iSeries’ changing colors
From legacy code crunching to Web services support and autonomic computing, this often-underestimated platform can match any IT environment
Follow @infoworldQuick! Do you know which platform can concurrently run multiple operating systems, including multiple Linux and Windows servers; execute your Web services and J2EE strategy; integrate with .Net; and host Web applications and data warehouses with ease?
The answer might be already sitting in the corner of your datacenter, crunching on code. Michael Williams, vice president of information systems at O’Reilly Auto Parts calls it “IBM’s best kept secret”: iSeries, the chameleon of server platforms, capable of filling nearly any role in the enterprise including running the entire shop.
Yet iSeries remains an oft-misunderstood platform. “IT executives unfamiliar with the platform can’t imagine its incomparable reliability and ease of use,” Williams says. “One of the most common misconceptions about the iSeries is that it is limited to only OS/400 and RPG,” which may stem from the iSeries’ AS/400 and System 3X legacy roots.
In the past, IBM’s AS/400 models provided a solid and reliable mechanism for supporting core business applications, such as those written using RPG, Cobol, and PL/1. The iSeries supports these same core business functions, but adds integrated access to evolving technologies including open source software, Web services, and advanced clustering.
Thanks to its adaptable structure, it’s now possible for iSeries to act in one or more of three platform roles: front-end server, to support Web-based graphical user interfaces; middle-tier platform, to execute business logic; and back-end system, to easily manage large data sets.
If you still think of that big black box in the corner as just a platform
to execute legacy code, there’s a lot you’re missing. Knowing a bit more about iSeries’ abilities can yield significant cost-savings while deploying advanced technologies.
One to Many
Implementing a consolidated server strategy on the iSeries doesn’t change server administration tasks, such as applying security patches or managing user accounts. But it will help enterprises save a significant amount of time and money by better managing hardware and infrastructure tasks, such as performing server upgrades and centralizing backup and recovery measures. Combining multiple servers in a single footprint reduces expenditures, regardless of whether the iSeries is running Windows, Linux, or OS/400.
“It is not about taking away the various servers, but rather leveraging [iSeries] technology to consolidate and reduce the burden of support, increase reliability, reduce the total cost of ownership, and centralize services such as backup and recovery,” explains Nigel Fortlage, vice president of information technology at GHY International.
A recent IDC study shows considerable savings for shops that consolidated Windows and Linux servers on the iSeries. The study found that customers averaged an ROI of 200 percent or better with the iSeries. In addition, these shops found payback in approximately nine months, a 90 percent reduction in server downtime, and a 22 percent increase in IT productivity.
As Amit Dave, senior technical staff member for iSeries at IBM, puts it, “iSeries is the antithesis of the server farm.” Instead of running 100 different Windows servers using Intel hardware, a site might consolidate 100 servers into one iSeries server. The iSeries supports an identical workload and serves the same applications while reducing hardware costs and increasing uptime.
