asean/sa edition issue # 33 august 2004 iseries on the web is just one of the important new...

ICICI PrudentialInsures its ITInfrastructure

Needs with IBM8

iSeries NavigatorTasks on the Web:Manage SystemsFrom a Browser

Page 10

ICICI PrudentialInsures its ITInfrastructure

Needs with IBMPage 18

iSeries NavigatorTasks on the Web:Manage SystemsFrom a Browser

Page 10

Page 4In V5R3, iSeries Navigator offers usability, performance and autonomic enhancements

A Greater NavigatorA Greater NavigatorIn V5R3, iSeries Navigator offers usability, performance and autonomic enhancements Page 4

iSeriesASEAN/SA EDITION ISSUE # 33 AUGUST 2004

This publication could contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Also, illustrations contained herein may show prototype equipment. Your system configuration may differslightly. This publication contain small programs that are furnished by IBM as simple examples to provide an illustration. These examples have not been thoroughly tested under allconditions. IBM, therefore, cannot guarantee or imply reliability, serviceability, or function of these programs. All programs contained herein are provided to you "as is" implied warrantiesof merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are expressly disclaimed. All rights reserved. Names of products and services marked with * may be trademarks of theirrespective companies. This eServer iSeries ASEAN/SA Edition is produced for IBM by Percetakan Printpack Sdn Bhd.

Editor’s Corner

I N S I D E

# 3 3 • A U G U S T 2 0 0 4

Editor’s Corner

Navigator\Nav"i*ga`tor\, n. One who navigates or sails; esp., one who directthe course of a ship, or one who is skillful in the art of navigation.

iSeries Navigator: The iSeries user interface for you. A tool andtechnology to help you face challenges related to systemsoperations.

iSeries Navigator has seen many new and improved functionsfor V5R3, both under the covers and in the interface. In thismonth’s cover story, IBMer Greg Hintermeister and eServermagazine US edition Web editor, Neil Tardy cover the latest iSeriesNavigator features. In Addition to the new browser interface,iSeries Navigator in V5R3 includes significant performance,usability, optimization and Web-management enhancements.

To learn more about iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web, dofollow our Feature Story for this month, IBmer Timothy L.Kramer’s, “Navigating a New Course”, which touches on how toget started with the new iSeries Navigator feature and hot it canhelp simplify many common administrator-related task.

IBM recently unveiled its Linux Centre of Competency inBangalore, Jim Stallings, WorldWide Head for Linux was present tolaunch the opening. Turn to page 9 to learn more about the LinuxCentre of Competency in India.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance – India’s largest private sectorinsurance company works hand in hand with IBM to furtherenhance their IT infrastructure which currently supports more than450 users. Read more about it in our Customer’s Testimonial thismonth, page 18.

Get ready for next month there will be an announcement onASEAN/SA Tech Summit 2004. Date, time and venue will berevealed in our next issue!

Meanwhile, stay tuned while the iSeries team goes to Bali forour Asia Pacific’s annual Strategic Planning Conference.

The [email protected]

A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 ^ M A G A Z I N E , A S E A N / S A E D I T I O N 1

C O V E R S T O R YDestination Simplified ■ 4iSeries Navigator in V5R3 has mush to offer, startingwith a browser interface.By Grey Hintermeister and Neil Tardy, cover illustration by Roy Wiemann

F E A T U R ENavigating a New Course ■ 10With iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web, you can manage systems from a browser. By Timothy L. Kramer

C O L U M N SEditor’s Corner ■ 1

Product News ■ 2On Demand Express Portfoliobuilt for mid-sized business

iDiary ■ 9IBM Unveils Linux Centre of competency

Customer’s Testimonial ■ 18ICICI Prudential Insures its IT infrastructure needswith IBM

ENDPGM ■ 20Power, Power, Everywhere

Page 4 Page 10 Page 20

2 A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 ^ M A G A Z I N E , A S E A N / S A E D I T I O N

The key word here is mid-sized. Because now you canjoin the big guys and use technology that helps yousatisfy customers, partners and vendors on demand.Technology that helps you integrate your businessprocesses within and outside your company. Increaseproductivity. Fortify your security and lower youroverall IT costs.

IT’S EASY TO USE AND MANAGE That’s thebeauty of this new portfolio. You don’t need an ITdegree to use it, and you don’t need a big ITdepartment to manage it. It’s easy to install, easy toimplement and easy to learn. It’s upgradeable andcan work with your existing infrastructure. Plus, it’sdesigned to deploy quickly, so you can do what mid-sized businesses need to do: get up and running fast.

IT’S PRICED RIGHT It’s a set of high-end businesssolutions with a low-end price tag. First, it’sdesigned for the needs of mid-sized business, so it’s

competitively, sometimes even aggressively, priced tobuy. It’s also economical to install and managebecause many products are pre-configured, and insome cases can be deployed in minutes as opposed tomonths. And it’s a smart investment: all offerings aredesigned to keep you nimble, and they enable you toadd and grow your technology as you grow yourbusiness.

IT’S AVAILABLE NOW No waiting, no complicateddelays. The IBM Express Portfolio has offerings youcan use right now. In fact, here are even morefeatures that help get you to market fast. The IBMExpress Portfolio is:• easy to buy—purchase from IBM or through your

local IBM Business Partner• industry friendly—offerings are available for a full

variety of industries• growing—new products all the time ensure that

your technology stays current

Get a sample of what the IBM Think Express Portfolio can do for you!

EASY TO USE There’s nothing better than hardware products specifically configured for your business. They’re easy-to-use, and travel weights start at just 5.5 lbs. Select models include Intel‚ Centrino mobile technology.

EASY TO They’re high performance, low maintenance ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops MANAGE and notebooks for mid-sized business. Select models have ThinkVantage technology,

including 1-button recovery.PRICED RIGHT A selection of these award winning personal computers are competitively priced to meet mid-

sized budgets. Choose a purchase or Success Lease that works best for you.

The IBM Express Portfolio is extensive, allowing you to pick the starting point appropriate to your business need.All products and solutions in the portfolio are flexible and scalable to your company's growth requirements.

For more information, visit:Singapore : http://www-8.ibm.com/businesscenter/sg/express/index.htmlMalaysia : http://www-8.ibm.com/my/express/index.htmlIndia : http://www-8.ibm.com/in/express/index.htmlIndonesia : http://www-8.ibm.com/id/express/index.htmlThailand : http://www-8.ibm.com/th/express/index.htmlPhilippines : http://www-8.ibm.com/ph/express/index.html

The IBM Express Portfoliohelps mid-sized business

DELIVER ON DEMAND

Product News


The first systems to be powered by IBM's muchanticipated POWER5 microprocessors. Runningi5/OS, the next generation of OS/400, the neweServer i5 systems provide small and medium sizedbusinesses with unprecendented power, flexibilityand cost benefits.

