The purpose of this blog is to let you know that if you want the least disruption with your IBM POWER servers, keep your IBM hardware and software support current. Also, keep your PTFs and technology refreshes current as well.
When you learn your server is at End of Service life, it is ideal to move to the newest technology or a dependable alternative like hosting. To remain on a legacy server without support is a gamble and you will likely experience untimely disruption.
Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system. iSeries and AS400 are names of IBM servers. I use these terms interchangeably to make it easier for researchers find this information on the web.
We have all been in the technology business long enough to know that computers can break.
Most of my clients have hardware and software support.
Even so, a few resist my invitations to continue with their support.
They don’t renew their hardware support.
First, they cite how reliable the IBM POWER servers are.
And, they are right. IBM POWER servers are extremely reliable.
Second, they tell me they want to save money. (Often this comes from “above” looking to cut expenses.)
Hardware Failure And NO Support Agreement In Place. YIKES!
I was struck this month by the high number of legacy server failures without support that involved my clients.
In all cases when these legacy servers failed, it took days to get them operative.
The delays have a lot to do with the time it takes to get access to the server to determine the nature of the failure, deliver the part (even next day is not always possible), and have an available engineer with the expertise to replace the part and assure that all is well.
In one case just last week, one of my clients had a cascading failure. First, the disk unit failed. Within 2 days after the disk repair, the server would freeze up. Diagnostics revealed firmware error…not hardware error. This server not only lacked hardware support for 2 years, it also lacked software support which is the source for firmware.
What made this last server failure so difficult to assess and repair is that this server was on IBM i V7.1 and had not had PTFs applied in over 2 years. Even worse, the firmware was from V5R4M5. (The firmware and the IBM i OS were mismatched. Yikes!)
One of my senior IBM i field engineers determined a fix by replacing a communication feature. (I know of only a handful of senior engineers with the experience to figure out a solution like this.)
Unfortunately, this was a temporary fix. The problem then cascaded to tape failure. UGH!
This was a nail-biting experience that lasted days and nights.
Ultimately, as well as VERY luckily, my engineering team was able to migrate this client from their failed 9406-520 server to a temporary IBM POWER server at V7.1 with appropriate matching firmware. And, this option saved them a $4,000 onsite repair fee from the manufacturer.
The Cost Of Disruption Far Exceeds The Perceived Savings Of Cancelling Support Agreements.
In all cases, the cost of the disruption to the business far exceeded the perceived savings of cutting IBM hardware and software support.
Too often, many IBM i users may think it is no big deal to replace a failed disk unit or cache battery. In reality, these 2 specific repairs are pretty straight-forward.
On the other hand, older servers with unsupported hardware, software and firmware are extremely troublesome. Parts for these older servers are not reliable, especially trying to replace failed power supplies. Software and firmware fixes may be non-existent.
This may sound like a scolding parent, but I will chance it.
If you want to be sure to have the least disruption with your IBM POWER servers, keep your IBM hardware and software support current. Also, keep your PTFs and technology refreshes current as well.
When you learn your server is at End of Service life, it is ideal to move to the newest technology or a dependable alternative like hosting. To remain on a legacy server without support is a gamble and you will likely experience untimely disruption.
It is not a matter of if, it’s when.
If you need help to understand what your best options may be, call me at (714) 593-0387 or email me at blosey@source-data.com.
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