Re: iASP and standard applications

[Vern Hamberg <vhamberg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Chuck

There is a redbook, and it is very clear about objects that can't reside 
in a library in an IASP. It's sg24-6802, entitled "IBM eServer iSeries 
Independent ASPs: A Guide to Moving Applications to IASPs". The Redbook 
page describes it in this way -

"It is designed to help IBM technical professionals, Business Partners, 
and Customers understand and implement IASP in the IBM eServer iSeries 
server and under OS/400 V5R2."

I went through the exercise of verifying one of our more popular 
applications - carved out an IASP, moved the library there, all that. 
Found out it works fine. Varying on the IASP device can be automatic at 
IPL or not. And we have a few customers who are running that product in 
an IASP. They did come to us for assurance that it would work. I suppose 
there is no certification, but I hope vendors will do the work to really 
see if it is possible, not just assume they fall under the guidelines in 
the Redbook.

We use a lot of embedded SQL in our app, and there has been no problem 
or need to change any code for that, even though the library may reside 
in the IASP. I believe you CAN give a different RDB name to the database 
in the IASP but have not had to try any of that yet.

Later
Vern

On 2/10/2011 12:45 PM, CRPence wrote:
> On 2/10/11 8:38 AM, Bradley Stone wrote:
> > I was wondering, as being asked by a customer, if I should worry
> > about any applications I've written for them using
> > RPG/CL/CMDs/RPGLESQL.
> >
> > One customer is asking if the applications will work with an iASP...
> > I honestly have no idea or what I can do to even check.
> >
> > I read part of the redbook and it says to "verify with your software
> > vendor that they have enabled their product to work in an iASP
> > environment..."
> >
> > What exactly does that mean?
>     One would suppose, some specific Redbooks document.?  Presumably not
> one directed toward software vendors :-)
>
>     As a customer, that quote means calling the vendor to ask.  As a
> software provider that means responding with what is known about the
> capabilities; if unknown, then learning, verifying and\or implementing a
> known level of awareness of or actual support for iASP perhaps even to
> include swap\fail-over to take full advantage.  The IBM "partner"
> program I believe was a means for obtaining the skills to ensure an
> application provided some level of support, even if only to employ a
> means to keep the application and its data only on\in the primary iASP
> [pending any optional changes to enable otherwise]; including systems
> setup with iASP for test as I recall.
>
>     Notes: The *SYSBAS allows implicit CONNECT for SQL, such that there
> is no need to know of or use CONNECT.  I do not recall what occurs when
> a specific ASP group is set by SETASPGRP; implicit connect to the
> current iASP [group], or still to *SYSBAS?  Each independent ASP is a
> separate database to which the SQL must CONNECT, in order to perform
> work.  Depending on what the SQL does for those applications and where
> both the application and data is allowed to reside, there may be
> implications for introducing an iASP.
>
> Regards, Chuck