Powered by POWER5 microprocessors, the mostpowerful 64-bit chips ever built, the IBM eServer i5can integrate and run multiple operating systemssimultaneously including i5/OS, Windows, Linux andAIX 5L. The eServer i5 has the ability to run AIX 5Lalongside eServer i5/OS to consolidate and manageUNIX solutions. IBM's new Virtualization Enginetechnology embedded in the new eServer i5 systemsextend and enhance iSeries virtualization capabilitiessuch as logical partitioning (LPAR).

Businesses using the eServer i5 can average up to40 percent improvement in system price/performanceover previous iiSeries systems with comparable pricesto UNIX based systems for memory, disk and servercomponents.

With the introduction of the eServer i5 server,powered by POWER5 microprocessors, IBM bringsbreakthrough technology with a new economic modelfor small and medium sized businesses. The eServer i5system represents a clear commitment to helping ourcustomers prosper in the new on demand world.

The new eServer i5 systems are part of a $500million program which is delivering unprecendentedcomputing capability for small and medium-sizedbusinesses.

Your business runs round the clock, if you want the assurance that your systems are always ready to respondto your business needs, you can link multiple iSeries units together with software to make them highlyavailable. Role swapping and production use of both primary and secondary servers is a typical benefit toachive optimal use of your i-series assets. In this multi-iSeries server environment, the iSeries for HighAvailability offer is an aggressively priced solution comprising the i-series Model 810.

Solution HighlightsiSeries for High Availability offer

• Supports mission critical 24x7 environments • Performs Role swapping and workload distribution • Minimize planned downtime • Minimize unplanned downtime • Allow full on demand processor capability

Solutions AvailableiSeries 810 Express High Availability Solution

• targeted at Medium sized companies • Lowers complexity and cost • Minimize planned and unplanned downtime

Software Packages Available

• DataMirror – iCluster, HA Suite• Lakeview technology – MIMIX DR1, MIMIX

halite, MIMIX V4(+) ha bundle• Maximum Availability – noMAX SME• Vision Solutions – Orion Express for OS/400,

Vision Suite Enterprise Edition

iSeries for Capacity BackUp Solution

• Designed for disaster recovery scenarios • creates a backup of critical data • workload distribution is not an option

For more information, call your local IBM representative, or log on to:Singapore : http://www-8.ibm.com/businesscenter/sg/express/index.htmlMalaysia : http://www-8.ibm.com/my/express/index.htmlIndia : http://www-8.ibm.com/in/express/index.htmlIndonesia : http://www-8.ibm.com/id/express/index.htmlThailand : http://www-8.ibm.com/th/express/index.htmlPhilippines : http://www-8.ibm.com/ph/express/index.html

iSeries i520 Express Offerings

iSeries 810 Express for High Availability Solution

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NAt its inception, iSeries* Navigator brought server administration from thegreen screen to the GUI. But iSeries Navigator was always more than just apretty interface. Tasks like changing user access across multiple systems,which required administrators to enter literally dozens of commands on thegreen screen, could now be accomplished with just a few mouse clicks.

With IBM* i5/OS* V5R3, iSeries Navigator again puts a new face—this time, a browserinterface—on core systems management tasks. And, once again, the changes aren’tmerely aesthetic. The new iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web is designed to make iteasier for administrators to accomplish everyday work from a browser environment.

BY GREG HINTERMEISTER AND NEIL TARDY

Destination

SimplifiedDestination

SimplifiediSeries Navigator in V5R3 has much to offer,

starting with a browser interface


Tasks on the Web is just one of the important new additionsto iSeries Navigator. In fact, iSeries Navigator in V5R3 includesmany enhancements designed to increase your productivity.Let’s delve deeper into new and updated features.

Tasks on the WebCustomers have expressed a clear preference to run iSeriesNavigator from a browser. In this release, IBM responds with Tasks on the Web, which makes many core systemsmanagement tasks available from any browser interface onany platform.

Like many of the V5R3 functions, Tasks on the Web has itsroots in previous releases. iSeries Navigator for Wireless, whichdebuted with OS/400* V5R1, was the first iSeries Navigatortool to allow you to check the status of designated systems,monitors and tasks from a Web environment—in this case aPDA or cell phone equipped with an Internet browser. AndiSeries Navigator for Wireless brought the capability to notonly monitor systems, but also receive alerts of system issuesand respond by holding jobs, replying to messages, runningcommands, etc.

Tasks on the Web allows you to perform common systems-management tasks, like work with jobs, messages, printer

output, databases and much more (see Figure 1, below).Perhaps more significant though is that these Web-based tasksare directly accessible from a URL. This is important becausenow you can create your own administration portal comprisedof not only your e-mail and/or instant messaging portlet, butalso a list of active jobs on your i5/OS partition. The URL itselfcan be dynamically created so your Web application can accessjobs, messages, printer output or subsystems from any systemyou manage.

One more point: A powerful URL addressability feature isthat your selected target system needn’t be the one yourbrowser is pointing to. You only need one V5R3 system to beaccessible from a browser to run these iSeries Navigator tasks.Say you’re managing three systems—as long as System1 runsV5R3, you can still manage System2 and System3, even if theyrun earlier releases.

To get started, just point your browser to your V5R3 system’s2001 port (http://yoursystem:2001). You’ll then see “iSeriesNavigator Tasks URL Advisor,” which helps you locate the tasksyou want to run as well as walks you through the steps ofcreating a group of favorite iSeries Navigator tasks.

You can also use your browser’s bookmarking capabilities togroup your favorite iSeries Navigator tasks. This is designed tomake managing your systems as easy as checking in at yourfavorite Web site.

For more details on using Tasks on the Web, see the articleon page 10.

Performance AdvisorIn updating iSeries Navigator for V5R3, performance was apriority. IBM has learned that customers view iSeries Navigatorperformance differently. Some first think of configuring iSeriesNavigator for their environment, and how it performs on itsinitial launch. Others think of how iSeries Navigator performs

Figure 1

Tasks on the Web allowsyou to perform commonsystems-management tasks, like work with jobs,messages, printer output,databases and much more.Perhaps more significantthough is that these Web-based tasks are directlyaccessible from a URL.

Tasks on the Web allowsyou to perform commonsystems-management tasks, like work with jobs,messages, printer output,databases and much more.Perhaps more significantthough is that these Web-based tasks are directlyaccessible from a URL.


as they use it on a day-to-day basis,particularly in regards to startup timeand network communication.

