- 217-299 IBM Maximo for Aviation V7.6.6 and IBM Maximo Asset Configuration Manager V7.6.6 streamline processes, improve asset management feature set, and add enhanced support
- 217-371 IBM High Performance Services adds additional IBM Spectrum™ Computing software options
- 217-402 IBM IoT Predictive Maintenance and Optimization V1.0.1 adds IBM SPSS® Modeler V18.1 to enhance analytics capabilities, and changes support for projects with Hadoop-based requirements
- 217-433 IBM Watson™ Video Enrichment allows content owners and distributors to improve content discovery and recommendations and can help increase operational efficiency
- 217-457 IBM Bluemix® Local System and IBM PureApplication® System firmware V2.2.4 deliver capabilities for license tracking and VMware virtual machine deployments
- 217-473 IBM Aspera® platform enhances client, web, and mobile apps to improve user experience and high-speed file transfer capabilities in hybrid cloud environments
- 217-480 IBM Prescriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private helps deliver the quality of process, materials, components, and products
- 217-489 Revised effective withdrawal from marketing date for IBM BigInsights
- 217-498 Revised information: IBM Business Process Manager V8.6
- 617-023 IBM® Cloud Private Storage, a dedicated hosted private storage cloud, leverages the latest in industry storage technologies for the right solution to improve your business agility and peace of mind
- 917-163 Services withdrawal: Declaration of plan to discontinue lease, rental, and maintenance services for selected machines
- 917-164 Cloud Service withdrawal and access discontinuance: IBM z™ Operational Insights
Software Announcements
IBM Watson™ Video Enrichment allows content owners and distributors to improve content discovery and recommendations and can help increase operational efficiency
Overview
IBM Watson Video Enrichment uses Watson™ cognitive capabilities to analyze textual, audio, and visual data within multimedia content. This allows you to build searchable metadata packages for assets in your library.
Watson Video Enrichment is designed to extract various metadata automatically from videos that include:
- Transcription of spoken words
- Profanity
- Scenes
- Semantic categories
- Associated concepts
- Entities
- Objects visible
- Emotions
- Sentiment
The service is accessible primarily from an API for integration with existing video processing workflows. Additionally, a web interface allows you to monitor the extraction of metadata and review the results that are generated by the service.
Key prerequisites
Watson Video Enrichment requires an internet connection and a workstation with a browser.
For specific browser requirements, refer to the Technical information section.
Planned availability date
September 19, 2017
IBM High Performance Services adds additional IBM Spectrum™ Computing software options
At a glance
IBM High Performance Services portfolio expands with new options for IBM Spectrum Computing software. These new options include:
- Five Call Support Pack
- IBM Spectrum Scale™ Capacity Edition
- Health Check
- Client directed HPC services
- Design and Benchmarking service
- IBM ASPERA one time setup
- IBM Spectrum RTM one time setup
- Hybrid Cloud one time setup
- IBM Spectrum Symphony® GPU Harvesting
Overview
High Performance Services enables speedy deployment of technical computing and analytics workloads in the cloud regardless of the cloud being used as a foundation. When using these services, you can easily meet additional resource demands without the cost of purchasing or managing in-house infrastructure, minimizing your administrative burden and quickly addressing evolving business needs.
Recent Cloud Service updates align High Performance Services portfolio with additional IBM Spectrum Computing software.
5 Call Support Pack
This support offering is geared for clients who do not want to engage managed services for cost, scope, or security reasons, but still want a limited support option in the event that something no longer functions and support is needed to get the problem diagnosed and resolved. This option gives the client the right to call IBM Support five times for separate support issues over a 90-day period.
IBM Spectrum Scale Capacity Edition
Some clients require smaller filesystems that are shared globally, but have high speed I/O requirements. The nature of speed in IBM Spectrum Scale is parallelism, which requires multiple servers, and each server typically has multiple sockets. This provides a client the capability to pay for IBM Spectrum Scale as a cloud service by usable capacity.
