RE: Windows Integration and Longhorn

low end PC tape solution supporting their servers

Don't buy cheap crap[tm]. I don't have a problem paying for a proper
solution (and neither does our CEO). Most of our customers also have
bought LTO drives, though it takes some time to persuade them. I still
think that this is the right way to go.

And you need access to that from home. And you need to remember the 
userid and password.

Yes. If you're a larger shop, you could use LDAP authentication against
active directory. Of course, that would fail if all your DCs are down.

How does that work with the IXS anyway? i.E. how can I access the
console of the IXS from remote? Can I use virtual floppies and virtual
CD-ROM drives? The RSA II slimline does both nicely.

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Larry Bolhuis
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 7:41 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Windows Integration and Longhorn

- There is no tape drive listed for your  x346 so you'll need to add

that into the price (TWICE) too

I will agree that this is a valid point - i don't agree with the

"twice"

though. We use both LTO tapes for our System i and our Windows

Servers.

If we had a tape library, we could even attach both systems to the

same

library.

If you have chosen an industry standard such as Ultrium then you should
be OK.  If you have a library so much the better.  The VAST majority of
the shops I work in have some low end PC tape solution supporting their
servers and that technology churns every couple years. 

Can you reboot the x346 from home when it locks up? You can with IXS

so long as your i is running. Vary it off, vary it on. Very Very nice

Of course. They have a management interface for that, similar to the
ASMI/HMC. It's called an RSA II slimline adapter (priced feature,
300CHF, included in the 8000CHF sum).
  

Yep. And you need access to that from home. And you need to remember the

userid and password. It's nice and it works well. But it's one more 
thing to keep secured and remember how to use. i5 integration does this 
part for you under the covers.

Of course the real and true strength of Windoze (and now Linux) 
integration is when you get to two, three and more servers.
    

We're a small shop. Just one server is enough. 
  

It sounds like for your shop you may have done the right thing. One 
solution does not fit all.

As a rule your statement on system i disk is true but it keeps getting 
better.  In addition if your current system has unused disk slots you 
may find adding drives to your i is actually cheaper than the SAN 
solution. 

Which is also what IBM does with it's BladeCenter integration strategy

for the System i.

The blades access the system using iSCSI (formerly IXA). But entry

level

SAN storage is still much cheaper than System i storage.
  

Unless you have high density requirements I'm not so sold on Blade yet. 
They are packed in tight, generate a lot of heat for a small space, and 
are very proprietary.  Back in the day, the cables needed to connect a 
server added up quickly and racks were a serious mess. Today's system x 
connected iSCSI to system i (or a SAN for that matter) has two power and

three or four Ethernet. Depending on preference you may still connect a 
KVM (a USB and VGA or perhaps just another Cat-6) or just use the ports 
on the front when you really need them, else Terminal Services is way 
better.

I have customers with Blade but they aren't rushing headlong to replace 
all their servers with blades. Maybe that's still coming. And as you say

System i already supports them via iSCSI.

For example, 15kRPM U320 36GB Disk for an IBM DS3200 (entry level SAN)
retails at 576.- CHF. A 36GB 15kRPM U320 Disk for a System i 520

retails

at 1632.- CHF.
  

Yep. I'll not argue that and I'll point it out to IBM (*AGAIN) when I 
next speak with them. They are THE SAME technology and probably come off

the same MFG line. The difference is the incredibly expensive label 
placed on the top of the drive. I think it's actually gold leaf painted 
white.  :-)

Insane. Just insane. I have no idea what kind of idiot came up with

this

pricing scheme. If there's one reason to drop the System i, it's IBMs
pricing. 
  

Two Words:  BEAN COUNTERS.

  - Larry