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Mainframe revolution

Used mainly by large organisations “The costs of managing


processing chip on the
mainframe is about 70
ground up. Hence the stabil-
ity issues and issues of
for critical applications, mainframes clusters (the network, years! hacking because the entire
cabling, connections, data So mainframes are typi- system software etc was
as a technology is here to stay. replications, power cally run at 90-100 per cent open for anybody to over-
Sangeetha Kandavel finds out the consumption, people costs
of managing the various
utilisation continuously. write with their own code.
The Toronto Dominion Mainframe OZ (zOS) on the
trends in mainframe and its future. servers etc) becomes very Bank recently celebrated other hand was written
high. That is not the case their 10th consecutive year ground up to be virtual,
he year 2006 was a zAAP &IFL) for database ac- with

T
of running continuously multi user system, multi
great year for the cesses, Java and Linux re- mainframe”
with zero down time. That is program system. The hard-
Mainframe Industry. spectively, the TCO of a SREENATH CHARY how the name system z ware was always virtualised
Mainframe revenue has mainframe is superior to came up (z for zero down- and programmers do not
grown 25 per cent in the any other platform. Given time) deal with physical limita-
third and the last quarter of the robustness of the zOS presentation front ends, utilisation, then the prob- Mainframe has never tions of the system.
2006 and it is hitting the platform, z Hardware, most thus getting the best from lem is huge and given the re- been hacked, why? Main- Next, Operating system
markets again, says companies are finding the technology by flexible busi- liability of UNIX/Intel box- frame is a proprietary to files and production code al-
Sreenath Chary, Business mainframe as a hub in a Ser- ness processes, investment es. IBM as Windows is to Mi- ways was protected by the
Unit Executive-Systemz, vices oriented Architecture protection, future proofing, UNIX servers are used crosoft. How come MS creation of a strict disci-
IBM, India. In an Interview (SOA) environment to be the without compromising on only 5-15% of the time? In Windows has been such a pline and the creation of
with Deccan Herald best. Hence there is a major scalability, availability, se- that context how main- big target for hackers but special libraries from which
Sreenath shared his views resurgence in mainframe curity and lower TCO. If an frame can be fully not mainframe? they could be run. This is
about mainframe, here is a usage around the world. organisation wants to im- utilised? Windows is an operating controlled by system pro-
quick FAQ on the issue. Mainframe has become one plement best practices, it The reliability of system started off as being grammers.
DH: The prevalence of of the most open platforms would mean, creation of a UNIX/INTEL boxes is not meant for one user only, and Application programs
mainframe today in the capable of running Linux, enterprise service bus to very high. Most organisa- they could run only one pro- never replace operating sys-
context of the current tech- zOS & zVM and all at the carry all the data and mes- tions don't increase load on gram at a time, and it was tem files unlike in Windows
nologies? same time in different parti- sages for the organisation any particular box in fear of written to manage real de- or UNIX (to a lesser extent).
Sreenath: The major tions using the virtualisa- on a common bus with com- losing precious data or face vices in the PC, that is, it This created this environ-
sector that depends on tion engine, which is ab- mon standards, and second- a major outage if the box was limited to what the PC ment never to be hacked to
mainframe is the banking solutely key to server con- ly a central location for data, fails. The moment the or- had ( eg.,640K). date.
sector. Transaction volumes solidation. and lastly one repository for ganisation realises that the When it was realised that Future of mainframe?
in banks are high and can't Typically most UNIX all business rules/process- machine is processing more this approach meant that Mainframe is the key
afford downtime, 300-400 servers are utilised at ing logic to allow reuse transactions or data and is programs which required competency with excellent
million dollars will be lost around 5-15 per cent. A across an enterprise. going beyond 30 per cent more hardware capacity growth potential for techni-
in seconds during down- mainframe can be utilised What if competing utilisation, they add one (like memory) could not be cal professionals and the IT
time. at 100 per cent without any hardware technologies, more server to spread the written, special routines industry. Around about
The Reserve Bank of In- issues, as it is capable of such as a cluster of web load to a new machine and that virtualised hardware 20,000 people are required to
dia depends on mainframe scaling up and out. This can servers (not from IBM) get the utilisation back to a had to be written. However, work on this platform by
for all their transactions. reduce tremendous cost for could well serve the same low level. the underlying operating 2010. There is a huge de-
The airlines and securities any organisation. Main- purpose? The analogy is like the system files etc were all mand for system program-
depository are some of the frame enjoyed 14 per cent Cluster technology is link in a chain that is carry- open to anyone who wanted mers, database administra-
major players who use growth rate in the 250K nothing new, they are pro- ing load, beyond a certain to install software, that is, tors and technical solution
mainframe.Mainframe can server segment over the last vided by everybody, includ- load; you can add a second any programmer could managers.
support thousands Virtual 5 years. ing IBM. However, beyond a link and a third link to en- overwrite system software Mainframe should be
Linux servers in a single What are the world certain number of individ- sure that even if one link causing malicious or unin- made open and we should
mainframe and the first 64- trends in mainframe? ual machines that are clus- fails, the second link stays tended damage. make people understand
bit Linux platform for the SOA is using mainframe tered, the costs of managing on instead of ensuring a bet- The operating system that Java can be done
SAP application server was as a hub, by converting lega- the cluster (the network, ca- ter link the first instance. grew organically and tries through mainframe. IBM is
a mainframe. cy CICS/IMS (Customer In- bling, connections, data This results in typically to mimic multi- user envi- creating the mainframe
Is there resurgence in formation Management replications, power con- very low utilisation percent- ronment, virtualisation and community and is working
mainframe usage? What System/Information Man- sumption, people costs of ages. allowing multiple programs with academia to start this
is the demand like? agement System) applica- managing the various Whereas the main- at the same time etc, but this sooner. Mainframe is com-
With the introduction of tions into services and link- servers etc) all become very frame's reliability is meas- has been developed as addi- ing into picture and is not
the Offload engines (zIIP & ing them into Java based high. If clusters run at low ured in decades. MTBF for a tions and not designed from going to disappear.

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