RE: Informix for IBM S/390

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. Kirk > -----Original Message----- > From: Obnoxio The Clown [SMTP:obnoxio@hotmail.com] > Sent: Friday, 2000-August-04 11:33 AM > To: amatus@poznan.uw.gov.pl; informix-list@iiug.org > Subject: Re: Informix for IBM S/390 > > From: "AM" <amatus@poznan.uw.gov.pl> > > > >My question is: > >what Informix products are currently available for use with db management > >systems running on IBM S/390 and what dbms would be of best use for those > >products? > > I don't think *any* Informix products run on an S/390, except maybe for > some > arcane components of datastage or maybe some components of the > gateways.... > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

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