Keep in mind that iSeries Navigator isa Java* application. At startup, iSeriesNavigator brings up a Java VirtualMachine (JVM) and performs a numberof initialization actions, including classloading, that take some time tocomplete. Then you’re prompted to signon. This process kicks off authorizationand access-control checking, which isnecessary to verify that users haveaccess to only those tasks they’reallowed to run. Starting a sizable Javaapplication is always going to takelonger than launching a green screen,but as iSeries Navigator runs and makesuse of system and class caching,performance should improve.

Those considerations aside, with V5R3iSeries Navigator, IBM has includedseveral stability and performanceimprovements designed to help yourexperience. For example, many userscomplained that when they selected atask, the console would hang. IBM’sinvestigation revealed that the dialog ormessage often came up behind the mainview, which made it basically invisibleto users, and led many of them toconclude that iSeries Navigator wasn’tresponding. This has been fixed. Inaddition, iSeries Navigator nowperforms significantly better whencollecting inventory across large sets ofsystems.

But perhaps the most excitingperformance-related innovation is thePerformance Advisor. This new plug-inscans your PC, network and iSeriesserver to provide you with direct andvaluable insight into iSeries Navigatorperformance and how it can beimproved.

For instance, say that iSeriesNavigator is performing slowly. Run the

Performance Advisor. It tells you whyperformance is degraded—your PC isusing too much memory, networkadapter throughput is slow, the numberof prestart jobs is too low, etc.—andprovides suggestions for fixing it. ThePerformance Advisor features aninteractive results page that can bearchived as a Web page. And if you andthe Performance Advisor can’t pinpointan issue on your own, the tool allowsyou to send data to IBM so you canwork with service to resolve theproblem.

In addition to performanceenhancements, V5R3 iSeries Navigatorboasts greater scalability andavailability. Management Central, themultisystem management component ofiSeries Navigator, now supports iSeriesplatform clustering capabilities. Thismeans that in the event of failover froma primary to a secondary system,Management Central data (monitors,tasks, system groups, inventory, etc.)will automatically be running on thatsecondary system.

Do You Have the Time? NavigatorDoesIBM is committed to providingautonomic computing solutions. And asnew features like the PerformanceAdvisor illustrate, iSeries Navigator isbecoming ever-more intelligent in how ithelps you administer your serverenvironment. Another indication ofiSeries Navigator’s autonomic capabilitiesin V5R3 is its new and significantlyenhanced time-management capabilities.

For instance, you can now create timezones and manage existing time zonesas well as daylight-saving time. Andtime-management capabilitiesintroduced in Management Central inV5R2 are greatly improved with iSeriesNavigator in V5R3. You could

synchronize the date and time in V5R2,but, as you know, changing the time oniSeries systems must be done carefullyso as to not impact jobs and otherscheduled events. And given itspotential to cause problems with OS/400timestamps, IBM didn’t recommendadjusting time backwards in theprevious release. But with iSeriesNavigator in V5R3, you can moreintelligently synchronize time acrossmultiple systems and more safely settime back. For instance, if System A istwo minutes ahead, iSeries Navigatorwill automatically slow its clock downover an appropriate period— dependingon the system environment—until thetime is corrected. This keeps all thetimestamps for different i5/OS logs andobjects unique.

What Else is New in iSeriesNavigatoriSeries Navigator also features these newor enhanced capabilities in V5R3:

• Intelligent Agents—An emergingtechnology is the use of intelligentagents to monitor and troubleshootproblems. As more agents are used,iSeries Navigator can now be used tomanage these agents. Agent Buildingand Learning Environment (ABLE) isavailable for any customer or businesspartner to create these agents, andiSeries Navigator provides a great wayto manage these agents.

• Single sign-on (SSO) configuration—With the addition of Enterprise IdentityMapping (EIM) and support of Kerberos,it’s not only possible but fairly easy touse SSO so that your users can accesstheir PC workstations and authenticateto the iSeries server using a singlepassword. Administrators can nowconfigure SSO through iSeriesNavigator, helping bring SSO


capabilities to multisystem environments. ManagementCentral now includes a “Synchronize Functions” task thatsends EIM and Kerberos configuration settings across multiplesystems. This is designed to greatly speed the SSO setupprocess. Of course you’ll have to configure one system withiSeries Navigator, but once you’ve configured that firstsystem, you can use Synchronize Functions to update yourother systems with just a few clicks.

• Security—While the iSeries platform is virus-resistant,it’s capable of “carrying” viruses through its IFS. So iSeriesNavigator now provides administrators with greater optionsfor selecting security settings on the IFS. IFS objects nowcontain a Security tab that displays file-scanning options.Currently this field is being used by business partners’virus-scanning software when setting up a system to ensurethat the proper objects should be scanned.

• Databases—The first thing you’ll notice is a new, moreindustry-standard hierarchy structure. Now you can openiSeries Navigator and, for example, view all of the triggers inyour database. Beyond that, there are several optimizationenhancements, like the capability to reorganize a table whileallowing users to continue to access it. (This is designed todecrease database downtime.)

• BRMS—Among other enhancements, a Reclaim wizardwas added to help free up tape volumes that aren’t fully used.

• Advanced Job Scheduler (AJS)—IBM AJS for iSeriesfeatures several significant enhancements, including AJS forWireless. (For more on updates to AJS, see the article, “Righton Schedule,” in the June issue.)

A Greater NavigatorWith V5R3, iSeries Navigator offers numerous andsignificant performance, usability, optimization and Web-management enhancements. For the latest in frequentlyasked questions, articles, demos and listings of functions byrelease, visit IBM’s iSeries Navigator Web site(www.ibm.com/ iseries/navigator).

Greg Hintermeister is a user interface designer at IBM. Hehas extensive experience designing user interfaces for iSeriesNavigator, the Virtualization Engine, wireless applications andnumerous Web applications. He frequently speaks at user groupmeetings and technical conferences. Greg can be reached [email protected].

Neil Tardy is the Web editor of ^ Magazine. Neil canbe reached at ntardy@ msptechmedia.com.

Health Center and IBM Virtualization Engine

A t the COMMON Spring 2004 conference in May, IBM announced

IBM* Virtualization Engine Systems Technologies, a suite of

functions designed to help administrators manage multiple systems

and partitions when running multiple platforms. A core part of

Virtualization Engine Systems Technologies is the Health Center, which

IBM previewed to COMMON attendees. This Web-based function is

designed to gather data from multiple managing servers and presents an

overall view of system health in one easy-to-use Web interface (see Figure

1, below).