Health Check
Many clients have built their own environments or have had their environments built for them by a third party. In cases where those clients are running IBM Spectrum LSF®, IBM Spectrum Symphony, or IBM Spectrum Scale, the clients can request that the High Performance Services cloud team access the environment and perform a set of tasks which evaluate how the environment is setup, how it is running, the workload character, and provide recommendations for possible improvements.
Client directed HPC services
Some clients outsource their high-performance computing (HPC) to a managed service and need additional help beyond standard managed services for the operating system. For example, a client might require help installing their applications. The Client directed HPC services offering enables the HPC cloud services team to help clients beyond its standard scope.
Design and Benchmarking service
In HPC, the process of understanding the client's applications is an important first step to deploying a solution that achieves a client's performance goals. This knowledge is vertical-specific and specialized, and can be combined with the process of running benchmarks to verify understanding as well as certify a vendor's ability to deliver high performance. In cases where a client wants to purchase a cloud service but does not know what to buy, this option quantifies the value of IBM HPC support in the form of a documented design before the client goes into production.
IBM ASPERA one time setup
IBM ASPERA is a tool to accelerate data transfers. This option accounts for the extra services associated with configuring a server, installing, and configuring that software to function.
IBM Spectrum LSF RTM one time setup
IBM Spectrum LSF RTM is a tool to monitor and report on the aspects of an IBM Spectrum LSF environment, stand-alone, and hybrid. This option accounts for the extra services associated with configuring a server, installing, and configuring that software to function.
Hybrid Cloud one time setup
Hybrid cloud (on-premises direct cluster-to-cluster connection to the cloud) requires a significant increase in support and configuration complexity. This option accounts for the extra services associated with configuring such an environment, installing, and configuring the additional services and security required to make such an environment function.
IBM Spectrum Symphony GPU Harvesting
More applications are being adapted to use accelerators for the computationally heaviest parts of their processes. As a result, the need to support cloud-level monthly and hourly per-GPU granularity for those applications is a natural next step, and builds on the IBM High Performance Services for Analytics offering.
Key prerequisites
An internet connection and browser are required.
Planned availability date
September 19, 2017
IBM Bluemix® Local System and IBM PureApplication® System firmware V2.2.4 deliver capabilities for license tracking and VMware virtual machine deployments
Overview
IBM Bluemix Local System V2.2.4 and IBM PureApplication System firmware V2.2.4 enable dramatic time reduction for central IT with enhancements to key features:
- License tracking is updated to support both license and subcapacity license tracking with IBM License Metric Tool.
- Backup and restore capabilities can be leveraged by using IBM Tivoli® Storage Manager for Virtual Environments.
- Open Virtualization Format (OVF), Open Virtualization Application (OVA), and Open Virtualization Appliance (OVA) virtualization file formats are supported for user-managed, virtual machine deployments with VMware vCenter, delivered in Version 2.2.3.
Enhancements to existing features
- Docker containers
- IBM Tivoli Monitoring
- Java™
- IBM WebSphere® Application Server
- Base operating system images for Red Hat Enterprise Linux™ and IBM AIX®
- Resiliency for pattern infrastructure
- Resiliency for Power® VM migrations
This release is available to all new and existing clients of PureApplication System W1500, W1700, W2500, W2700, and W3700 appliances and Bluemix Local System W3500 and W3550 appliances with current subscription and support.
