On 27/06/2023 3:07 pm, Timothy Sipples wrote:
IBM doesn't require anyone to order/configure less than 200 MSUs (PCIs) of general purpose processor capacity. If you want to order a configuration like that go for it!
Of course you can choose to configure larger machines, but these smallest configurations make no sense. They only exist due to software pricing. They are too small to seriously consider for any modern work, including it seems advances in z/OS itself i.e. z/OSMF.
I mean, yes, ISVs and IBM can write software to run on them but why should they be so limited? Why not take advantage of advances that have happened on other platforms?
You can't buy e.g. Intel systems with performance limited to the same as 20 years ago.
If IBM made the smallest orderable system comparable to e.g. small-mid Intel systems customers would actually have some capacity to move new work to z/OS. Obviously software pricing would have to be adjusted so customers could afford it. I guess that's why IBM don't do it - no-one can figure out what to do with the pricing increments between 13-200 MSU.
here's the current minimum orderable machine configuration (latest model) for z/OS and VSEn: * IBM z16 A02 (or AGZ for rack mount) * Capacity Model A01 * Base CP capacity: 105 PCIs (13 MSUs)
I don't have access to this type of system to test, but it would be very interesting to run my Java CICS SMF reporting on this system and compare to a Raspberry Pi. I would have a small wager on the Raspberry Pi.
Add just 1 zIIP and you get ~1,900 PCIs of full-time zIIP capacity with 2 processor threads (SMT2). You can add as many zIIPs as you wish up to the physical capacity of the machine.
1 zIIP is obviously much better for Java, but if we were to compare it to e.g. my laptop, my money would be on the laptop.
-- Andrew Rowley Black Hill Software ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
