Technical Articles
Security Articles and Tutorials by Dan Riehl
Many technical topics related to audit and security on IBM i, are well addressed by Dan Riehl, the i security expert, in:
- his articles and tutorials published on www.securemyi.com,
- and his twice-monthly e-mail newsletter entitled "SecureMyi Security Newsletter for the IBM i".
Well-known expert in IBM i security, Dan Riehl has written many books and magazine articles on IBM i security and technology.
He often organizes classes and seminars, and publishes advice in his twice-monthly e-mail newsletter entitled "SecureMyi Security Newsletter for the IBM i".
When CCSID Constants Vary, Part III
July 6, 2011
Written by Jean-Paul Lamontre, Cilasoft Software Engineer (published on MC Press Online).
"Learn some tips and tricks to correctly handle literal constants.
My first article described how a CCSID variation can turn a program crazy. My second article described the solution, which requires correctly handling literal constants. In this last article, I share some tips and tricks I found while solving the bug with the @."
When CCSID Constants Vary, Part II
June 6, 2011
Written by Jean-Paul Lamontre, Cilasoft Software Engineer (published on MC Press Online).
"Don't let a small thing like a literal string completely ruin your multi-national program.
The variations of CCSID are a vast topic and are in fact the main issue to consider during globalization of an application. You will find many pages on the Web on this topic (search for Unicode, CCSID, globalization, or national language support). Some of the most interesting are the ones from the IBM i Information Center.
In my previous article, I showed how a simple line of RPG code can turn a program haywire just because the JOB CCSID has changed. In this article, I will explain how to handle literal strings, which are sensitive to CCSID variations."
When CCSID Constants Vary, Part I
May 4, 2011
Written by Jean-Paul Lamontre, Cilasoft Software Engineer (published on MC Press Online).
"Learn how one simple character can make a program go crazy.
Several years ago, I wrote an email processing program for the System i and posted the source on my Web site. Several people have downloaded the code, compiled the program, and run it without any problems…until recently. For a few months now, people have been reporting that the program crashes. The program MAIL, which worked perfectly for several years, suddenly went haywire."
Journaling: An Invaluable Source of Information for Compliance Auditing
February 1, 2007
By Guy Marmorat, Cilasoft Technical Director (published in MC Showcase)
"Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain an effective compliancy program as auditors continue to adapt the guidelines of regulations like SOX, HIPAA, and BASEL II. IT departments have discovered that the System i journaling function offers a source of information that is reliable and provides a level of flexibility that allows companies to adapt to changing requirements.
This article explains why journaling provides the best audit trail, it shows the best approach to incorporating journaling into a well-designed compliancy process, and it addresses how to meet the expectations of auditors while avoiding the main traps of journaling"
