RE: Help me Justify iSeries

["Ingvaldson, Scott" <SIngvaldson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It shouldn't be that hard (for an iSeries professional) to justify an
iSeries.  When was the last time your iSeries went down? 

We currently have a sign posted on the Data Center door that reads
"Number of days since last unscheduled IPL - 525, Previous Record 307"
This sign refers to our 390 Mainframe.  

Our last Intel server outage was last night, this time we actually had 6
hours of advance notice, the notice read:
Between 10:00 p.m. and Midnight tonight, the Database Administration
department will be rebooting a server to resolve a high CPU usage issue.
>From 10:00 p.m. until Midnight tonight, the following
systems/applications will be unavailable:

KPoint 
Sales Logix
SurfControl
LegalFiles
EPS
Prism
Remedy
IntraDoc
Primavera

I have had to send out exactly one of these notices, (in five years) due
to one user who was unable to receive a request through MQ Series (on a
Saturday!)  This scheduled (MQ Series only) outage had been communicated
to the user's manager who did not forward it to his group.

Certainly it is expensive to have a hot D/R system sitting idle, but
seriously, does your company have 100 Windows boxen sitting idly by
waiting for your disaster?  The reality is that if 24x7 uptime is your
goal I can't imagine why a Windows solution would even be on the table.

Then go check out (and send your boss) the Laughing Boardroom i5
commercials at TUG:
http://www.tug.ca/Sing-i5-iSeriesChoir.html

Seriously, the best argument that I've heard against the iSeries is that
it takes so few (often only one) people to administer it that it might
be difficult to replace them if the iSeries admin were to get hit by a
bus.

Regards,
 
Scott Ingvaldson
iSeries System Administrator
GuideOne Insurance Group