
#As400 tutorial for beginners software
Software vendors will charge you more money for a machine that falls under a higher P group… why charging more to have the same exact software run on a faster machine is accepted is absolutely ridiculous but that’s the way this industry works. The very low end machines start at P5 and the next step up is a P10, then P20 and so on. Pay attention to what processor group aka P group the machine falls under. Software maintenance is where most of the money goes. Neither of these yearly maintenance agreements will come cheap but you really must have them! Never contract a third party to do hardware maintenance on a business critical AS/400 system. You can save a bunch of cash buying a used machine instead of new, you can even find them for sale on eBay… the most important part here is to make sure the machine you buy can be put under an IBM hardware and software maintenance agreements. You need to be selective when buying an AS/400 system.
#As400 tutorial for beginners windows
These systems are not cheap in comparison! To further add insult to injury AS/400 software vendors charge outrageous prices compared to Windows based software. Cost If you are used to running low end Windows based servers get ready for some sticker shock when moving to the AS/400 world. You can also get capacity on demand, whereby you purchase a system at a certain price and can have additional processing capacity turned on (for more money of course) as needed without the expense of purchasing a new system. These systems have been standardized on a consistent chip platform and can run Linux, Windows, AIX or OS/400 at the same time or in a single instance (again through the use of LPARs and virtual I/O devices). iSeries i5 The latest re-branding of the iSeries is the i5. However with the release of Enterprise Identity Management (EIM) software in version 5 of OS/400 a single sign on type solution can be accomplished. Why you would ever want to taint your beloved iSeries by integrating a Windows server is beyond me, except for keeping user logons and passwords consistent. You can even get special cards that plug into an iSeries that will run a Windows server for networking emulation and integration. OS/400 is tightly integrated into a flavor of the DB2 relational database known as DB2/400 andĬan be enhanced with IBM's other software and e-commerce solutions such as HTTP Server2, WebSphere Application Server, and Lotus Domino/iNotes. The newer iSeries systems can run a port of Linux and also features Logical Partitioning (LPAR) technology that allows you to run several virtual server instances on one physical system. I once encountered a food service distribution company that was running an AS/400 model 170 with System/36 emulation and RPG II programs for daily operations and never touched the actual OS/400 side except for an IPL. For those of you still clinging to your old System/36 systems you are in luck because OS/400 can perform System/36 emulation. Where is Windows? Primarily the AS/400 and iSeries systems run a specialized OS called Operating System/400 aka OS/400 and now known as i5/OS.

You work with user profiles and store data on DASD. For example you don't load a service pack onto an AS/400 you apply a program temporary fix (PTF), you don't reboot an AS/400 you initial program load (IPL) it. Be prepared to learn some new jargon when working with one of these systems. There are many third party applications (check the software vendor section for a listing) available to handle all facets of business including accounting, sales, supply chain, e-commerce, and warehousing. Hearing of an iSeries hardware failure that takes down the system is few and far between (and typically occurs during an IPL) and it is rare that the system needs to be brought down at all. This type of hardware setup results in a relatively expensive (when compared with standard x86 architecture found in typical desktop PCs) yet reliable platform. Generally you won't find any off the shelf hardware in these systems, as the iSeries is completely proprietary. When it comes to security the AS/400 operating system OS/400 is tough to beat, and is even capable of C21 level security standards. It can be run in various businesses settings including distribution, manufacturing, logistics, and banking applications.

The AS/400 is a rock solid platform with reliable hardware it is well suited for business applications like ERP, CRM, and data warehousing solutions. From a user standpoint these systems function identically aside from enhancements bewteen OS releases same so the names will be used interchangibly throughout the tutorial.

AS/400 and iSeries Tutorial What is it? The successor to the System/36 and System/38, IBM's black box is the AS/400 re-branded as the iSeries, System i and i5.
