1. WebSphere Notice
2. CPU Chart Updates
3. SHARE Proceedings
4. Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool
1. WebSphere Notice
I am just finishing up my next TUNING Letter, a special issue on Web server tuning. While researching it, I noticed a date that everyone should be aware of: 6/30/02, the withdrawal of marketing for WAS V3.5. To help you understand why this date is important, let me describe the current IBM Web Server and Web Application Servers for OS/390 and z/OS:
IBM HTTP Server – This comes free with the operating system. It can provide scalable and standalone Web serving for static content (including HTML, images, Java applets, etc.), CGIs, and plugins (such as GWAPI programs). Without the necessary WebSphere Application Server plugins below, it does not support Java servlets or JavaServer Pages (JSPs).
WebSphere Application Server (WAS) V3.5 Standard Edition – This runs as a plugin to the IBM HTTP Server and provides support for the Java2 Software Development Kit (SDK) 1.3, Java servlets at the V2.2 specification, JavaServer Pages at the V1.1 specification, and support for Web Application Archive (.war) files. It can run on OS/390 R8 and above. This relatively inexpensive ($800 one-time) software will be withdrawn from marketing on 6/30/02 (next month!). Service will be withdrawn 8/30/03. Yes, you can only get one year’s worth of service if you order it now, but it may be a good move for sites who want to try out Java for Web applications or who have a G4 or older processor. SDK 1.3 and later uses a lot of IEEE floating point. G4 and older machines must emulate these instructions, while G5 and newer machines include the IEEE support in the microcode. WAS V3.5 does not perform well on G4 and older machines because of this, but WAS V4 runs even worse.
WebSphere Application Server (WAS) V4 – WAS V4 provides support for the Java J2EE 1.2 standard, the J2EE Java Development Kit (with Enterprise JavaBeans), and Component Broker (CORBA). WAS V4 is designed to run without the HTTP server for improved performance. This is the current version recommended by IBM because of its performance improvements. This is also the platform that’s needed for any J2EE development, which is now becoming the industry standard and IBM’s strategic Java direction. WAS V4 also provides services (such as SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI) for non-Java clients. WAS V4 should only be run on a G5 or later machine due to the requirement for IEEE floating point hardware. It is costlier (at $35K US One-Time-Charge per processor), but IBM indicates that the price is similar to other platforms. V4.0.1 is scheduled to go out of service on 3/31/03. If you are running WAS V3.5 and want to move into J2EE, you can use WAS V4 as a plugin to the HTTP server in a “simple configuration” to allow your current applications to run with no changes. WAS V4 requires DB2 V7 and higher. As you would expect, WAS V4 provides many additional features, such as Java Transaction Service (JTS), JavaMail, Java Messaging Service (JMS), and J2EE connectors for CICS and IMS.
WebSphere Application Server (WAS) V5 – This release was informally announced earlier this month. It will replace V4, and will provide support for J2EE 1.3 (which has a new type of EJB – the Message-Driven Bean). No prices have been announced yet, but I assume they will be similar to V4, since buyers of WAS V4 between now and V5’s arrival in 3Q02 can get a free upgrade to V5.
One additional note. There was a WAS V3.02 that was withdrawn from marketing last December. The Enterprise Edition of V3.02 provided the same Java support as WAS V4, and cost the same as WAS V4. WAS V3.02 went out of service on 3/31/02. Customers that required the features of Enterprise Edition needed to move to WAS V4.
- So if you’re considering Web serving with Java on your OS/390 or z/OS system, you may want to consider getting WAS V3.5 for a year for development to reduce the total cost. You may also want WAS V3.5 if you have a machine that does not contain the IEEE floating point hardware, or if you don’t currently have DB2. If V3.5 is an option for you, then you only have a month to order it. If, on the other hand, you want to run J2EE Enterprise JavaBeans or use the Java Development Kit, then WAS V4 or V5 is the path for you.
2. CPU Chart Updates
On May 13, we sent out an updated CPU Chart to our electronic subscribers. Updates were mailed to print subscribers last week. The updated CPU Chart is still called the March 2002 CPU Chart, but is marked “Revised April 2002.” BoxScore customers also received new CPU Chart files. There are three changes to the latest March chart:
- 16 new z900 Turbo machines were added.
- Processor groups for z800 machines were added. (By the way, after I sent out the last Cheryl’s List, IBM updated their LSPR page with the same processor groups that I published.)
- HDS Pilot machines that correspond to the IBM G2-G4 processors were updated to correspond to the new G2-G4 ratings
3. SHARE Proceedings
The SHARE proceedings from Nashville were posted on the SHARE Web site recently, but they appeared to be only available from the Members-Only section of the site. It was just an error on the Web site and the sessions are now available from their home page at http://www.share.org.
4. Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool
IBM’s WLC (Workload License Charge) was originally the only software pricing available for a z/OS image running on a z900. (That changes, by the way, on July 1 with announcement 202-105.) If all of your MVS images on a z900 are running z/OS (instead of OS/390 or MCS/SP), you also qualify for sub-capacity pricing, which can result in lower costs. To obtain this pricing, you must use IBM’s Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool (SCRT). IBM has announced that effective July 1 they will change SCRT from a defined capacity model to an LPAR utilization model. The new SCRT, V3, will be available June 14 as a download. For it to work effectively, however, you may need to make some changes in your installation a month before you start using this tool – that is by June 1. The requirements are available at http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/swprice/scrt. Click on ‘zSeries System Config Requirements’. This will be fully explained in TUNING Letter No. 3, coming very soon.
Stay tuned!