Post #69,754
12/18/02 6:46:59 PM
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You're dead wrong....
The AS400 (iSeries):
1). Supports many languages besides COBOL/RPG/ILE (e.g. Java, Perl)
2). Can be carved out to run Unix/Linux concurrently (LPAR)
3). Runs Unix derivative middleware (e.g. WebSphere)
4). Lets you dynamically allocate processors/disk/memory between partitions
5). Has a POSIX compliant IFS
From a business perspective, one can run that small sub-set of remaining
legacy code while supporting all the newer technologies on a box that is
*very* reliable. This is the draw.
On point #2: An AS400 box can have a small controlling partition (OS400)while
allocating the majority of its resources (disk, memory, processors) to Unix or
Linux LPARs so as to run Unix/Linux on higher-end hardware and use other DBs,
such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc. and other app. technologies.
Need more info?
-Slugbug
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Post #69,757
12/18/02 6:51:29 PM
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I don't, but my client does.
He steadfastly refuses to do anything with the new as400 he bought but have RPG/ILE programs (new ones - to replace Clipper Xbase programs running on Netware & PC's). I don't pretend to understand RPG/ILE, that was on its way out when I entered this field 15+ years ago. ;-)
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Post #69,770
12/18/02 8:24:45 PM
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Ahh Now I get it. Hire Imric, your client has been consluted
by an accountant type conslutant.
1. Give thought to nix xbase and see if his clipper will cross compile. I had good success with clipper to unix foxpro conversions.
2. If you can write batch scripts you can write RPG/PLE pick up the manual here
[link|http://publib-b.boulder.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/RedbookAbstracts/sg245402.html?Open|http://publib-b.boul...g245402.html?Open]
refer him to the schmoo he bought the system off of. I am sure they have a consluting fee design to go with this sale in mind.
thanx,
bill
will work for cash and other incentives [link|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html|skill set]
You think that you can trust the government to look after your rights? ask an Indian
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Post #69,775
12/18/02 9:01:58 PM
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So you have a stupid client.
Which says absolutely nothing about the AS/400.
Regards,
-scott anderson
"Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
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Post #69,785
12/18/02 10:11:39 PM
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So you don't understand RPG. It must not be capable
of 'doing the job' well and reliably.
Could it be that you are the wrong man for your client?
Imric's Tips for Living- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Post #69,805
12/18/02 11:52:21 PM
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I do RPG all the TIME... Nearly as often as...
I can...
I LOVE Role Playing Games!
[link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|HIS GHOST SPEAKS!]
Your friendly Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
[link|http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,56742,00.html|Wi-Fi enabled device use] comes with an all inclusive
free trip to the (county)Photographer!
Why You ask? Here is the answer to your query:
SELECT * FROM politicians WHERE iq > 40 OR \\
WHERE ego < 1048575;
0 rows found
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Post #69,901
12/19/02 11:31:13 AM
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Perhaps.
I'm trying to not gaff him.
From what I've witnessed there are vastly cheaper solutions that don't require use of tools that are no longer being taught. I like boxley's idea, in fact I suggested it. I also suggested running Linux on the 400 and Sybase or Oracle. The BL is that when the conversion is finished they are still going to need tons of new PC applications to get their job done. The old Xbase stuff is still working - in fact that's what actually makes their money. I just don't see the advantage to spending a ton of money to end up nearly exactly where you started (yes I know the 400 can handle larger files, but that seems like a heck of a lot of money to spend to get that).
I just don't see any clear advantage to re-writing in RPG/ILE what is already working in Clipper. Does Clipper need to be obsoleted? Yes. But it does not need to be replaced by a system that can't contribute any more than Clipper is currently contributing. And that's what they're going to end up with if they stay on this course.
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Post #69,968
12/19/02 3:16:29 PM
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Problems are always more complex
than they appear at first glance, I suppose. Just why are they moving from thier Clipper roots? Is major growth anticipated? Has Clipper been unreliable? Are they concerned about security? I am a major fan of the '400, but I am also a great proponent of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". when the conversion is finished they are still going to need tons of new PC applications to get their job done Why? And if the answer is just to interface with the data without a green-screen, then why is this different than moving from Clipper to anything else? it does not need to be replaced by a system that can't contribute any more than Clipper is currently contributing. And that's what they're going to end up with if they stay on this course. The '400 is way more than Clipper on expensive hardware (BTW, just what '400 did they get as a replacement?), as has been pointed out clearly by others in this thread.
Imric's Tips for Living- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Post #69,986
12/19/02 4:51:17 PM
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Good points all.
