Why IBM i? Power and Scalability for a New IT Generation

Many of the arguments against learning about IBM i stem from the misconception that the operating system is outdated or no longer used. The operating system’s history traces back to the release of System/38 in 1979. However, both IBM i and the hardware it runs on have continued to lead its rival platforms in power, reliability, scalability, and security in the years since its founding.

IBM i version 7.4 draws on that pedigree to provide businesses with a great deal of functionality upfront instead of requiring numerous add-ons and disparate programs to run effectively. Because it is a turnkey operating system, it’s easy to get up and running quickly. However, it also supports a wide range of other products to further enhance its built-in security, high resiliency, and seamless automation.

It also makes sense from a business perspective to learn about IBM i because many companies are still using it. More importantly, those businesses don’t have plans to move away from IBM i any time soon. The IBM i Marketplace Survey shows that less than 3 percent of the market plans to leave IBM i over the next two years. Of that small percentage, we know that some will never move as they have problems replicating on another platform what their business applications do on IBM i. We also see that around 70 percent have applications that were developed in house. These are difficult to replace. This indicates that the system is powerful enough not only to exist in today’s business technology ecosystem, but also to meet the continuously evolving demands of modern organizations.  

We sometimes hear that IBM i is considered a legacy platform, but again the IBM i Marketplace Survey results reveal that 79 percent of the market is using SQL, 42 percent Java, 18 percent PHP, and a high percent using open source for development on IBM i. With the launch of version 7.1, IBM continued to enhance support for several languages including Java, PHP, and C++. They furthered the modernization by supporting open source in versions 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 of the operating system. The enhanced programming support, combined with several modernization initiatives, have made IBM i accessible to the new generation of IT professionals without sacrificing the functionality and reliability the system is known for. Today, IBM i professionals are using Git, NodeJS, Apache Tomcat, and many other open source technologies that IBM itself has tested and even installed for their customers.

The IBM Power server today supports even AI via Power9 GPU processors or AI via the new generation of Power10 processors right alongside your IBM i workload. Most customers will probably provide AI via a Linux VM running directly on IBM Power hardware.

On IBM i, work management refers to the processes that follow a job’s life from origin to completion. IBM i uses controlling subsystems to process work that enters the system, and the platform actually comes with Qctl and Qbase already configured. Qctl runs the startup and full system saves. The Qinter subsystem controls interactive activity that comes from end user business applications which run in their own memory pool. IBM i can have up to 64 memory pools for segregating different types of workloads.

The Qbase subsystem is configured to process the same work as Qctl, but simplifies management by separating into fewer subsystems. While this does sacrifice some personalization, it may be the better choice for those who just want to get started. Most users find that Qbase is enough to meet their needs, but IBM i does support custom subsystem configuration for users that want to further personalize their work management environments. Qinter, Qbatch, and QSPL are common subsystems for hosting interactive, batch, and printer jobs. Today’s modern environment will have many more subsystems supporting HTTP servers for web-based applications.

The system uses memory pools to allocate how many resources each subsystem can draw from. This is particularly beneficial for balancing performance, as administrators can place users into different subsystems and allocate a specific maximum number of resources so that jobs originating from those users don’t affect performance in other areas. Resources can be moved dynamically by the system tuner based on predefined parameters; they can also be moved at a predetermined time with a command (or, in an emergency, immediately).  

Using multiple subsystems to control different types of jobs is also beneficial from a management perspective. For example, an administrator may decide she wants to run a high resource batch job in the evening. Utilizing multiple subsystems would allow each one to be shut down systematically to avoid affecting jobs that still need to be processed. Admins can have up to 62 private memory pools (those that only a specific subsystem can access) but also have the ability to specify 62 shared memory pools. The system is shipped with two memory pools ID 1 and 2.

This flexibility allows for dynamic memory movement to meet the needs of the different types of work running on the system like batch, interactive, spooling, communication, and HTTP server jobs.

System functions can be performed using control language commands. IBM i supports the creation of CLP programs and procedures, a key component of automation that can be used to complete often-used system functions more efficiently. For example, an operator that frequently uses a specific set of subsystems together could write a CLP program to start all of them instead of initiating each one individually. This reduces the number of commands needed on a daily basis while also ensuring that system functions operate consistently. CLP is often used in conjunction with advanced scheduling to achieve fully-automated night and day processing.  

CLP programs and procedures can also be used to make applications more accessible to workstation users. A developer can create a non-technical interface (menu) for users that don’t have an in-depth understanding of the underlying commands a program uses. These menus ease the navigation of business applications that don’t have a GUI or web interface. This improves security as end users don’t need access to enter commands—access that, in the wrong hands, would create exposure.

Security is another topic that often comes to the forefront of technology discussions, and IBM i holds several strong advantages. IBM i security incorporates all the advantages of automation along with support for customization. Also, its built-in intrusion detection system monitors for a number of common attacks, including distributed-denial-of-service, IP spoofing, and unauthorized access.  

When an administrator defines a custom intrusion policy in the system, IBM i will notify them by writing an event to QSYSOPR of an unusual event and record it in the security audit journal (QAUDJRN). This makes it easier to investigate potential threats and also helps IT meet compliance reporting mandates.  

What makes IBM i security really stand out is that it has been certified to government level c2. The system is highly securable with its object-level security, system values, exit points, ability to run antivirus, and more. The issue, as in most cases, is that administrators have not always configured the system correctly. For instance, they may not have configured even password rules correctly. Our free security scan by the Powertech team is the best place to start on your road to improving security.

Virtualization has become the go-to strategy for reducing IT spending. By shifting hardware components to the digital realm, organizations can achieve lower infrastructure maintenance costs and simplify their management. The journey to the cloud is even impacting IBM i customers as today’s virtualization makes it snap to be considered.

IBM i has supported partitions since 1999. Virtualization via IBM’s PowerVM has been popular for many IBM Power users. The technology supports virtualization on AIX, Linux, and IBM i in different VMs on the same IBM Power processor server.

PowerVM includes a wide range of features, but one that makes it particularly powerful is live partition mobility (LPM). Live partition mobility allows virtualized partitions to be moved from one server to another while still active. Organizations can use LPM to better prepare for planned downtime and react to potential performance issues before they cause outages.  

There are a couple caveats: Using LPM requires all partitions involved to be virtualized (which means using SAN storage, shared processors, and the VIOS server that runs in one of the Power processor partitions), and both servers must be running throughout the process. That means LPM is not a disaster recovery or high availability tool. Nevertheless, it is a valuable feature on PowerVM Enterprise Edition that allows companies to move resources around without affecting business continuity.

Despite misconceptions that it’s a legacy platform, IBM i has always been more than capable of running the latest technology and delivering value to businesses that use it. In fact, IBM i is an ideal candidate to become the automation workhorse for the entire organization.  

Because the operating system comes with a solid foundation for high availability, it is one of the best platforms for centralizing control of IT operations. IBM i also collects performance data on everything administrators need to monitor the health of the IBM i network, making improvements as needed. If you think about today’s desire to have technology in the cloud, IBM i and its scaling ability gives you the flexibility to build an on-premises or cloud environment that appears to be in the cloud to the end user. It really doesn’t matter as the cost to manage is low whether in the cloud or on prem.

IBM i’s support for a wide range of third-party tools pushes its value beyond other platforms. Fortra solutions like Robot systems management, BRMS, Robot HA, and PowerHA build on the solid foundation of reliability and automation, so users can tailor their systems while still meeting the demands of their business. 

Business decision-making is increasingly dominated by a platform’s total cost of ownership, and the few platforms that deliver what IBM i does can’t do it without incurring significantly more expenses. Moreover, IBM i’s built-in resiliency means little chance of a hardware failure disrupting services—a huge relief for the bottom line.  

IBM i also supports integration with a wide range of tools— even with its built-in functionalities. As a result, a business using IBM i gains the assurances of high reliability and security while being able to leverage best-in-breed solutions to augment its powerful functionality.  

Most of the features that make IBM i unique come with default configurations, which means staff can benefit from them right away rather than spend time setting things up. However, it is impossible for predefined settings to meet the unique needs of every business. Getting the most out of the investment means users must have in-depth knowledge of the platform and its features, so they can configure it to meet the demands of their company.