NEWS BRIEFS
San Diego, CALIF. — IBM unveiled a new console support controller, the IBM 2074, designed to make adding mainframe images easier and cheaper. Until now, managing growth on an S/390 enterprise server required adding a separate IBM 3174 Establishment Controller to support the startup of each S/390 image. Now with the introduction of the new IBM 2074 Console Support Controller, one controller can support up to 32 different images, potentially saving customers hundreds of thousands of dollars, while at the same time bringing simplicity and convenience to the computer floor.
Each S/390 can be divided into 15 logical partitions (LPARs), each operating like a server within a server capable of running different operating systems and applications, allowing users greater flexibility. In the past, adding a new operating system, or image, meant adding at least one 3174 Establishment Controller, adding costs and taking away floor space. Now with the smaller IBM 2074, no additional controllers are needed, allowing much faster implementation when LPARs are added to support business growth.
“This new console support controller lets customers take advantage of one of the greatest strengths of the S/390 – the ability to run multiple operating systems and images on a single machine – in a much more cost effective manner,” said Peter McCaffrey, S/390 product manager, IBM. “It’s easier to use, cheaper to run and saves floor space. These are benefits that everyone – from the IT staff to the accounting department – can appreciate.”
An additional advantage is that the IBM 2074 is easier for IT staff to use, as it operates with a graphical user interface instead of the 3174’s legacy green-screen terminal, meaning that even staff not trained on the 3174 can use the new controller.
The new IBM 2074 connects to a host system through ESCONÆ channels, either point-to-point or switched through an ESCON director; FICON bridges are also supported to attach to FICON-capable hosts. Each ESCON attachment can support up to 16 sessions. The IBM 2074 supports up to two ESCON interfaces to the host so that one IBM 2074 can support up to 32 S/390 images distributed across multiple physical systems. The 2074 Console Support Controller will be generally available on September 29, 2000.
IBM S/390 servers support the world’s most successful businesses and organizations by providing industry-leading levels of scalability, availability and security for large-scale e-business and enterprise computing needs. The S/390 platform is a leader in running multiple, diverse, mission-critical workloads and applications, including Linux, e-business, financial and administrative, business intelligence and enterprise resource planning.
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