IBM Support - Upcoming Migration of Secure File Transfer Service

Dec 2, 2025

 

From IBM:  

As part of IBM CIO’s ongoing commitment to enhancing platform security, streamlining operations, and optimizing infrastructure resources, we wish to inform you of the upcoming migration of the Secure File Transfer (SFT) service infrastructure, scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

 

The support page for this announcement can be found here 

IBM "(A)i on GRC - ISO 42001"

Dec 1, 2025 

John Flack - IBM i Engineer / GRC & Quantitative Risk Specialist                                                        has written the "(A)i on GRC" which has explored ISO / IEC 27001 clause by clause translating one of the world’s most influential governance frameworks into the language of IBM i security, audit, and modernization.

There was an ISO / IEC 27001 posting on this blog on Oct 21st, 2025 which can be found here

John states "ISO 27001 gave us a blueprint for control: how to protect data, ensure confidentiality, and maintain integrity." 

If ISO 27001 secures the system, ISO 42001 governs the intelligence that system produces. 

ISO 42001 is defined as:                                                                                                                        "The first international management system standard for artificial intelligence (AI), providing a framework for organizations to develop, deploy, and manage AI systems responsibly and securely. It helps organizations establish a governance system for AI, ensuring ethical use, managing risks, and promoting transparency and accountability throughout the AI lifecycle. The standard is applicable to any organization involved with AI systems, whether they are providers or users."
                                                                                                                                     
Key aspects of ISO 42001  AI Governance: 
It provides a structured approach to AI governance, helping organizations to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.  
      
Risk Management: It helps organizations identify and assess risks associated with AI systems, such as bias and security vulnerabilities, and implement strategies to mitigate them.       
                                                                                                                                                              Ethical and Responsible Use: The standard promotes the responsible and ethical use of AI by ensuring systems are explainable, auditable, and free from unfair bias.                                                                                              

Lifecycle Management: It provides guidance for managing AI systems across their entire lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and operation.       
                                                                                                                                                            Continuous Improvement: It includes processes for monitoring, auditing, and continuously improving AI systems to maintain compliance and reliability.      
                                                                                                                                                          Compatibility: ISO 42001 is built on the same high-level structure as other management system standards, such as ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 9001 (quality management), allowing for seamless implementation alongside them. 
                                                                                                                                                                    In order, the clauses are: (Right click to open each clause in a new tab).

Context of the Organization 

Leadership and Accountability 

Planning for AI Governance 

Support as the "Infrastructure of Intelligence" 

Operations & "Governance in Motion" 

Performance Evaluation & When Governance Audits Itself 

The "Hard Edge" of Real Governance 

 

IBM i V7R5 TR7, V7R6 TR1 & ACS Version 1.1.9.10

Nov 21, 2025

IBM announced IBM i V7R5 TR7 and V7R6 TR1 Technology Rrefreshes in early Oct 2025.              They are available today (11.21.2025)

 

The V7R5 TR7 page can be found here 

The V7R6 TR1 page can be found here

 

IBM has also announced the latest version of ACS (1.1.9.10).

The details page for that can be found here

The Paradigm Shift

Nov 12, 2025

@NealWhittle brings us "The Paradigm Shift" - SDLC vs ADLC.

 

Neal states: "When hashtag#IBM announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic to accelerate the development of enterprise-ready hashtag#AI, it released a first-of-its-kind guide focusing on the Agent Development Lifecycle (ADLC). The report describes a paradigm shift from SDLC (Software Dev Life Cycle) to ADLC (Agent Dev Life Cycle). If you understand the three fundamental differences, you are well ahead of the crowd."

 

"From deterministic to probabilistic: software follows predictable execution paths, while agents make dynamic decisions."

 
"From static to adaptive: Software has fixed functionality while agents can learn and evolve."

 
"From code-first to evaluation-first: Traditional software metrics can't predict agent success, so the ADLC must rely on systematic measurement of agent behavior and evaluation of business outcomes." 