Key prerequisites
PureApplication Software Suite requires one of the following:
-
Bluemix Local System W3500 or W3550 appliances
-
Intel™, IBM POWER7®, or POWER8® servers
-
IBM Softlayer
PureApplication Software V2.2.4 requires one of the following:
-
Bluemix Local System W3500 or W3550
-
PureApplication System W3700, W2700, W2500, W1700, or W1500 appliances
-
Intel, IBM POWER7, or POWER8 servers
-
IBM Softlayer
Planned availability date
September 29, 2017
IBM IoT Predictive Maintenance and Optimization V1.0.1 adds IBM SPSS® Modeler V18.1 to enhance analytics capabilities, and changes support for projects with Hadoop-based requirements
At a glance
IBM IoT Predictive Maintenance and Optimization provides a suite of data ingestion, analytics, visualization, and reporting capabilities to manufacturers and operators of connected assets to provide insight into the health of their assets. The program includes a line of business application which offers asset insight and analytics capabilities to help manufacturers predict degradation and failure of critical manufacturing equipment issues.
Version 1.0.1 of Predictive Maintenance and Optimization includes the following enhancements and changes:
- IBM SPSS Modeler V18.1 is bundled with this release, improving analytics capabilities.
- Integrates to Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) for Hadoop data lake access. BigInsights® is no longer included as part of this program. Organizations that require access to Apache Hadoop data lakes must obtain an entitlement to an alternative program such as IBM Big SQL.
Overview
IBM IoT Predictive Maintenance and Optimization V1.0.1 offers advanced analytics, business intelligence, dashboards, and visualization capabilities that enable organizations to develop applications with which to monitor, maintain, and optimize assets for better availability, utilization, and performance.
Version 1.0.1 of Predictive Maintenance and Optimization:
- Bundles IBM SPSS Modeler V18.1, which is a comprehensive data science platform for professional analysts and data scientists.
- Integrates to HDP for its Hadoop data lake capabilities. Existing BigInsights users will continue to be supported while remaining on previous versions of Predictive Maintenance and Optimization. Entitlements to BigInsights are no longer available. Organizations that have enterprise data lake requirements can consider using IBM Big SQL, which enables users to query Apache Hive and HBase data using ANSI-compliant SQL.
Predictive Maintenance and Optimization V1.0.1 includes a line of business application which offers asset insight and analytics capabilities to help manufacturers predict degradation and failure of critical manufacturing equipment issues earlier than traditional condition-based maintenance methods. This application requires the installation and configuration of HDP, which is available for download, installation, and use at no charge.
Hortonworks Data Platform for IBM is a support-only 12-month offering that delivers 24x7 technical support for HDP. An annual subscription for optional support is available for purchase through Passport Advantage® or Passport Advantage Express®.
Key prerequisites
Refer to the Software requirements and Hardware requirements sections.
Planned availability date
September 22, 2017: Electronic download
October 10, 2017: Physical media
IBM Maximo for Aviation V7.6.6 and IBM Maximo Asset Configuration Manager V7.6.6 streamline processes, improve asset management feature set, and add enhanced support
At a glance
IBM Maximo® for Aviation V7.6.6 enhancements include:
- Improved maintenance deferral process
- Extended capability of the Model and Part Number master
- Improved management of Technical Publication and Operator Maintenance Programs (OMPs)
- Improved work order tracking
- Capability to reduce the part receiving and inspection process
- Capability to simplify the procurement of spare parts and streamline the pricing and billing for work
IBM Maximo Asset Configuration Manager V7.6.6 enhancements include:
- Improved maintenance deferral process
- Extended capability of the Model and Part Number master
- Improved management of Technical Publication and OMPs
Overview
IBM Maximo asset management solutions
Maximo for Aviation V7.6.6 provides robust lifecycle management and maintenance management capabilities for both rotary and fixed wing aircraft, and can help organizations that provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul services in the aviation market improve the performance of their operations. With its advanced asset management functions, Maximo for Aviation can help your organization improve asset life, reduce aircraft downtime, and lower the cost of ownership.
New capabilities of this release of Maximo for Aviation help organizations:
- Improve the maintenance deferral process
- Extend the capability of the Model and Part Number master
- Improve the management of Technical Publication
- Improve management of OMPs
- Improve work order tracking
- Reduce the part receiving and inspection process
- Make the procurement of spare parts easier
- Streamline the pricing and billing for work
Maximo Asset Configuration Manager V7.6.6 is an add-on to IBM Maximo Asset Management that helps organizations manage the configuration of high-value, complex, and regulated assets such as aircraft and rail vehicles. It provides near-real-time calculation of an asset's configuration and the life of each component of the asset, enabling more accurate system and component analysis and reporting.
