IBM i upgrades / Dev Tools

Hello Gang!

Pertaining to my previous question. I want to stream line "Normalize" our database. What we have inherited is almost completely flat.

The whole purpose of this development effort is to create the best web user experience with our financing interface. PHP is my primary language of choice for back end logic. If I could make RPG handle only the DB2 SQL and hand off the data to PHP, then after PHP validates data, pass it back to RPG for storage; that would be ideal.

I do not want business logic in RPG... I do not understand it like I do PHP. RPG just seems so archaic. Even Free RPG.



I just found out that we have a v6r1 box. It is a used box from another company. I have also found out that we are not leasing a our v7r1, we own it.

So I have 2 boxes; one for Development and one for Production.

Of course I want to upgrade the v6r1 to at least v7r1... but should I go ahead and take it to v7r2?

How much does this cost, or if I have to ask, I should not play?

And this is another decision made for me. Since we "OWN" the hardware, there is no way I am ditching IBM i for a LAMP box.

Any guidance is most appreciated.