May 2025 meeting

On Tuesday May 6, at 6:30 PM (CT), we welcome Jacob Anderson as the presenter for our May 2025 meeting.

Presentation: To provide a step-by-step guide to setting up a development environment for IBM i with PHP, ensuring seamless integration between web applications and IBM i systems.

Key Topics Covered:

• Setting Up PUB400 – Creating an account on PUB400 to access IBM i resources.
• Installing IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) – Configuring ACS for ODBC connectivity and system management.
• Installing and Configuring the ODBC Driver – Ensuring database connectivity between PHP and IBM i.
• Setting Up PHP – Installing PHP, configuring essential settings, and starting a local development server.
• Enabling PDO for Database Interaction – Configuring PHP to communicate with IBM i databases using PDO and ODBC.

Expected Outcomes: By the end of this session, attendees will have a fully configured PHP development environment that can interact with IBM i databases via ODBC, setting the stage for dynamic web application development on the IBM i platform.

Bio: Jacob Anderson is an RPG-certified developer, IBM Rising Champion, and board member of SEMIUG. He specializes in integrating IBM i systems with web technologies, including RPG, PHP, and SQL. He actively contributes to the RPG Generative AI project and shares his knowledge through his blog, The i Developer’s Corner. Jacob is passionate about advancing IBM i applications and helping developers bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern web solutions.