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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8:00am CDT

Navigator for i, The tools within!

Tuesday April 28, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Galerie 5

Evaluation Survey

As an IBM i administrator you’ve either used Navigator for I, or you’re living under an AS/400! While you’re getting this done though, you’ve likely missed many of the capabilities built into Navigator to make your job easier and a better fit for your specific needs and environment. In this session, Tim and Larry will go beyond the basic capabilities of Navigator and show you the buttons and the options and capabilities that are built into Navigator for I that turbocharge the capabilities of Navigator for i. Come for the Ooh’s and the Ah’s !!

Learning Objectives:

Learn how to be more effective when utilizing Nav4i.

Speakers

Larry Bolhuis

Principal IBM Power Systems Architect, Service Express

Larry has grown up with computers since his father became a CE in 1967. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Calvin College in 1982.After 2 years working with early PCs and servers her began working on IBM midrange equipment with the S/34 and S/36 He moved to AS/400 at its introduction In 1988. Early in his career he was a developer, then migrated to networking, system design, upgrades and general systems... Read More →

Tim Rowe

STSM - IBM i Business Architect, IBM USA

Tim Rowe is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his time working as the Architect for Application Development and Systems Management. He has been working on the IBM i operating system since 1989. Tim is a frequent author, industry speaker and... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Galerie 5

Systems Management, Programmer Tools, Systems Management

Track Student

9:15am CDT

BRMS Beyond the Basics

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Balcony L

Evaluation Survey

This session will discuss some of the advanced topics in using BRMS for your back up and recovery. Featured topics will be tape and library management, BRMS Networking, control group and list controls, BRMS Policies and how they affect the overall operation of BRMS, and using SQL to manage BRMS. Recovering from a BRMS back up can be extremely easy, but it can also present some opportunities for trouble. This session will discuss some of the landmines in a BRMS recovery and how to avoid them. Both BR2 GUI and BR1 controls will be demonstrated.

Learning Objectives:

1. Ultilize control groups and lists to fully customize BRMS backups 2. Set up and manage BRMS Networking 3. Learn how to make a BRMS recovery simple and as easy as possible 4. Using SQL services to manage BRMS and reports

Speakers

Sarah Jacob

VP of Customer Experience, Agile Technology Architects

Sarah Jacob is the Vice President of Customer Experience at Agile Technology Architects. She is a Subject Matter Expert in Power Systems Administration and a volunteer for COMMON. Sarah specializes in Backup and Recovery planning and recovery testing. Additionally, she acts as primary... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Balcony L

Systems Management, High Availability Resilience

Track Student

9:15am CDT

The IBM i Benefits of “Instant Disk Copy” and the Differences Between ‘FlashCopy’ and ‘Snapshots’ External Storage Features Explained

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Galerie 1

Evaluation Survey

All IBM external storage units can perform “instant copy” of all the disks of your IBM i LPAR.
Historically made using the ‘FlashCopy’ technology, these “instant copies” are now possible with a new method called ‘Snapshot’ or ‘Policy based FlashCopy’.
Discover the differences and how to use those two technologies to simplify and secure operations on your IBM i partitions:

To create easily manually a copy of your prod to test a change on it (or create a backup copy before a version change)
To perform daily several planned “instant copy” to create regular protection against ransomware or data corruption
To reduce, using IBM i commands, the backup window to less than 2 minutes
To refresh nearly instantly your test/acceptance/preprod environment

See how to use and automate this capability with the powerful product “Flash for i”

Speakers

Pascal Ruckebusch

Président, Technical Director, M81

Pascal Ruckebusch adopted IBM i at the exact beginning of AS/400, three decades ago, and never left it … Pascal's experience on IBM i covers system and application development, training and operations. Twice CTO of 2 major IBM business partners in France, his technical skills and... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Galerie 1

Systems Management

9:15am CDT

Understanding Various Parts of the Save Process

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

Understand the different ways to save your system, such as using BRMS, Flashcopy, or traditional native commands. Along the way, tips will be given on best practices and ensuring you have what it takes to recover. Your recovery is only as good as your backup, lets make sure you are backing up the right stuff.

