A true production strength version of the DB2 relational database management system with referential integrity, and the first products to make full use of the new features within the new MVS/ESA operating system and the E models of 3090 and 4381 headlined an IBM announcement so wide in its scope that it embraced enhanced disks for the 9370 and another desk-top publishing application for the PS/2. But perhaps the most striking feature of yesterday’s announcement – a reincarnation on a par with the second coming – was a major new release of DOS/VSE, which has been resurrected to rescue the 9370, and in the UK at least is now being touted as the operating system for the 9370 if you want to do transaction processing. That represents a double somersault for IBM, because when the 9370 was announced 18 months ago, VM was the only operating system users were recommended to use, although the company acknowledged that one or two might want to run VSE. IBM dropped the other shoe with MVS/ESA, introducing the first of the subsystem products that it hopes will persuade users that they must have E model machines and migrate to the Enterprise Systems Architecture/370 – announced back in February. There are ESA versions of DB2, IMS, CICS, TSO/E, JES2 and JES3. The new DB2 version 2 release of the company’s intended flagship database management system, now with referential integrity, so that DB2 users can relate data in one table to that in another in a business sense. No initial licence charge will be made and the new DB2 release will cost about 20% more for rental and about 6% more for one time charges. IBM claims that DB2 version 2 can also better handle high transaction workloads – about 50% more than version 1, processing complex transactions at rates of 180 per second and with simple instruction rates of 430 per second. Enhancements to CICS and IMS take advantage of the MVS/ESA Hiperspace facility to overcome virtual memory constraints. IBM claims resultant reductions of 50% in input-output requirements from disk for CICS and IMS. IBM also announced enhancements in the systems control and management area with improved performance for DFSMS – now with automatic space management – TSO, JSE 2, JES 3 and RACF. DB2 version 2, IMS, TSO, DFSMS and JES2 will be shipped in the fourth quarter. JES 3 will be available during the first quarter of 1989. The new DOS-VSE/SP version 3.2 release increases virtual storage to 128Mb from 40Mb. VSE/SP version 3.2 supports nine address spaces. IBM also announced the VSE Office Offering, bringing DisOSS support to the CICS/VSE camp. CICS/VSE will be supported under Systems Applications Architecture. Fuller details of the blitz will appear tomorrow.
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