The Health Center elicited a positive response, particularly among

customers already using iSeries Navigator to manage OS/400* and IBM

i5/OS*, IBM Director to manage Linux* and Windows* servers and/or

Web/SM to manage AIX* systems. The Health Center is designed to allow

administrators to assess all of these management sources, and then drill

down to find problems and take troubleshooting actions like hold jobs,

respond to messages, restart servers and run custom tasks that are

optimized for each OS. For example, if an iSeries Navigator monitor

detects a problem on an i5/OS partition, you can hold the job, reply to the

message, run a CL command, send a file package or even run a script

you’ve programmed.

The Health Center is also expected to provide real-time graphing

capabilities, allowing you to, in one dashboard view, graph metrics for key

resources across your heterogeneous environment. In that same view, you

could view CPU usage across your partitions, disk storage from your

Linux* partitions, and memory usage from your xSeries* servers.

IBM plans to include the Health Center in a future release. For details

on the IBM Virtualization Engine and its current capabilities, see the

article, “i5/OS Has Arrived,” in the May issue (www.eservercomputing.

com/iseries/articles/index.asp?id=915) and visit IBM’s Virtualization Web

site (www.ibm.com/eserver/about/virtualization). In addition, the IBM

^ Information Center (http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/eserver)

offers in-depth articles on the Virtualization Engine and how it can

simplify multiplatform administration.

— G.H.

Figure 1



Bangalore, India, June 15, 2004 -- IBM today unveiled itsLinux Centre of Competency in Bangalore, India. The Centrewill help IBM clients from industry, academia and governmentmove to computing environments based on open standards.

The Linux Centre of Competency provides facilities and supportand consulting services to test, develop and drive Linuxapplication and solution development. It also will provideLinux product and solution certification. The Centre will helpclients take full advantage of the reliability, flexibility and totalcost of ownership value that Linux provides.

The Linux Centre of Competency will showcase integratedsolutions using Linux and will provide deep, specialized skillsto IBM clients and business partners to help them leverageLinux-enabled solutions to solve real business challenges. TheCentre will also be used for in-depth technology briefings andworkshops, as well as product and solution demonstrations,and Linux education and training. It will also showcase ISVapplications on Linux, and provide facilities for customer proofof concepts. The Centre is equipped with a wide selection ofIBM hardware, software and services so that users can test theirapplications and gain insights into how Linux could help theirbusinesses and operations.

"IBM has been committed to Linux for years and supports the'opening up' of software and services," said Mr. R.Dhamodaran, Vice-President and Country Executive, IBMSoftware Group. "Linux is all about customer choice. Webelieve this Centre will rapidly facilitate development of newLinux based solutions for governments, academia and

commercial customers in India. The Centre will also offer ourtechnology vendors and business partners a key opportunity toplay a significant role in the worldwide Linux community."

Other IBM Linux Centres of Competency are located in Austin,Texas, USA; Beijing, China; Boeblingen, Germany; Mosco,Russia; San Paoli, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan; to name a few. Formore information about IBM Linux Centres of Competency,please visit http://www-1.ibm.com/linux/va_4057.shtml.

In a demonstration of IBM's extreme commitment to openstandards, IBM's other Linux facilities in India include TheLinux Development Centre, Linux Porting Centre, LinuxTechnology Centre and Linux Solution Centre*.

About IBM's Linux commitment Linux and the open movement are central to the IT industryand to IBM's on demand strategy. There are now more than10,000 IBM Linux customer engagements worldwide, allowingbusinesses of various industries to reduce their computing costswith solutions ranging from Web services to some of the largestsupercomputers doing seismic processing, financialcalculations and genomic research. IBM offers the broadestsupport for Linux, spanning its portfolio of hardware, softwareand services. In addition, the company is running Linux onmore than 800 servers inside IBM, including ibm.com.

According to Gartner, IBM is the top vendor of computersystems running the Linux operating systems. IBM had 32.6 percent share of the Linux market, beating HP with 29.1 per cent.Sun had less than one per cent. (Gartner Dataquest, Q4 2003).

For more information on IBM's Linux strategy, visithttp://www.ibm.com/Linux

iDiary

A look at what’s happening in the iSeries world

Linux Porting centre:Designed to support ISV's wanting to port to Linux, by offering hardware,software, technical support & certification 11 centres across the world.Established in Bangalore for the ASEAN/South Asia region.

Linux Technology Centre:Established by IBM to do core R&D on Linux and to support the movementthrough open sourcing of Key IBM technologies from other platforms.Seven centres worldwide. Established in Bangalore for the ASEAN/SouthAsia region.

Linux Solution Centre:Customer focussed centres. Infrastructure and technical support for

benchmarks, demos and test environments. Mix of clusters of IBM xSeries, iSerie, pSeries & zSeries machines available.One centre each established in Malaysia, Singapore and India.

E-Business Solution Centres:Building customised modules for customers/government using IBMMiddleware. Established in Gurgaon for the ASEAN/South Asia region.

India Research Labs:• Designed to look to the future, and engage in key research and

development that will contribute to advancement in key upcomingtechnologies. Established in IIT D.

LINUX RESOURCES

IBM Unveils Linux CentreReiterates Commitment to Open Standards

Jim Stallings, WorldWide Headfor Linux, inaugurates the LinuxCentre of Competency (CoC)

With iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web, you can manage systems from a browser

Navigating aNew Course

BY TIMOTHY L. KRAMER

For many iSeries* systemadministrators, systemoperators and end users,iSeries Navigator hasbecome the user interfaceof choice. And theplethora of enhancementsdelivered with IBM*

i5/OS* V5R3 gives iSeries Navigator users evenmore choices. This article explores oneparticularly significant iSeries Navigatorenhancement, a new function called Tasks onthe Web, and shows you how to get startedwith it. For an overall look at what’s new withthe latest release of iSeries Navigator, read thisissue’s cover story (page 4).

From the GUI to the BrowseriSeries Navigator provides a graphical interfacefor managing key iSeries resources. As acomponent of iSeries Access for Windows*,iSeries Navigator must be installed on both theiSeries server and a PC connected to the iSeriesserver. In the past, this meant that administratorscould only check the system operator’s messagequeue or check the status of a currently runningjob by physically accessing the iSeries server orthe PC with iSeries Navigator installed. But as ofV5R3, you can do these and many other taskseven if you’re away from your primary work PC.With iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web, all youneed is a browser and network access to thedesired iSeries machine.


The Tasks on the Web environment is designed for ease ofuse. It’s written in Java*, and it incorporates the familiar userinterface that exists in iSeries Navigator on the client side.

