Neon Enterprise
Softwarehas been providing software to the mainframe
markets to optimise systems management, application and database
performance since 1995. It has carved itself a respectable niche in
a market that, far from suffering the death envisaged when the PC
and the mini-server came to market over 20 years ago, still
provides IBM with a very respectable part of its revenues,writes Clive Longbottom, service director, business process
analysis atQuocirca.
For IBM, the mainframe has gone through a bit of a renaissance,
as such systems have become more cost effective, required less
management resource, have standardised at the hardware and software
levels and have also opened up to be able to run Linux as well as
IBM's own z/OS (nee MVS). But the biggest change in mainframe
direction has been the launch by IBM of "specialty engines" -
separate processor units that allow specific workloads to be
offloaded from the mainframe central processors, and run on
lower-cost specialty processors run within the mainframe.
The difference is in the usage models; software run on central
processors is paid for on a MIPS basis, whereas the specialty
engine is a costed as a one off fee. Therefore, adding MIPS as
central processors changes the software licence costs, adding
specialty engines keeps the cost the same.
IBM has two types of
speciality engine - the zIIP (System z integrated information
processor) and the zAAP (System z application assist processor).
Each is focused on different areas of mainframe work, but each has
the end result of speeding up overall performance, while minimising
the need for new mainframe central processor MIPS to be bought -
and so to collapse the operational cost model.
zIIPs and zAAPs have been so successful that they now account
for around 60% of IBM's mainframe MIPS shipped. But, as shipped,
they only do certain things - this is where Neon comes in.
Neon's
zPrime enables the mainframe to offload almost any z/OS
workload to the specialty engine, and to do it in an intelligent
manner. If the specialty engine is already fully utilised, the
workload will run on the central processors. However, if there is
room on the specialty engine to run a workload there, then that
engine will be utilised. Through basic setting of priorities, the
user can decide which workloads can be run effectively on the
lower-cost specialty engines rather than on the central processors,
so running on the fixed price processor, rather than the MIPS-based
central processors.
Neon's own analysis with early-stage customers shows around a
20% saving for the customer in hardware and software costs. And
this is where things could get interesting.
Firstly, Neon seems to have caught IBM a little unaware - IBM
has rushed out a response to zPrime, warning users that IBM has yet
to fully understand how zPrime works, and what impact this could
have on any workloads. The underlying message seems to be "caveat
emptor", and looks like a knee-jerk reaction from IBM in trying to
shore up its true mainframe software sales.
But it looks as if zPrime could be a good thing for IBM to
embrace. Much of the mainframe asset base is still on older
systems, which are becoming very expensive to run and maintain,
with far higher power and cooling requirements than the newer
systems. With the S/390 and even older z series servers, it is
marginal as to whether they should be upgraded - but any upgrade
review may come down on the side of moving away from the mainframe
completely.
If the overall cost of acquisition of a z9 or z10 could be
reduced by even 10%, the decision becomes easier. At 20% it starts
to be a bit of a no-brainer. If Neon's figures are correct, zPrime
could help drive the upgrade cycle for mainframes, providing IBM
with far higher z9/z10 sales, an uptick in zIIP/zAAP sales, and a
renewed focus on the mainframe.
Indeed, in many situations, a highly virtualised mainframe
running z/OS and Linux as a cloud platform makes a great deal more
sense than a massive estate of x86/x64-based racks. If zPrime can
make the financial equation easier for a buyer to swallow, all to
the good.
IBM's first response seems to be a little narrow minded and
short sighted. However, IBM is not as slow as it used to be, and
generally figures things out pretty rapidly. The chances are that
zPrime will start to appear in IBM GBS's toolkit in the not too
distant future, enabling a more flexible approach in mainframe
sales.