Who painted the future in business computing
Positive turn of the century and the 11 anniversary of the birth AS/40O, IBM on Aug. 12 held in Xiamen, a "AS/400 Century Outlook Forum." Several hundred experts, users and the media were invited to participate in the forum. AS/400 in understanding the latest technology solutions at the same time, journalists are generally concerned about the current users, "the development prospects of business computing," an interview with architect Frank Soltis AS/4O0 architecture Greater China President and General Manager of AS/400 Mr. Liang Zhihui. I see the advanced technology
AS/4O0 been published since 1988, global installed base of more than 60 million units, and now every 12 seconds a new AS/400 in use, of which 20% of the machines are sold to new customers, applied to new areas. This can not as impressive performance. With the popularity of electronic commerce, 1997, IBM issued the AS/40Oe series, will be located in the AS/400 e-commerce on the big stage. By this year, IBM has in the AS/400e series was based on the platform and streamlined, introduced 170,720,73 O and 740 series, so AS/400 software and hardware performance have been greatly enhance. It can be said, AS/400 has been clearly defined as "e-commerce engine."
IBM has a commendable S/390, RS/6000, then why even 11 years ago, IBM AS/400 unique design it? AS/400 Mr. Frank Soltis, chief designer of "AS/400 father," replied the identity, then the idea is to have unlimited flexibility in design of commercial computer, the core is a virtual computer interface to make it independent of hardware technology, but also independent of the software technology to ensure the adoption of new technology will not affect existing data systems and applications. rrantrSOltiS said, AS/400 reason why the world's most widely used medium-sized commercial aircraft, with advanced technology and structure are inseparable.
Looking to the future development, Frank Soltis said that server technology is never-ending innovations and changes. Differences of AS/400 will be constantly innovating, but also pay attention to the integration with other technologies.
From the processor, the Polaris chip will come out this year's follow-up product Pulsar. In addition, in 2 years, AS/400 will use dual-CPU processors, high-performance processor than it is now twice the speed of 800MHZ. Currently, AS/400 supports up to 12 CPU, while IBM will launch next year, with 24 CPU's high-end AS/400, its performance will be the most high-end AS/400 is now 4 times. In 2001, AS/400 will use Giga chip, CPU number will increase to 32. Mr. Frank told reporters, in the IBM AS/400 development blueprint has been planned with 64 CPU's AS/400.
Secondly, IBM has embarked on AS/4O0 rewrite existing database technology, supported by the current AS/400 relational database DBZ financial goal-oriented technology platform to meet the next 10 years, the database business computing requirements. But Frank said the rewriting of the entire database may take five years.
In addition, with the development of SAN technology, AS/400 used in a "unipolar store" concept is also growing. Mr. Frank said that in February this year, released AS/40O have adopted the name "Teraspace" the new storage model.
It is worth mentioning that two years ago, IBM will AS/400 and RS/6000 R & D R & D units and as a department, to the end of last year, IBM mainframe R & D departments in turn merged into this sector, the purpose of is giving a different server implementation technology sharing. Mr. Frank said, such as IBM mainframe logical partitioning technology to get the AS/400 to achieve well. Can be said that IBM technology sharing has become a fact. Another convincing proof that IBM earlier this year released Netfinity X structure, it successfully absorbed all the high-end IBM servers particularly well,
Including RS/600O openness, AS/400 availability, etc.. Mr. Frank told reporters, the future is likely to Netfinity IBM research and development is also integrated into IBM's server division.
Mr. Frank said a word to see more and more advanced users will also become increasingly open nature of the AS/400.
Who can predict the future business computing
E-commerce, business intelligence, ERP and other critical applications have become the most current user needs to solve business problems. AS/400 will be how to develop? Mr. Frank told reporters that the past is a data-intensive business computing require a strong system of data processing and communications capabilities; contrast, is a computation-intensive scientific computing. So for the AS/400 business computing with the Polaris chip is designed for business computing, the data transmission capability, while the slower bus clock 2 but has more scientific computing power of the PowerPC chip, compared with RS/6000 more floating-point computing power. Mr. Frank emphasized that the future of business computing business computing with the past are very different. With the Internet, multimedia and other technology widely used in business computing, the future of business computing will be data intensive and compute-intensive of node units, not only on the large amount of data processing and transmission, but also the calculation and analysis of these data . Mr. Frank said, AS/400 generation Power4 processors will also have a wide bandwidth and strong double-floating point computing power.