But Tasks on the Web stands apart, not only because itprovides users with the capability to perform iSeries Navigatortasks from a browser, but also because it provides users withdirect access to these common tasks, which isn’t available ifyou’re using the iSeries Navigator application installed on aPC. (For lists of tasks supported by Tasks on the Web, seeTables 1-5 throughout this article.)

For example, changing the run priority of a specific iSeriesjob through the iSeries Navigator client application requiresthese steps:


Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 1

(1) outq value must be entered as "library/queue." Example: outq=qusrsys/

qezjoblog

(2) Valid types for the user jobs list are:

A (Autostart), B (Batch), I (Interactive), M (Subsystem), R (Reader), S

(System), W (Writer), X (SCPF System) and * (All)

(Note: Viewing printer output contents on the Web requires you to download

the IBM AFP Viewer browser plug-in to your PC. The plug-in lets you view AFP

and SCS output from your browser. To download this plug-in, go to

www.ibm.com/software, select “Software support” from the left-hand nav bar,

and then enter AFP Viewer under Search Software Support. The download page

should be the first returned on your search. The direct URL is: www.ibm.

com/support/docview.wss?rs=203&q=afp+plugin&uid=psd1P4000233.)

TABLE 1

Here’s a list of the iSeries Navigator tasks that are available withTasks from the Web. Tasks are organized by their current locationwithin iSeries Navigator.

Task

Messages

System Operator Messages

Send a Message

Printer Output

User Jobs

Task ID (task=xxxx)

msg

sysoprmsg

sndmsg

prtout

usrjob

AdditionalParameters(Optional)

N/A

N/A

N/A

printer, outq (1)

(Note: these parms

are optional. If not

specified, current

Include settings are

used.)

job-name, job-user,

job-number, type (2)

(Note: these parms

are optional. If not

specified, current

Include settings are

used.)

B a s i c O p e r a t i o n s


1. Expand the desired iSeries system in the iSeries Navigatorhierarchy.

2. Expand the Work Management container. 3. Click on the Active Jobs container. 4. Scroll until you find the job you want to change. 5. Right-click on the job and select the Properties action. 6. Click on the Performance tab, change the run priority and

press “OK.”

However, to make the same change using Tasks on the Web:

1. Enter this URL: http://system:2001/webnav/WnServlet?task=jobprop&job=jobNbr/jobUser/jobName.

2. Select the Performance tab, change the run priority andclick “OK.”

Getting StartedTo access Tasks on the Web, simply point your browser to aspecific URL containing the task you want to perform. Forexample, this URL would provide access to a list of active jobson the server, lp016ab:

http://lp016ab:2001/webnav/WnServlet?task=actjob The corresponding Web page is shown in Figure 1 (page 12).

Now let’s examine the specific pieces that comprise this URL:

• http—This is the protocol. When using Secure SocketsLayer (SSL), it’s https.

• lp016ab—This is the name or IP address of the systemwhere the iSeries Navigator tasks code is located.

• :2001—This is the port assigned to the iSeries HTTP AdminServer. (Although if SSL is used, the port is :2010.) To accessTasks on the Web, the HTTP Admin server job must be runningon the specified iSeries server. This job should, by default,always be running. If, however, it’s stopped, it can be restartedwithin iSeries Navigator by opening the desired iSeries serverand selecting Network > Servers > TCP/IP. Then locate theHTTP Administration server in the list and select “Start.”

• webnav/WnServlet—This identifies the servlet code to beinvoked on the iSeries server.

• ?task=actjob—This is the task parameter, preceded by the“?” character.

Subsequent parameters are preceded by the “&” character.The task parameter must be specified on the URL. The formatis task=xxxxx (“xxxxx” is the task you want to perform).

A URL can also have an optional system parameter. Theformat is system=xxxxx (“xxxxx” is the name of the iSeriesserver where you want the task to be performed). The systemparameter isn’t required if you’re performing the task on thesame system that’s specified at the beginning of the URL. Say,

for example, lp016ab is running V5R3 while another server,iSeriesHR, is running V5R2. With Tasks on the Web, if youhave only one iSeries server in a group of systems runningV5R3, you can still manage the entire group. This means thatyou can use Tasks on the Web to check messages on iSeriesHRby entering this URL:

http://lp016ab:2001/webnav/WnServlet?task=sysoprmsg&system=iSeriesHR

For certain tasks, additional parameters may also be specifiedto provide needed information. For example, to hold a job, youcan add the job=parameter to the URL:

http://lp016ab:2001/webnav/WnServlet?task=hldjob&job=135481/ TLK/QPADEV000D

Alternatively, you can leave off the parameter and beprompted for the specific job you wish to hold. (Note: Fortasks that show lists of items (i.e., task=actjob), the default isto show 15 items per page. To override this default, add thetable-size parameter to the URL (i.e.,...?task=actjob&table-size=10) ).

These additional parameters are listed with the task listingsin the five tables.

Setup Steps As mentioned, Tasks on the Web requires at least one iSeriesserver running V5R3. In addition, these products must be installed:

• 5722DG1: IBM HTTP Server for iSeries • 5722IWE: WebSphere* Application Server-Express (WAS-

Express) • 5722SS1 (option 0012): OS/400* Host Servers • 5722SS1 (option 0030): OS/400 Qshell • 5722JV1: IBM Developer Kit for Java* • 5722JV1 (option 5): Java Developer Kit 1.3 • 5722JV1 (option 6): Java Developer Kit 1.4

Before users can access Tasks on the Web, the HTTPAdministration server configuration must be changed toautomatically start the system application server instance. Hereare the steps involved:

1. Go to the HTTP Administration Web page(http://system:2001/ HTTPAdmin).

2. Click on the Manage tab.3. Click on the HTTP Servers tab, select “ADMIN - Apache”

from the server list.4. Click on “General Server Configuration” in the left pane of

the current page.


(Note: The job parameter is optional. If it isn’t included on the URL, you’ll be prompted for the specific job.)

(3) Valid types for the active jobs list are:

A (Autostart), B (Batch), C (Communications), I (Interactive), P (Prestart), M (Subsystem), R (Reader), S

(System), W (Writer), and * (All)

TABLE 2

W o r k M a n a g e m e n t

Task

Active jobs

Server jobs

Active subsystems

Output queues

Delete a job

Hold a job

Release a job

Move a job

Work with a job

Job properties

Display job log for a job

Display locked objects for a job

Display call stack for a job

Display open files for a job

Display library list for a job

Display performance statistics for a job

Display threads for a job

Task ID(task=xxxx)

actjob

svrjob

sbs

outq

dltjob

hldjob

rlsjob

movjob

wrkjob

jobprop

joblog

lockobj

callstack

openfiles

liblist

perfstats

threads

Additional Parameters (Optional)

job-name, job-user, job-number, current-

user, subsystem, type (3) (Note: these

parms are optional. If not specified, current

Include settings are used.)

job-name, job-user, job-number, current-

user (Note: these parms are optional. If not

specified, current Include settings are

used.)