 

Here is a cheatsheet to help visualize "The Paradigm Shift" 

 

 

 

There is a corresponding IBM document titled: 

"Architecting Secure Enterprise AI Agents with MCP (Model Context Protocol) - A Strategic Guide to Agentic Development" which can be found here

 

@Gemini defines SDLC vs ADLC this way:

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Definition: A process used in the software industry to design, develop, and test high-quality software.
• Focus: A broad, traditional approach to software development, often viewed as more linear.
• Phases: Typically includes phases like planning, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Goal: To produce high-quality software, minimize costs, and complete the project in the shortest possible time.   
  Agent Development Life Cycle (ADLC)
  • Definition: A new lifecycle specifically for developing AI agents, addressing their unique probabilistic and adaptive nature.
  • Focus: Building reliable, robust, and adaptive AI agents, with a strong emphasis on tuning and optimization.
  • Phases: Combines continuous loops for experimentation (between build and test) and runtime optimization (between operate and monitor) with traditional phases like design, build, and deploy.
  • Goal: To ensure successful, reliable, and secure AI agents, with continuous adaptation and governance integrated throughout the process. 

IBM i on Power - Performance FAQ: November 2025

Nov 7, 2025

  

 

 

IBM has released the latest "IBM i on Power - Performance FAQ" dated Nov 2025.

The online PDF to it can be found here

Note: It is also listed on the "IBM i Extras" page. 

 

 

IBM Unveils Beta MCP Server to Transform AI on IBM i

Oct 31, 2025 

"IBM's release of the beta MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server for IBM i marks a groundbreaking moment ... " Read the article here

 

ITJungle article "Beta Of MCP Server Opens Up IBM i For Agentic AI" 

can be found here

 

GitHub MCP Server site can be found here 

IBM "(A)i on GRC - ISO 27001"

Oct 21, 2025 

   

 

 John Flack - IBM i Engineer | GRC & Quantitative Risk Specialist has written the      

 "(A)i on GRC" which has explored ISO / IEC 27001 clause by clause translating one 

 of the world’s most influential governance frameworks into the language of IBM i 

 security, audit, and modernization.

 John states "Together, these articles form a complete walk-through of the ISO 

 27001 management system as applied to IBM i." 

 

 ISO 27001 is defined as:                                                                                                                         The leading international standard that formally specifies the requirements for 

 establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Information 

 Security Management System (ISMS).

 In essence, it provides a systematic, structured, and risk-based approach to  

 managing and protecting an organization's sensitive information assets to ensure 

 their:

• Confidentiality: Ensuring information is accessible only to those authorized to have access.

• Integrity: Safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods.

• Availability: Ensuring authorized users have access to information and associated assets when required.

The standard is applicable to organizations of all types and sizes across all sectors, helping them manage security risks, reduce vulnerabilities to threats like cyberattacks, and meet contractual and regulatory obligations.

  

 In order, the clauses are: (Right click to open each clause in a new tab).

 

 Leadership 

 Planning 

 Support 

 Operation 

 Performance 

 Improvement 

 

 John goes on to say:

 "Each installment follows the same principle: governance only matters when it  

 lives in the system.

 I hope you'll see in this series that a 'legacy platform' running decades-deep 

 workloads in some cases can meet modern standards of governance, risk, and 

 compliance when we learn to speak both its technical and organizational dialects.  

  

Together, these articles form a complete walkthrough of the ISO 27001 management system as applied to IBM i from intent to implementation, and from evidence to improvement." 

 

 

Free IBM i Educational Courses

Oct 17, 2025  

There was an IBM "TechXchange Community Daily" email dated Oct 16, 2025. In the email was a message stating:    

                                                                                                                                                                 "Announcing two free IBM i courses: DL06004G and DL06005G."

 The link to this announcement can be found here .... and a few others listed below.

 

 

 

DL06004G: Introduction to IBM i 

DL06005G: Getting Started with IBM i Development 

 

DL06010G: IBM Power10 Technical Fundamentals 

 

DL06014G: IBM Power VS Workshop 

 

Note: An IBM ID is needed to logon or an IBM ID can be created on the fly.

 

 

"Project BOB"

Oct 14, 2025

 

 

IBM has announced "Project BOB" for developing better code. Per @Steve Will on his IBM i blog on Tech Channel:

 

"The IBM i community has been waiting for an AI coding assistant to help with the immense volume of critical software written in RPG and other languages. We’ve been talking about such an assistant, and how it can help address the need for IBM i skills while also guiding application modernization. Today, that assistant was announced. These requirements are some of the many which are addressed by Project Bob. We are excited to use Project Bob as the foundational tool to help our clients move forward on IBM i and Power." 

