features

IBMi

Nano – A Great Open-Source Editor

In this article I show you how to use a great editor called Nano for any editing we have to do with files on our IFS. Yes, I can hear half the readers screaming ‘I can use Rational Developer for i!’ and the other half of the readers shouting, ‘I

IBMi

i-UG Springs into Life in 2024

The IBM i User Group (i-UG) in the UK sprung into life in February 2024 with their first event of the year at sunny Rochdale. I say sunny, being from the south of the UK, ‘sun’ and ‘the North of the UK’ are not words that go together! The i-UG

IBMi

Use SSH Keys to Stop User Password Access

This article shows how easy it is to use SSH keys to stop users, or yourself, from having to use a password to gain access to a SSH session. Why? The first question is always … Why should I bother with SSH keys when I can quite easily use a password?

IBMi

Setup a User for Open-Source

In my article this month I will be taking you through the stages to allow a user to access, and use, open source on the IBM i. This has to be the most asked question of our client base. “I’ve installed open source on my Power server, but how

IBMi

Node.js v20 on IBM i

It is time to get back to Node.js on the IBM i! Node.js v20 is the latest version of this great programming language.  Please note that Node.js v14 moved out of support from April 2023, so time for you all to upgrade, and what should you upgrade