System iNetwork

November 2007

November 29, 2007 9:18 AM

V6R1 Program Conversions Much Simpler Than CISC-to-RISC

In order to move to V6R1 of i5/OS in 2008 and use existing applications, customers will need to run a required program conversion process that appears to be fairly straightforward. Many applications, for example, will automatically convert in less than a second. With V6R1, IBM hasn't even announced a shipping date other than early 2008, so what gives with all this advance notice? How hard is this program conversion process going to be, anyway? I turned to IBM's Paul Godtland, who has spearheaded much of the program conversion work at IBM, and Ian Jarman, who is the System i product manager.

Why?

"The main point of the program conversion in V6R1 is to allow us to upgrade software," Godtland said. "We have a unique ability with the machine interface architecture to be able to replace the implementations of programs and yet have them behave the same way because they are still running the same MI operations. So we reached a point where several key aspects of the system could be improved from integrity to performance and also offer new functions."

What To Do

"The biggest thing to do in preparation is that we have PTFs that provide a tool called Analyze Object Conversion, and we'd really like customers to run that ahead of time. It'll turn out, by far, that most programs can be converted without issue, but some older programs from which creation data has been removed won't be able to convert," Godtland explained.

The main point behind the Analyze Object Conversion tool is to give customers time to prepare by identifying any applications that don't have creation data -- a.k.a. "observability" -- and, of course, the time to get it.

"If they have the source, they'll just have to recompile, and if they don't have the source for a program without creation data, they'll need to contact the vendor to get a more recent version," Godtland said.

"Any programs that were created targeting V5R1 or later have sufficient creation data for conversion. So we're talking about programs older than that or any program where the creation data was explicitly removed," he added.

Without Creation Data, You Can't Convert

Most applications will have creation data. "There are programs that were originally compiled on System 38 that will convert for V6R1 just fine," Godtland said. "Someone has to explicitly remove creation data."

If customers moved to V3R6, they had to have had program creation data. "So really, what we're asking is, 'Did someone get the program creation data [back then] and then at some time in the future remove it,'" Jarman said.

Pesky Solution Providers

"Certainly a software provider could have created a new version and then chosen to remove creation data before they shipped it," Godtland said. "But it's less likely that will be [the case] with more recent applications."

Either way, preparation is the key. By using the Analyze Object Conversion tool, customers will know exactly which applications they'll need to have creation data for or which applications they might need to replace. To help with the process, IBM has a Redpaper Draft titled "i5/OS Program Conversion: Getting ready for i5/OS V6R1." Plus, IBM has a dedicated tab to program conversion on its i5/OS V6R1 Preview page.

"By acting now, by downloading the redbook, by understanding the output of the tool, customers can be very confident of their plans moving to V6R1, whenever that may be," Jarman said.

Is It Really That Hard?

"In the past, when we introduced a new operating system, often it was at the same time we introduced a new hardware system that required the new operating system. In this case, that's not the case. The last time we did something like this was in the mid-90s, and people described that process as CISC-to-RISC. At that time, you were doing a hardware upgrade at the same time. So it's very different indeed. Today, as we're introducing POWER6, you don't need to change the operating system -- you can still run V5R4 -- so the hardware is independent of the conversion," Jarman said.

"We're giving all this information well in advance, and because there's no critical date, because it's not tied to hardware, there's no forced march to move to the new release, so people are in a great position to get the facts, understand the issue, and have the time to do the planning that they need," he added.

Even though IBM is offering lots of advance warning and preparation materials, it doesn't mean that program conversion is necessarily going to be particularly difficult for most customers. IBM's just doing a good job of communicating. Of course, for some customers with older applications that are still in use and don't have creation data, the conversion could get immensely more difficult if the solution provider no longer exists or a new version is expensive.

Still Better Than Alternatives

"If people think, 'Why do we have to do this on the System i and i5/OS?', it's worth considering the alternative on other platforms -- because on other platforms, binary compatibility is unusual. If you look over the long term, people have been forced to compile, rewrite, and re-optimize applications for themselves, so we're delivering on one of the key long-term benefits of the System i in the first place," Jarman noted. "If this weren't on the System i, we'd be having a discussion of doing the next round of recompilations -- and that's what we've avoided over the years by having this technology independence on the System i."

Posted by cmaxcer on November 29, 2007 at 9:18 AM | Comments (6)

November 12, 2007 8:07 AM

System i VIP Program Making Gains

IBM's Vertical Industry Program (VIP), in which IBM picks a focused market in a specific geography and partners with an ISV to dominate the niche, is making strong gains, IBM reports, though actual sales details are scarce.

