Does your company have an old IBM iSeries or zSeries with the POWER processor architecture that’s not in use anymore? I’m looking for an IBM iSeries or zSeries to have at home to learn about how to virtualize Linux or IBM hardware. If you have one you don’t need anymore or if you know someone who does, would you consider giving it away to someone who wants to learn about it’s hardware and systems? .

I already have one IBM AS/400 with the 48-bits CISC-processor from 1993 running OS/400 V3R5 that was given to me in 2004 from a company where my dad was working at the time, my most grateful thanks to them. Now I look forward to combine the knowledge I’ve gathered from working with both Linux and IBM hardware to take the next step and learn how to virtualize Linux on IBM midrange and/or mainframe with the POWER processor architecture.

In the end of last year Sun was in the end of a one and a half year long project together with IBM. The challenge was to get OpenSolaris certified for IBM System z hardware. This solution will be interesting for customers that seek the enterprise environment from Solaris and the stability from IBM’s mainframe computers.

There are a lot of old Sun machines out there in the server parks that need to be switched out in the near future. According to Boyle CTO at the consulting company Sine Nomine Associate in Ashburn many companies are looking into IBM’s mainframe computers, but they don’t want to retrain all of their IT personnel to administrate an all new environment. Boyle also says he knows about 30-40 companies that are awaiting this solution to be finished and certified.

For IBM this is a great opportunity to save and rebuild the market for mainframe computers. Sun has been going strong on marketing Solaris on other platforms than their own lately. Sun’s last business settlement in favor of Solaris on other platforms was with Dell that now provides Dell PowerEdge servers with Solaris.

Source: http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.133639 (swedish)