Since mainframe software is charged based on the usage
of the core mainframe processor, IBM has developed "specialty"
processors, which provide a way for businesses to lower the
software by offloading applications to a second, lower-cost
processor. The IFL specialty processor runs Linux applications,
while zIIP focuses on databases and zAAP on Java.
Trevor Eddolls, managing director of IT consultant iTech-Ed
Eddolls, estimates that when SAP is run on the IFL specialty Linux
processor, it can save a business a considerable amount of money in
terms of server consolidation. He says users can run multiple Linux
systems, with all the advantages of a mainframe. In effect, a
multi-tier SAP application, with databases, presentation and
application servers, that previously would have required an entire
room of servers and associated network equipment, can all be run on
a single System z mainframe. Trevor Eddolls says, "The mainframe
does not fall over. There are no mainframe viruses. It is an
absolutely stable and secure platform, with five nines uptime
(99.999%)." This equates to 5.26 minutes of downtime per year.
Taking the specialty processor route further, software company
Neon Software has developed an innovative way for users to slash
their mainframe software costs by enabling mainframe applications
to run directly on the IFL, zIIP and zAAP processors.
IBM recently announced an initiative to offer data warehousing,
electronic payments, service orientated architecture and disaster
recovery on the
System z mainframe.
Attracting new mainframe
customers
Ian Bramley, managing director at analyst Software Strategies,
says this latest development means IBM is now trying to attract new
customers and applications to the mainframe. "IBM has spent $10
billion on the mainframe platform over the last 10 years. It is now
offering a complete package at a significantly lower cost than
existing mainframe software" he says. Bramley estimates the cost of
these packages now puts IBM mainframe systems within 20% of the
cost of an HP Integrity-based system, which he believes makes a
compelling case for users to deploy applications on the
mainframe.
IBM has had virtualisation on the mainframe since the 1960s when
it developed a hypervisor called VM. The VM hypervisor allowed the
mainframe to be partitioned, enabling it to run multiple
applications independently. Thanks to the popularity of VMWare and
Citrix, many IT departments now use virtualisation to run multiple
Windows applications across a cluster of PC servers. Virtualisation
has effectively created a mainframe-like environment for PC
servers.
But the mainframe is not standing still. Six months ago, a
company called
Mantissa
introduced z/Vos, which lets users run multiple copies of
Windows on VM partitions on the mainframe. Mantissa's z/Vos has the
potential to revolutionise PC server consolidation, according to
some industry experts, in the same way that SuSE Linux on the
mainframe has made it possible for users to run SAP on Linux
mainframe partitions.
Plugging the mainframe skills gap >>