Re: AS/400 vs PC as a server

[Bob Angell <aimsllc@xxxxxxx>]

Rich Brearley wrote:
> 
> I was talking to an associate yesterday on the life of midrange
> computers.  His view was that the PCS will take over the
> industry and there will be no use for Midrange or Mainframes.

Here is a bit of ammunition you can take back to your friend.  I am very
familiar with everything from Windows 95/NT to OS/2 to AIX to the AS/400
and each machine has its own place in the industry.  Microsoft (what an
oxymoron <g>) said just a bit ago that they were damn proud that their
Windows NT Servers are 98% reliable.  If you do the math, you lose over
1
week per year of downtime.  How many of your shops can afford 1 week of
unscheduled downtime per year?  Also, the AS/400 provides a very WIDE
data path that the Wintel crap can only dream about (16/32 bits vs. 64
bits).
Network printing is yet another reason to stick with a midrange
solution.
You can print over 60 pages/minute with an AS/400 and have a limit of
17 pages/minute on a Wintel box.  The list goes on and on.
 
> I tried to discuss the point with him, but my limited knowledge
> of PC servers I was at a disadvantage.  My point to him was
> that a PC Server could not handle the large volumes of data a
> Midrange or a main frame could.  But without cold hard
> numbers I was unable to argue my point.

-Bob-
-- 
   Bob Angell, Principal - Sys. Engineer/Author/Consultant
   Applied Info & Mgnt Sys, 1238 Fenway Ave., SLC, UT 84102 
   v: 801-583-8544 e: aimsllc_AT_ibm_DOT_net
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