Virtualization initiatives to increase the utilization of
servers is becoming the preferred option and analysts say this is where the
mainframes true colors comes to fore. For instance, mainframes are capable of
running at 100% utilization for any length of time, unlike its counterparts.
Next, the MTBF for a mainframe is 30 plus years. This is about 10 years with
UNIX and a bit lesser for Intel boxes. What this means is, if there are say 100
servers, one can expect about three hardware failures per month compared to none
for mainframes that can easily replace around hundreds of servers. Hence,
mainframes have a distinct advantage in cost as well as reliability.
| The
New Mainframe Processors from IBM |
|
Nationwide's
Aggressive Virtualization |
|
zAAP is
a specialized processor that runs Java workloads. These specialty engines
are full-blown mainframe processing engines, but have been configured to
run Java workloads. The engine is sold at a fixed price and does not
attract software-licensing charges for its usage. This way, customers can
implement zAAP engines to reduce the otherwise traditional processing
power that would have been used, hence reducing SW licensing charges while
at the same time, increasing the processing power by using the specialty
engine.
zIIP is
a specialized processor (similar to zAAP), but is used in offloading some
DB2 based workloads. Installing this fixed price engine would add to the
processing capacity for such workloads, without attracting SW licensing
charges. zIIP is the latest specialty engine developed. |
|
A classic case of
virtualization is Nationwide, one of the largest insurance and financial
services company in the world that took on to aggressive virtualization.
The company has close to 700 UNIX and Intel small servers and has
virtualized these with couple of IBM z9 mainframes. The company intends to
accrue a savings of around $30 mn in a span of four years on aspects like
power consumption, hardware and software.
|
What makes mainframes more relevant today is the escalation of
Linux and its ability to run on mainframes. For instance, the z9 mainframes from
IBM can take up dedicated Linux processors in addition to main processor. IBM
calls it Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL). Using IFL one can host around 40
Linux virtual servers and that huge computing power is ready for existing and
future computing needs of the company.
Market leader IBM is investing heavily to increase the
acceptance of mainframes in the Indian market place. "We are aggressively
pushing for the usage of mainframes into accounts in India with proof points of
how mainframes could reduce the TCO in most instances," says Chary.
Mainframe Skill Sets
Looking at the way things are evolving more and more companies will at one
point of time opt for virtualization through mainframes. And this resurgence is
opening up the IT training market for mainframes as there is paucity of well
trained mainframe programmers. In India, most SIs generate skills on mainframes
and there are also players like Maples ESM who produce a good number of trained
manpower every year. N Ram Subramani, founder president, Maple ESM Technologies,
says, "There is a huge demand for mainframe professionals. We have trained
close to around 9,000 mainframe professionals in the last year alone, and they
were placed in top companies."
|
 'There is a huge demand
for mainframe professionals. We have trained close to around 9,000
mainframe professional last year alone, and they were placed in top
companies.'
-N Ram Subramani, founder president, Maple ESM Technologies
|
|
NSE Trades with Mainframes
Closer home, NSE is one classic example of how mainframes power their day
to-day operations. NSE runs numerous mission critical applications like
clearing and settlement, surveillance, risk management among others. The
magnitude of the operations become evident, as thousands of users trade
everyday. Being a technology exchange it calls for robust IT backend. NSE
operations depend on its multiple mainframes that supports it and provide
a fault tolerant IT backbone. |
Meanwhile IBM is also implementing the zAcademic initiative to
develop skills around mainframe technologies, starting with universities. Since
the mainframe today runs Linux, Websphere, and Java, analysts believe there
would be some migrations from these professionals to mainframes. Moreover, these
technologies are mainstream development environments today and work the same way
on the mainframe as they do on the other platforms. IBM's suite of application
development around Rational and others cater to developing applications for the
mainframes seamlessly.
Going forward, adoption for the mainframes like any other
advanced technology will increase in India, as the reasons to invest in this
technology become more compelling day by the day depending on customer
situations. The key drivers that would push mainframe adoption would be the need
for virtualization, and in the bargain it will usher in better TCO, increased
availability, reliability and security.
Shrikanth G
shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in Page(s) 1 2
| 
Print
Comment
Email
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Twitter
