IBM iSeries or Windows server? 125
Rabid Cougar asks: "I am the network administrator for a small manufacturing company. Our current ERP system has outlived its usefulness and we are in the process of selecting another package. Our present ERP system runs on an IBM AS/400, but there are those in the company who believe we should switch to something that only runs on Windows. My position is this: if we can find software that will meet our needs that runs on an IBM iSeries (new name for the AS/400) then we'd be certifiably crazy to move over to the Windows platform. A co-worker insists there are a ton of reasons to avoid the iSeries like the plague. I'm not trying to start a flamewar, but if you were to bet your career on this issue, which side would you choose and why?"
don't paint yourself into a corner (Score:1)
At least if you settle on Solaris, and Sun does you wrong, you can change to AIX, or Linux, or HP/UX, etc.
UNIX/Linux gives you the most freedom.
Re:don't paint yourself into a corner (Score:1)
Re:don't paint yourself into a corner (Score:4, Informative)
What this will not get you is a simple way to move to a windows solution.
I do want to know, are iSeries and Windows your only options?
Oh yeah, another benefit of having an iSeries is that IBM will support both your hardware and software. With windows you'll often get vendors arguing whose fault it is when a problem occurs. But I suppose that's your choice, vender lock-in can have (some) benefits.
Our options (Score:2, Informative)
I do want to know, are iSeries and Windows your only options?
Unfortunately, yes. About a year before I landed this job, our company started working with a consulting group whose purpose was to help us implement "lean" manufacturing. As a part of the process, it is quite clear our old "green screen" ERP software just won't cut it. Anyway, these guys only know Windows and that's all they recommend.
When I got into the picture just before we sent RFI's out, I got to ask our consultants a few questions. One
Re:Our options (Score:2)
If you found the ERP app for the iSeries, and you think it will work well, AND you already have experience with the AS/400 platform
Software choice is the most important feature (Score:2)
If you have more than 100 employees and at least two competent IT personnel, you're in the perfect position to take advantage of the flexibility of Unix or Linux. Spend the time evaluating all of your options.
Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft (Score:1, Troll)
I recommend that you consider a Microsoft GP 9.0 solution for manufacturing. It's highly scalable, and like their other business solutions,
Re:Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft (Score:2)
One could easily make the same assertion about Microsoft, today. Or Intel, for that matter.
Re:Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft (Score:1, Insightful)
Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:3, Interesting)
Huh??? Microsoft is a wannabe in the serious ERP market - but regardless of software vendor, if you're considering the platform question, it becomes a matter of scale. If you need rock-solid reliability, high-volume throughput and widespread realtime access to the data and application, then the iSeries is the obvious choice.
Just as an example, I'm currently the IT project lead on an ERP installation. The ERP itself can run on a number of differe
Re:Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:2)
He says in the first paragraph that he works for a small manufacturing company. So we're not talking about hundreds of thousands of transactions per second. Also, why are you letting the platform dictate the solution? As an IT project lead you of all people should know that you pick the application that best suits the need first--platform is a secondary consideration. By the way, you should look at the latest statistics with Dell(intel)
Re:Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:2)
Why platform matters (Score:1)
All things being (nearly) equal, platform is a huge consideration. If your entire operation depends on the availability of your ERP software, you cannot afford downtime for any reason. That's the thing. We are putting all our eggs into one basket. With aproximately 200 employees and $500,000 to spend on ERP software, why should we go with a platform that has a horrendous track record on security? Sure, if you were a mechanic, you could save $$$ by buying the cheapest tools sold by WalMart. Or you could pay
Re:Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:2, Interesting)
This isn't true. For mid-sized business, Great Plains is a good product, not as expensive as other ERP, with a solid customer base. And mid-sized business is a serious market; the economy is not driven by the Fortune 500, pal.
Wow, you sound just like a sales rep trying to buzzword his way to a big commission. Or like a IT project lead that has n
Re:Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:2)
Re:Nobody gets ulcers from iSeries (Score:2)
I think I speak for most cautious admins... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure that's being done, but sometimes executives get bit by a buzzword-compliant vendor, and lose sight of what's actually at risk; your entire business. Remember when Hershey shot itself in the foot over a several-month period when their SAP upgrade didn't work as well as it should have.
Note, I have no particular love for AS/400s, but I do believe in being cautious when potentially screwing up my entire environment and calling months of unpleasant work down on my head.
Re:I think I speak for most cautious admins... (Score:5, Interesting)
The machine eventually had to be rebooted when a hard disk died and the machine phoned home... an IBM guy showed up to replace it and nobody knew that there was a problem.
