[Info-vax] IT shops call on HP and Oracle to kiss and make up

[Michael Kraemer]

MG schrieb:
> On 10-10-2011 23:45, Michael Kraemer wrote:
> 
>> The current lineup of Power Systems can run AIX, Linux (Red Hat),
>> and "IBM i" (formerly OS/400) equally well. I'm not aware
>> you'd need extra firmware (definitely not for AIX and Linux).
> 
> 
> You would definitely need firmware, not extra but different, to run the
> modern 'OS/400' (i5/OS, IBM i, or whatever they're going to be calling
> it tomorrow).
> 
> "[System] i" doesn't appear to be as 'picky' as "p" (no pun intended).
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think with "i" one can run both the
> 'OS/400' (and its successors/derivatives) *and* AIX, plus the rest.

"i" is the OS, not the hardware. Today, it runs on exactly the same
Power hardware as AIX and Linux, just like VMS and HP-UX run on Itanics
(or VMS and Tru64 run on Alphas).
A couple of years ago, it was slightly
different hardware, though already on Power (but the OS/400 lovers
payed a hefty premium for almost the same hardware).
Decades ago, OS/400 ran on its own CISC CPU (just like VMS did on VAX).
The AS/400 was sometimes referred to as "IBM's VAX".

> 
>> At least in the past, however, "i" often was the step child
>> as far as support of some hardware features was concerned.
>> And, btw, "i" qualifies more as a midrange than a mainframe system.
> 
> 
> Do you mean "[System] z"?

That's an entirely different beast.