Last Tuesday, IBM announced new capabilities for its System i5 product line that could help the server remain central to the IT strategies of its users. The announcements included the much-anticipated debut of technologies that integrate IBM's System x and BladeCenter servers with the System i5 via the Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol. In addition, IBM unveiled an attractively priced Collaboration Edition of the System i5 Model 520 that could appeal to many Domino, Notes, and WebSphere Portal Server users.
As I explained in an article last February, IBM has long realized that many customers find its products for integrating external Intel processor-based servers with the iSeries to be too costly or complicated for their tastes. Such integration required companies to learn how to manage proprietary High Speed Link (HSL) connections between iSeries and xSeries servers. In many cases, it also required them to buy expensive iSeries expansion cabinets or towers to house Integrated xSeries Adapter (IXA) cards.
To address this problem, IBM is delivering a way to inexpensively connect its xSeries servers (now known as the System x) and BladeCenter blades to the iSeries (now called the System i5 or simply "System i"). As Figure 1 below indicates, the offering involves a new iSCSI Host Bus Adapter (HBA) that resides in the System i5. The HBA connects via industry-standard Gigabit Ethernet links to an Ethernet switch that, in turn, connects to adapter cards residing on System x or BladeCenter blades. As is the case for IBM's other integration offerings, the System i5 provides a complete storage management solution—not to mention many other management capabilities—to the diskless System x and BladeCenter servers.
System i5 Integration with Intel Servers via iSCSI
[Source: IBM Corporation]
Figure 1: The new iSCSI Host Bus Adapter (HBA) resides in the System i5.
IBM's new offering can dramatically reduce both the cost and complexity of integrating and managing Intel processor-based servers via the System i5. Admittedly, the cost of integrating a single System x or BladeCenter server using iSCSI costs more than the old IXA/HSL method. That's because the initial integration involves the purchase of an HBA for $999, a Gigabit Ethernet switch (if one is not already available), and the adapter for the Intel server. However, a single HBA and Ethernet switch can support multiple Intel servers; indeed, IBM has tested it with up to eight servers. This means that integrating additional System x or BladeCenter servers may only require the purchase of adapter cards. Moreover, since a single HBA can support multiple Intel servers, it requires fewer adapter slots than a comparable IXA-based deployment. As a result, customers can integrate more servers without having to buy expansion cabinets. Finally, since the new offering operates over industry-standard iSCSI and Ethernet protocols, network administrators can manage the offering using the skills they already possess.
The iSCSI integration offering is currently available for all System i5 models running i5/OS V5R4. The offering supports selected System x and BladeCenter servers that are running Windows Server 2003. In addition, IBM has stated its intent to support Linux on the same servers and has launched a product preview of this capability. For more information about the iSCSI integration offering, check out IBM's System i Integration Web site.
Something for Everyone
While the iSCSI offering may have been the opening act for last week's announcements, it was far from being the entire show. IBM also announced the first I/O adapters (IOAs) for iSeries and System i5 models that support 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections. The 5721 IOA supports connections at distances of up to 300 meters and costs $4,742; the 5722 IOA supports connections up to 10 kilometers away and costs $7,999. Both products are supported on i5/OS V5R4, Linux partitions running Red Hat Linux AS Version 4 or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, and AIX partitions running AIX 5L V5.2 or higher.
IBM also announced XML Toolkit Version 1.1 for IBM System i5, a new release that packs the product with more technical goodies. The release includes XML parsers that iSeries developers can embed in their RPG, COBOL, C, and C++ applications. It also sports an Extensible Style Language (XSL) transformer that translates XML documents to other formats. For more information, point your browser to the XML on iSeries Web site.
Users of WebSphere Application Server (WAS) Express will also be happy to know that on July 7 of this year, IBM will start shipping WAS Express V6.1 with all copies of i5/OS V5R3 and V5R4. The new release sports enhancements such as full support for the Java 2 Standard Edition 5.0 specification, improved performance, and more robust security features. In addition, WAS Express V6.1 will support Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) servlets, a capability that will make it possible for the System i5 to support Voice Over IP (VOIP) applications. Users that have Web Enablement for i5/OS licenses will be able to acquire no-charge copies of the new release.
Finally, IBM announced the System i 520 Collaboration Edition, an attractively priced package for running many of IBM's Lotus, WebSphere Portal, and Workplace offerings. The package consists of a one-way System i5 Model 520 running at 1.9 GHz, an i5/OS license, and the minimum memory and disk storage needed to support the collaboration applications. Depending on the memory and disk storage needed, prices for the Collaboration Edition can be dramatically lower than those for comparable Model 520 Standard Editions. For instance, a Collaboration Edition with 4 GB of memory and four 35 GB disk drives costs 33% less than a similarly configured Standard Edition.
To qualify for a Collaboration Edition, customers can do one of two things. First, they can purchase a specified number of licenses to selected Lotus, WebSphere Portal, or Workplace products. Second, if they already own those licenses but are running them on a non-IBM server, they can transfer them to the Collaboration Edition. In addition, IBM is mounting a campaign with its Business Partners to get customers that are using competitive collaboration products to switch to IBM's products running on the new Collaboration Edition. For further details, check out the Collaboration Edition Web site.
Clearly, last week's announcements will be welcome news for the iSeries community. Now that the iSCSI offering is available, customers have a new and compelling reason to consider the System i5 as an integration platform for Intel processor-based servers. They may also want to consider whether their collaborative applications would cost less to manage on a System i5 than on Intel servers.
That said, last week's announcements appeal primarily to existing users and will do little to expand the market for IBM's premier midrange server. Such expansion will require years of concentrated effort to convince software vendors that the System i warrants increased investments on their part. Fortunately, IBM is beginning to experience some successes on that front. I'll have more to say about those successes in future articles, so stay tuned.
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at
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