Hitachi Ltd duly unveiled its Pilot 9 implementation of IBM Corp’s newest G6 series of CMOS mainframe processors, touting the 26 models for use as internet, web and ERP workhorses, the same market addressed by Big Blue. The S/390 compatibles, the last in the Pilot series to use CPU designs OEMed from IBM, are available next month.
Key differences between Hitachi’s implementation and IBM’s G6 is Hitachi’s continued use of off-board I/O processing, meaning it can configure systems with up to 13 CPUs versus IBM’s high-end 12-way. IBM uses one CPU for I/O processing. Although it hasn’t completed performance testing on Pilot 9, Hitachi is estimating a 10% additional performance – up to 1,700 MIPS versus IBM’s 1,600 – could be material enough to give it some real added market opportunity. Otherwise the model line-up is the same.
For Pilot 9 customers Hitachi will offer its VSF virtual server facility partitioning technology already destined for use on its next-generation Skyline II Trinium. VSF enables a system to be partitioned into as many as 15 ‘virtual servers,’ each with its own serial number and model identifier. Hitachi says the VSF model will ultimately reduce users’ software costs because it enables each virtual server to be configured specifically for the number of nodes being used by a particular application. Software charges can be applied per virtual server and users can better manage their use of systems software and applications. Hitachi says it can re-assign processors among virtual servers and VSF will in the future enable Hitachi to perform local or remote server upgrades or downgrades. Mainframe ISVs Computer Associates, BMC, Candle and ISM are supporting VSF.
Under development for Pilot 8 and 9 machines is a web I/O accelerator which Hitachi says will enable a system to support a greater number of internet hits per second. Using processor memory as its first level cache Hitachi will provide a 100Mbps fibre channel link to disk.
Open Network Connectivity/E, for native TCP/IP connection to Gigabit Ethernet, Ethernet and FDDI LANs will also be available for Pilot 9. OCE/E connects LANs directly with processors via an add-in card. It is also offering ONC/C Gigabit Ethernet and voice and data integration services co-developed by Cisco Systems Inc with Pilot 8 and 9 and Skyline Trinium. They plug into existing Escon links.
What Hitachi can’t do is to mirror IBM’s most recent ISV deals, at least not immediately. By the fourth quarter when SAP R/3 is supported as an application environment on G6, Hitachi expects it will have been able to strike its own deal with SAP. Hitachi will offer upgrades to Pilot 9 from Pilot 8.
