IBM Speeds Up z900, z800 Mainframes With OS Upgrade

IBM

Version 1.4 of the z/OS and z/OS.e mainframe operating system, unveiled Monday and set to be available for the zSeries mainframes Sept. 27, processes up to 7,000 Secure Socket Layer (SSL) transactions, more than 60 percent faster than previous versions. The current version of the z/OS introduced earlier this year processed 3,850 secure transactions per second.

SSL transactions are critical for Web browser-based e-business transactions, and the z/OS improvements allow for more sales and more customer transactions in less time, according to IBM.

IBM's z/OS and 64-bit zSeries mainframe, which first debuted in 2000, is the successor to the OS/390 operating system and system. IBM breathed new life into the legacy architecture by pumping up performance and fully supporting thousands of Linux images--enhancements that have enabled the mainframe to become a key server consolidation platform. Earlier this year, IBM announced a new line of zSeries mainframes that included a lower-end version, known as the z800, that runs a modified z/OS.e operating system.

The z/OS 1.4 upgrade also features enhancements to the workload management capabilities pioneered on the mainframe, including improved dynamic balancing of batch workloads across a parallel sysplex and improved workload monitoring and reporting for WebSphere transactions. IBM's parallel sysplex technology provides for clustering mainframe systems. WebSphere is IBM's e-commerce application server.

The upgrade also features improved migration tools and pricing to help OS/390 customers migrate to z/OS. For example, IBM later this month plans to begin offering a z/OS Bimodal Migration Accommodation that assists customers migrating from OS/390 to z/OS by giving them a fallback option to 31-bit mode during the initial phase of migration to z/OS in 64-bit mode on the eServer zSeries. OS/390 and the older s390 machines are based on a 31-bit architecture, while the zSeries is a 64-bit architecture. IBM also plans to offer the OS/390 2.10 to z/OS 1.4 Migration Workbook to address migration issues.

As part of its introduction of the z/OS 1.4, IBM plans to offer two new workload licensing charges (WLCs) that lower costs between 20 percent and 25 percent.

IBM also plans to move to a more traditional, annual release cycle for its z/OS upgrades. The next z/OS upgrade, the z/OS and z/OS.e 1.5, for example, is slated to be released in the first quarter of 2004.

The z/OS 1.4 release represents a "huge increase" in the number of e-business transactions for the zSeries, and IBM will continue to improve performance of its mainframe in the future with improved self-healing and automation features, more refined workload management and pricing capabilities, and an increase in SMP capabilities, said Peter McCaffrey, IBM's director of product marketing for the zSeries. The zSeries currently supports 16 processors.