COMMON POWERUp 2026

In days gone by the IBM supplied program QSTRUP combined with a couple options on CHGIPLA was good enough for most IBM i shops. It started what seemed to be needed and anything else we stumbled through after each IPL. When it was time to shut down a PWRDWNSYS or ENDSBS command took down whatever was running. We were happy. Today though we often see dozens of subsytems running many web servers, other needed batch jobs and services. We see monitors and queue processing jobs and many writers. For security purposes we should be starting only the TCP servers that we need, not all of them. Likely we should not start IPV6 and start things in sequence as well. Further considerations may be needed in an HA environment. These include not starting jobs until iASPS are available and starting different IP interfaces and services depending on production or backup mode of the server. We may want to handle special startup modes while doing PTFs, backups or other system maintenance. In this session we will work with customizing that startup. We'll discuss staring PASE jobs with QSH, web server jobs and more. Finally we will also work with sequencing the shutdown of the system. As part of this we'll discuss some simple ways to know what needs to be shut down and smoothly handling that.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how to control which startup program will run on your IBM i. 2. Examine the various servers to start and how to control them. 3. Learn options for starting different services. 4. Consider ways to control the startup of your server in different operating modes. 5. Understanding an orderly shutdown of your IBM i server.

BM I can host an IBM I Logical Partitions (LPAR) to provide virtual disk storage for other IBM I partitions. We will discuss when VIOS or IBM i hosing IBM i makes the most sense. This is a step-by-step process for creating hosted virtual partitions. Learn the requirements, the prerequisites, and all the steps needed to make this once you are back in the office. This will be great for creating a virtual partition to test your 7.6 upgrades or for any other partition needs.

Learning Objectives:

1) Differences between VIOS and IBM i hosting IBM i. 2) Understand the relationship between all the components of a virtual LPAR. 3) How to create virtual storage. 4) How to use this knowledge back at your shop to build your own.

IBM i and IBM Power Servers combine to deliver a fabulously reliable environment. The operating system has rich work management capability and strong error reporting. Despite that you shouldn't ignore it or you will eventually find yourself dealing with something serious. In this session we'll cover the things you need to watch and understand allowing you to deal with them before they become serious issues.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn where to look and what to look for to know how your system is running. 2. Learn what to configure for automatic reporting of errors and problem. 3. Learn the points at which you need to begin to apply effort well before issues occur. 4. Be able to tell management: "Yes our IBM i is running well!"

Join us for a session where we will explore the new components and concepts related to partitioning IBM Power Systems. You will learn how these components are interconnected, how to set them up, and how to manage and upgrade them. We will cover components such as the Hardware Management Console (HMC), the Flexible Service Processor (FSP) or eBMC depending on your processor generation, and the Advanced Systems Management Interface (ASMI). Additionally, we'll discuss firmware in your machine and how to perform necessary updates in both LPAR environment and standalone machines. You'll also receive tips on upgrading and establishing communication between the HMC and FSP/eBMC, as well as insights into the role of ASMI. By the end of the session, you will have current knowledge about these crucial hardware features of IBM Power Systems & IBM i.

Learning Objectives:

1) Understand how to upgrade and update your HMC. 2) Understand how to upgrade your FSP or eBMC. 3) Learn how everything connects and interacts.