โš™๏ธ Getting stared with Python on IBM System i๏ƒ

October 2020๏ƒ

For a little more than 30 years, I have been developing and maintaining information systems for companies in different commercial and government sectors, specifically in IBM environments; S/3x, AS/400 and Systems i, using as a programming language the robust RPG in its different versions (II, III and ILE), this has been my comfort zone for many years where I have felt very safe.

For a couple of years now, I have been hearing about an object-oriented programming language, with which, according to what could be done infinities of technological projects with a minimum of lines of code; to tell the truth, at first I hesitated a bit, however, curiosity led me to research on the internet, about this popular programming language known as Python.

At the beginning of 2019, I decided to download my first Python basic programming course from YouTube, just before I had completed half of the course I was already convinced that this programming language had conquered my heart.

For years I had tried to learn other programming languages, with the idea of leaving my comfort zone and entering other technological platforms; however, I found many of them boring or tedious in their coding style, not to mention the number of lines of code that must be used to execute a business rule or function.

Without a doubt, the Python programming language is not going to replace my favorite programming language, which is IBMโ€™s RPGILE, however, I am already using it as my alternative programming language.

Python not only synthesizes in one or a few lines of program code, which in other programming languages would take many lines, but it is a multiplatform language, its syntax is very fun and simple because it is closer to the natural language of the human beings and as an added value, it is much more understandable for learners due to its simplicity, versatility and popularity.

Going back a bit, Guido van Rossum devised the Python language in the late 1980s and began implementing it in December 1989. In February 1991 he published the first public version, version 0.9.0. Version 1.0 was released in January 1994, version 2.0 was released in October 2000, and version 3.0 was released in December 2008.

Until July 2018, Python development was personally led by Guido van Rossum and under the umbrella of the Python Software Foundation. As of 2019, Python development is chaired by a five-member board of directors elected from among Python developers, which is renewed annually.

To download the latest version of Python, please visit its official download site: https://www.python.org/downloads/

Now, how do you enter the world of IBM System i (AS / 400) using the powerful Python programming language, resorting to best practices and not die trying?

There is very little documentation on the internet about this and what you find says almost nothing. Obviously, connecting to an IBM System i Server using Python as the programming language will depend on what you want to do.

The following is how to connect to an IBM System i server, using the ftp.connect and ftp.login methods using a Python script. In the following link you can see a simple example of how to use these methods:

https://github.com/ClayLanzino/IBM-System-i_AS400/blob/master/Python_Scripts/Ftp_IBM_System_i.py

Another way could be, writing a Script that runs on the client and connects to an IBM db2 database that resides on an IBM System i server, and execute certain SQL statements.

There are two ways to do this, it could be using an iSeries Access ODBC Driver connection and importing the pyodbc library (import pyodbc). Personally, I very seldom use the ODBC Driver to connect to IBM System i Databases, due to the vulnerability it represents and the nature of the connection, which I will not delve into at this time.

The other way would be to use the ibm_db.connect and ibm_db.pconnect functions respectively. For information on how to connect to an IBM DB2 database using a Python Script please visit the following link:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/es/SSEPGG_10.5.0/com.ibm.swg.im.dbclient.python.doc/doc/t0054368.html

Finally, the other way to connect could be, writing the Python code or Script within the IBM System i server itself; considering that IBM incorporated the Python programming language into its range of programming languages starting with version 7R1 or higher of the iSeries Operating System.

The prerequisites for installing Python on an IBM System i are:

Python requires Portable Application Solutions Environment (PASE) to be installed on the IBM i computer, which is available through product numbers 5770SS1 option 33 and 5733SC1.

It is recommended by IBM that you get the latest Program Temporary Fixes (PTFs) for product number 5733SC1. For more information, go to the IBM i OpenSSH & OpenSSL Community web page and search for 5733-SC1 PTFs.

Verify that the latest cumulative PTFs are installed on the IBM i computer.

Install Python 3.6 on the IBM i computer by using the new RPM method provided by IBM because the open source product 5733OPS is no longer available for download. For more information about the RPM method, go to the IBM i Open Source web page.

Following are some of the installation commands:

All software provided by the RPMs are installed in the /QOpenSys/pkgs prefixed directory. To use the software, you can fully qualify the path to the program, or you can add /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin to your PATH by using the following command:

PATH=/QOpenSys/pkgs/bin:$PATH
export PATH

Install Python 3 and other useful Python packages.

yum install python3-pip python3-ibm_db python3-itoolkit

Install the Python 3 Machine Learning packages.

yum install python3-numpy python3-pandas python3-scikit-learn python3-scipy

Install Node.js.

yum install nodejs10

Install the GCC and development tools.

yum group install "Development tools"

Run the following command to test Python installation.

python3 โ€“-version

Install the dependent package pycryptodomex by using the following command:

python3 -m pip install pycryptodomex

It will then result in the Python software being installed on the IBM i computer along with dependent packages.

To get Python examples on IBM i, visit the following link: http://ibm.biz/pythonexamplesonibmi

About the Author๏ƒ

Clay Lanzino is a passionate former surfer, father of three children, husband and a 33-year-old IT professional who loves programming. In his spare time, he loves being in nature, hugging the trees, walking barefoot to take in the energy of the earth and doing meditations in the open air. If time permits, he does some Yoga, in his exclusive meditation room.