Hi Booth Martin,
Can you take a few minutes to update with wikipedia with the current
information you shared with us?
Thanks, ericl
IBM could solve the entire problem by simply saying that
AS/400 is the brand name and System 1 is the nameplate. But they
insist
on sticking with a naming pattern going back to the days they sold
meat
slicers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_i
The IBM System i (formerly known as iSeries, AS/400, and Application
System/400) is a minicomputer platform produced by IBM. It was
officially introduced as the AS/400 in 1988. It was then renamed to the
eServer iSeries in 2000 as part of IBM's e-Server branding initiative.
In 2006, the platform has once again been renamed to System i.
Software
Here Debian GNU/Linux is running natively on an IBM System i Logical
Partition.The IBM System i includes an extensive library-based operating
system, i5/OS, and is also capable of supporting multiple instances of
AIX, Linux, Lotus Domino, Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server
2003. While i5/OS, AIX, Linux and Lotus Domino are supported on the
POWER processors, Windows is supported with either single-processor
internal blade servers (IXS) or externally-linked multiple-processor
servers (IXA).
History
The IBM System i, then known as the AS/400, was the continuation of the
System/38 database machine architecture (announced by IBM in October
1978 and delivered in August 1979). The AS/400 removed capability-based
addressing.[1] The AS/400 added source compatibility with the System/36
combining the two primary computers manufactured by the IBM Rochester
plant. The System/36 was IBMs most successful mini-computer but the
architecture had reached its limit. The first AS/400 systems (known by
the development code names Silverlake and Olympic) were delivered in
1988, and the product line has been refreshed continually since then.
The programmers who worked on OS/400, the operating system of the
AS/400, did not have a UNIX background. Dr Frank Soltis, the chief
architect, says that this is the main difference between this and any
other operating system.
The AS/400 was the first general-purpose computer system to attain a C2
security rating from the NSA, and in 1995 was extended to employ a
64-bit processor and operating system.
In 2000 IBM renamed the AS/400 to iSeries, as part of its e-Server
branding initiative. The product line was further extended in 2004 with
the introduction of the i5 servers, the first to use the IBM POWER5
processor. The architecture of the system allows for future
implementation of 128-bit processors when they become available.
Existing applications can use the new hardware without modification.
midrange.com
