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IBM iSeries: An Evolutionary Process

PFW Password - Winter 2002/03 The Oxford English Dictionary defines evolution as "the sequential exposure of prepackaged potential." Since 1988, IBM's iSeries (formerly labeled the AS/400) has met this definition and, as a result, has provided years of customer satisfaction with no end in sight.

Due to its inherent ability to integrate whatever customer and marketplace needs dictate, over the last decade-and-a-half (an eon in the world of technology), the iSeries has kept pace with the warp-speed change of technology and continues to offer unparalleled service to a legion of satisfied users.

From the original AS/400 System/3x series, through to today's iSeries, the philosophy has been one of offering workable solutions for a great range of business needs. Whether your company is small, medium-sized or at enterprise level, has a relatively small or large technology budget, is Web-integrated or not, there has been an iSeries solution for you over the last 14 years.

Accessing Internal Data
A cornerstone of IBM's innovation was the development and subsequent availability of an open, relational database. The ability to access internal data via third-party reporting tools is crucial to most businesses, and the iSeries and its database model was an industry leader in this respect. Many competitors have lagged in this area and consequently continue to limit their customers.

The DB2 Universal Database that is included (other companies may charge considerably for their database) with a new iSeries system can be traced back to 1974 and IBM's introduction of a relational database called System/R. Out of System/R came a database query language called Structured English Query Language (SEQUEL), later shortened to Structured Query Language (SQL). SQL enabled multi-table queries and multiple-user access and was followed by IBM with Database 2 (DB2), which became the marketplace standard.

Many relational database management systems (RDBMS) have since appeared - using SQL as their primary language. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) created a standard SQL definition and, although it has seen considerable growth, today's SQL standard is based principally on IBM's implementation.

An open database allows third-party database connectivity for flexible reporting. Through the database-independent ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) language, which combines SQL with API (Application Programming Interface) function calls, any manner of interface can be created or used to extract desired critical information from the DB2 database.

The relational database model is superior to its flat-file counterpart in that lists of data in tables (columns and rows) are explicitly defined. The result is a more complex and therefore scalable database that is also far superior in a Web paradigm than a flat database.

Processing Power
Another IBM innovation was the introduction of 64-bit processor computing. Starting in 1994 with the 64-bit RISC POWERPC processor, IBM is now into its 7th generation of 64-bit architecture, while many competitors are still in launch phase.

In theory, a 64-bit processor has the capacity to move data twice as fast as a 32-bit processor with the same clock speed; in practice, this efficiency difference is even larger. Due to greater bandwidth capability, 64-bit computing allows the advantage of robust large-scale computing, such as corporate database maintenance. As well, 64-bit computing limitations are not foreseen for at least twenty years, providing a good future investment for any company.

Innovation=Long-Term Viability
In the overall scope of computing history, it is interesting to note that the iSeries has transformed from a second-generation minicomputer to a fourth-generation server. The sophistication of the original architecture played a large part in this quantum leap.

IBM's Technology-Independent Machine Interface - or TIMI - allows the flexibility of application development independent of existing programs. This independence is achieved largely through the integrated operating system. Integration is achieved through the Machine Interface's interaction with IBM's SLIC (System Licensed Internal Code) technology. SLIC is the part of the operating system below the machine interface and is analogous to a bridge that links the TIMI with hardware (see diagram). Advantages lie in the fact that the TIMI has no concept of memory, so that hardware changes will not affect the OS/400 and resident applications.

Another viability factor has been the iSeries' multiprocessing capability. The iSeries has sometimes been described as "a network in a box," and its multiprocessing power has allowed a high degree of networking capability, as well as easing the adaptation to the client-server model that is so dependent on process division. As early as 1983, IBM was attaching PC clients to the iSeries which eventually led to the introduction of front-end interfaces such as Client Access.

PFW's Implementation
PFW's alliance with IBM was formed when computerization of the dealership market was just beginning. Previous systems involved a laborious card-punch input system, which IBM made redundant with their System/3 that created a direct, online terminal entry system.

The System/3 was the basis for the System/36 and /38 that were synthesized to form the AS/400 and, ultimately, the iSeries. The System/36 provided the grounding for the development of the PFW Dealership Management System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The object-oriented nature of System/36, in which multiple indexes were used as application foundations, eased development and enabled a high degree of system functionality.

PFW's founders were interested in a totally integrated system possessing a relational database in a front-end-edited turnkey system. The goal was to pass on to PFW's customers a system that was well-supported, reliable, people friendly and completely integratable for U.S. and Canadian dealership markets.

IBM's recommendation at this time was for customers to find a third-party software vendor in order to create a business-specific system and, as PFW was seeking the best available environment in which to realize their dealership management vision, a long-term relationship began.

Features
The results of the iSeries evolution are manifest today in a complete out-of-the-box business solution. After purchase, today's customer can expect the following iSeries features:

• A state-of-the-art pre-installed OS
• Single-level storage allows the disk and memory to unify on demand
• A technology-independent machine interface (TIMI). During hardware and software upgrades, code migration occurs without recompiling so you can upgrade or change software without hardware changes or vice versa
• Threaded Apache-based HTTP server
• Web search engine is available for indexing and searching your multilingual Web documents
• Enhanced TCP/IP utility to facilitate load balancing, IP takeover and fault tolerance
• The integrated file system (IFS) is a part of OS/400 that supports stream I/O and storage management similar to PC and UNIX OS, with an integrating structure over all data stored in the iSeries
• Encryption is provided for simplified and centralized digital certificate management, optimized SSL/TLS and a digitally-signed operating system
• Netserver is included for Windows file and print sharing
• Logical partitioning is configurable for dynamic resource movement and shared processors, memory, and I/O
• Superior systems management capability and data management that is self-optimized and implemented through, and not on top of, the OS
• Intel integration through an Integrated xSeries Server (IXS) or Adapter (IXA) connecting to a stand-alone Intel server, with either running Microsoft-based applications while using iSeries disk and management
• A service contract guarantees an IBM Customer Engineer will replace any failing component

The Future is Bright
As you can see, the iSeries has enjoyed a long and successful past. The fact the system has prospered as a viable business solution for almost a decade-and-a-half is testament alone to its strength as a comprehensive, scalable and fully-integrated computing system. Synthesizing today's corporate computing requisites of security, reliability, Web integration, development scope and data access, this constantly adaptive system is truly evolutionary. This evolutionary process has no foreseeable end in sight and, in this case, a fascinating future.

Post Script: IBM has announced the release of its POWER4 microprocessor system:

POWER4 refers not only to a chip, but to the structure used to interconnect chips to form systems. The plan is to leverage new technologies in order to allow an increase in clock speed while further decreasing power requirements.

The current design introduces parallelism throughout the system so as to overcome the increasing memory latencies (in processor cycles) resulting from high-frequency operations. Parallelism allows the processor to continue executing in the presence of cache misses. Future POWER4 systems will continue this design, increasing parallelism and providing larger caches.

Unprecedented performance levels are achieved by a total system design that exploits leading IBM technologies. IBM is currently developing follow-up systems to the current POWER4 to further redefine what is meant by a server and how a server must be designed. (Sourced from the IBM technical document "POWER4 System Architecture")