While many enterprises are moving to the cloud, IBM i (AS/400) systems still run critical business functions. As a Dynatrace Consultant, I often get asked how to bridge these legacy systems into a modern observability stack like Dynatrace. The answer lies in combining IBM i Access ODBC setup on Linux with the Dynatrace IBM i extension.

This post covers the complete journey:

1. Installing IBM-i Access Client on Linux
2. Enabling IBM-i Monitoring in Dynatrace
3. Configuring IBM-i Access ODBC Setup
4. Visualizing IBM-i Metrics in Dynatrace

Step 1: Install IBM i Access Client on Linux

First, download IBM i Access Client Solutions for Linux from the IBM website.

Download

You can download it from IBM’s official portal:
https://www.ibm.com/products/access-ibm-i

Installation Commands

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo dpkg -i ibm-iaccess-*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

RHEL/CentOS:

sudo rpm -ivh ibm-iaccess-*.rpm

Verify installation:

ls /opt/ibm/iaccess/lib/
ls /opt/ibm/iaccess/lib64/

Create base directories if needed:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/ibm/iaccess

Step 2: IBM i Access ODBC Setup on Linux

ODBC is required to connect your Linux system to IBM i. This is also how the Dynatrace IBM i extension fetches data.

2.1 Install unixODBC

sudo apt-get install unixodbc

Check version and ODBC path:

odbcinst -j

2.2 Configure ODBC Drivers

Edit /etc/odbcinst.ini and add:

[IBM i Access ODBC Driver]
Description=IBM i Access for Linux ODBC Driver
Driver=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib/libcwbdodbc.so
Setup=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib/libcwbodbcs.so
Driver64=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib64/libcwbdodbc.so
Setup64=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib64/libcwbodbcs.so
Threading=0
DontDLClose=1
UsageCount=1
CPTimeout=60
[IBM i Access ODBC Driver 64-bit]
Description=IBM i Access for Linux 64-bit ODBC Driver
Driver=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib64/libcwbdodbc.so
Setup=/opt/ibm/iaccess/lib64/libcwbodbcs.so
Threading=0
DontDLClose=1
UsageCount=1
CPTimeout=60

2.3 Define IBM i Data Source

Edit /etc/odbc.ini and add your system config:

[MyIBMiDataSource]
Description=Connection to IBM i via ODBC
Driver=IBM i Access ODBC Driver 64-bit
System=192.168.1.100
UserID=myuser
Password=mypassword
Naming=1
DefaultLibraries=MYLIB

Security Tip: Avoid saving credentials in this file for production. Instead:

• Use ~/.odbc.ini per user
• Use scripts to pass credentials securely at runtime

2.4 Test the Connection

Use the isql command:

isql -v MyIBMiDataSource myuser mypassword

The expected output will confirm a successful connection.

Step 3: Enable IBM i Extension in Dynatrace

Dynatrace provides a native IBM i Extension (via ActiveGate) that connects using ODBC and fetches real-time data.

How to Enable:

1. Go to Dynatrace Hub
2. Search for “IBM i”
3. Click Activate Extension
4. Provide configuration:
   • Hostname/IP of IBM i
   • Port (default: 8470)
   • Username/Password
   • Frequency (e.g., every 1 min)
   • ActiveGate group (must have access to IBM i)

Ensure firewall access is granted from ActiveGate to IBM i host.

Step 4: View IBM i Data in Dynatrace

After a successful setup, metrics begin flowing into Dynatrace.

Use these views:

• Dashboards: Add IBM i tiles like CPU usage, ASP usage, job counts

• Data Explorer: Query metrics such as:

  builtin:ibmi.cpu.usage
  builtin:ibmi.job.count
  builtin:ibmi.disk.asp.used

• Example DQL

  fetch timeseries avg(builtin:ibmi.cpu.usage)
  | filter entity.name == "IBMi_System_1"
  | summarize avg

Tip:

Group IBM i systems with tags or Management Zones to organize legacy infrastructure monitoring separately.

Final Thoughts

Integrating IBM i into a modern observability solution like Dynatrace:

• Unlocks visibility into systems that traditionally existed in silos.
• Helps bridge the gap between legacy and cloud-native workloads.
• Showcases how Linux system knowledge + Dynatrace automation can drive value.