The system was replaced about 18 months ago (because spare parts were no longer available) by an Windows/Oracle system that is complete garbage. Bugs in the IBM eSeries lights-out-management card caused the system to reboot every 60 minutes. Things like restoring backups are also much more complicated and error prone. (On the AS/400, restoring the system from bare metal required you to insert the tape into the drive and holding down a function key)
Re:I think I speak for most cautious admins... (Score:3, Interesting)
Any downsides? (Score:1)
My co-worker told me everyone she's talked to about the AS/400 (iSeries) has told her there's no way they'd ever go with one. I can't find any good reason not to (maybe it's because I have 21 years of using MS-based systems under my belt). It's more mature, stable, and secure than Windows by an enormous margin. For instance, rounded down there's 0% risk of a viral infection. Since the new ERP system will mean all our eggs will be in one basket (we're consolidating different functions being hosted on 3 diffe
Re:Any downsides? (Score:2, Informative)
Thanks! (Score:1)
Thanks for the info. That's pretty impressive about allocating system resources in real time via a GUI. Without knowing anything else about the new iSeries, I would have had a hard time believing IBM would force some kind of command line green screen upon their users for administration. Given the whole Websphere/Cloudscape/Eclipse thing (Java, anyone?), IBM would have to be absolutely stupid to not make something like iSeries Navigator. So much for the "But Windows is better because you can administer every
Case for security and stability? (Score:4, Interesting)
Qsecofr vs. root, eh?
Security is a top priority (Score:1)
After taking a week-long course in pen-testing and seeing just how easy it is to compromise Windows boxes, and considering the ramifications of having our server broken into or getting infected, I am more security conscious than I ever have been in my life. Since the decision has been made to put all our eggs into one basket and we have sufficient money in the budget to buy pretty much whatever we want, why pick Windows over i5/OS? If /. readers can't come up with a convincing reason, it makes me strongly s
I agree, iSeries all the way. (Score:5, Interesting)
It got so bad that the processing teams actually created little pieces of card that they used as tickets to ensure that they could access workflow (web-based run on windows).
The users within SI (my dept) have told us that if we ever force them to do the same with our applications, which include DebtManager on AS/400, then we can expect to be very bruised.
To answer your question, I would point out the mass of windows problems and ask someone to show anything that has gone wrong with (insert midrange / mainframe platform here) that has caused the same effect.
Good luck.
Re:I agree, iSeries all the way. (Score:1)
To answer your question, I would point out the mass of windows problems and ask someone to show anything that has gone wrong with (insert midrange / mainframe platform here) that has caused the same effect.
Already done. You'd have to be a fool to think that Windows can even compare to the iSeries. And I say this as a newcomer to the AS/400. It's like Mike Tyson in his prime--no one could even touch him. The only problem we ever had with our AS/400 was a couple of batteries in the UPS died and the end res
AS/400 (Score:5, Informative)
However, if you have no AS/400 admins in house, but you have plenty of Windows Server gurus, well, then I think you would be better off with Windows. I've seen the same situation with Linux. Company decides to switch servers to Linux but the admins only know how to speak Windows, disaster ensues.
Re:AS/400 (Score:2, Flamebait)
Re:AS/400 (Score:3, Informative)
Anyway, a windows server environment like you are describing is miles away from the type of ERP system that the OP is referring to. It's like comparing a Hummer to a A1 Tank.
Re:AS/400 (Score:1)
Re:AS/400 (Score:2)
Taking your word that 4.38 hours of downtime equates to $10k, that still has to be weighed against the costs of evaluating/purchasing/installing/training in a new software environment (assuming you're suggesting a move away from Windows for the parent poster) and/or the cost of upgrading to "5 nines" hardware (e.g. Sun boxes with redundant everything). Tough business case to make.
Re:AS/400 (Score:4, Insightful)
That's the problem. AS/400 systems frequently have zero downtime over the course of over 15 years.
I don't quite understand why everyone always comes down so hard on Windows
Because Microsoft believes that 99.5% uptime over the course of a year, or almost a full month of downtime over the course of 15 years is acceptable.
In practice, that 99.5% uptime is only maintained with the efforts of continuous IT monitoring and maintenance- something that isn't needed when you buy a proper server.
Linux confuses the hell out of me.
Its your other inadequecies that are the problem right now: While Linux can run on many pieces of "Big Iron" (where Windows doesn't run at all, by the way), most people still use things like CMS on these things.
