COMMON POWERUp 2026: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2026!

Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana for POWERUp 2026, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

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10:00am CDT

IBM i Networking Overview

Monday April 27, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

IBM i OS network communications has changed a lot since the AS/400 primarily communicated to workstations and printers using Twinax and to other computer systems using specialized communications lines. In some ways things are more complex because our IBM i OS systems communicate to a lot of other devices in many different ways, but in other ways things are simpler today because nearly all network communications are built on top of the foundation of Ethernet and TCP/IP. This session will take a look at the foundations of Ethernet and TCP/IP and how they are built up within the IBM i OS. We will look at your communications adapters, Line Descriptions, and IP addresses, subnets, routes and more including the commands and interfaces used to manage these. As time allows we may also look at some of the most commonly used networking servers Telnet and FTP and cover their basics of configuration, management and even troubleshooting.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about the building blocks of IBM i Network Communications configuration and how they fit together. - Communications Adapters - Line Descriptions - IP Interfaces/Addresses - Routes - TCP/IP Start Up - and more...

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

IBM i Global Support, IBM

Wayne Bowers has been with IBM since 1997, where he works with the IBM i Global Support Center in Rochester MN. He is an Advisory Software Engineer specializing in the support of the IBM i Access (aka Client Access) products, Console, the TCP Telnet communications server, and the... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Balcony I-J

Networking

Track Student

11:15am CDT

AI and IBM i Trends and Directions

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming more and more prominent, how will your business adapt and thrive? Your journey can start here, with an exploration of IBM's strategy and offering set. In this session, we will explore the available AI technologies and what they mean for IBM i.

Learning Objectives:

An understanding of AI tools to build out your company's strategy with AI

Speakers

Jesse Gorzinski

STSM and Senior Business Architect - AI and Open Source, IBM

Experienced business architect from IBM and a specialist in the IBM i platform. My passion is enabling enterprises to adopt artificial intelligence and open source technologies.

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

General Programming, Artificial Intelligence (AI), IT Strategy

3:15pm CDT

Understanding LLM and Transformer

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

A beginner level and generalized explanation of the modern face of Artificial Intelligence: the Large Language Model (LLM) coupled with the Transformer architecture. Fairly rigorous in places (Danger! Math!), but the overall tone of the presentation is a colloquial and metaphoric.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understanding LLM architecture 2. Understanding Transformer architecture 3. Understanding the strengths and limitations of this approach to AI.

Speakers

Jack Woehr

Senior Engineer / Senior Consultant, Consulting to Procern Technology Solutions and Seiden Group LLC

40+ years development. IBM Champion 2021-2026.
IBM Qiskit Advocate since 2019. Secretary, OpenQASM Technical Steering Committee. MongoDB Creator status. Prolific Open Source creator/contributor. Former Contributing Editor, Dr. Dobb's Journal.
Consult on IBM i AI modernization... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

General Programming, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

4:30pm CDT

PHP Tips in 20 Minutes

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

Inspired by longtime presenters at the Summit, this discussion looks at the most popular tweaks, hacks and just plain good practices the for IBM i PHP community to enjoy. Sometimes you just need a shopping list of things to watch out for and many of the tips that are scattered throughout these presentations are consolidated in a single place. Performance, security and best practices and more will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1) Many key points of PHP will be explored 2) Performance tips will be reviewed 3) Common mistakes to overcome in PHP development

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Solution Architect, Programmers.io

Mike Pavlak has been working with IBM midrange solutions since 1992 and IBM Mainframes before that. After years of developing applications using RPG, CL and PHP he managed IT development and IT for power protection manufacturer Tripp Lite. Later Mike was instrumental in developing... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Balcony I-J

PHP

5:05pm CDT

COBOL to Modern RPG: Using Static Analysis, Automation, and AI Assistance

Monday April 27, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

Modernizing COBOL applications to RPG IV can be faster and safer with static analysis, automation, and AI —but it still requires solid engineering. This session explains how analysis tools identify data flow, dependencies, and shared logic before conversion begins. We’ll explore how to combine AI automation with proven analysis and programming discipline to transform COBOL business logic into clear, maintainable RPG IV code. Real examples show planning, testing, and incremental rollout techniques that minimize risk. Attendees will learn how to balance automation, analysis, and AI methods for dependable, low-risk modernization on IBM i. A case study using actual COBOL code will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

`-Understand how static analysis clarifies COBOL logic and dependencies before conversion. -Learn how to combine AI automation with static techniques for accurate modernization. -Apply disciplined planning and testing to ensure reliable COBOL-to-RPG transitions.

Speakers

John Rhodes

CTO, CM First Group

Long time IBM i and z engineer. Work with Broadcom software primarily (CA 2E, Synon, CA Plex, CA Gen). Also Java and VSCode.

Monday April 27, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT
Balcony I-J

Programmer Tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

COMMON POWERUp 2026

10:00am CDT

Wayne Bowers

11:15am CDT

Jesse Gorzinski

3:15pm CDT

Jack Woehr

4:30pm CDT

Mike Pavlak

5:05pm CDT

John Rhodes

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