Re: as/400 / linux / lpar

[Larry Bolhuis <lbolhuis@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Leif,

   While I did mention MHz I also said 'capability' and that would be the
key to it not working on the older CPUs. I agree, if it's pure MHz then
support should be easy and if it's too slow, well IBM sells solutions for that.

   I cannot prove it, but I suspect there is some capability that arrived
with SStar that enables support for partial processor Linux LPARs.

   - Larry

Leif Svalgaard wrote:

> From: Larry Bolhuis <lbolhuis@arbsol.com>
>
>>What WE do not know is what processor instruction, register, microcode
>>enhancement etc.... is needed to support fractional Linux LPARs. What we DO
>>know is that each turn of the crank produces processors with more
>>capability, more capacity, more 'RPMs' (MHz), or some combination, than the
>>last generation. If that were not true then V5R2 would run on a model 400
>>but it would just be somewhat slower than say an i890.
>>
>>It may be technically possible to code this capability back to iStar or
>>Pulsar processors, I couldn't say. But if it's any significant effor
>>whatsoever, do we really want IBM to spend development dollars to support
>>fractional Linux LPARs on machines marginally capable of having enough
>>
> power
>
>>to support it?  I think not.
>>
>>
>
> Now we are talking processor speed and capacity rather than
> different (new) instructions. I don't think it costs any development
> dollars to support older processors that are instruction-wise
> identical to newer ones, so we are back to marketing and business
> rather than technical reasons. Not that these other reasons can't be
> valid. When talking about spending development dollars, it seems
> that IBM is happy to spend such dollars PREVENTING the new stuff
> to run on older systems. They did the same when the AS/400 first
> came out. S/38 programs could run on AS/400, but AS/400 programs
> could not run on S/38 (a major reason was the deliberate change
> of some ODP parameters for opening files. The parameter was 72
> on S/38 and 72 and 75 on AS/400 - the AS/400 would understand both
> but the S/38 not. All code generated on the AS/400 used 75, of course,
> but I digress...)



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