I realize you might not know what that is, but shit, my four year old can use Linux very well, and can't manage to use CMS at all, so maybe you're trying to say that you are confused by something as simple as Linux?
I don't really understand.
In my opinion, why use something that is stuck in the past?
Because it works?
You see, a large number of people actually value getting work done, and do not care at all whether or not it's the latest and greatest.
That's part of the appeal of businesses that switch to Linux- it's based on a technology that first matured in the late 1960's or early 1970's (depending on who you ask). That technology is extremely well understood and as a result, it's very easy for a company to deliver a platform based on it that "just works".
Meanwhile, the Windows platform is a moving target- it's changed fundementally no less frequently than every 5 years, and many can argue significant changes even more frequently.
The result? It's harder to deliver a platform that a solution-provider can guarantee a certain level of productivity with: Consider this: If we have AS/400 systems or UNIX systems that can be up for 15 years under heavy load, and along comes something else that says they can stay up for "most of a year" under "some load" with "constant maintenece" - how is it anyone is expected to take them seriously?
GUI is so, like, 1995.
This makes no sense.
Are you saying that everything's been graphical since 1995? Or anything's been graphical since 1995? Or perhaps that computers have been usefully graphical since 1995?
I don't understand.
Are you suggesting AS/400's aren't graphical? That Linux isn't? That UNIX isn't? That CMS isn't?
I don't understand.
Are you suggesting that a graphical system leads to greater productivity? Greater performance? Greater stability? Greater uptime?
I don't understand.
I have no idea what this has to do with anything else in your thread.
I have no idea why you think that other people make decisions on their business, their platform, and their hardware, based on your own inadequecies.
I have no idea what you could be possibly thinking, and am beginning to suspect you don't.
Re:AS/400 (Score:2)
You are now my personal /. hero. Stuff like this is what keeps me coming back here :)
I'll bite (Score:1)
I just did a 6-page report for our ERP team on the topic of stability and security of the AS/400 vs. Windows Server 2003. With nearly 200 vulnerabilities , many of which were extremely critical and/or allowed remote 0wn3rsh1p for Windows (yes, I'm counting IE 6.x vulnerabilities because it's a shell to the OS) versus 2 almost non-issues with ZERO remote 0wn3rsh1p for OS/4.x, there's no comparison. Plus, there has never been an AS/400 virus or other malware AFIK. How much money do people spend every yea
Re:I'll bite (Score:2)
Basically, in your situation, nothing. At least it doesn't sound like it.
Look at it this way: you're using AS/400 right now. So you get the company to upgrade to iSeries. Everyone is happy. Your boss, the '400 guy, likes it because it's familiar to him. You get some new training and get a new skill to put on your resume besides Windows stuff.
Re:AS/400 (Score:2)
Other fun facts:
+ OS/400 doesn't come with a text editor, so IBM sold us one for $500
+ Patches still come on "tapes". Well they look like
Re:AS/400 (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:AS/400 (Score:2)
Re:AS/400 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:AS/400 (Score:1)
Re:AS/400 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:AS/400 (Score:2)
So what if patches come on 'tapes'? You know what a
Why? (Score:1)
However, if you have no AS/400 admins in house, but you have plenty of Windows Server gurus, well, then I think you would be better off with Windows.
Here's the deal. My boss knows RPG and the AS/400. I'm the Windows guru. He'll be retiring in a few years. (BTW, we're it as far as the IT team is concerned). I can learn the AS/400 stuff. My company will send me to school if need be. So why then should we drive the company in a Yugo just because it's easy to find people with a drivers license (MCSE). As ev
i'm no expert... (Score:4, Interesting)
1) write down the features you need in an ERP
2) find ERP packages which fit the bill
3) define appropriate metrics (cost of administration, expected amount of down time, etc.) i realize that many of these will be fairly fuzzy, but you can still get a reasonable idea. metrics should include both costs (upfront and maintence / tco type estimates, whether you already have admins to do the job or will you have to hire, etc.) and benefits / utility
4) map out on a matrix how each ERP package performs overall
5) pick the best ERP in terms of cost/benefit
6) if the winning ERP runs on multiple hardware platforms,
personally, as i spend more time in industry, i become increasingly agnostic: i don't care if it's linux, os x, solaris, windows, vxworks, etc. — if it's the right tool for the job, then that's what i'll use. which means os x at home, linux for work, and windows for administrivia, time sheets, presentations, etc. in my case.