"The success of the Vertical Industry Program is predicated on IBM's understanding that small and medium businesses identify themselves in the context of their industry and therefore seek industry-specific expertise," reports Marc Dupaquier, general manager of IBM Business Systems. "The VIP is now the backbone of our sales and Business Partner strategy for the new Business Systems division and will move existing and future IBM technology to small and medium businesses with the help of Business Partners."

Here are the details that IBM has released so far:

• IBM says, "The VIP has since dramatically outpaced projected success, launching over 160 sub-industries in more than 20 countries and exceeding financial targets." System iNetwork queried IBM for "target" details, of course, but IBM isn't releasing specifics yet -- but, word has it that the details, if IBM allowed their release, would be good enough to share publicly.
• IBS was one of the first partners to join the VIP and has since seen its System i sales grow markedly. One of the sub-industries IBS specializes in is book publishing in the Western U.S., and, working through the VIP, IBS recently won new client Oregon Catholic Press, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon.

Oregon Catholic Press is adopting an integrated System i solution called IBS Bookmaster, which is specifically designed for the book distribution and publishing industry. The company plans to use the new system for sales order, inventory, warehouse and royalty management as well as editorial production and a fully integrated financial system.



• Infor joined the VIP with a focus on the janitorial, sanitation supply industry and this month is expanding its participation to include the restaurant and hospital supply markets. Through the VIP, Dixie Paper -- a wholesale paper, chemical, and sanitary maintenance distributor serving Northern Louisiana and East Texas -- recently selected Infor ERP A+ to manage several of its business processes. The combined Infor-IBM solution helps Dixie Paper recognize operational efficiencies across its enterprise and bring new value-added services to its customers.
• KMR Systems, a national company whose VIP segment is labor unions in the Eastern U.S., has won new clients, IBM reports, and expects VIP to quadruple its business. KMR says it has the healthiest pipeline of System i customers ever, and attributes its health to greater support from IBM.
• Sanmarco, an ERP software provider in Italy, plans to expand to new international markets and double its System i business in 2008. The VIP program helped Sanmarco win many new System i customers as well as renew the interest of some long-standing customers, including Fip Aricoli Tecnici. A manufacturing company established in 1946, Fip Aricoli Tecnici selected Sanmarco's Galileo ERP application on the System i, allowing the company to carry more products and process orders quickly.
• Timpanogos Technologies is an IBM Business Partner and K-12 Education ISV involved with the VIP in the Western U.S. Timpanogos Technologies is working with IBM to use its System i equipment to support a national base of more than 200 school districts in 28 states. Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kansas, recently implemented wireless technology from Timpanagos to provide handheld computers for every student, integrated with the school district's IBM System i. Teachers send assignments, tests, and teaching materials wirelessly to their students. Time spent in the clerical tasks of scoring and recording homework, assignments, and tests is greatly reduced, giving teachers immediate and on-going knowledge as to how each student is doing, along with more time to spend with students.
• Most of the VIP sales are System i Express offerings -- the System i 515 and 525 models.

New Oracle and SAP Solution Editions

IBM has also announced new Solution Editions for Oracle and SAP applications that are specifically designed and optimized for the IBM System i Express for 40 users or more -- the model 525.

The new System i 525 Solution Edition for Oracle's JD Edwards is a solution tailored to help meet the needs of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World application users with configurations for up to 60 users and improved price performance and total cost of ownership, IBM says. Cox Auto Trader Publishing, Inc., a paper well known for facilitating car sales throughout California, recently selected a System i Solution Edition to run Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne World software.

The System i 525 Solution Edition for SAP Applications is for companies with fewer than 100 users. Earlier this year, IBM began a project known as "KOBI" to help boost new sales of SAP on the System i by enabling clients to get their SAP applications up and running faster -- in a few days instead of weeks. IBM boasts that the System i is the only platform to deliver the efficiency gains of Project KOBI.

Posted by cmaxcer on November 12, 2007 at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2007 9:56 AM

i5 Blades November 30 -- Maybe Not -- Updated

I find this humorous and troubling at the same time. IBM has an issue on its hands, and I don't think the company is ready to deal with it. If they are ready, they're not talking to us, and if they're vindictive, I'll get punished for writing this:*

IBM is between a rock and a hard place because they can deliver i5/OS on a blade -- but doing so messes with the i5 in so many ways that it must be freaking them out.

First, lets get this out of the way: the press release that said a blade that would support i5/OS that would be available November 30 . . . has been altered so there's no mention of i5/OS. Here's the relevant paragraphs that were changed:

Before:

After:

So will i5/OS on a blade be available November 30? Perhaps, but maybe not. Maybe it's ready and maybe it's not. Either way, IBM wants to control the launch information -- as if it were a secret! How many confirmations and hints from IBM System i upper management does it take to turn a rumor into a reality? (Come on, we've already reached the threshold.)