New capabilities of this release of Maximo Asset Configuration Manager help organizations:
- Improve the maintenance deferral process
- Extend the capability of the Model and Part Number master
- Improve the management of Technical Publication
- Improve management of OMPs
Key prerequisites
See the Hardware requirements and Software requirements sections.
Planned availability date
September 22, 2017
See the Availability of national languages section for national language availability.
IBM Aspera® platform enhances client, web, and mobile apps to improve user experience and high-speed file transfer capabilities in hybrid cloud environments
At a glance
IBM Aspera strengthens its suite of high-speed file transfer capabilities with enhancements to the following offerings:
- IBM Aspera Drive V3.1
- IBM Aspera for Microsoft™ SharePoint V2.0
- IBM Aspera on Demand V3.7
- IBM Aspera Files Mobile V2.0 for Android
- IBM Aspera Files Mobile V2.1 for iOS
- IBM Aspera faspex Mobile V3.1.1 for iOS
- IBM Aspera Mobile Uploader V1.1 for Android
Overview
IBM Aspera Drive provides you with the capability to quickly and securely share and exchange large files and data sets directly from the desktop through a simple drag-and-drop interface that is designed to seamlessly integrate within your Windows™ Explorer or Mac Finder. Aspera Drive supports high-speed transfer, package sending and receiving, and background synchronization of files and data sets of any size.
IBM Aspera Drive V3.1 brings new features and capabilities including:
- Sending packages with metadata (Windows and Mac for IBM Aspera Files)
- Check-in and check-out (Windows and Mac for IBM Aspera Files)
- Seamless integration with Windows and Mac File Save dialogue
- Mac Finder enhancements for file check-in and check-out and file status
- Remote transfers between different nodes (IBM Aspera Shares V2.0 and IBM Aspera Files)
IBM Aspera for Microsoft SharePoint helps enable organizations to quickly, predictably, and securely store and access high volumes of large files in Microsoft SharePoint, overcoming SharePoint's file size and repository size limitations and transferring files in and out of SharePoint at much higher speeds.
IBM Aspera for Microsoft SharePoint V2.0 includes performance improvements and the following new capabilities:
- Office 365 service level offering
- Support for Microsoft SharePoint metadata
- Capability to use Aspera web part to transfer assets
IBM Aspera on Demand V3.7 is a full set of Aspera's high-performance server software for deployment on cloud infrastructure. It helps organizations to use the cloud for big data applications that require the movement of data in, out, and across the cloud, such as video ingest, processing and distribution, sharing, and collaboration.
IBM Aspera on Demand V3.7 brings the following new capabilities and performance improvements:
- Performance improvements to the core FASP® protocol
- Increased checksum algorithm support
- Include and exclude filter options
- Transfers of empty directories and sparse files
- Enhancements to Aspera Node API and FASP Manager API
- New support for Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and IBM Cloud Object Storage
Version 3.7 of Aspera on Demand also adds major core updates for the following offerings:
- IBM Aspera Server on Demand
- IBM Aspera Application Platform on Demand
- IBM Aspera faspex on Demand
- IBM Aspera Shares on Demand
- IBM Aspera on Demand Add-on Sync
- IBM Aspera on Demand Add-on Transfer Cluster Manager with Autoscale
IBM Aspera Mobile Apps for iOS and Android help to quickly and efficiently upload and download large files over wifi and cellular networks, ensuring that users can access and transmit videos, files, and images from anywhere using their mobile devices. These apps fully support the FASP security model, which protects content throughout the transfer process. This announcement includes the following mobile application releases with new features:
- IBM Aspera Files Mobile V2.0 for Android
This mobile app helps Aspera Files users quickly exchange files and folders from their mobile device. This version provides full support for Files packages in the mobile app, including access to the Files package inbox and the capability to send packages to any Files recipient.