Re:i'm no expert... (Score:1, Interesting)
This is where you get lost. There's so much bias and even outright zealotry that you just can't accomplish this sometimes. Look at TCO. Everyone,
Re:i'm no expert... (Score:3, Insightful)
Some applications, while supporting differe
Re:i'm no expert... (Score:1)
Those questions will help you determine whether or not stick with an iseries or go for some other platform for your ERP system. If the best software is for an iSeries and your company al
Apperently your switching ERP software (Score:3, Insightful)
So you are looking at all the ERP packages out there and have to decide on a new one. Should you then let the enviroment it runs on be a deciding factor?
I think both yes and no. Obviously you should select the package that is best for your needs considering all the factors like costs, reliabilty, likelihood of the software company to continue to exist, security, usability and god knows what more. There are enough books out there to tell you what to check.
The OS shouldn't have to matter. In an ideal world it doesn't but this world isn't ideal. Choosing one OS or the other has significant effects.
Flamewar material would be to point out that the current wmf mess would suggest that windows is still as insecure as ever. Then again you can ask wether this security hole is a risk for a backoffice system.
Then there is a question of lock-in, going for windows only solutions tends to force you to continue with windows only solutions for ever. You will loose your competent admins either because you fire them to replace them with far cheaper window admins or they will quit on their own. You will be another MS shop. Is this bad? Well not really. ERP software is usually a long term solution anyway and who can say if your company is even going to be around a decade from now? Plus a backoffice lock-in can at least be easier broken then a frontoffice lock-in.
Anyway AS/400 could be considered just as much of a lock-in choice.
Do the people who want to switch to the Windows only solution do this because that ERP package is the best or because it runs on windows?
I would personally seriously question any real software that does not run on multiple platforms. We are not talking games here wich are bound to the OS by choice of libraries.
I would also take a good long hard look at real uptime of such a solution under real workloads. INCLUDE the upcoming wmf patch and such delights as code red wich are bound to happen in the life time of your new erp solution.
AS/400 == nightmare but at least it is a nightmare you control and not every scriptkiddie on the internet.
If the choice for the new ERP system is going to be based on OS choice alone however I would recommend you get your CV ready.
Re:Apperently your switching ERP software (Score:1, Flamebait)
I can name but only a couple of real world applications that are cross platform and particularily useful. I seriously question any vendor that tries to support a code base across several platforms. I.E. How would you expect them to make bug fixes, service packs, security patches, for several platforms in a timely mannor at a reasona
Re:Apperently your switching ERP software (Score:2)
I don't think I could name a half dozen useful applications that are NOT cross platform.
"I seriously question any vendor that tries to support a code base across several platforms. I.E. How would you expect them to make bug fixes, service packs, security patches, for several platforms in a timely mannor at a reasonable price?"
Obviously you are not a programmer. Or you are a windows programmer. In a pro
Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:1, Flamebait)
Mod down a flamebait article as overrated? (Score:2)
Oh wait, no I get it. I said something in support of Microsoft
Re:Mod down a flamebait article as overrated? (Score:2)
Occam's razor is a bitch sometimes, especially when it shoots down a conspiracy theory.
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
4gb to run web applications is just obscene.
I'll admit Apache is a stable platform. But the internals and complexity of the code have pushed in into a risky venture for business as there doesn't appear to be a forth-coming upgrade or maintenance schedule.
One of the nicest things about Apache is I h
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
It is not at all obscene when you consider that a site like microsoft.com has over 100million visitors each day, and serves up mostly asp.net applications. Even if each instance of an ASP app used up 200KB of memory, then 20,000 users would max out the 4GB system.
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
Mistake on my Akamai post... (Score:2)
Either way, IIS5 and 6 couldn't handle it, and I'm a bit keen on stable codebase (anyone remember playing counterstrike? its a game, but a flawless example that a GOOD codebase remains a popular one even when new games with better eye candy come out, I can still fi
Re:Spoken like a true windows monkey. (Score:2)
iSeries (Score:3, Insightful)
There are stories about AS/400s running in offices where an IBM service rep shows up and nobody in the office knows where the machine is - the last person who touched the hardware retired years ago... or even that the machine had been plastered into a closet when the office had been remodeled. These things are designed to run for years continuously without being babied or rebooted. It will make your life much easier.
Is cost a factor? (Score:3, Interesting)
Now, I'm not saying the iSeries is bad. Given infinite money, it probably makes a lot of sense for a lot of problem sets. I just can't imagine recommending one for any of the applications I've ever been involved with.
