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IBM i · 2022

IBM i 7.5 supported

SQL gains the BOOLEAN type, passwords move to level 4, and RPG learns DATA-GEN and FOR-EACH.

Announced
3 May 2022
Available from
10 May 2022
End of standard support
not announced

Standard support

What it brought

  • Db2 for i: the BOOLEAN data type, with functions, predicates and support in embedded SQL, JSON and XML (group SF99950 level 1)
  • SQL: TRY_CAST, RESTRICT ON DROP and indexes up to 16 TB
  • Passwords: a new encryption scheme, turned on with QPWDLVL 4, and the QSYCHKPR API that checks a password against the rules
  • RPG: SND-MSG, ON-EXCP, DATA-GEN (builds JSON or CSV from a variable), FOR-EACH and the IN operator
  • New SQL services including QSYS2.SPOOLED_FILE_INFO, QSYS2.JOURNAL_RECEIVER_INFO, QSYS2.CHECK_PASSWORD and QSYS2.DNS_LOOKUP
  • CALL and CALLPRC accept expressions as parameters; two IFS exit points on file open and close

Which machines it runs on

  • Power11, Power10 and Power9 servers
  • Does not run on Power8 or earlier processors

What is gone

Products and functions that IBM lists as not supported on this release, on its upgrade planning page.

  • Domino 10 for i: the product no longer belongs to IBM, the move is to HCL Domino
  • Zend Server no longer ships with the operating system
  • Managed System Services and System Manager (5770-MG1 and 5770-SM1); some of the commands stay in the operating system
  • Java 7 (options 14 and 15), replaced by Java 8
  • XML Toolkit for i, Web Enablement for i (5722-WE2), Db2 Web Query no longer orderable
  • Integrated Server Support (option 29)

Technology Refreshes

A Technology Refresh adds function without changing the release number, through PTF groups. The date is when IBM made it available.

  1. TR8 SF99957 level 8 Db2 SF99950 level 12
    • SYSTOOLS.CVE_INFO and SYSTOOLS.GROUP_PTF_CURRENCY_LOCAL: vulnerabilities and PTF group levels from SQL
    • More services: QSYS2.CREATE_DATA_JOURNAL_READER, SYSTOOLS.CHECK_COMMAND_SYNTAX, SYSTOOLS.OVERRIDE_INFO_ALL
    • RPG: ASSERT-F and ASSERT-T, LIKE(*EXT), %LOOKUPNE
    • Support for the Power S1112 server for software tier P05
    • Migrate While Active also builds the target copy with FlashCopy and Global Copy
    • ACS 1.1.9.13; in the BRMS interface the *SYSOPR role and the severe message filter

    IBM page →

  2. TR7 SF99957 level 7 Db2 SF99950 level 11
    • SQL: INSERT with VALUES accepts column names
    • New services: QSYS2.CERTIFICATE_USAGE_INFO, QSYS2.JOURNAL_CODE_INFO, SYSTOOLS.OVERRIDE_INFO, SYSTOOLS.PROBLEM_INFO
    • RPG: enumeration data types and the *DMYY, *MDYY and *YYMD date formats
    • Integrated Web Services Server 3.0, based on Jakarta EE
    • Java 21 in option 21
    • IBM i Testing for VS Code; BRMS: backup history in SQL and LTO-10

    IBM page →

  3. TR6 SF99957 level 6 Db2 SF99950 level 9
    • Support for the Power11 servers: E1180, S1124, S1122, L1124, L1122
    • New services: SYSTOOLS.DELETE_OLD_JOURNAL_RECEIVERS, QSYS2.VERIFY_NAME, QSYS2.AUTHORITY_COLLECTION_IFS
    • Code for IBM i 3.0.0 ships around the same days; ACS 1.1.9.7
    • LTO-10 tape drives in the TS4500 and Diamondback libraries

    IBM page →

  4. TR5 SF99957 level 5 Db2 SF99950 level 8
    • SQL: GENERATE_UUID and GENERATE_UUID_BINARY
    • New services: SYSTOOLS.END_JOBS, SYSTOOLS.IFS_ACCESS, SYSTOOLS.CONFIGURATION_STATUS and validation lists
    • RPG: %HIVAL and %LOVAL, and a compile-time warning for dates with a two-digit year
    • Subscription BRMS (5770-BR2) and the first phase of its web interface
    • Navigator shows licence expiry dates; ACS 1.1.9.6
    • PowerHA 5.6.3 integrates with Power Virtual Server

    IBM page →

  5. TR4 SF99957 level 4 Db2 SF99950 level 7
    • Audit Journal Data Mart, managed with QSYS2.MANAGE_AUDIT_JOURNAL_DATA_MART
    • SQL: ANY_VALUE, and CREATE ALIAS on the last member (*LAST)
    • New services: QSYS2.COMPARE_IFS, SYSTOOLS.IFS_UNLINK, SYSTOOLS.PRINTER_FILE_INFO, SYSTOOLS.SPECIAL_AUTHORITY_DATA_MART
    • RPG: SND-MSG with new message types and targets, and CONST for fields and data structures
    • Support for the Power S1012 server
    • BRMS compresses data in software, on tape and virtual tape

    IBM page →

  6. TR3 SF99957 level 3 Db2 SF99950 level 5
    • SYSTOOLS.SEND_EMAIL, SYSTOOLS.GENERATE_SPREADSHEET, SYSTOOLS.PING and SYSTOOLS.REPLY_INQUIRY_MESSAGES
    • SQL: ENCRYPT_AES256 and HTML entity encoding
    • RPG: %LEFT, %RIGHT and the first enumerations (groups of named constants)
    • SYSTOOLS.SQLCODE_INFO: the text of an SQLCODE from SQL
    • ACS 1.1.9.3: search across every open Run SQL Scripts tab

    IBM page →

  7. TR2 SF99957 level 2 Db2 SF99950 level 4
    • SQL: ADD_DAYS, ADD_HOURS and the other ADD_ functions, the HTTP functions accept BLOBs
    • New services: QSYS2.SAVE_FILE_INFO, QSYS2.SAVE_FILE_OBJECTS, QSYS2.TAPE_CARTRIDGE_INFO, QSYS2.NETWORK_ATTRIBUTE_INFO, SYSTOOLS.DEFECTIVE_PTF_CURRENCY
    • ACS 1.1.9.2: Run SQL Scripts prompts for the variables left in a statement
    • Java 17, in option 20 of IBM Technology for Java
    • VS Code: the CL language and debugging of ILE programs
    • PowerHA: geographic mirroring to several targets

    IBM page →

  8. TR1 SF99957 level 1 Db2 SF99950 level 3
    • SQL: REMOTE TABLE, JSON_UPDATE, FIRST_DAY and TIMESTAMPDIFF_BIG
    • SQL Error Logging Facility (SELF), to log the SQL errors of jobs
    • New services: QSYS2.COMMAND_INFO, QSYS2.HARDWARE_RESOURCE_INFO, eight new audit journal functions in SYSTOOLS
    • The service that watches system limits: QSYS2.PROCESS_SYSTEM_LIMITS_ALERTS
    • A new web interface to monitor PowerHA environments

    IBM page →

Individual PTFs are not listed: there are thousands per release and nearly all of them fix a defect. New function comes with releases and with the Technology Refresh PTF groups, which are here.

Sources

Dates checked against the IBM life cycle table on .