In-Depth

May Inside IBM

• 05/01/1999

IBM announced certification for Oracle8i Parallel Server on its Netfinity line of servers for Windows NT with Fibre Channel storage. Scaleable configurations of Oracle8i Parallel Server are enhanced by hardware features of the Netfinity X-architecture, such as LightPath Diagnostics and hot-add PCI.

Oracle Parallel Server is an open DBMS technology which takes advantage of clustered systems, or nodes, running on Windows NT. All nodes have access to shared disks connected to the system.

Each node running an Oracle DBMS has its own memory cache for database data. If one node becomes unavailable, users on the remaining nodes continue to do database work, while users on the failed node can switch to another node and continue processing.

IBM’s Fibre Channel is the next generation of high-speed storage interface used to connect large amounts of disk storage to a cluster of servers. IBM Netfinity Cluster Enabler Software and services for the Netfinity 7000 M10 Server/Oracle8i Parallel Server configuration will be available in the third quarter of 1999.

IBM and EMC Corporation entered a five-year strategic technology and business alliance valued at $3 billion. The alliance expands an existing business relationship. Under terms of the accord, EMC will continue to purchase IBM disk drives for incorporation into EMC’s Symmetrix Enterprise Storage systems. In the future, the agreement is likely to include other IBM technologies, such as microprocessors and advanced custom chips.

The alliance also provides for a broad patent cross-license between the two companies for storage and other technologies. In addition, the companies agreed to work together to further develop mutually beneficial business opportunities.

IBM has identified services, software and the sale of its leadership technologies as key growth areas for the company. Last October, IBM created a new organization, the IBM Technology Group, to pursue new growth opportunities and focus additional attention on the OEM marketplace. The first results stemming from this initiative were announced on March 4, when IBM and Dell Computer Corp. announced a $16 billion technology pact, the largest agreement of its kind in the information technology industry.

IBM reinforced its commitment to an open, standards-based approach to business integration by announcing it is joining the newly-formed Enterprise Integration Standards Council (EISC).

With the emerging application integration and message-oriented software market expected to reach more than $1 billion by the year 2001 (according to Dataquest estimates), IBM will target solutions that help companies integrate disparate IT systems in order to connect data and processes with employees, customers, partners and suppliers.

The EISC intends to help bring "maturity and consistency" to the burgeoning enterprise integration market. Some key goals the EISC will work toward include:

• Identify the standards requirements for successful enterprise integration.

• Identify business problems that enterprise integration is intended to solve.

• Provide a standard architecture for enterprise integration.

• Define enterprise integration terminology.

• Provide guidance to other standards bodies.

For more information about the EISC, visit www.iswatch.com.

IBM announced extensive networking hardware services and security solutions, providing customers with the network infrastructure and support they need to extend data and applications over the Internet for e-business. IBM is also announcing new virtual private network enhancements with increased security capabilities. As large customers move to IP-based networks to connect to the Internet and launch e-business initiatives, IBM is also providing secure network access to S/390 servers for Web-based computing.

IBM Global Services, working with the IBM Networking Hardware Division, will provide a program which includes a three-tiered approach to warranty and maintenance for selected IBM networking hardware solutions. New policies include: Business Support option, including warranty coverage and related services; Business Standard option, providing higher levels of service than business support and; Business Critical option, including around-the-clock, seven-day-a-week support for environments that can not afford any downtime.

For additional information, visit www.networking.ibm.com.

IBM added one of its Enterprise File Systems, AFS, to the tools available for IBM Business Partners to use to help corporations develop and implement global e-business solutions. IBM’s AFS provides an infrastructure for secure global file sharing, collaboration and information access. AFS also gives customers an IT solution for managing multi systems – clients and servers – using Windows NT, Macintosh, Linux and other UNIX operating systems.

AFS is used for managing information in online securities trading, insurance, manufacturing and design, Web content hosting for ISPs, research and government collaboration and paperless university registrars and courses.

AFS offers an infrastructure that lets IT departments add new operating systems into existing networks with minimal disruption. For example, many IBM customers who are in both the corporate and research industries are opting to add Linux into their enterprises. AFS also gives the IT department the ability to administer the enterprise servers and clients on multiple operating systems – from one location.

With the Enterprise File Systems offerings, users are able to take collections of dissimilar server and client machines and join them into a global, shared information system.