Content-length: 5630 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 MID9710

Midrange Information, Tips and Techniques

by Brian Coy

 

 

IBM’s AS/400 Version 4 Release 1 Enhancements

 

Last month, I discussed the hardware issues covered in IBM's August 19, 1997. This month I want to touch on the Software side of it.

 Although V4R1 is a hardware release in one sense, several notable items in V4R1 center on the area of availability. IPLs get considerably shorter in V4R1. One example cited a reduction in IPL time from 43 minutes to 14 minutes. Even given the appropriate caveats concerning "your mileage may vary," this is impressive. PTF installation time is reduced by virtue of eliminating the previously-required double IPL for microcode PTFs, as well as the reduction of all IPL times, including the ones done for PTF installation. Finally, a number of save-while-active restrictions have been eliminated, which should be a big boon to customers in a multimember environment,,or customers running in the S/36 environment. Below is a brief description of the enhancements:

 OS/400 V4R1 Enhancements at a Glance

 OS/400 V4R1 required for new hardware; also runs on existing RISC AS/400 Systems

 • NetData enhancements

• Support for RPG and COBOL within macros

• Flat file access

• Variable registry

• Integrated Web firewall (IPCS)

• Proxy server

• Packet filters

• Secure HTTP server

• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support

• User ID and Password authentication

• Internet User and Validation List security objects

• Support for multiple HTTP servers

• Administrative server for firewall and HTTP servers

•TCP/IP enhancements

• 100Mbit Ethernet support

• Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

• Network printing enhancements

  

Improved performance

 • Up to 30 percent performance improvement for existing RISC systems and servers

• Server model performance enhanced for mixed interactive and server application environments

• Improved query scaling in multiprocessor environments

  

Improved availability/recovery across the line

 • Improved IPL time

• Reduced PTF install time

• Save/restore improvements

• Reduced recovery time for SNA comm ERP

 

 Simplified client/server

 • New Client Access/400 Windows client

• Client Access/400 Windows repackaging

• OS/2 Warp Server for AS/400—LAN Server replacement

  

Licensed Program Products (LPPs)

 • Refreshed

• BRMS

• SystemView System Manager

• OfficeVision for AS/400

• OfficeVision JustMail for AS/400

• DB2 Query Management and SQL Development Kit for AS/400

• Other LPPs and LPOs remain unchanged