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IBM i (AS/400) System Values Reference

System values are the global settings of an IBM i partition, and most audits, migrations and weird behavior in a JD Edwards World shop trace back to one of them. This table lists the ones admins look at first and why.

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System value	Area	What it controls	Why it gets checked
QSECURITY	Security	System security level (20, 30, 40, 50)	Level 40 or 50 is the normal target. Changing it needs an IPL.
QPWDLVL	Security	Password level (0 to 3)	Levels 2 and 3 allow passphrases up to 128 characters. IPL required, and old clients may break.
QPWDMINLEN	Security	Minimum password length	Audit finding if left at a very short value.
QPWDMAXLEN	Security	Maximum password length	Must be consistent with QPWDLVL.
QPWDEXPITV	Security	Days before a password expires	*NOMAX means passwords never expire, which auditors flag.
QPWDRQDDIF	Security	Required difference from previous passwords	Stops users reusing recent passwords.
QMAXSIGN	Security	Allowed consecutive failed sign-on attempts	Too high allows password guessing.
QMAXSGNACN	Security	Action when QMAXSIGN is reached	Disable the device, the profile, or both.
QLMTSECOFR	Security	Limit security officer and all-object users to authorized devices	Set to 1 so powerful profiles cannot sign on from any terminal.
QINACTITV	Security	Minutes of inactivity before action is taken	Controls idle green-screen sessions.
QINACTMSGQ	Security	Message queue or action for inactive jobs	Used with QINACTITV.
QAUDCTL	Auditing	Turns auditing controls on (AUDLVL, OBJAUD, *NOTAVL)	Without it the audit journal gets no entries.
QAUDLVL	Auditing	Which event types are written to the audit journal	Typical values include AUTFAIL, SECURITY, CREATE, DELETE, *SAVRST.
QCRTAUT	Security	Default public authority for newly created objects	Public authority on new libraries inherits from this.
QALWOBJRST	Security	Which object types may be restored	Restrict after migrations are finished.
QVFYOBJRST	Security	Signature verification when restoring objects	Controls whether unsigned programs can be restored.
QRMTSIGN	Security	Handling of remote sign-on requests	Relevant for pass-through and some 5250 emulation paths.
QDSPSGNINF	Security	Display sign-on information after sign-on	Lets users see last sign-on and failed attempts.
QCCSID	Globalization	Default coded character set identifier	65535 means no conversion, a common cause of garbled text in ODBC and SQL.
QCNTRYID	Globalization	Default country or region ID	Drives defaults for date, currency and decimal formats.
QLANGID	Globalization	Default language ID	Affects message text and sort behavior.
QSRTSEQ	Globalization	Default sort sequence	Changes query results order for character columns.
QDATFMT	Date and time	Default date format (YMD, MDY, DMY, JUL)	Affects RPG and CL programs that rely on job date format.
QDATSEP	Date and time	Date separator character	Mismatch causes date parsing errors in batch jobs.
QTIMSEP	Date and time	Time separator character	Same concern as QDATSEP.
QTIMZON	Date and time	System time zone	Check after moving a partition to another site.
QCURSYM	Date and time	Currency symbol	Used in edited numeric output.
QDECFMT	Date and time	Decimal format (period or comma)	Affects printed reports and numeric edit codes.
QSTRUPPGM	Startup	Program run after IPL starts the controlling subsystem	Where site-specific subsystem and job startup normally lives.
QCTLSBSD	Startup	Controlling subsystem description	Usually QCTL. Changing it alters what starts at IPL.
QIPLTYPE	Startup	Type of IPL (attended, unattended)	Matters for scheduled power on/off.
QACTJOB	Resources	Initial number of active job structures	Sizing hint at IPL.
QTOTJOB	Resources	Initial total number of jobs	Sizing hint at IPL.
QPFRADJ	Resources	Automatic performance adjustment of memory pools	Often left on 2 or 3, reviewed during performance tuning.
QSYSLIBL	Library list	System portion of the library list	Order matters when JDE World objects share names.
QUSRLIBL	Library list	User portion of the initial library list	Default for jobs without their own list.
QPRTDEV	Printing	Default printer device	Spool files go here when no printer is given.
QMODEL	System identity	System model number (read only)	Needed for vendor license keys.
QSRLNBR	System identity	System serial number (read only)	Needed for vendor license keys.
QSCANFS	Security	Scan file systems on open and close for integrated file system objects	Used with virus scanning exit programs.

Run WRKSYSVAL on the system to see current values. Available values and defaults vary by IBM i release, so check the IBM documentation for your level.

System value comparison across partitions

Optional: we can build a read-only report that compares system values and library lists between your production and test partitions.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the table

Type part of a name or an area such as Security into the search box to narrow the list. On the IBM i, run WRKSYSVAL or DSPSYSVAL to compare each value with your target. Export the table to Excel and add columns for Current value and Target value, then use it as an audit working paper. Do not change a system value during business hours without a rollback plan, since several of them, including QSECURITY and QPWDLVL, only take effect after an IPL.

Values that most often cause trouble

A small group of values explains most surprises. QCCSID at 65535 leaves character data untagged, so ODBC and SQL tools show garbage for accented text. QDATFMT, QDATSEP and QDECFMT change how batch programs read dates and numbers. QSECURITY sets how objects are protected. Review these first when an interface that worked on the old partition fails on the new one.

QCCSID: 65535 means no conversion
QDATFMT and QDATSEP: job date handling
QSECURITY and QPWDLVL: IPL needed to change
QAUDCTL and QAUDLVL: audit evidence
QSTRUPPGM: hidden startup logic

Using it for audits and migrations

For a security audit, collect QSECURITY, the QPWD* group, QMAXSIGN, QMAXSGNACN, QLMTSECOFR, QAUDCTL and QAUDLVL. For a hardware or partition move, compare the full list between source and target with a side by side report, since drift in QTIMZON, QCCSID and QSYSLIBL is common. Keep a dated copy of the list in your change records so you can show what was set at each point in time.

Common mistakes

Changing QPWDLVL without checking that every client, FTP script and emulator supports the new level locks people out. Setting QAUDLVL very broadly floods the journal receiver and fills disk. Editing QSYSLIBL to fix one job changes the list for every job. Treat the system library list as a shared structure and prefer library list changes in the job description or the JDE World user profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I see the current value of a system value?

Run DSPSYSVAL SYSVAL(QSECURITY) for one value or WRKSYSVAL to browse the full list. In SQL on newer releases you can also query the SYSTEM_VALUE_INFO view in QSYS2. Always check the IBM documentation for your release because available values differ.

Which system values need an IPL to take effect?

QSECURITY and QPWDLVL are the best known ones. Others apply immediately or to new jobs only. The help text in WRKSYSVAL tells you when a change takes effect, so read it before changing a production system.

Why does QCCSID 65535 cause problems?

It tells the system not to convert character data between code pages, so jobs and tools assume their own CCSID. ODBC and Java based tools then show unreadable characters for anything beyond basic ASCII. Many shops set a real CCSID such as 37 and tag files accordingly.

Is this the full list of system values?

No. IBM i has well over a hundred system values. This table covers the ones that most often appear in audits, migrations and troubleshooting for JD Edwards World shops. Use WRKSYSVAL for the complete list on your release.

If you want a read-only report of these values compared across partitions and linked to your ERP data, Netray can build one on your own hardware.

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