N/A

N/A

job=jobNbr/jobUser/jobName













C o n f i g u r a t i o n a n d S e r v i c e

TABLE 3

Task ID (task=xxxx)

sysval

timemgmet

Additional Parameters

N/A

N/A

Task

Work with system values

Time management

5. Specify “Yes” for these options:

• “Start the system application serverinstance when the ‘Admin’ server isstarted.”

• “Stop the system application serverinstance when the ‘Admin’ server isstopped.”

6. Click the Apply button.7. Stop, then restart (recycle) the

HTTP Administration server so theseconfiguration changes take effect. (For details, see the “Other Tasks on the Web Tips” sidebar on page 12.)

Creating Favorite TasksYou can quickly create a complete set ofiSeries Navigator task favorites to importinto your browser by using the CreateFavorites selection on the iSeriesNavigator Tasks homepage. To bookmarkTasks on the Web, follow these steps:

1. Go to the iSeries Navigator taskshomepage (http://system:2001/webnav/WnServlet?task=home).

2. Click on the Create Favorites button.3. Specify the name of the iSeries

system that you want to access withthese tasks, then click “Next.”

4. Use your cursor to highlight all ofthe HTML text in the edit box, pressCtrl+C to copy the text to the clipboard,then press “Finish.”

5. Use a text editor to create a newdocument, press Ctrl+V to copy theHTML contents into this document, thensave it to a location on your PC with the.htm extension (i.e., lp016abTasks.htm).

6. Start a browser session, click on the“Favorites” action and select “OrganizeFavorites ... ”

7. Click the Create Folder button tocreate a new folder at the desiredlocation within your existing favorites.Give this folder a name (i.e., “Tasks onthe Web”), then close.


TABLE 4

Task

All objects

Aliases

Create an alias

Constraints

Indexes

Create an index

Sequences

Create a sequence

Tables

Create a table

Distinct types

Create a distinct type

Journals

Journal receivers

SQL procedures

SQL packages

Create a schema

Select a schema

Trigger

Views

Functions

Task ID (task=xxxx)

db.allobj

db.alias

db.crtalias

db.cst

db.idx

db.crtidx

db.seq

db.crtseq

db.tbl

db.crttbl

db.typ

db.crttyp

db.jrn

db.jrnrcv

db.proc

db.pkg

db.crtschema

db.selschema

db.trg

db.view

db.func


dbname=database name,schema=schema name





















D a t a b a s e

8. Click on the browser’s File action, and select “Importand Export ... ” from the context menu.

9. Click “Next” on the Import/Export wizard.10. Select “Import Favorites” and click “Next.” 11. Select “Import from a File or Address” and type the

location and name of your .htm file or press the Browsebutton to locate it on your PC, then click “Next.”

12. Select the destination folder that you just created foryour favorites on the next panel, then press “Next.”

13. Click “Finish” on the final panel. If all went well, amessage stating “Successfully imported favorites” isdisplayed.

(Note: The steps here apply to Internet Explorer. ForNetscape and other browsers, the steps are similar.)

To use your favorites, click on the “Favorites” action foryour browser and navigate to the folder you specified asyour destination folder. You should see the iSeriesNavigator tasks organized under this folder in foursubfolders: Basic Operations, Configuration and Service,Database and Work Management. You should also see afavorite for the iSeries Navigator tasks homepage. You caneasily set up your own homepage for the iSeries Navigatortasks:

1. Follow the aforementioned steps to create a system Tasks.htm file on your PC.

2. Copy the .htm file to the following directory on youriSeries server:

/QIBM/ProdData/OS400/iSeriesNavigator/iSeriesNavigator.ear/iSeriesNavigator.war/html

To access this home page, enter this URL:

http://iSeries:2001/webnav/html/systemTasks.htm

You can use an HTML editor to add graphics or othercustomized formatting to your iSeries Navigator Tasks page.

Web Tables One advantage of working with lists of resources using Taskson the Web is the powerful built-in functions of the tablewidget that’s used to display the lists. “Find” is the onlybuilt-in function of the list control that’s used to display listswithin the iSeries Navigator client application. Other listfunctions (e.g., include and sort) are deferred to thecomponent that provides the list data for implementation.Some iSeries Navigator lists support include and sort,though many don’t.

When working with iSeries Navigatorlists, however, these list functions arebuilt into the table itself:

Find—The Web table also supports afind function, but it’s more powerfulthan that supported within the iSeriesNavigator client. With Tasks on the Web,you can specify four conditions(contains, starts with, ends with andexact match), limit searches to specificcolumns or search across all columns,search up or down in the list, specifywhether to “match case,” and specify todisplay or hide the Find toolbar (seeFigure 2, page 12).

Filter—List filtering is providedregardless of whether the component thatprovides the list supports an Includefunction. This powerful function:

• Supports filtering on one or morecolumns in the list.

• Supports the Contains, Starts Withand Ends With filter conditions for textcolumns (a “match case” option can beapplied to these conditions).

• Supports these filter conditions for

numerical columns: all numbers,numbers less than xxx, numbers lessthan or equal to xxx, numbers greaterthan xxx, numbers greater than or equalto xxx, numbers equal to xxx, numbersnot equal to xxx, numbers between xxxand yyy, and numbers between andincluding xxx and yyy (see Figure 3,page 12).

Sort—The built-in data sortingprovided by the Web table allows you tospecify up to three list columns to sort

the list and specify ascending ordescending sorting for each column (seeFigure 4, page 12).

List navigation—The Web table allowseasy navigation throughout the list by supporting Next and Previousbuttons for moving through the list,going to a specific page in the list andcollapsing/expanding the entire list.

Add/remove selections for all items inthe list—You can add or removeselections to all list items by selecting atoolbar icon at the top of the Web table.


