29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

IBM Adds Options to iSeries Portfolio

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

On September 5, IBM took the unusual step of making several important iSeries announcements at the end of a business week. The announcements included the unveiling of two new server offerings, important changes to the iSeries Enterprise Editions, and some faster hardware features.

The new server offerings--the iSeries for Capacity BackUp and the iSeries for High Availability--provide customers with options for ensuring the continuity of their IT operations. The iSeries for Capacity BackUp is a Model 825, 870, or 890 that acts as an off-site "hot spare" server to which customers can relocate IT systems in case of a disaster. The iSeries for Capacity BackUp offerings come configured with a smaller number of active CPUs and a larger number of standby processors than their standard counterparts. During normal operations, customers are free to run any software they want (provided they pay for it) on the active processors. If a disaster strikes, customers can transfer their IT systems to the server and temporarily activate as many of the standby CPUs as they need to support workloads.

The Capacity BackUp servers cost significantly less than Enterprise Editions of the same iSeries models but more than the corresponding Standard Edition models. So why would you purchase a Capacity BackUp offering for a hot spare system instead of a Standard Edition? There are three reasons why you would do so.

1. In the event of a disaster (defined by IBM as an unforeseen event beyond your control that requires an off-site system to resume operations), you can temporarily activate standby processors on the iSeries for Capacity BackUp servers at no additional charge. On a Standard Edition, you pay for every processor day beyond the initial 14 no-charge days that come with the server.

2. While the iSeries Standard Edition does not support 5250 workloads, the Capacity BackUp offerings support the same unlimited 5250 capacity as the Enterprise Editions. If your IT operations will require 5250 capacity during a disaster, a Standard Edition won't help you.

3. Finally, the iSeries for Capacity BackUp offerings include a voucher for one free IBM high availability or disaster recovery service. The Standard Editions include no services.

While the iSeries for Capacity BackUp offerings are for off-site disaster recovery, the iSeries for High Availability offerings provide failover protection for on-site outages. The offering comes in Model 825, 870, and 890 versions that are physically identical to the Enterprise Edition versions of these models. The only differences are that they come with less software and they carry list prices that are anywhere from 20% to 38% lower than those for similarly configured Enterprise Editions. Customers who purchase the Model 890 offerings will get the smaller list price discounts, though many of them will probably be able to negotiate discounts of 35% to 40%. Customers who purchase the Model 825 and 870 offerings will get list price discounts of 30% to 38% but will probably be less successful than 890 owners in negotiating discounts.

Of course, customers will have to meet some conditions to receive these discounts. While a company can run any workload it wants on an iSeries for High Availability server, it must connect the server to a primary server that is also a Model 825, 870, or 890. The High Availability server must be smaller than or equal to the size of the primary server. In addition, both the primary and High Availability server must be running a qualifying high availability software product from DataMirror, Lakeview Technology, or Vision Solutions. As you might remember from my article last month, I speculated that IBM might include software from iTera or Maximum Availability on the eligibility list for this offering. That has not turned out to be the case, though IBM now lists the two vendors as "Data Recovery/Replication Partners" on its Web site.

In Other News

While it was rolling out new server offerings, IBM took the opportunity to fine-tune the product mix within its existing Enterprise Edition offerings. Effective September 12, the Enterprise Editions of the Models 825, 870, and 890 now include three new products:

• The XML Toolkit for iSeries provides an interface to an XML parser that allows RPG, C, C++, and COBOL programmers to write applications that work with XML documents.

DB2 UDB Workgroup Server Edition for Linux provides a database for use in Linux partitions. It comes with the Enterprise Edition of the Model 810 as well as the 825, 870, and 890.

• In addition, IBM announced that it will include a 20-user version of WebSphere Portal Express Plus for iSeries, which will include Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing (formerly Sametime) and QuickPlace, in the Enterprise Editions of the Models 825, 870, and 890 once IBM starts shipping this product. IBM intends to ship the product--along with the standard version of WebSphere Portal Express for iSeries--sometime during the fourth quarter. Until these products ship, customers who purchase the Enterprise Edition will receive vouchers.

By the way, IBM has decided to drop WebSphere Application Server 4.0 and 5.0 from all Enterprise Editions as of October 12, 2003. From that point onward, all Enterprise Edition orders will include WebSphere Application Server Express.

Finally, IBM juiced up several hardware components to improve iSeries performance. These include an Integrated xSeries Server (IXS) that runs at 2.0 GHz, yet costs the same as previous models running at 1.6 GHz. IBM also unveiled faster PCI-X tape and disk controllers that utilize Fibre Channel interfaces. In the process, Big Blue announced that customers can achieve save/restore rates of up to 5.2 TB per hour by using PCI-X disk controllers, the new Fibre Channel tape controller, and the company's latest Ultrium LTO-2 tape drives.

IBM's announcement fulfilled many of the promises it has made to iSeries customers over the last several months with one notable exception: There was no formal announcement of WebSphere Commerce Express for the iSeries. However, I anticipate that this product will ship next month. In the meantime, IBM's latest offerings will give customers plenty of new options to consider.

Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LEE KROON
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: