Re: New system configuration (Kevin Bucknum)

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message: 3
date: Tue, 23 Oct 2018 15:08:22 +0000
from: Kevin Bucknum <Kevin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
subject: New system configuration

It is finally time to retire our old Power 6 box and get some shiny new
hardware. Over the years all the experienced techs here have moved on, and
we currently have one person who is basically a sysopr, changing tapes and
fixing passwords etc. We have one other programmer besides me, but I'm
basically the only person with any real experience dealing with the low
level layout and config of the system, so I get to recommend a layout and
specs for a new box. I'm here asking you to shoot holes in my thinking so I
can avoid as many mistakes as possible.


Current setup - Really old HMC running V7R7.9.0 on a 7042CR4. 4 lpars.
Vios, Production (IBM i), Development (IBM i), Linux - I threw this up just
to walk through getting Ubuntu running on the box based on a discussion on
this list. The Linux partition is powered down and not used. All spinny
disks. Production has it's own controller with disks attached, vios serves
up disks for development and the Linux partition.


We have lots of 5250 users. We built a web based front end, but hardly
anyone uses it. Full backup of production once a week with an IPL
following, and full backups of dev three times a week with an IPL following.


Disk throughput on dev and linux box are slow. Dev shows 100% busy all the
time in wrkdsksts. I want to avoid that this time. Probably still spinny
disks as I don't see management wanting to change disks every three years.
When we configured this box we were thinking we wanted to run linux on the
box to handle our web front end as well as some other web products we have.
That didn't pan out. Right now all Vios is doing is serving ethernet to all
the partions, disk to dev and linux, and a tape drive that we move between
production and dev, but that lives on dev 99% of the time.


I'm thinking we look at a S922 or S924 in the P10 group. Get us out of the
P20 group but still have a significant performance improvement. A modern
HMC (did they discontinue the VMWare HMC?). Host development as IBM i on
IBM i on the production environment. I am ok with dev going down at the
same time as production.


My questions:

Is IBM i on IBM i going to be fast enough for the dev lpar?

Can I really get rid of Vios?

Is there a better setup?




[https://www.medtronsoftware.com/img/MedtronMinilogo.bmp] Kevin Bucknum
Senior Programmer Analyst
MEDDATA / MEDTRON
120 Innwood Drive
Covington LA 70433
Local: 985-893-2550
Toll Free: 877-893-2550
https://www.medtronsoftware.com



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