Learning Objectives:

1) The various Save commands 2) Restricted state and your console 3) What makes up a full System Save 4) Tape libraries pros and cons. 5) What is Flashcopy and what are its requirements.

Speakers

Pete Massiello

IBM i Advisor, Massiello Holding Corp.

Pete Massiello has been working with the AS/400, iSeries, IBM i since 1989, focusing on systems management and technical support. He has held numerous technical positions through out his career. He is the President of iTech Solutions Group, an IBM Premier Business Partner delivering... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Balcony I-J

Systems Management, Systems Management

10:45am CDT

Case Study on Subsystem Configuration for HTTP Server instances and QSQSRVR Server Jobs

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Galerie 1

Evaluation Survey

As applications are modernized, it is common to move from green screen interfaces to browser-based applications. In many cases, the associated HTTP server runs on the IBM i in the QHTTPSVR subsystem. These web applications access the database, perhaps directly, but also by using SQL CLI, which results in the database access running in an QSQSRVR jobs in the QSYSWRK subsystem. As environments become more complex, one may see several web instances using a large number of QSQSRVR jobs. This default configuration can make it difficult to understand system resources used by the application, as well as related challenges in troubleshooting problems. This session is a case study of using subsystems to isolate web applications to their own subsystem; the HTTP server instance and related QSQSRVR jobs running in the same subsystem.

Learning Objectives:

In this session you will learn how to: - Configure HTTP instances to run in their own subsystem - Set up the system so QSQSRVR jobs run in the subsystem of the requester - How to use the Performance Data Investigator to review performance by subsystem after the configuration changes are made

Speakers

Dawn May

Owner, Dawn May Consulting, LLC

Dawn has been involved with COMMON for over 20 years and has been a consistent volunteer since 2008. She's been a member of the strategic education team, a subject matter expert, and a speaker. As Immediate Past President of COMMON, she's focused on leading COMMON as the industry... Read More →

Matthew Neill

DB2 for i Database Engineer, Guild Mortgage

35+ years across IBM i application development, database engineering, modernization, and application integrations.
Expertise in Db2 for i SQL, SQL/PL, Modern ILE RPG AppDev, Service Programs, and IBM iDoctor performance tuning.
Enjoys mentoring teams, teaching modernization pra... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Galerie 1

Systems Management, Systems Management

10:45am CDT

Compliance and Security on i - Automation is the Key

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Studio 7-8

Evaluation Survey

As digital threats evolve and regulatory pressures intensify, organizations running IBM i must adopt proactive, real-time strategies to safeguard their systems and ensure compliance. This session explores the cutting-edge technologies and practical techniques that enable continuous cybersecurity monitoring and enforcement on IBM i platforms.
Attendees will gain actionable insights into building a resilient IBM i security posture, reducing audit fatigue, and aligning IT operations with business risk management goals. Whether you're a security architect, compliance officer, or IBM i administrator, this session will equip you with the knowledge to modernize your approach to cybersecurity and compliance.

Learning Objectives: We'll dive into:
- Real-time threat detection and response using native IBM i capabilities and integrated endpoint protection solutions.
- Automated compliance enforcement and drift checking, aligned with frameworks like CIS and PCIv4.
- Visibility and accountability in support of internal or external auditing.
- Integration of authentication options such as Single Sign On (SSO) with corporate identity providers.
- Modern tooling such as the IBM PowerSC product to help enable automation, monitoring, and integration.

