Mainframes: Alive and Kicking?

What with all the hoopla over cell phones and likeminded mobile computing devices, it isn't often that you get the chance to read anything about mainframes -- anything good, that is. But according to a recent report, there's life in the old tyrannosaurus yet.

In a report entitled "Mainframe Role TCO" that focuses on IBM's System z mainframe, the Robert Frances Group believes that mainframes have a 20-year advantage over other platforms, especially when it comes to partitioning and virtualization. More specifically, the report considers "the new wave of server and storage consolidation, partitioning and virtualization as an affirmation of the mainframe model."

It further states that, "in addition to the power and cooling advantages of the mainframe, [we] should consider the mainframe as a 'Tier 1' option for hosting new applications and acting as a central hub for security, server pool management, and consolidated workloads/data."

The report goes on to point out that:

• "The mainframe has unique technology and characteristics (i.e., being the strongest commercial platform for generalized computing, with multiple internal processors for handling input/output (I/O), etc.)."
• "[IBM database] DB2 is a long-term winner in the database management system (DBMS) world ... DB2 workloads running on the mainframe generally make sense to keep on the mainframe. The strengths of the backup and recovery, functionality, and security warrant keeping the data there, not to mention better pricing in comparison to Oracle on HP or Sun configurations."
• "In the context of TCO [total cost of ownership], the main advantages for the mainframe are the people costs as well as the superior management tools and capabilities to ensure good service. The Wintel platform, however, is the widest known for its low average utilization. Indeed, many customers are paying for boxes that are averaging 15 percent utilization or less ... while mainframes run at 85 percent or more."

It should come as no surprise that IBM likes this kind of talk. "The IBM System z mainframe offers a superior economic proposition as well as unmatched security and the kind of rock-solid performance required by the world's best-run companies," says Jim Stallings, IBM general manager, System z. "We are continuing to make the kind of investments in the mainframe that will enable IBM to continue to take market share from our competitors."

Two questions (or observations, depending on how you read them): Okay, market share in the mainframe arena. But what about market share when compared to concurrent systems such as grid computers based on hundreds or thousands of PCs? Secondly, who paid for the report?

Posted by Jon Erickson at 04:24 PM  Permalink