When Hewlett-Packard announced the demise of the HP e3000 on November
14, 2001, we were immediately struck by the lack of any reasonable
solution or strategy for small ISVs and SMB companies. Initially HP
recommended a swift migration to HP-UX. It has since realized (most
likely because of the overwhelming disinterest by HP e3000 users) that
Linux or Windows might be easier to swallow for some customers. However,
the fact remains that none of these options provides the kind of system
that HP e3000 ISVs and SMBs had come to take almost for granted. The HP
e3000 platform has a solid reputation as one of the most reliable and
successful platforms in the industry with its near legendary uptime,
unparalleled backward compatibility, seamless network integration, and
ease-of-use. It just runs, and runs.
With Hewlett-Packard’s migration
solutions, especially its HP-UX and Linux solutions, you have to become
your own systems integrator. The OS may come from HP, but the database
has to come from another company. The spooler has to come from a third
company. The batch scheduler has to come from a fourth company. The
compiler likely has to come from a fifth company. The backup software
has to come from a sixth company. The workload manager likely comes from
a seventh company, etc. To top it all off, you have to make sure that
everything is on a compatible release. Support also comes from multiple
companies, so when the inevitable problems do arise, you can easily end
up in a finger pointing situation rather than getting your problem
solved. “Ease of use” is a phrase never used in describing Unix or
Linux systems. Furthermore, a Unix solution invariably requires more
specialized technicians (read more cost and complexity) than MPE.
The techno-geek in me pushed me towards
Linux, but the businessperson in me (25-plus years experience as an IT
manager) found Linux, HP-UX and Windows all seriously wanting. After a
lot of research, one system stood out above all, the IBM iSeries (nee
AS/400) as being the most like the HP e3000 in all the good ways. In
fact, I frequently comment that the iSeries is what the HP e3000 could
have been if HP had continued to invest in it over the last decade.
Everything the small ISV or SMB needs is
in one integrated package, including OS, database, scheduler, spooler,
backup software, compilers, workload management, etc. In addition to its
native commands and file structure, OS/400 supports POSIX through its
integrated file system (IFS) and several shells, and supports the
running of AIX binaries using the PASE subsystem. The iSeries also has
the same legendary uptime and ease of use as the HP e3000. It too just
runs. And runs. There is no
need to worry about managing releases or support for half a dozen or
more software packages. Using logical partitions (LPARs),
the iSeries can run multiple independent instances of OS/400, Linux and,
later this year, AIX, all on one physical system. For the SMB looking to
replace its existing HP e3000 applications, there is a huge stable of
application packages available for the iSeries. Both the techno-geek and
businessperson are served.
We have established this site specifically
for HP e3000 users to learn more about the iSeries from IBM. We will be
continually adding content to it. Stop back frequently. Here are two
sites to get you started:
Migrating
Basic HP 3000 concepts to IBM eServer iSeries
A
Technical Introduction to IBM eSever iSeries
