How IBM i Uses Files, Libraries, and Data Access
IBM i organizes data through libraries, files, members, and SQL access. Understanding those layers makes the platform much easier to navigate.
IBM i Fundamentals
IBM i Fundamentals
IBM i vs Mainframe: What’s the Difference?
IBM i and mainframe systems both support serious enterprise workloads, but they are different platforms with different operating models, scale profiles, and day-to-day priorities.
IBM i Fundamentals
IBM i Modernization Basics
Modernizing IBM i does not mean replacing the platform. It usually means exposing existing systems through APIs, SQL, better interfaces, and safer delivery practices.
CL Commands
IBM i Message Queues and CL Error Handling: SNDPGMMSG, RCVMSG, MONMSG, and Message Files in 2026
Master IBM i message queues and CL error handling in 2026: create message files with CRTMSGF and ADDMSGD, send informational and escape messages with SNDPGMMSG, handle exceptions with MONMSG, receive messages with RCVMSG, send interactive prompts with SNDUSRMSG, monitor QSYSOPR with SNDBRKMSG, build structured CL error routines, and manage message queue housekeeping on IBM i.
IBM i Fundamentals
History of AS400 and IBM Power Systems
A short history of the AS/400 platform lineage and how it evolved into the IBM i environments that run on IBM Power today.
DB2 for i
DB2 for i Stored Procedures: CREATE PROCEDURE, IN OUT Parameters, Cursors, and Error Handling in 2026
Master DB2 for i stored procedures in 2026: create SQL procedures with CREATE PROCEDURE, define IN, OUT, and INOUT parameters, use local variables and cursors for row-by-row processing, return result sets to callers, handle errors with DECLARE HANDLER and SQLSTATE, call procedures from RPG and CL with RUNSQL, and build reusable database logic encapsulated in DB2 procedures on IBM i.
APIs & Integration
IBM i HTTP Client from RPG: QSYS2 HTTP_GET, HTTP_POST, and Calling REST APIs with JSON in 2026
Call external REST APIs from IBM i in 2026: use QSYS2.HTTP_GET and QSYS2.HTTP_POST SQL table functions to make HTTP requests, parse JSON responses with JSON_VALUE and JSON_QUERY, consume REST APIs from RPG embedded SQL, handle OAuth token authentication, configure the IBM i SSL certificate trust store for HTTPS connections, and integrate external web services with DB2 for i data.
IBM i Fundamentals
AS400 vs IBM i: What’s the Difference?
AS400 is the common historical name, while IBM i is the current operating system. This article explains what each term means and why they are not interchangeable.
CL Commands
ILE RPG Service Programs and Binding Directories: CRTSRVPGM, Export and Import, Activation Groups in 2026
Master ILE RPG service programs in 2026: compile RPG modules with CRTRPGMOD, create service programs with CRTSRVPGM, export and import procedures with NOMAIN source, build and use binding directories with CRTBNDDIR and ADDBNDDIRE, manage activation groups, use the BNDDIR keyword in RPG source, and build reusable shared procedure libraries on IBM i.
Operations & Admin
IBM i Save and Restore: SAVOBJ, RSTOBJ, SAVLIB, SAVCHGOBJ, Save Files, and Backup Strategy in 2026
Master IBM i save and restore in 2026: save and restore individual objects with SAVOBJ and RSTOBJ, save entire libraries with SAVLIB and RSTLIB, perform full system saves with SAVSYS, run incremental saves with SAVCHGOBJ, create and use save files with CRTSAVF, save the IFS with SAVSAVFDTA, and design a robust IBM i backup strategy using GO SAVE and BRMS.