IBM AS/400 Software

Part One | What IBM AS/400 Software Covers

When companies talk about AS400 software, they may be referring to the IBM i operating environment itself, the built-in DB2 database, programming languages such as RPG and CL, administration tools, green-screen applications, or the third-party software used to secure, automate, monitor, replicate, and modernize the platform.

Historically, IBM i also coexisted with AIX, Linux, Domino, and external connected workloads, but its biggest strength has always been the platform's own integrated software model. That is why many companies still rely on AS/400 and IBM i software for ERP, finance, manufacturing, logistics, and other mission-critical systems.

Part Two | AS400 Programming and Development

Programming languages available for the AS/400 and IBM i platform include RPG, assembly language, C, C++, Pascal, Java, EGL, Perl, Smalltalk, COBOL, SQL, BASIC, PHP, PL/I, Python, and REXX. Several CASE tools have also played a major role in application development, including CA Plex, Synon, IBM Rational Business Developer, LANSA, Uniface, GeneXus, and related acceleration frameworks.

Integrated Language Environment

The ILE, or Integrated Language Environment, allowed programs from compatible languages such as C, C++, COBOL, RPG, Fortran, and CL to be bound into the same executable and call procedures written in other ILE languages. That mattered because it gave IBM i a structured way to preserve older business logic while still supporting newer development patterns.

IBM i also fully supported Java through both 32-bit and 64-bit JVMs, and later opened the door to more open-source development approaches through PHP, Python, SQL services, and web-facing frameworks.

Common CL command examples

• CRTUSRPRF, DSPUSRPRF, CHGUSRPRF, DLTUSRPRF ... create, display, change, and delete a user profile
• CRTLIB, DSPLIB, CHGLIB, DLTLIB ... create, display, change, and delete a library
• ADDLIBLE, RMVLIBLE, CHGLIBL ... manage the library list
• CPYF, CRTF, DSPF, CHGF, DLTF ... copy, create, display, change, and delete files
• WRKACTJOB ... work with active jobs
• WRKSYSSTS ... work with system status
• STRSST, STRPASTHR, STRSBS ... start service tools, pass-through sessions, and subsystems
• VRYCFG ... vary configurations and interfaces up or down
• PWRDWNSYS ... power down the system
• WRKSPLF ... work with spooled files

For traditional business programming languages such as RPG, COBOL, and C, IBM i provides a direct interface to the integrated database, allowing developers to work with data in a way that feels native to the platform rather than bolted on from the outside.

Support for 5250 display operations came through display files, which acted as the interface between workstations, keyboards, displays, and interactive applications. That model helped define the classic IBM i user experience and still matters today in many production environments, even when companies are also modernizing around web apps and APIs.

Part Three | Explore AS400 Software Categories

AS400 software spans security, compliance, encryption, file transfer, operations automation, high availability, disaster recovery, and cross-platform data movement. Midland encourages companies to compare software carefully before buying, because the right toolset depends on business risk, compliance requirements, staffing, and integration goals.

Midland encourages companies to compare AS400 software products before committing, because the right software decision affects security, uptime, audit readiness, support workload, and long-term modernization options.

Please contact us to schedule a product demonstration, download AS400 software trials, or request pricing for budgeting.

AS/400 Software

AS400 Security and Auditing

AS/400 Backup Encryption

SYSLOG SIEM for AS400

AS/400 Password Self-Service PSS

EMC Software for AS/400 Systems

AS400 System File Transfer

AS/400 Server Job Scheduling Automation

AS400 HA DR Replication

AS400 Mainframe Software

 

Part Four | Security, Data Protection, and Operations Software

Midland is a Platinum AS400 software and services provider for enterprises that need turnkey solutions to reduce IT costs. Choosing the right software is just as important as choosing the right implementation, training, and support partner.

Industry-leading IBM AS400 software for IBM i, iSeries, and AS400 environments includes security controls, multi-factor authentication, SIEM and SYSLOG forwarding, DB2 database encryption, privileged access management, password self-service, ticketing integrations such as ServiceNow, analytics integrations such as Elastic, high availability, disaster recovery, and database replication across platforms including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and Teradata.