- IBM Aspera Files Mobile V2.1 for iOS
This release adds the capability to link directly to the app from email and improves the connection to the T-Mobile IPv6 network.
- IBM Aspera faspex Mobile V3.1.1 for iOS
This release strengthens the functionality to share content through the App's Share extension and improves connection to the T-Mobile IPv6 network.
- IBM Aspera Mobile Uploader V1.1 for Android
Uploads are easier with this release, improving the overall user experience.
Key prerequisites
IBM Aspera solutions run on selected levels of Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
See the Hardware requirements and Software requirements sections for details.
Planned availability date
September 22, 2017
Revised effective withdrawal from marketing date for IBM BigInsights
Overview
In Withdrawal Announcement 917-147, dated August 1, 2017, the effective withdrawal from marketing date was incorrectly listed as October 2, 2017. The correct withdrawal from marketing date is August 31, 2017.
Planned availability date
September 19, 2017
IBM Prescriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private helps deliver the quality of process, materials, components, and products
At a glance
IBM Prescriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private provides earlier and more definitive identification of product quality problems in comparison to traditional statistical process control methods. Prescriptive Quality Private can help you:
- Identify substandard materials before they enter the manufacturing process
- Monitor inspections and tests on product assemblies and components during critical manufacturing steps
- Monitor process variables that determine product quality
Overview
A new offering in the IBM IoT for Manufacturing suite of solutions, Prescriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private, an on-premises solution, helps monitor product and process quality. Quality of process, materials, components, and products continues to be an area of keen focus for manufacturing organizations. Quality problems can surface throughout the manufacturing process. Quality of raw materials or components may vary among suppliers, production runs, or delivery dates. Likewise, process quality may vary by location, time of day, production environment, or operator. Quality is critical to the success of automotive, aviation, electronics, chemical and petroleum, consumer goods, food, industrial products, and pharmaceutical industries.
In addition to established methods of obtaining operational data, the Internet of Things (IoT), one of the great technologies of our time, can facilitate immediate and detailed insight into manufacturing quality problems. By infusing intelligence into manufacturing equipment, new capabilities, such as cognitive computing, give businesses deeper insights into manufacturing processes and help unlock the true value of production assets. This new world of intelligence, connectivity, and analytics gives manufacturing organizations a means to obtain a more detailed and accurate understanding and greater control of process and product quality.
Prescriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private helps support quality control throughout the manufacturing process by providing early, more definitive alerts to process and product quality problems. This proactive approach enables personnel to spend less time on problem detection and more time on problem resolution, thereby, helping increase production yield and lower overall operational costs. Quality control personnel benefit from the ability to identify and resolve process and product quality problems as early as possible in the production cycle.
Benefits may extend to other lines of business as well. Procurement may benefit by identifying suppliers who deliver substandard parts, reviewing contractual specifications to remedy problems, or finding a new supplier. Product design can be advised of component modifications, such as a minor change in dimensions to help simplify assembly. Process engineering can fine tune adjustments or make modifications to production equipment, calibration, or an assembly process to eliminate process variation. Operations may benefit from determining that a problem is associated with a prescribed procedure or possibly a need to provide better operator training. Maintenance may benefit through alerts of impending equipment degradation or failures that could result in reduced yield, scrap, or the need for rework.
Established data acquisition methods and newer IoT technologies can deliver a bounty of operational data to the desktops and devices of personnel responsible for process and product quality. In a manufacturing environment, data value is a function of timely analysis that can transform it into meaningful action. The cost of poor quality in a company is high and can impact sales revenue. Detection of quality issues, early in the supply chain or manufacturing process, can deliver significant cost savings. The Quality Early Warning System algorithms provide a significant advantage over traditional Statiscal Process Control (SPC) methods by detecting emerging quality problems sooner and with fewer false alarms. Perscriptive Quality for Manufacturing Private is designed to provide timely, accurate, and relevant alerts to detect, identify, and help proactively remedy quality problems to help improve production yield, reduce scrap and rework, and reduce warranty costs.