Speakers

Tim Hill

Distinguished Engineer, Rocket Software

Tim Hill is a Distinguished Engineer and VP of Engineering at Rocket Software. He’s responsible for security, cloud, and AI/ML products on Power and Z. Technology areas of personal focus include model-based reasoning, deep learning, complex event correlation, network management... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Studio 7-8

Systems Management

10:45am CDT

Hidden Gems of IBM i

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Balcony M-N

Evaluation Survey

Every few months the IBM i development team delivers new updates and features across the operating system. Keeping track and actually using these changes can be a difficult task at best. This session is the favorite new enhancements from a team of IBM i developers. You get to hear each of our favorite updates to the OS that have been delivered over the past bit. This session is new every time, often lots of fun and for sure there is something for everyone.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about the many new features of IBM i

Speakers

Ryan Moeller

Software Engineer, IBM

Ryan Moeller is a software engineer working on Db2 for i, specifically on the SQL Query Engine (SQE) team. He joined the team in the Rochester, MN development lab in 2020. Ryan specializes in SQL, database development, and query performance analysis.

Justin Nelson

Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

Justin Nelson is a software developer within IBM i development. He has worked on the IBM i since joining IBM in 2015. He is a member of the integrated file system & servers (IFS) team and specializes in the Network Client File System (QNTC), host servers, and Network Authentication... Read More →

Scott Forstie

Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM

Scott Forstie is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his time working as the Db2 for i Architect. He has worked on IBM operating system development since joining IBM in 1989.
Scott is a frequently published author, speaker at industry events... Read More →

Ann Wilkerson

Software Developer, IBM

Ann Wilkerson is a lead user interface developer in IBM i. She joined the Rochester lab in 2021 and has since worked on Navigator, IBM i Services, and IBM i Migrate While Active. Her focus areas include security, networking, and the IFS.

Sanjula Ganepola

Software Developer - IBM i App Dev & AI Toolchain, IBM

Sanjula Ganepola is a Software Developer at IBM working on IBM i application development tools. As an open-source advocate, he is an active contributor and maintainer of several Visual Studio Code extensions including IBM i Project Explorer, Code for IBM i, IBM i Testing, Source Orbit... Read More →

Tim Rowe

STSM - IBM i Business Architect, IBM USA

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Balcony M-N

Systems Management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Database, Programming: General, Security, Systems Management

Track Student

3:15pm CDT

Can your IBM i Recover from a disaster

Tuesday April 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

Do you have what you need to recover from a disaster? It is too late to know if you have good backups when a disaster happens. Lets identify various types of disasters, how we store our backups, and what is needed for a recovery. We will start with the save, discuss the people you need, and where and how your recovery will occur. There are more things to a recovery than just your tapes.

Learning Objectives:

1) Understand what is required for a recovery 2) Know who is need to recover your system, where will we do the recovery, and what did you actually save. 3) items you should have in your recovery plan.

Speakers

Pete Massiello

IBM i Advisor, Massiello Holding Corp.

Tuesday April 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

Systems Management, Systems Management

4:30pm CDT

Call Home Automation: Enablement, Enhancements, and Improvements

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Galerie 1

Evaluation Survey

Call Home Automation is changing the way IBM systems detect and respond to issues, cutting down manual work and speeding up resolution. In this session, we will walk through what Call Home is, how the automation works behind the scenes, and how recent enhancements create an improved customer experience by improving accuracy, efficiency, and overall system reliability.

We will cover how these updates reduce noise, prevent duplicate actions, and get the right information where it needs to go faster. Whether you have are looking to have Call Home enabled or are looking to get more out of your current setup, you will walk away with practical takeaways you can leverage immediately.

Speakers

Jeff Cummings

IBM Global Power Call Home Lead, IBM

Jeff Cummings joined IBM in 2021. He is currently the IBM Global Power Call Home Lead, responsible for driving automation strategy and enhancing support operations across IBM Power Systems worldwide. He leads initiatives that reduce manual effort, improve response times, and deliver... Read More →

Karyn Corneli

STSM Product Engineering IBM Power Systems (HMC), IBM

With nearly three decades of technical leadership at IBM, Karyn specializes in the HMC product line. Her career spans from support center operations to Product Engineering, giving her a unique perspective of the platform. She transforms real-world client challenges into product... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Galerie 1

Systems Management

4:30pm CDT

Case Study on the Use of QSYS2.Active_Job_Info

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Balcony M-N

Evaluation Survey

QSYS2.Active_Job_Info is an easy interface to access information about jobs. But it can have significant overhead if used incorrectly or too often. This session reviews an example of over-use of this service, providing examples of the overhead of frequent invocations, along with the performance results of eliminating this excessive use.

