Informix Now Runs on Linux on IBM's Mainframes

The following announcement was submitted by IBM to IIUG ENews for publication on 10 June 2003:

We are pleased to announce the availability of Informix Dynamic Server 9.4 Enterprise Edition, ISA 1.5, CSDK 2.81 and Informix 4GL on Linux for zSeries on June 10, 2003. IDS on Linux for zSeries is a great marriage of technologies each working to provide the robustness, scalability and reliability that customers demand. IDS 9.40 is the first IBM database engine to fully exploit the large memory, 64-bit capabilities of the Linux kernel on zSeries , and provides an excellent upgrade path for our Linux customers and customers on prior software platforms who need a high-performance, Internet-scalable data management system. It also offers great benefits for customers looking to consolidate or centralize their data processing environments.

Why Linux for zSeries?

Linux offers openness, choice and vendor independence. Linux offers zSeries a truly portable application environment. By using the identical source code on all platforms, a simple recompile is generally all that is required to rehost an application. Linux also runs native on zSeries. Like other zSeries operating systems, customers have the flexibility of running on one machine, or they can run multiple images of Linux on a single zSeries as virtual servers, using either logical partitions (LPARs), VM/ESAR or the Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL). No other hardware platform can offer customers the flexibility of deploying hundreds of Linux images on a single machine. With this flexibility, customers benefit from reduced operational costs through centralization of backup and recovery and other administrative tasks.

zSeries is well positioned to take advantage of growth in the Linux market. zSeries is the industry's most reliable hardware platform. Its self-configuring and self-healing attributes such as CPU and memory sparing, fault-tolerant cache structure, and transient error recovery have made zSeries reliability legendary. While the reliability of Linux may be similar across server platforms, zSeries architecture will put applications running on Linux one step higher in availability.

The value zSeries brings to Linux is twofold:

• To provide high-speed transactions to Web serving applications.
• To consolidate Web servers, file and print servers, and DNS servers onto a single machine taking full advantage of zSeries - the flexible server.

For more information on Linux and zSeries please visit:

http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/faq/linux_faq.html

Why IDS on Linux for zSeries?

IDS 9.4, which became generally available March 28, 2003 (on all platforms but Linux for zSeries), is the fastest, most scalable and most available IDS every produced. The combination of object relational technology with solid OLTP functionality makes this a versatile, bullet proof database for today's e-business on demand applications. See http://www-3.ibm.com/software/data/informix/ids94/ for complete details on IDS 9.4.

Fully implemented 64-bit architectures, such as zSeries, remove the 31-bit limitations from files, files systems, and applications and enables the use of detail-data regardless of its volume. 64-bit systems also reduce the work of the application programmer by removing the design constraints inherent in 31-bit architectures. This means larger I/O block sizes, reduced disk accesses, the ability to store more data in system memory, all of which result in improved performance, ease of use, and the ability to handle larger problems more easily.

Identifying Opportunities

Customers running on IDS 7 on software platforms which are not supported in IDS 9.4. These are Siemens 32 and 64-bit, Unixware 32-bit, Sequent 32-bit, SCO OpenServer 32-bit, DG-Intel 32-bit, NCR 32-bit, Fujitsu UXP/DS 32-bit, NEC 32-bit.

Customers looking to consolidate or centralize their data processing environments for cost or growth reasons. Please talk to your IBM sales person about this exciting new opportunity!

Patricia Quinn
Product Marketing Manager, Informix Dynamic Server
IBM Data Management
ph: 408-463-2413 (t/l: 543)
patquinn@us.ibm.com
Patricia Quinn/Santa Teresa/IBM