Key prerequisites
Refer to the Software requirements and Hardware requirements sections.
Planned availability date
September 22, 2017
Revised information: IBM Business Process Manager V8.6
Overview
In Software Announcement 217-379, dated August 22, 2017, the following functional capability of IBM Business Process Management (IBM BPM) V8.6, was announced and requires further clarification:
Operational Intelligence
Clients can now capture IBM BPM events for external use. This allows them to configure the Dynamic Event Framework (DEF) to subscribe to IBM BPM events that are emitted from BPMN applications, capture these in Elasticsearch, and create custom real-time business reports using Kibana. Clients can archive-restore IBM BPM event data between Elasticsearch and Object Store. Clients can also stream IBM BPM events to popular big-data analytics tools, like Apache Spark by using Kafka.
The following statement clarifies this capability:
This capability is delivered as a technology preview and should not be used in production at this time and is not supported by IBM. It can be used for evaluation purposes only with IBM BPM V8.6 and IBM BPM Express V8.6.
Key prerequisites
Not applicable.
Planned availability date
September 22, 2017 (Electronic delivery)
Services Announcements
IBM® Cloud Private Storage, a dedicated hosted private storage cloud, leverages the latest in industry storage technologies for the right solution to improve your business agility and peace of mind
Overview
Overseeing an IT organization and ensuring that the technology is working correctly and data is in the right place is a tall order these days. Multiple technology and industry shifts are rapidly transforming the IT landscape. As a result, your role is evolving also -- from an IT infrastructure expert to a strategic leader responsible for delivering business value. In addition to keeping the business up and running, now you need a working knowledge of data security, cloud purchasing models, regulatory compliance, and the latest in business innovation.
To improve agility, gain peace of mind, and build a tailored solution for your data, your IT needs to be more efficient. IBM Cloud Private Storage can help your IT enhance the bottom line. This "as a service" offering delivers managed capacity with a dedicated hosted private storage cloud. To your users, this is a technology black box with service levels of performance and availability. You can take advantage of virtually unlimited storage, accelerated application performance, and scaling to support your business needs.
Planned availability date
September 19, 2017
Withdrawal Announcements
Services withdrawal: Declaration of plan to discontinue lease, rental, and maintenance services for selected machines
Overview
Periodically, IBM provides notice to customers of plans to terminate services for IBM machines under an IBM Agreement. At this time, we are providing notice that selected machine types, models, and features will be discontinued from maintenance services. IBM will send no further correspondence of this nature for these machine types, models, features, or RPQs.
After the effective date, IBM will no longer offer standard hardware maintenance service for the listed machine types. IBM will offer limited hardware maintenance service available without lapse in coverage for select machine types.
For a list of affected products and effective dates, refer to the Description section.
Cloud Service withdrawal and access discontinuance: IBM z™ Operational Insights
Product withdrawal
Effective October 19, 2017, IBM will withdraw from marketing program and features licensed under the IBM Cloud Services Agreement:
Product identifier number | Product name | Withdrawal date |
---|---|---|
5725-U56 | IBM z Operational Insights | October 19, 2017 |
Access to this service will be discontinued effective December 19, 2017. You will continue to receive support in accordance with the applicable IBM agreement, until the effective discontinuance of service date.
Statement of general direction - withdrawal
IBM withdraws the statement of direction made in relation to IBM z Operational Insights, in Software Announcement 217-024, dated March 14, 2017.
IBM's statements regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at IBM's sole discretion. Information regarding potential future products is intended to outline our general product direction and it should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. Information about potential future products may not be incorporated into any contract. The development, release, and timing of any future features or functionality described for our products remain at our sole discretion.
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