Learning Objectives:

In this session, you will gain insight into the overhead of using QSYS2.Active_Job_Info. This session will also cover alternative solutions to getting similar information in a more efficient manner.

Speakers

Dawn May

Owner, Dawn May Consulting, LLC

Matthew Neill

DB2 for i Database Engineer, Guild Mortgage

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Balcony M-N

Systems Management, Systems Management

4:30pm CDT

License Management with Navigator for i

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Galerie 5

Evaluation Survey

With the transition from perpetual to subscription-based licensing, system administrators must stay informed about license expiration dates. Navigator for i has introduced several interface enhancements that make it easier to identify when operating system and other licenses are nearing expiration. In this session, we’ll showcase these improvements through a live demo, helping you stay ahead of license management challenges.

Learning Objectives:

`- Understand the impact of subscription-based licensing on IBM i systems and the importance of monitoring license expiration - Explore the Navigator for i interface enhancements that help identify and manage expiring licenses

Speakers

Ann Wilkerson

Software Developer, IBM

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Galerie 5

Systems Management

5:05pm CDT

BRMS Recoveries

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT

Galerie 2

Evaluation Survey

There's so much to cover in BRMS when setting up the backups that discussing recoveries sometimes gets lost. In this 20 minute session we will focus solely on the recovery process for both full system and single item recoveries. A few tips and tricks for making sure that you are able to recover exactly what you need when you need.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the steps to a full system recovery 2. Learn to recover single objects and IFS files 3. Take home a few tricks to make sure you are able to recover what you need

Speakers

Sarah Jacob

VP of Customer Experience, Agile Technology Architects

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT
Galerie 2

Systems Management

5:05pm CDT

Modernizing IBM i Backups with IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

Move on from tape drives, cartridges, and courier services. In this session, you'll learn how Cloud Storage Solutions (ICC) can securely back up your IBM i systems to the cloud—simplifying your backup process and reducing reliance on legacy infrastructure. If you're already in PowerVS, then cloud storage isn't just convenient—it’s essential. We'll walk through how to use Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) with ICC to transfer virtual save media to and from the cloud. You'll also see how ICC can support your hybrid strategy, whether you're bridging on-prem and cloud environments or looking for a reliable way to move data to the cloud.

Speakers

Hrithik Govardhan

IBM Champion & Software Lead, Rocket Software

Long time Rocketeer working in the Security/MFA/Cloud spaces on Power and Z. Ask me anything about MFA and SSO on Z and i!

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT
Balcony I-J

Systems Management

5:05pm CDT

Using System Monitors in Navigator for i

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT

Studio 9-10

Evaluation Survey

Learn how to create and work with System Monitors in IBM Navigator for i. Also learn how to use the Performance Data Investigator (PDI) visualization tool to view System Monitor data.

Learning Objectives:
1. How to create a System Monitor
2. How to view system monitor data

Speakers

Shauna Rollings

Senior Software Engineer - IBM i Performance Tools & High Availability Development, IBM

Shauna joined the IBM i development team in 2008. She has developed and supported IBM i performance data collector tools throughout her entire IBM career. From the very beginning of the Db2 Mirror for i project, she has also been the technical team lead for the Db2 Mirror Configuration... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT
Studio 9-10

Systems Management

8:00am CDT

9:15am CDT

9:15am CDT

9:15am CDT

10:45am CDT

10:45am CDT

10:45am CDT

3:15pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

5:05pm CDT

5:05pm CDT

5:05pm CDT

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