By William Fellows
IBM Corp’s dedicated Domino AS/400 Model 170e is the first in a range of servers the company will sell to run specific applications It is also looking at the options for knowledge management but swears it hasn’t made a decision on a second product yet. The servers, which come in three models (2407/2408/2409) – with Lotus’ yellow paneling instead of AS/400’s usual red livery – can be partitioned to run mail, web server and other Domino applications. IBM believes they will be ideal to run PC ‘farms.’
The cut-down AS/400e Model 170 starts at $11,000 but won’t practically be able to support 1,300 users until a bigger wedge of disk and memory is added over and above the list price. Likewise the configurations which cost $16,500 and $22,500 claim to support 2,300 and 4,300 mail users respectively.
IBM believes Compaq servers running NT and Domino are still 30% cheaper than the 170e when used only for email. However, once other applications are brought on to the platform is has a similar price advantage. It doesn’t expect to be cannibalizing sales of RS/6000 Domino servers. Most users have already made their technology choices, IBM believes. The AS/400 division has now become a Lotus license reseller meaning its business partners can also sell Domino licenses direct, rather than customers having to go to Lotus.
The more interesting news in AS/400 is that IBM is currently working through a list of ISVs following the successful migration of SPSS’s AIX application code to OS/400. It wouldn’t say who is on the list, but we know it’s currently trying to add business intelligence, supply chain and CRM programs to the AS/400 application suite as fast as it can. IBM says it will advocate whichever route is easiest for ISVs. á