Clipper hasn't been unreliable and there are some very good ClipperHeads here (I was a Clipperhead myself for about 8 years). The main problem is that the company has outgrown Clipper's ability to handle the amount of data Clipper can adequately handle. They have a slew of graphing applications that suck the data out of a database. All of these apps use SQL to retrieve the data. Unfortunately, none of the people hired (either directly or as consultants) to do the 400 work know anything about Sql - I'm not flaming them, just stating a fact. They've all told me that they've "never used an Sql interface to data".
I'm not an anti-DB2 bigot, but DB2/400 is a completely different product from the "real" DB2 UDB (or whatever they're calling it these days, i.e. DB2/400 has just gotten a "Serial"/"Identity" data type with the new release). At any rate, the way the 400 is used at this site, Sql performance sucks rocks big time. It's an iSeries, but I don't know the exact model. I do know it only has one processor (that may be typical of 400's I dunno) but just one user running one graphical app can use up nearly all the resources on the box and bring the system to its knees. This may all be config issues, coding issues, table design issues, I dunno. But so far, the "solution" to bad performance has been to spend enough on upgrades to pay for several quad-Intel boxes.
I'm not opposed to text-based UI's (particularly for large data sets), but when the SQL performance is this bad in a situation where SQL performance is tremendously important, I just don't get it. I mean, I know its more convenient to use something you're already familiar with, but man, this is like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
bcnu,
Mikem
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Post #69,997
12/19/02 5:33:33 PM
12/19/02 6:11:48 PM
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Wanna be a hero?
I've seen performance problems that seem similar before. Turn on the 'performance adjustment' - some admins with experience on older versions of OS/400 turn this off (it used to be really bad). To turn it on, use: wrksysval qpfradj and select '3' (automatic adjustment). If you don't want to turn on the performance adjustment, memory pools can be adjusted manually with wrksyssts - use f11 for different views. I've seen the performance adjustment (post v4 OS/400, anyway) make dramatic performance gains, though...
Imric's Tips for Living- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
Edited by imric
Dec. 19, 2002, 05:34:20 PM EST
Edited by imric
Dec. 19, 2002, 06:11:48 PM EST
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Post #69,999
12/19/02 5:45:26 PM
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Boggle
To get turn it on, use:
wrksysval qpfradj
and select '3' (automatic adjustment). Man, if I didn't know any better - I'd say that looks like somebody smacking the keyboard to make random values come out. Gimli's Rules for Surviving in Middle Earth #43: When attempting to destroy an artifact, remember to use somebody else's axe.
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Post #70,001
12/19/02 5:49:53 PM
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Used to think the same thing...
...but its actually relatively easy to get used to.
Once you know what everything is called...you can almost start to guess what the IBM folks ended up using for the command abbreviation.
You were born...and so you're free...so Happy Birthday! Laurie Anderson
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #70,003
12/19/02 6:10:39 PM
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*chuckle*
Command names are pieced together from 1, 2, or 3 letter 'pieces' like, wrk for work, sys for system, dsp for display, f, for files, etc. wrksysval actually means "work with system values" dspf means "display file" cpyf is "copy file", etc, etc.
As bepatient says, its actually not hard to get used to.
Imric's Tips for Living- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Post #70,035
12/19/02 9:00:50 PM
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and...
before turning on auto-tuner:
wrkshrpool
is everything running out of *base and is there
adequate min/max for the pool? or, is the db
activity running in a shared pool?
you can see where it is running by doing:
wrkactjob F11
look for the pool ID
you might also run idoctor against the system
to get a clearer understanding of where the
performance troubles are coming from.
also, are you using toolkit or native driver for
sql access? this can impact performance too.
as for processors, there are 400 models that have
single processor (maybe this is a 270?) as well as
models that exceed 20+ processors.
-slugbug
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Post #70,040
12/19/02 9:18:08 PM
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*smile* Trust you
to be more thorough than I!
Imric's Tips for Living- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Post #70,139
12/20/02 3:15:55 PM
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Thank you.
I will see if they let me check any of that the next time I'm in. Appreciate your efforts and suggestions. Knowing these guys, I should have prefaced my initial post with "I understand that any host is only as good as its Admin, but, ..." ;-)
This is all stuff they *know* to do, I suppose. But I'd bet not.
BTW, a friend of mine that works there just pinged me. He ran a Crystal Report based on a single query with one join. It was some numbers grouped by week over 3 months. The report took 19 hours to run. Now, I know his Sql could be really bad, but 19 hours? <:-O
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