 

Steve's Tech Channel "You and I" Blog can be found here

The IBM "Project Bob" page can be found here

 

Article from ITJungle can be found here

 

Project "BOB" YouTube Channel can be found here 

 

 

What Is IBM Project Bob? Full Demo Breakdown from TechXchange 2025

Nice video by @Josh Spurgin can be found here 

 

Tech Channel Article: "Project Bob Supercharges IBM i’s Plans for an AI Code Assistant" can be found here 

 

Link to the IBM i Reference Pages Blog "MCP Server" posting can be found here 

 

@George VanEaton writes the @RPG Blend Newsletter. His article titled "Project Bob, VS Code, and the Future of IBM i Development: What Managers Should Prepare For" is a good read. It can be found here

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

From @Neil Whittle - IBMi Consultant, Author, Speaker, AI Enabler, RPG expert: 

 

"Bob is more than just a coding assistant. Whether it's a modernization project or building something new, with agentic workflows, built- in security and enterprise-grade deployment flexibility, Bob has the power to transform across the full SDLC to become the go-to IDE."

 

"Bob is an ai-powered IDE and pair developer. More thanjust auto-complete or suggestions, a developer can use Architect Mode to scope and design complex systems or collaborate in Code Mode to move fast and iterate efficiently."

 

"Throughout the SDLC, from design through  coding, testing, deployment and maintenance,B ob retains context across editing sessions, so developers don't have to switch tools or lose track."

 

"Bob supports enterprise constraints (security, governance, on-prem/cloud, compliance) more deeply than consumer grade or single-task A1 tools so tasks can be done with full awareness of dependencies to help you deliver secure,
production-ready code."

 

"Bob breaks down complex tasks and coordinates specialized agents across code, tests, documentation and pipelines. There is in-built functionality to bring in quantum security and other compliance and vulnerability scans directly into the IDE."

 

"You can run Bob on macOS, Windows or Linux and deploy in your cloud to meet governance and data-residency requirements. Use 'BobShell' to create
repeatable, self-documenting workflows, deal for CI/CD pipelines and recipe-driven
upgrades."

 

"It seems likely that both the Watsonx Code Assistant for Z for Cobol (released in
October 2028) and Watsonx Code Assistant for RPG on the IBM I (still in
preview) will be integrated directly into Project Bob, offering developers an
unrivalled ai-powered IDE!"

 

 

Diagnostic QSYSOPR Message Queue SQL

Oct 10, 2025 

 

Sometimes you need a method to diagnose the QSYSOPR message queue to find out when a message was answered, who answered it and how it was answered.

 

This SQL provides that for you. The SQL posted here looks back 7 days and is adjustable.

 

--- QSYSOPR System Messages ---
--- Who answered the message? ---

--- Columns prefixed with the "A" come from the error result
--- and those "B" from the reply result. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       

 

SELECT A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP AS "Date/Time of Error Msg",
       A.MESSAGE_ID AS "Msg ID",
       A.FROM_JOB AS "Job Generated Error Msg",
       A.MESSAGE_TEXT AS "Msg Text",
       B.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP AS "Reply Date/Time",
       SUBSTR(B.MESSAGE_TEXT, 1, 10) AS "Reply",
       A.FROM_USER AS "Reply by"
         FROM TABLE (QSYS2.MESSAGE_QUEUE_INFO(QUEUE_LIBRARY => 'QSYS',
                QUEUE_NAME => 'QSYSOPR', 
                SEVERITY_FILTER => 99)) A,
           LATERAL (SELECT MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP,
                    MESSAGE_TEXT, FROM_USER
                FROM TABLE (QSYS2.MESSAGE_QUEUE_INFO(QUEUE_LIBRARY => 'QSYS', 
                             QUEUE_NAME => 'QSYSOPR',
                             SEVERITY_FILTER => 99))  

                WHERE CHAR(A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP) >= CURRENT DATE - 7 DAYS AND 
                      CHAR(A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP) <= CURRENT DATE
                      AND ASSOCIATED_MESSAGE_KEY = A.MESSAGE_KEY) B
          
     ORDER BY "Date/Time of Error Msg" ASC 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Other date options are:

 

---  Single Date             
---                 WHERE CHAR(A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP) LIKE '%2025-08-03%'
---                   AND ASSOCIATED_MESSAGE_KEY = A.MESSAGE_KEY) B
 

--- Or 

                  
---  Range of Hard Coded Dates               
---                WHERE CHAR(A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP) >= YYYY-MM-DD' AND 
---                  CHAR(A.MESSAGE_TIMESTAMP) <= 'YYYY-MM-DD'
---                 AND ASSOCIATED_MESSAGE_KEY = A.MESSAGE_KEY) B