It kills me to say this, but without knowing more of the specifics I'd probably recommend the Windows boxen - or, more likely, a cluster of them. There's more than one way to get the kind of reliability you can squeeze from an AS/400, and most of them are a lot cheaper.
Re:Is cost a factor? (Score:1)
I completely agree. I would use a Windows cluster instead of a single iSeries. But then in the mid-range class the IBM servers are shitty, so I'd go with HP. This setup would be far less expensive and much easier to upgrade so you don't face the same migration issue in a couple of years.
Why? (Score:1)
What is the advantage of a Windows cluster over a single (or in our case, probably 2) AS/400? Besides (maybe) lower initial hardware cost, how is a Windows cluster more secure than an AS/400?
Re:Why? (Score:1)
If you have a single AS/400, the second it goes down the service is interrupted.
So the more servers you have in your pool, the more fa
Re:Is cost a factor? (Score:1)
Easy (Score:2)
Is their an ERP program that fits your needs?
If so I say AS400/iSeries has some real pluses. I have never heard of an exploit, virus, or malware that targets the AS400. They are proven.
If you have more windows experience and you can only find software that runs under windows then go for Windows.
A unix/linux solution may not be a good choice for you. I would suggest that you start getting some in house experience with Linux.
Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:1)
This of course means that keeping support staff can become more expensive as the number of capable peo
Re:Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:2)
Re:Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:4, Informative)
Need to do an action? GO VERB. Need to do it to some thing? GO SUBJECT. There is no system simpler to figure out than OS/400.
Re:Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:2)
Re:Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:2)
AS/400 Programmer/Analyst
Company: Sedona Technologies Location: Davenport, IA 52807
Salary/Wage: 55,000.00 - 70,000.00 USD
Job Category: Computers, Software Relevant Work Experience: 2+ to 5 Years
Career Level: Experienced (Non-Manager) Education Level: Associate Degree
Re:Downsides to 400s/iSeries (Score:2)
But I'm probably reacting due to the local market. I took an iSeries training once, and the IBM rep said there was more 400s in Salt Lake City than the SF Bay Area (being HP and Sun's backyard). Right now there's only one local 400 job on Monster, and zero on Craigslist. Maybe if you're in Chicago it's a different story.
And you can't train new people? (Score:1)
Everyone knows that when you get out of college, you have to get trained for your job anyway. So why not hire someone smart and train him/her on the AS/400 as needed? I thought the main purpose of a college degree anymore was to show that 1)You're not stupid 2)You can learn 3)You're willing to put up with a lot of BS to get your BS and can therefore put up with it at work when necessary. Besides, a professor friend tells me that 70% of all college grads are working in a field unrelated to their major. In fa
here's how it works... (Score:2)
here's how it works - you don't deploy new software solutions on iSeries, you go to a more mainstream platform (preferably linux/unix). But if you are entirely happy with your CURRENT software and don't want the massive pain of switching, you stick with iSeries for those applications. Got it?
Stick with IBM, and study all ERP solutions (Score:3, Insightful)
Now if the ERP software your currently using is out of business, or is absoletly prohibitly expensive vs other ERP solutions, then look at all of your ERP options and pick the best one that will work for you and your business regardless of price, platform, or OS. Too many PHB's get sucked into the magical speak that comes out of the guy with the plaid suit and big shiny teeth to see if the software their actually buying will work for them. Make sure that whatever you're going to spend $100,000+ on is really going to do the job that your AS/400 is doing. Period. Call other companies using those solutions, get demos, get all the plaid suit big shiny teeth people in a room and play Corporate ThunderDome. Either way, Hardware wise IBM is the way to go when it comes to hardware and support.
You know better than we do. (Score:2)
I'm a little cautious when it comes to betting my career on anything proprietary, but unfortunately there are only a handful of good op
iSeries, hands down (Score:2, Interesting)
The AS/400 (iSeries/i5) is going to do a lot more for you in the long run, with less (no) downtime and far fewer headaches involving security, and things like virii and spyware are a complete non-issue. The new boxes are even better, with the ability to run virtual machines in just about any environment you decide to experiment with, while still
My take (Score:1, Flamebait)
Nobody has ever been fired for buying Big Iron. But thats probably not true
Youve placed options between iseries and wintel. What about others? Will you consider other architectures?
You should also discuss this with your HR department. Keeping around an iseries person is more expensive than an MCSE. These are 'hidden' cost
Go with iSeries (Score:2)
platform is not relevant (Score:2)
WTF (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm in a similar position, my current employer is evaluating ERP packages and then I'll get told which one we're going to. We currently run BPCS on AS/400 (iSeries). We're probably going to SAP on AIX using DB/2.