Mr. Frank also pointed out that the Internet will be the future of business computing transfer, which requires a computer handling of data from the relational into object-oriented. Because of the profound foresee this trend, IBM in 1991 and 1995 on the operating system on AS/400 was completely rewritten, using C + + rewrite of the OS/400 is completely object-oriented. While taking into account the most current business computing are based upon the database, IBM has plans to present 5-year period will also rewritten DBZ object-oriented. Mr. Frank said that while object-oriented technology has been proposed for many years, but so far not been widely used.
Frank Speaking AS/40O changes, the emphasis has always been the same AS/400 with the idea of 5, including independent software and hardware technology, single-level storage architecture of Z; object-oriented design; of new technologies to integrate type means; focus on the business computing needs. As a commercial computer, AS/40O most proud thing is their safety, in the AS/400 sold more than 60 million systems has never been a virus invasion or destruction of the cases, it is very rare.
IBM e-business advocacy has become a trend sweeping the globe. As an important part of IBM AS/400 e-commerce has a complete solution. According to incomplete statistics, in 1998 and AS/400 and Lotus Domino e-commerce related revenues reached 10 billion U.S. dollars.
Dedication to help AS/440 Domino E-Commerce dinner
Can be said that the conference's most impressive one was IBM AS/400e Domino launch of a dedicated server, which is the industry's first server designed specifically for L0tllSDomino. Mr. Frank specially dedicated to the new AS/400e Domino server did explain. He said that the emergence of the server, AS/400 and Domino complementary reflects the close relationship between the God of the great benefits to both sides. More importantly, it will give businesses, especially SMEs, to bring a richer selection and more targeted solutions.
The introduction of the Domino server is based on the AS/400 170 series, its price ll between 10 thousand to 22 thousand U.S. dollars. Domino for AS/400 can provide office automation, e-collaboration and e-commerce solutions. Domino and AS/400 called to promote the implementation of e-commerce companies and government agencies "gold group stage." And run the same file AS/4O0 compared to Domino, this dedicated server 4 times performance increase, the fundamental reason is that in a typical PC server configuration, the user typically installed several sets of Domino servers to perform different tasks. The Domino server has a unique dedicated logical partition and clustering capabilities. In one such server on, then you can run multiple applications, and more secure, better cost performance.
That is, by logical partitioning technology, companies can better serve mail, groupware applications and Web applications and server space for allocation of computing resources, so that the server can avoid the waste of resources. AS/4O0 Greater China General Manager Mr. Liang Zhihui told reporters that the new AS/400e Domino dedicated server plans on Sept. 24, 1999 began a comprehensive supplier.
Domino for AS/400 was released last February, was a remarkable success. In less than a year's time, Domino on the AS/400 sales than in any other UNIX platform L, sales, and annual sales accounted for 10% of Domino. Mr. Liang Zhihui, said, Domino for AS/400 programs get user acceptance is not accidental. From scalability point of view, the smallest of Domino for AS/400 server can support more than ten users, the largest e-mail can support 27,030 users. In each case, Domin. for AS/40O person B can take advantage of AS/400 64-bit architecture advantages. In addition, AS/400 latest operating version V4R4, AS/400 with logical partitions to make. This feature is also Domino for AS/400L been fully exploited. AS/400 can be Not6s network server, up to 99 partitions on a single Domino server can run on AS/400.
Mr. Frank explained that two years ago, AS/400 launched in other countries dedicated AS/400 models, as was done in some application specific optimization. Mr. Frank said that sales of traditional AS/400, only 20% of customers are new customers; and the introduction of dedicated machine makes new purchase of AS/400 customers to SO%. Based on this trend, in the next IBM is likely to introduce Java-specific machines, Web servers dedicated machine. But the AS/400 as a function of the business computer, the idea of its function is constant, but not to give up the user's new demands.
On AS/400 development in China, when, Mr. Liang Zhihui said, AS/40O significantly this year, sales growth over last year; but more important is to expand in China, a new AS/400 applications, enhanced with the growth of independent software developer (ISV) and business partners work closely together to develop Domino for AS/400 applications.