AS400 Software for Security and Access Controls

Securing exit point access, DB2 database access, commands, and privileged activity is critical wherever sensitive data resides. IBM i environments often have multiple access paths that must be monitored, audited, and controlled for both internal risk and external compliance requirements.

We provide AS400 security tools for exit point protection, DB2 access monitoring, change tracking, command controls, port security, and multi-factor authentication. These tools help enforce policy, support auditors, and feed actionable events into SIEM and ticketing platforms.

Encryption, Masking, Scrambling, and Tokenization

Any AS400 DB2 database file that stores sensitive data should be encrypted or protected with an approved compensating control. Encryption remains the clearest protection for data at rest, while masking, scrambling, and tokenization help when business or application constraints make field-level encryption harder to deploy everywhere at once.

Our AS400 encryption software supports IBM i database encryption using AES, integrated key management, and interoperability with third-party OASIS KMIP-compliant key managers. When full encryption is not practical for every field, the same software stack can support alternate protection methods without leaving gaps in coverage.

Auditing, SIEM, and Ticket System Integration Software

The AS400 system produces security, operational, performance, and application events from many log sources that can be critical for incident response and compliance. Those events often need to be normalized and forwarded into enterprise monitoring, SIEM, and service management tools.

Our AS400 software can automatically format and forward event data in real time from QAUDJRN, QHST, DB2 journals, network and application logs, commands, SQL activity, message queues, open-source tooling, socket exit programs, privileged activity, MFA events, system values, object metadata, performance metrics, and flat files. Supported formats include JSON, LEEF, CEF, LOGR, GENR, USRD, and RFC5424 SYSLOG, making it easier to integrate with tools such as Splunk, QRadar, LogRhythm, DataDog, ArcSight, AlienVault, Exabeam, SolarWinds, and ServiceNow.

Database Replication, Conversion, Migration, and ETL Projects

Our database replication tools can move and synchronize data between IBM i and almost any major database platform without locking source or target files. That matters for long-term reporting projects, cloud migrations, data warehouse initiatives, analytics pipelines, and one-time conversion work.

Replication software updates the remote target using standard insert, update, and delete operations, which helps keep both environments usable during the project. Whether the goal is modernization, integration, or long-term off-platform reporting, continuous access to production and target systems is often the difference between a successful project and a stalled one.

Disaster Recovery and High Availability Software

IBM i is known for reliability, but reliability is not a substitute for business continuity planning. Planned downtime, unexpected failures, cyber incidents, and site-level events can all interrupt operations if there is no recovery or high-availability strategy in place.

High availability and disaster recovery software help keep mission-critical applications accessible during outages, maintenance windows, and failover events. For many IBM i shops, the most disruptive incidents are not catastrophic failures but the routine downtime events that interrupt production, order flow, or customer service. The right HA and DR software reduces that exposure and gives the business a faster path back to normal operations.

Part Five | AS/400 History and Platform Evolution

The IBM System i, originally launched as the AS/400, continued ideas from the System/38 and also absorbed compatibility goals from the System/36. That combination helped create one of IBM's most durable midrange platforms: a system designed from the start around integration, business workloads, and long-term software continuity.

The platform was also one of the early general-purpose systems recognized for strong security architecture, and its integrated approach to user management, objects, libraries, and database access became one of the defining reasons companies stayed with IBM i for decades.

Logical Partitioning

LPAR, or Logical Partitioning, brought mainframe-style workload isolation to IBM i environments. A single system could run separate partitions for IBM i, AIX, and Linux while assigning processor, memory, and storage resources independently. That made consolidation easier without forcing every workload into the same administrative boundary.

DB2 and Integrated Data Services

Another major strength of AS/400 software has always been the integrated DB2 database model. Rather than treating the database as an external add-on, IBM i made data services part of the platform itself. Distributed file and relational database services later extended that model across systems through architectures such as DDM and DRDA, which helped support remote access, synchronization, and application interoperability.

Open Connectivity and Client-Server Support

IBM i also supports common client-server access methods such as ODBC and JDBC, allowing Java, Microsoft .NET, and other external applications to work with IBM i data. That open connectivity is one reason AS400 software remains relevant in hybrid environments where legacy business logic still drives production but modern reporting, API, and analytics layers need direct access to the data.

If you want a broader hardware and platform overview, visit About AS400.