As a dev I don't get to make business decisions. I get to do the tech stuff my employer deems suitable.
As for this Windows/Unix/iSeries question, it should not be yours to make. Your job is to make what they buy work reliably. If can't or don't want to do the job then find another one pronto.
Re:WTF (Score:2)
I mean, you call yourself a "dev". To me t
Re:WTF (Score:2)
In case you haven't noticed, computers aren't cars. Many times you, as the admin, can't just "make them run reliably". And, even if you could, it would probably be a stupid hack or worse, technically illegal.
That's a common trick that vendors use to drive up their margins: sell an entire system based on a few features of the le
Please re-read my question (Score:1)
I never said I was the one making the decision. As a company, we (that means I too am assisting in the evaluation process) are considering five ERP packages, four of which run on Windows (because our consultants only know Windows) and the other runs on i5/OS (because my boss and I knew their reasons for not considering an AS/400 to be flat-out BS). I think my background is such that if I come out strongly on one side of a technological issue, my co-workers feel confident that I'm not blowing smoke. I've wor
Try and stay neutral and concentrate on the cost? (Score:2)
Being seen as being attached to the current hardware will mean being seen as being attached to the current software as well - and if that needs replacing, that's not a good place to be. Strategic decisions should be made on costs and benefits - but all too often it's a fashion decision taken to help someone's career along.
It is possible to run Windows systems reliably and securely, but don't underestim
Risk analysis? (Score:2)
Not to mention the cultural differences, but I'm sure others can comment on that.
Make a LOGICAL decision ... (Score:1)
Once you find the system that's right, then determine what platforms it runs on.
If it's windows, take prudent precautions
Personally, I'm a big proponent of iSeries. Noth
iSeries all the way.... (Score:3, Interesting)
are wicked stable and reliable. You almost can't destroy the things... One place I used to work
had an S/38 (the precursor to the AS/400) that was friggin' ancient and still hummed along like
a champ day in and day out... until we upgraded it to a more modern AS/400. If you could
find the old one in the junkyard still, I bet you could plug it in and IPL it today.
Anyway, with the newer iSeries, it's not like you're locked into some obscure technology
platform if IBM ever decides to kill off OS/400. The newer ones will run Linux
which gives you a nice migration / upgrade path. In fact, you might be well served
to start out running Linux on something, whether or not it's an iSeries... then if your
needs change you can scale up, down or horizontally with much greater ease than if you
had to switch operating systems to switch to a different hardware platform.
With Linux you might have to recompile everything, but it's still just Linux.
Just imagine, you start with Linux on xSeries (x86 boxes), and from there you
can scale horizontally by clustering, and/or scale up to an iSeries or pSeries
or OpenPower box, and ultimately you can scale all the way to a zSeries (mainframe). All without
changing your operating system. That's a pretty strong story, and I'm pretty sure it's
one main reason IBM is pushing Linux so hard.
Actually, we are going the other way. (Score:1)
More details? (Score:1)
How is that working for you? What prompted the migration away from Windows? What ERP package did you decide to go with? Any regrets?
Do both (Score:1)
iSeries Reliablility, Flexibility (Score:1)
As usual it depends (Score:1)
In my experience, Oracle in particu
Re:Yep. I'm biased (Score:1)
Re:Yep. I'm biased (Score:2)
How the hell was the information conveyed? Pictographs? What are these characters you are reading? Title bars and vendor branded borders are not a very good reason to abandon highly configurable command line based text tools. Many of which even work on the Windows platform.
Re:Yep. I'm biased (Score:2)
Good job, mods! Show me that you're a man!
Not at all (Score:1)
Your troll modding is non-deserved IMHO. Those are fair questions. Let me answer them
How exactly could one bet their career on a decision like this?
Well, this is a company I want to work for for the rest of my career. So as far as I am concerned, it is my career. A poor ERP decision can wreak havoc on a company. We simply cannot afford to make a mistake here. I can see various scenarios in which I would have to find another company to work for and I don't want to do that.
I suspect this is your goal, t
Good advice (Score:1)
Your advice is solid. Here's the thing: I'm not the only one sold on the merits of the iSeries. The decision truly is up in the air. One other thing--and this is a rarity. Our executives are smart guys. They have demonstrated many times that they will listen to others when they know that they themselves don't have all the answers (I think they would be upset with me if I knew something and kept my mouth shut). They actively seek customer input on our products, as well as the input from the gyus on the lines