IBM i 7.3 TR5 offers a major focus on support for the newly announced IBM Power System E980 servers. This Technology Refresh includes some significant enhancements to IBM Db2 for i, IBM Rational® Developer for i, and IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS), and adds some new open source environments.
IBM Db2 for i
With IBM i 7.3 TR5, Db2 for i continues to focus on new and advanced SQL capabilities and the ability to use SQL to access IBM i operating system detail. Further, Db2 for i delivers a new capability for the database engineer to manage data description language (DDL).
Licensed Program Products for IBM i
IBM i Access Client Solutions
The strategic interface for accessing and managing IBM i continues to be improved and enhanced. Version 1.8 includes many updates for the IBM i user as well as for the IBM i Db2 database engineer.
IBM Rational Developer for i
The strategic tooling for the IBM i application developer continues to be enhanced to help improve the productivity of your developers. One significant change to Rational Developer for i is the new PDM-like view.
Open source
A greatly expanded suite of open source offerings enables easier application development and system administration. In addition, the installation and management of open source packages is now significantly easier.
Hardware
IBM Power System E980 model 9080-M9S
The newly announced IBM Power System E980 servers continue the traditional focus on security and reliability, while also improving the handling of data-intensive and cloud workloads. I/O bandwidths have been greatly increased, allowing for greater throughput in a smaller footprint.
Unmap of thin-provisioned external storage
For native and NPIV-attached IBM Spectrum Virtualize™ configurations with IBM i that make use of thin provisioning, the IBM i operating systems has implemented the architected unmap function to allow the storage system to reuse space that has been freed by IBM i.
Multipath support for 3592-E05 and 3592-E06
Clients using older 3592-E05 and 3592-E06 drives in a TS3500 tape library can now take advantage of the tape multipath function that is already available for newer drive types. This enables the TS3500 with 3592-E05 and 3592-E06 drives to be attached to multiple redundant adapters and VIOS partitions for improved availability, and can also simplify the SAN management for a TS3500 tape library with multiple drive types.
KEY PREREQUISITES
IBM i 7.3 TR5 is supported on selected IBM Power Systems™ servers:
- Power Systems servers with IBM POWER9™ technology-based processors
- Power Systems servers with IBM POWER8® technology-based processors
- Power Systems servers with IBM POWER7® or IBM POWER7 + processors
Clients using blades or PureFlex® systems, and those using servers with IBM POWER6® or IBM POWER6 + or earlier processors, need to move to newer systems to take advantage of the new features in IBM i 7.3 TR5.
For up-to-date information on all types of code levels needed for support of a particular feature, see the Power Systems Prerequisites website.
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
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