RE: Informix for IBM S/390

I don't know that much about the S/390. Just what I read on IBM's web site about them running 41,000 instances of Linux on a single box - Just because they could. It simply seems to be a lot of layers between Informix and the metal if you run it in the mode I described - and I can not imagine someone dedicating an entire 390 to run Linux - directly on the box. Try it - let us know how it works. > -----Original Message----- > From: mbeattie@sable.ox.ac.uk [SMTP:mbeattie@sable.ox.ac.uk] > Sent: Monday, 2000-August-07 6:22 AM > To: informix-list@iiug.org > Subject: Re: Informix for IBM S/390 > > In article <8mf17p$952$1@news.xmission.com>, > <kirk.waterhouse@cibavision.Novartis.com> wrote: > > > >Since IBM released Linux for the S/390, maybe you can run Informix for > Linux > >=:-) > >A database running on a operating system running on a virtual machine > >running on an operating system running on a mainframe. > >The performance would have to be phenomenal. > > You seem to be implying that it would be slow for some reason. By > "virtual machine running on an operating system", I assume you mean > VM but VM (well, CP) is an operating system in its own right and > runs on the bare metal (or in an LPAR). Linux runs on S/390 in all > the same ways as traditional O/Ses run on S/390: either (1) on the > bare metal or (2) in an LPAR (up to 15 partitions) or (3) under VM > which provides any reasonable (or even unreasonable) number of > virtual machines in which O/Ses can be run, whether it's OS/390, > CMS, VSE or Linux. Running OS/390 in a VM is fairly unpopular > because it's unusual to want to run lots of separate OS/390 > instances. > > Typically, you run Linux in an LPAR or under VM. In both cases, > you're running close enough to the metal to get good performance: > especially in the database world where I/O is extremely important. > Now that IBM have announced Linux Integrated Facility (an S/390 > engine for a third of the usual price licensed to run Linux only > and which doesn't affect the usually per-engine licensing costs of > any of your other S/390 software) and VIF (a cut down version of VM > for running Linux only that costs a once-off price of $20000), it's > even more worth considering. > > Obivously, IBM will be the first big vendor database for Linux/390 > when DB2 leaves beta (current timescale says beta 3Q00 and release > 4Q00). It might be interesting if Informix was the next out since > they were one of the first vendors to take Linux/Intel seriously. > On the other hand, getting into a new platform may be too much hard > work. On the gripping hand, if vendors were prepared to do lots of > grotty porting effort to get stuff running on NT and then have to > deal with all the nasty support issues of that platform then typing > "make" to get Informix/L390 working and having a pretty much > identical platform between Linux/390 and the currently supported > Linux/Intel should be a doddle :-) > > --Malcolm > > -- > Malcolm Beattie <mbeattie@sable.ox.ac.uk> > Oxford University Computing Services > "I permitted that as a demonstration of futility" --Grey Roger