But here's the first major problem: price. Did you notice that a POWER6 blade running AIX started at $10,363?

Whoah! I'm not out pricing System i boxes every day, but it doesn't take a CIO to realize that, when you compare this to traditional System i boxes, the AIX blade is delivering some serious horsepower for an astounding price. Don't you think System i customers might get a little envious? What if they already have a BladeCenter? What if they already have all the attached storage they want -- and plenty extra? If they have a big System i sitting in one corner . . . what might three POWER6 blades running i5/OS get them? You can bet customers will be doing the math. Sure, there's some new elements of complexity involved, but wow, this is an interesting problem -- the old money that customers are used to paying doesn't translate to competitively priced hardware very well at all. I've said this before, of course, and you can argue that the System i still has a much better total cost of ownership picture, which is massively important, but if perception is only half of reality, IBM's got some issues to work out.

If the hardware is the same -- remember, IBM headed down the path to converged hardware on purpose -- then any price differences are for the operating system. In which case, IBM has to be willing and able to articulate why the price difference is justified . . . and make sure that IBM Business Partners, who are also selling System p, can articulate the difference as well -- even as their customers are asking tough questions, like, "Why is the i5/OS version of my total system more expensive than the AIX version for my total system?"

Plus, It's 4Q2007

If the whole price issue wasn't enough of a problem, it's further exacerbated by the fact that we're in the fourth quarter of 2007, and I'm pretty sure IBM doesn't want to confuse its customers by offering a new product this late in the quarter, which could delay purchasing decisions until next year. And any delay in purchasing decisions usually sucks for public companies.

So What's IBM To Do?

i5/OS on a blade is an opportunity for IBM and IBM's Business Partners. If done right, it lets i5/OS play in a world with other operating systems . . . without the stigma that's attached to buying a "legacy" System i. We all know the System i isn't "legacy" but most would agree that it's saddled with a stigma. I personally think that if a customer has the option of buying an i5/OS based application, running on a blade, it would go a long way to remove doubts about investing in an operating system that's seen as a minority OS.

And here's the real opportunity, once i5/OS sits side-by-side other blades running other operating systems, won't customers notice something important? That their i5/OS blade is easier to manage?

Side-by-side . . . easier to manage . . . hmm . . . sounds like I might consider moving other workloads to i5/OS.

But the main challenge comes back to revenue. IBM has two choices -- squeeze System i customers for all the revenue IBM can get . . . and hope they remain loyal to IBM technologies forever, or bite the bullet, take a major hit on the existing revenue model . . . and change the game forever.

*Update: IBM called me this morning. First, the i5/OS note in the availability section of the press release . . . was attributed to public relations snafu . . . which is totally reasonable. Anyone who works in print and publishing knows how easy it is to make a mistake when deadlines are flying around your head and shoulders like hungry vampire bats. As for why no i5/OS availability in November . . . IBM says the JS22 isn't ready to support V6R1, and the company wants to launch the first blade so that it's V6R1-ready. And that answer actually makes some sense, especially when you consider how disruptive a blade could be if it launched this month, in the fourth quarter, with V6R1 on the horizon in early 2008.

Posted by cmaxcer on November 9, 2007 at 9:56 AM | Comments (27)

November 8, 2007 11:04 AM

i5 Blades Coming November 30

Hints and rumors were in the air this summer, starting at the OCEAN User Group Conference, but this is the first specific confirmation I've seen out of IBM: an i5/OS POWER-based blade will be available from IBM as early as November 30.

In iMonthly, Bob Cozzi mentions that IBM has said it will announce a blade running i5/OS that will plug into a BladeCenter S*, which is IBM's new mini BladeCenter designed for SMBs; however, Cozzi either doesn't know the dates, IBM doesn't know the dates, or IBM knows the dates but asked Cozzi not to mention the dates. (Incidentally, I decided not to ask Cozzi directly, just on the off chance he had a source he didn't want to burn.) Either way, details get around, through back channels and otherwise, and eventually come to light.

While reading up on IBM's $1 billion Project Big Green, I stumbled upon the fact that IBM has released POWER6-based blades running AIX, the point being that you could use the tremendous computing power of the blade to create dense, energy efficient data centers. What IBM announced is the new JS22 BladeCenter Express, which boasts two dual-core POWER6 processors. I'm pretty sure the folks at Sun and HP are still freaking out over this, in addition to the fact that the screamin' POWER6 exists at all.

In any event, I also found this little gem:

And in case you're wondering what the little "(4)" means, here's that footnote:

So, i5/OS on a blade is coming sooner rather than later, and it's going to change the System i landscape -- no doubt about that little fact. How, exactly, remains to be seen.

