Re: odbc. reliable, a performance hit?

["Patrick Townsend" <patownsend@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 

We just went through a process of replacing an ODBC application that polled the AS/400 in just the way you describe. It seems to have problems handing a network failure or just the IPL of the AS/400. Two or three times a week the NT server would hang. A hard reboot was necessary. The NT now deploys a VB sockets server and the AS/400 connects when it is necessary. Seams faster, more robust, and less resource intensive on both the AS/400 and NT.

 

Patrick

---
IBM AS/400 communications, FTP automation, and eCommerce
software and consulting services.

 

http://www.patownsend.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Steve Richter

To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com

Sent: Friday, May 18, 2001 7:41 AM

Subject: odbc. reliable, a performance hit?

Here is the question: How trouble free a connection and how as400 cpu efficient is odbc in a CA windows to As400 setting? In the appl in question,  there will be frequent polling of an as400 database ( once a minute ) from each of 7 remote win95 pc's, each in a diff branch location.

 

The comm topology is a central as400 model 720 (V4R4) and 7 remote offices ( branches ). Each branch has an avg of 10 CA win 5250 users. Each remote branch has a 64kb line and cisco router that connects to the comm cloud. The central 720 has a T1 connection to the cloud.

 

The odbc appl is a proposed win95 pc based imaging system. The odbc tranported data will be a print request file on the as400 that will be polled every minute by each branch located imaging station pc. A 2nd use of odbc will be a data rcd ( 100 bytes ) sent to the as400 when an image is scanned. About 400 images will be scanned each day.

 

Our comm lines can and will be upgraded, so the increase in comm traffic is not a concern.

 

Our first concern is that odbc will not ramp up very well.

 

Does odbc start and stop a new job on the as400 for each odbc request?

 

Any estimate on how much cpu is needed for each odbc rqs, rltv to say a custom written tcp/ip socket pgm? The current proposal will call for 7 x 60 = 420 odbc transactions per hour.

 

The 2nd concern is the reliability of odbc.

 

Do odbc jobs on the as400 hang from time to time, requiring as400 operator intervention?

 

Will the image system pc lock up from time to time because of odbc, especially when there are comm hits on the branch 64kb connection to the cloud?

 

Thanks a lot,

Steve Richter