HomepageThe Tasks from the Web homepage is a starting place for users who are learning how to use iSeries

Navigator from a browser. From the homepage, users can:

• Start a wizard that will help them select the desired iSeries Navigator task

• Create the HTML for favorites for all of the iSeries Navigator tasks

• Learn more about iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web by linking to the iSeries Information Center

TABLE 5

Task

iSeries Navigator Task Home Page

Task ID (task=xxxx)

home


N/A

MALAYSIAAngeline [email protected] - 603 7720 8724

SINGAPOREMichelle [email protected] - 65 6418 9645

PHILIPPINESMinakshi K. Chandphone - 63 2 995 2112

INDONESIAVina [email protected] - 62 21 523 8480

THAILANDAnules [email protected] - 662 273 4905

INDIADivya [email protected]

For further information on the ^ iSeries ASEAN/SAedition, please contact the following:

iSeries ASEAN/SA EDITION


SSL warning—When you first use iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web, this

warning is displayed (unless you’re using an SSL connection):

SSL is not configured for accessing the iSeries Navigator Tasks on the

Web interface on system ‘xxxxx’. If system ‘xxxxx’ connects to managed

system ‘xxxxx’ through the external Internet, your user ID and password

could be easily accessed if an SSL connection to system ‘xxxxx’ is not

used. See the iSeries Information Center for more information about

configuring SSL for use by iSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web.

You’re then automatically redirected to your requested task. The warning

doesn’t reappear for the remainder of your browser session.

This SSL warning appears because of the default settings in Tasks on

the Web’s web.xml file. To eliminate this message, change the web.xml file

that controls it. The file is found on your iSeries server at:

/QIBM/UserData /WebASE/ASE5/SYSINST/conf ig /ce l l s /LOCAL

applications/iSeriesNavigator.ear

/ d e p l o y m e n t s / i S e r i e s N a v i g a t o r / i S e r i e s N a v i g a t o r . w a r /

WEB-INF/web.xml

This file contains these two parameter entries:

<init-param id=”InitParam_1074274225706”>

<param-name>httpSSL</param-name>

<param-value>warning</param-value>

<description>Whether SSL communication with the HTTP

server is required.</description>

</init-param>


<param-name>SocketConnectionSSL</param-name>

<param-value>warning</param-value>

<description>Whether SSL socket connections with the

target iSeries are required.</description>

</init-param>

Both the httpSSL and SocketConnectionSSL parameters are set to a

default value of “warning.” To remove the warning message, set the httpSSL

parameter value to “notrequired” and the “SocketConnectionSSL” value to

“notused”:


<param-name>httpSSL</param-name>

<param-value>notrequired</param-value>

<description>Whether SSL communication with the

HTTP server is required.</description>

</init-param>


<param-name>SocketConnectionSSL</param-name>

<param-value>notused</param-value>

<description>Whether SSL socket connections with

the target iSeries are required.</description>

</init-param>

As with any change made to the iSeries Navigator Web application

settings, iSeries Navigator must be restarted (or “recycled”) for the

updates to take effect. For more on this, see the next section.

“Recycling” the iSeries Navigator Web Application—When administrators

change the iSeries Navigator Web applications settings (web.xml) or

provide new users with access to Tasks on the Web, the iSeries Navigator

Web application must be stopped and restarted (or “recycled”) for these

changes to take effect. Here are the steps involved:

1. Go to the HTTP Administration Web page on the desired iSeries server

by entering:

http://system:2001/HTTPAdmin

2. Click on the Manage tab.

3. Click on the Application Servers tab.

4. Select “SYSINST/ADMIN - WAS - Express, V5” from Instance/Server

dropdown.

5. Click on the Manage Installed Applications link in the left-hand pane.

6. You should see a list of installed applications for this WAS instance.

Select “iSeriesNavigator” application and select “Stop.”

7. After the application has stopped, press the Start button to restart the

application.

—T.K.

Other Tasks on the Web Tips

SummaryiSeries Navigator Tasks on the Web not only providesadministrators with browser-based access to key systemfunctions, it allows you to perform several tasks directlywithout having to also first retrieve a list of items to workwith. And because each task can be accessed via a unique URL,these tasks can be easily integrated into your own applications.

Timothy L. Kramer is a senior software engineer with IBMSystems Group. He’s been involved with iSeries Navigatorsince its inception and is currently working on the Webenablement of key iSeries Navigator functions. Tim can bereached at [email protected].

India's largest private sector insurance company - ICICIPrudential Life Insurance Company is a joint venturebetween ICICI Bank, a premier financial powerhouseand Prudential plc, a leading international financialservices group headquartered in the United Kingdom.ICICI Prudential was amongst the first private sectorinsurance companies to begin operations in December2000 after receiving approval from InsuranceRegulatory Development Authority.

PLANNING TODAY FOR A RISK FREE FUTURE...In less than 4 years of operations, ICICI Prudential hassold more than 750,000 policies. Moreover, theInsurance business is all about customer service andinnovatively structuring customer options. To enableitself to offer better service and choice to customers andto prepare itself to meet this aggressive quantumgrowth plan, it was felt that the IT infrastructure neededto be scalable for deployment and usage of proveninsurance application, which can be the foundation forevolving customer-centric business plans.

The goal was to deploy a tested and proven insuranceapplication to streamline processes, capture andretrieve information on customers, products andbusiness health, help with MIS reporting and enablethe business to provide customer-focused productofferings. At the same time, ICICI Prudential was notinterested in setting up complex data centre operationsand proliferate servers and applications. The goal wasto have IT purely to serve business and to help growththrough superior product data and customer responsesystems.

LIFEASIA/400 ON eServer iSeries MEETS ICICIPRUDENTIAL'S FUTURE NEEDSICICI Prudential decided to implement LifeAsia/400suite of insurance solutions from CSC (ComputerSciences Corporation) and deploy them on the IBMiSeries servers. CSC's LIFE Asia offers end-endsolutions in the area of “life and pensions" productsusing the IBM eServer iSeries platform. Life Asia/400 isa comprehensive, web-enabled, low-risk, back-officeapplication for life insurance and pensions. All theseapplications run out a central IBM iSeries Model 810.The system currently supports more than 450 users.ICICI Prudential also uses a Model 820 as a back-upand development server.

BENEFITS REAPEDAt ICICI Prudential, the overall IT solution and thestrong processes have always been the backbone formanaging the business. The accelerated growth andheightened customer responsiveness have beenachieved through the IT solutions and infrastructureput in place by ICICI Prudential. The IT Infrastructureconsisting of IBM eServer iSeries solutions has beenhighly reliable, secure and easy to manage thusreducing the administrative burden on the IT team.Specific benefits of deploying the LifeAsia solutions onthe iSeries have been

• 24 x 7 availability of system for business• Ability to handle large number of concurrent users

and transaction volumes with ease


Customer’s Testimonial

A look at customers’ success and achievements

ICICI PRUDENTIAL INSURESITS IT INFRASTRUCTURENEEDS WITH IBM

"IBM eServer iSeries has enabled us to provide reliable, consistent and24 x 7 support to our business users and customers. eServer iSeriesalong with Core Life Administration System has enabled us to stayahead of competition in terms of technology and service."

