LPARs and Business partners: Was LPARS - What is there to knowabout them

<snip>
That's why you do business with a BP that totally understands LPAR, and is
prepared to bundle in with the purchase price the services necessary to
make it work.  LPARs are so complicated, that we charge for LPAR configs!
Unfortunately IBM has no LPAR Value Add, as they should.
</snip>

While we do not charge for the LPAR configuration if you buy the equipment
from us, I could not agree with Al more.  The process that a business
partner should follow is to design the system with you, then place the
order.  About the time the machine arrives, a QA meeting is held (supposed
to be required by IBM of all partners) where the installation steps that
have already been planned and discussed, and action plans determined and
assigned. I usually inventory the machine with the CE and move the cards
(and most of the time disk drives)  at that time.  An i810 is a customer
install machine so I would do it for you unless you contract with IBM to
have the CE do it.  Then I build the LPARs.  When I am done, the LPARs are
all at a command line, and ready for the applications. While we do charge
for the LPAR configuration services, we build that in as a line item on the
proposal.  If it is missing in any proposal, I would call the business
partner and find out why it is not there.   We of course sell the services
to help with the application as well, and most of our customers will ask
for some level of help.

As to the Value Add.  Only work with a Business partner who has the
technical people that have passed either  iSeries Technical Solutions
Design V5R2 (Test 466) or iSeries Technical Solutions Implementation, V5R2
(Test 467) AND  iSeries LPAR technical Solutions (Test 465).  By next year
IBM says all business partners that work with LPAR will be required to have
these people on staff at each location.  The same is going to be true for
Linux on iSeries and Windows Integration.  There are certifications for
those as well.  Computech Resources, a  Premier & eBusiness Partner, (Al's
outfit is also Premier) has multiple people with all of the above listed
certifications and more,  and all other Premier Partners are required by
IBM to have people with these certifications.  Demand to see the proof of
certification if you doubt your partner has them.

At COMMON, IBM is going to be offering all of these exams, and some of them
are relatively new so this will be the first chance some folks have to take
them.  I will also be at COMMON and if you would like more information
about the certifications, stop by the certification lab and ask those fine
folks, or leave me a message and I'll find you.

Check out the IBM Certifications web site for more information.
https://www-1.ibm.com/certify/index.shtml


Jim Oberholtzer
Senior Solutions Architect
Computech Resources, Inc.