October, 2008

CA looks to “exploit” the zIIP

Mainframe software giant CA today announced a new version of IDMS, its mainframe database management system, that in particular takes advantage of the zIIP specialty processor on big iron to save users money.

The zIIP, which stands for z Integrated Information Processor, is a mainframe processor designed specifically to run database-like workloads. DB2 has been a popular choice for the zIIP. It joins other specialty processors like the Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) and z Application Assist Processor (zAAP), which are geared toward Linux and Java apps.

One of the benefits of these specialty engines is that you don’t have to pay software licensing costs for the workloads that run there. That is probably the most direct savings you’re going to get.

But as I’ve written before, some of the real savings can be getting workloads off the central processors, because that can free up enough space there so that users can defer having to buy another mainframe. It’s that seven- or eight-figure capital cost of a new mainframe that can be the really big, possible savings when moving workloads to these side engines.

CA also announced that its Datacom software, another database management system, is in beta release and will also be able to run on the zIIP.

A mainframe on layaway, and other IBM incentives

In a move taken from auto dealerships and furniture companies, IBM is offering a way for mainframe users — or wannabe mainframe users — to get big iron now without having to pay for it until later.

Last week IBM announced the z10 Business Class, a smaller counterpart to its big honcho, the z10 Enterprise Class. The z10 BC starts at about $100,000. It’s far less than a seven- or eight-figure EC, but still, it’s not pocket change in this current economic climate. As part of the announcement, IBM is offering a financing deal. Order one now, and you don’t have to make a payment for 90 days.

Can you see the commercial now? Can you see the different color balloons floating around the mainframe retail store, luring unknowing customers into buying a mainframe? Actually, though, financing deals in the IT world are nothing new, said Mike Kahn of The Clipper Group.

“It’s an incentive to bring business in this year,” he said. “They’re ramping up product and getting it ready to ship. A lot of people would say they don’t have any budget left. The economy is down and they’ve blown their budget for this quarter. They might not have any money this quarter but they might have it next quarter.”

Kahn added that IT vendors often have end-of-the-year deals, where they might throw in extra memory at no cost to try to get product out the door by the end of the quarter. IBM’s move is just another end-of-year deal.

Specialty engines cut in half

The other big financial incentive that IBM announced at the same time was that the specialty engines for the z10 BC would be half price — so about $45,000 instead of almost $100,000.

The specialty engines include the zIIP, zAAP and IFL, which are geared toward running database, Java and Linux applications, respectively. Those less fond of IBM and its mainframe have called them stripped-down z/OS engines, and to an extent, that’s true. Either way, the specialty engines have offered a way to get traditionally non-mainframe applications — Linux and Java especially — running on big iron in a consolidated fashion on top of z/VM, big iron’s virtualization operating system.

During the announcement, IBM officials said they are gearing the z10 BC to be a big consolidation play, where users take a bunch of their x86 Linux servers and stuff them onto the mainframe. Reducing the cost of the specialty engines could help it work.

 ”They believe this is a real opportunity for them and customers to rethink what they’re doing with these more open applications,” Kahn said.

Kahn added that if you’re running a z9 Business Class with specialty engines, and you decide to upgrade to the z10 Business Class, IBM will give you the upgraded specialty engine at no charge.

“That’s like if somebody says they’ll take old used tires off my car and give me better tires,” he said. “I could use a few of those deals in my life.”

Cloud computing = mainframe rehash?

Andi Baritchi, who is listed as being a senior security consultant for a Fortune 100 company, recently wrote that cloud computing is the completion of a loop back to the mainframe.

How so? It takes the computing power back out of the hands of consumers and puts it back into the hands of the internal IT employees and third-party vendors. Take a look:

Since history does tend to repeat itself cyclically, I see this whole cloud computing movement as nothing more than a reincarnation of the classic mainframe client-server model. People want painless access to their data and applications from wherever they are, from whatever electronic gizmo they happen to be using. Sometimes we’re on a computer. A laptop. A desktop. A smartphone. A smartTV. A smartfridge. A smartcar…?

There has been a lot of talk about cloud computing being like utility computing, or grid computing, or other types of recent client-based computing infrastructures. Baritchi is saying here that it goes back even further, to the days of dumb terminals and mainframes.

According to Baritchi, the vendors out there that are doing the best job of it are Apple with the iPhone, and Google with Android. Either way, he’s excited about the reversion:

As a side note, this is a very exciting time for me being a security and privacy guy. This feverish movement back to client server to the cloud will see many security lapses. It’s gonna be a fun ride.

Mainframe revenue the brightest star among IBM systems

On the hardware side, mainframe revenue for the fiscal third quarter performed far and away better than other IBM server platforms, presumably because Big Blue just came out with the System z10 earlier this year.

System z revenue was up 25%. Meanwhile, the “converged System p” platform, which is the System i and p combined, rose 7%, although that increase is somewhat misleading because it compares to only the System p platform from last year. System x revenue plummeted 18%.

IBM added that there was “double-digit growth in all geographies” for mainframe server revenue. Total delivery of mainframe computing power, measured in millions of instructions per second (MIPS), increased 49%.

Major System z announcement next Tuesday

IBM will hold a System-z related announcement at 10am Eastern next Tuesday, Oct. 21. You can register for the System z webcast here.

The event will include Karl Freund, VP of System z marketing, and Mike Augustine, the System z product manager, as the featured speakers. Others involved in a live Q&A at the event will be:

• John Eells, z/OS Technical Marketing
• Allen Marin, System Storage Market Manager
• Nancy Scala, Linux and z/VM Product Manager
• Kurt Johnson, System z Software Market Manager
• Greg Hutchison, IBM System z, Certified IT Specialist and Advanced Technical Support

Here’s a summary of the event:

There is new System z technology on the horizon that could change the way your organization thinks about mainframes. Technology that delivers the granular scalability, flexibility, and resiliency you need — at the lower capacity entry point you want. Its advanced technology fights old myths and perceptions – it’s not just for banks and insurance companies.

For any organization that wants to ramp up innovation, boost efficiencies and lower costs – pretty much any enterprise, any size, any location, z Can Do IT.

The Webcast description repeats “z Can Do IT” enough times that I’m wondering whether Rob Schneider might make a guest appearance.

Anyway, my guess is that the announcement will be for the “Business Class” version of the System z10 — a smaller version of the big boy. But I don’t have any definitive knowledge on it.

The Mainframe blog on Typepad had a blurb about this but for some reason has taken it down.