* Since I've seen so many footnotes today, I thought I'd add my own: IBM's BladeCenter S holds up to six blades in its chassis, and it's shaping up to be a powerful new weapon in IBM's efforts to tackle the SMB space. Although IBM hasn't mentioned anything specific, it seems obvious that the BladeCenter S will somehow become the backbone of IBM's Vertical Industry Program (VIP) initiatives, which are targeted at SMBs. While IBM is using the VIP program to sell i5/OS-based applications, I would bet that IBM will start shifting the entire program to utilize the BladeCenter S, which, in light of i5/OS blades, may or may not benefit the System i world.

* Note From Chris, Friday a.m.: IBM apparently edited the press release so that i5/OS is not mentioned. I'm working on a new post now . . . so, November 30 . . . maybe not!

Posted by cmaxcer on November 8, 2007 at 11:04 AM | Comments (4)

November 5, 2007 8:33 AM

Time to Ask the GUI "Experts"

It's time to solicit some third-party feedback on the GUI issue, and in no way am I dissing the expert perspectives offered by so many Maxed Out readers. In fact, we've received so many insightful comments and lines of thinking that not only am I consistently delighted and impressed, but also I can see how the issue could get overwhelming for IBM. For a company such as IBM to deliver a solution, it either needs a strong-willed champion of the solution to make it happen, or it needs a clear business case in which the solution delivers obvious benefits. Both strength and clarity can be tough to find these days, so here we are.

I'm seeing two distinct threads of perspective on this issue:

1. There are plenty of solutions available for creating applications with graphical front ends, and there are systems management solutions available that can be used as graphical interfaces to i5/OS. Individual developers/organizations just need to pick what's best for their needs.
2. By enabling many options -- but not specifically anointing one with built-in support forever -- IBM has fostered GUI inertia in its customer base. In addition, by making it easy to develop RPG applications with a fast, slick, and robust GUI interface, IBM would not only better serve its customers, but it would go a long way in changing the negative impressions surrounding the System i as a legacy platform (and may very well help it compete in the future).

By boiling this issue down to two camps, I may be missing some of the finer points -- but we've got to nail it down or we'll be mired in a swamp of inertia.

So, I'd like to solicit feedback from a few experts who a) have worked in the industry for years, b) have seen lots of System i organizations, and c) have no problems with modernizing their own skills or helping organizations accomplish business goals.

I've got a few people in mind, of course, but thought I'd ask Maxed Out readers if there's anyone who clearly must be contacted. How about IBMers? Perhaps someone remembers some GUI efforts at IBM . . . or remembers an IBMer who may have been involved, talked at COMMON or some briefing about IBM's efforts/thinking in the area.

Posted by cmaxcer on November 5, 2007 at 8:33 AM | Comments (11)

November 1, 2007 8:27 AM

V6R1 Program Conversion Details Percolating Out

IBM plans to ship its next release of i5/OS -- V6R1 -- in early 2008. With this new release, IBM says it will require the conversion of all programs created under previous releases that use the i5/OS Machine Interface (MI). The conversion will upgrade and refresh programs to take advantage of the latest system enhancements, including upgraded system integrity, improved performance, and a range of new operating system and processor capabilities, IBM says. The company has posted a conversion Q&A site online as well as a new Redpaper Draft titled "i5/OS Program Conversion: Getting ready for i5/OS V6R1."

Basically, even though program conversion is something you've got to pay attention to, IBM is downplaying the scope, saying an "upgrade" or "refresh" is more descriptive of the process. The last time the System i world saw a similar conversion was in 1995 when customers upgraded from 48-bit to 64-bit addresses, though a change also occurred in 1988 in the move from System/38 to AS/400.

"This conversion will be simpler than previous ones. Most other types of objects are not changing this time, for example. Program conversions should also be much faster this time," IBM reports.

Here's a more detailed snip from IBM:

In order for a program to be converted, its creation data (sometimes referred to as observability) must be available. Programs created for V5R1 or later automatically retain creation data sufficient for conversion. Clients and ISVs with programs created for OS/400 V4R5 and earlier need to ensure that creation data is available for the conversion process.

IBM will provide the Analyze Object Conversion (ANZOBJCVN) tool for i5/OS V5R3 and V5R4 to help you plan for program conversion. This tool helps you identify potential conversion difficulties, if any, and estimates the time required for program conversion.

In addition, the transcript to iSociety's "Getting Ready for V6R1" fireside chat with IBM's Paul Godtland, held in September, offers some program conversion nuggets plus some other V6R1 planning concerns.

FYI: I'm working on nailing down an interview with IBM to tease out a bit more detail and perspective on the issue, so if you have any special questions to ask, post them here and I'll add them into my interview notes.

Posted by cmaxcer on November 1, 2007 at 8:27 AM | Comments (5)