- said Anil Tikoo, Head - Information Technology, ICICI Prudential

ABOUT ICICI PRUDENTIALICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company is a jointventure between ICICI Bank, a premier financialpowerhouse, and Prudential plc, a leading internationalfinancial services group headquartered in the UnitedKingdom. ICICI Prudential was amongst the firstprivate sector insurance companies to begin operationsin December 2000 after receiving approval fromInsurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA).

ICICI Prudential's equity base stands at Rs. 675 crorewith ICICI Bank and Prudential plc holding 74% and26% stake respectively. In the year ended March 31,2004, the company had issued over 430,000 policies,for a total sum assured of over Rs 8,000 crore andpremium income in excess of Rs. 980 crore. Today thecompany is the #1 private life insurer in the country.

ICICI Prudential has one of the largest distributionnetworks amongst private life insurers in India, having

commenced operations in 57 cities and towns in India.The company has recruited and trained over 30,000insurance agents to interface with and advisecustomers and has eleven bancassurance tie-ups.Further, it leverages its state-of-the-art ITinfrastructure to provide superior quality of service tocustomers.

ABOUT CSC'S LIFEASIAComputer Science Corporation (CSC) and IBM arealliance partners in developing applications for theinsurance and financial services industries worldwide.CSC's applications span a wide spectrum of IBMplatforms, including eSever pSeries, eServer iSeries, inaddition to using a broad variety of IBM middlewaretechnologies. Clients benefit from this alliance byvirtue of CSC having early access to IBM's technologiesand the subsequent ability to leverage these uniquetechnologies into insurance applications by CSC.


Meet the IBM eServer™ i5 system – designed to simplify your infrastructure. It's the first IBM server with POWER5™ technology. And the latest member of the IBM eServer iSeries™ family. What's more, it can simultaneously run four operating systems, dynamically allocating resources needed for each application and operating system.1 On demand. iSeries technology can also help reduce the number of servers you manage by as much as 85%. We invite you to learn more about how to make your business more efficient. Just visit ibm.com/eserver/consolidate

5 reasons why IBM eServer i5 systems with Power Architecture™ technology can simplify your infrastructure.

Runs four operatingsystems simultaneously.

Advanced virtualizationtechnologies.

Capacity on demand. POWER5 processor-based 64-bit technology.

Integrated for easymanagement.

The IBM eServer i5 system.Consolidate. Integrate. Celebrate.

1IXA or IXS required to run Windows, Customers must license O/Ss separately. IBM, the e-business logo, eServer, the eServer logo, iSeries, Power Architecture and POWER5 are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States and/or other countries Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United Sates,other countries, or both. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. ©2004 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved.


ENDPGM

An edectic take on the iSeries world

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH GAST

W ith all the talk about POWER* microprocessors,including the new POWER5* offerings that drivethe newest iSeries* systems, it’s easy to forget that

the architecture behind the microprocessors can be foundthroughout the high-technology marketplace.

IBM* Power Architecture* technology is a ubiquitous presencetoday. Countless communications tools, popular video gamestations and everyday computers are all powered by PowerArchitecture technology.

This may come as news to a lot of people, but with almost 30years invested in RISC development (the technology on whichPower Architecture systems are built), it’s hardly surprising. ThePOWER name is an acronym—Power Optimization WithEnhanced RISC—that’s based on an experimental RISCtechnology conceived in the 1970s.

RISC systems continued their development through the 1980s,and in 1990 the first POWER chip was introduced on anRS/6000* server running the AIX* OS. From there, POWER gaverise to alliances with such companies as Apple, which broughtforth the first PowerPC* offerings.

“From an ^ perspective, we often think of PowerArchitecture technology laying the basis as a common chip—firstfrom POWER4* and now POWER5 systems—as operating on theiSeries and pSeries servers,” says Joel Tendler, program directorof technology assessment, IBM Systems Group. “But, in fact,from a Power Architecture technology perspective, thecommonalities are even bigger than that, moving down eveninto the embedded space, where we’re seeing Power Architecturetechnology being used, from a processor perspective, with otherlogic components built into the chip as dictated by customers.”

A few other places where you can find Power Architecturesystems are Nintendo GameCube, Apple (including its G3, G4and G5 lines) and—a little further from planet Earth—an altered32-bit PowerPC processor was used in the aerospace industry.

Then there’s the pretty substantial role that Power Architecturetechnology plays on iSeries and pSeries servers. The introductionof the POWER4 microprocessor in 2001 brought together two

different chip architectures—one for commercial computing andone for technical computing—into one design.

The newest microprocessor offering, POWER5, promises tofurther integrate the technologies found on the iSeries andpSeries servers. Thanks to a more finely tuned integrated design,it offers functionality that was unheard of just a few years ago.

“Although iSeries and pSeries platforms have been sharingmicroprocessor technologies for many years, this latest iteration,POWER5, may represent the fullest integration and convergenceof the two because of the larger role played by the POWERHypervisor*,” says Fred Bothwell, IBM pSeries 655 offeringmanager. “IBM plans that all of the iSeries servers that aregoing to be based on POWER5 will have pSeries counterparts.However, the iSeries systems are more commercial-business-oriented, while the pSeries systems emphasize high-performancecomputing (although the majority of pSeries revenue is drivenby commercial systems), which is where the two server lines willdiffer in how they leverage POWER5 processing. It speaks to theversatility of the architecture that it can be used in so manydifferent ways.”

Given that the Power Architecture technology, whether in theembedded realm or the higher-end POWER5 processor realm, isso omnipresent in today’s technology marketplace, it’s understandable that it’s gaining popularity. It may not havethe stamp of certification granted to those technologies thatadhere to a strict list of predetermined standards, but given itswidespread adoption and ubiquitous presence, PowerArchitecture systems are beginning to define a new standard.

So the next time you find yourself editing journal entries onyour Apple G5 or playing All-Star Baseball 2004 on yourNintendo GameCube, try to remember that the technology thatmakes it all possible, the Power Architecture, is everywhere andall around.

Ryan Rhodes is news editor of ^ Magazine. He coversproduct-related news and other topics. Ryan can be reached [email protected].

Power, PowerEverywhereIBM Power Architecture technology runs PDAsand video games in addition to supercomputers

BY RYAN RHODES

inspiring

The IBM logo is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are acknowledged. All rights reserved. ©2004 IBM Corporation.

iSeries. mySeries.

asean/sa edition issue # 33 august 2004 iseries on the web is just one of the important new...

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