Neon Updates Mainframe Migration Tool

IBM’s mainframe management team, already dealing with a federal probe into its domination of the big iron sector, is unlikely to welcome the news that Neon Enterprise Software has upgraded its IBM mainframe workload migration tool.

Back in August, it emerged that IBM was doing its best to block Neon and its zPrime technology, which lets users offload tasks from the main processor on IBM zSeries mainframes. It places general purpose workloads on other processors within the system, which IBM calls “specialty engines”, built into the mainframe board and intended for running IBM software such as WebSphere and the DB2 database.

The problem, from IBM’s point of view, is that users will pay less money to IBM – because licence fees are calculated on the size of the main processor that the customer uses. If the customer wants more general purpose computer power for a job like CICS or IMS, he or she is supposed to buy additional general purpose processor capacity at a premium rate.

The specialty processors, called zIIPs (intended for DB2) and zAAPs (meant for Java software such as Websphere), are easily capable of running other workloads, but IBM effectively bundles them for free with the server as a subsidised incentive to buy other IBM software.

IBM has already warned customers that zPrime might break licence agreements. But this has not stopped nearly 50 businesses from testing and validating the cost savings that can be achieved with zPrime, since its initial release in June.

But now Neon has released its latest upgrade, zPrime 1.2. It includes a new Enablement Console that makes it easier for enterprises to pick which applications they want to move from the central processor to the zIIPs or zAAPs.

In addition, the LE (Language Environment) Initialisation Exit feature automates the task of enabling all LE-compliant applications (the majority of mainframe legacy application are apparently LE-compliant) to migrate to the specialty engines.

“zPrime can safely and significantly reduce IT costs while optimising legacy application investments,” said Richard Ptak, principal and analyst at Ptak, Noel and Associates. “It does so without sacrificing functionality or disrupting mainframe environments in any way. The innovative features in zPrime make it even easier for organisations to benefit from the significant cost savings to be achieved by taking advantage of speciality processor capacity.”