Does anyone know about AS400?

Hello everyone,
I am a bit bewildered by everything I've just read on this post.
I've been working for 18 years on the AS/400, now marketed as I5, and all I can say fits into this phrase by Franc Soltis, the father of AS/400: 'There is as much commonality between OS/400 and Windows (even Vista) as there is between a cruise ship and a kayak; the only thing they have in common is that both float.'
The OS/400 is originally a very solid and reliable operating system, integrating the management of the DB2/UDB database system, advanced communication functions (SNA, X25, TCP/IP..), and extremely strong security features, to the point that so far I haven't seen many exploits showing that an AS/400 has been hacked. On the new OS/400, we can set up OS/400, LINUX, UNIX AIX partitions that share the same disk space (hardware) and the same backup resources..
On a small AS/400 the size of a PC, we can connect thousands of users, either in telnet mode or HTTP, we can set up one or more Domino servers, connect and manage several servers running Windows (2000, 2003, VISTA), manage files with hundreds of millions of records without using terabytes of storage, with response times that would make a full overclocked core duo 6700 pale in comparison. In short, it's another world, which comes at a price; an entry-level machine (about 1000 users) costs around €100,000.
This is beyond the reach of individuals, not to mention the software maintenance, which is also not free, and even here there's no way to tinker; only specialists can get involved.
You can develop with just about anything on an AS/400 (I start with the oldest RPG, COBOL, C+, PASCAL, BASIC, PHP, WINDEV, JAVA, and of course with software engineering workshops like ADELIA.) Many users believe they are using the services of a Windows or Linux server, while they are actually on an AS/400 (see the IBM.COM website which runs on multiple AS/400).
You can use a multitude of servers on an AS/400 (FTP, HTTP, DNS, DOMINO, Windows file servers...)

Some facts.
In 17 years, I have never rebooted an AS/400 nor crashed one, and if it took 1.5 hours as I've read above, today it only takes a few minutes (we're talking about a cruise ship, not a kayak...).
The architecture of the machine itself guarantees unparalleled speed, reliability, and availability (99.99% reliability, voted the best midframe server ahead of Unix and other Windows servers).

The processor has been RISC architecture for 10 years now (we are still waiting on Intel..) and will move towards 128-bit with V6.
It runs at a speed that makes the uninitiated laugh (less than 1 GHz) for entry-level models, compared to the 3 or 4 GHz of Intel processors, and makes those in the know smile, who understand that the clock speed of a processor is just a minor factor influencing the processor's processing speed.

There is no concept of disk space and memory space as seen in Windows (I will elaborate on this topic later..)

In short! More to come in the next post where I am willing to answer, if I can, the questions posed.

Comparing Windows Server to an iSeries is like comparing an aircraft carrier to a small boat; the only thing they have in common is that they both float.
Essentially, everything Windows Server does is about 20% of what an iSeries can do. I oversee several agencies internationally, all equipped with AS/400 for back office tasks and only one with Windows servers that my group recently purchased. I just invested over $260,000 to replace the Windows servers with more modern ones (the latest ones are 3 years old) and couldn't handle the load anymore. We're far from the €5,000. For my other agencies, the servers running OS/400 are 5 years old, and I won't replace them until 2012, even 2013, and for much less. I have one network technician per agency and an AS/400 programmer, and that is sufficient.
For the software on Windows, there is a team of 25 programmers... in the only company fully equipped with Windows.
Not to mention the help desk and the reboots when SQL Server is down...

I'm not being biased; I'm just stating facts because I use both systems, which allows me to speak on the matter.

Mr. Jeylo, who speaks of machine language on an AS/400 and barbaric code, must surely be very familiar with OS/400.
By the way! One cannot program in machine language under OS/400... :))

To one of the interlocutors above who asks me to introduce him to the AS/400, I would reply:

The AS/400 being easy in 3 days doesn't exist.
It is important to understand that OS/400 is a bit complicated compared to Windows. One must forget about Windows and Linux a little.
But once the approach is understood, it is quite a surprising OS.
First of all, it’s the IBM world, meaning a computer optimized for management. It integrates a DB2UDB database and all the tools to maintain it. Knowledge of SQL is almost mandatory.
The screens and the traditional programming mode of the AS/400 can be quite confusing for a beginner; I'm not even talking about the sophisticated print management, which is highly advanced and almost nonexistent on Windows or Unix.
The simplest way to approach the AS/400 is to have one within reach.
Go to IBM for a week taking their beginner courses. There you will learn how to open a session, manage prints, jobs, users, and messages, and get a glimpse of the AS/400 command language (CLP). Then dive into DB2; one needs to have some knowledge of database management systems. For programming, you have choices (RPG4, COBOL, C, JAVA, PHP...).
We must now find books in French like "AS/400 for Dummies" from Eyrolles at Fnac or specialized bookstores.

But to say it all, once you've tasted it, you have the impression of piloting an Airbus A380 instead of a little flying club aircraft.

Good luck.

I remember my astonishment when in 1987, at the AS400 training, I asked the trainer, "Sir, I can't find the ASSEMBLY language?" (which is the language closest to machine code), and his answer shocked me: the AS400 does not have an ASSEMBLY compiler, except for the Houston team that designs the OS400. So, starting in 1987, I no longer programmed in assembly, but in Cobol, RPG 3, SQL400 and of course the CLP system, which in my eyes was the most revolutionary, since we could generate commands that we used inside a CLP. The most sophisticated command, OPNQRY, has been supplanted by SQL400.
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Daniel

Hello, the AS400 is an IBM product; you cannot install just any OS on it, you need to install OS400. The AS400 can be useful for a large database server, for example, or as a file server. Now, to find the OS... no idea...

kind

Among the things you can do with an AS400:
- database server
- transactional applications
- web server (yes, really)
- ...

You cannot use anything other than the OS400 system, which must be provided with the machine (otherwise, I can’t imagine IBM offering it for download)

Do you really need this AS400? For what purpose? An AS can't do everything, you need to be sure it will fulfill its functions.

Are you ready to maintain it, pamper it, feed it, and keep it in good shape? If no one "at your place" has ever worked on an AS400, the first encounters may be... tricky. Even though OS400 is intuitive when you know how to approach it, it looks off-putting (text mode) and might scare away those allergic to the command line.

You should find out if there are annual license fees to pay for owning the AS400...

In short, I don’t want to discourage you, but just indicate that an AS400 is great (reliable and efficient) when used within its capabilities and when you know how to use it.

If you want more information, feel free to ask :)
--
Tittom (that's a signature)

Good evening everyone,

I have a little question to pose to the pros (I know networks under NT but strictly nothing about AS400):
In the case where we have an obsolete AS400 (V4D4 if my memory serves me right) and a replacement proposal that is extremely expensive (around 100,000F!)... for a network that only has 5 machines and is using applications that could run on Windows!!!???
Even without knowing anything about it, I find that extremely excessive, don’t you think?

Thank you for your responses,

Gaëlle

Hello everyone,

Regarding the buyback price, I have no idea, but what's certain is that where I work, we have an AS/400 series server running WinNT4 as the main domain controller... Apparently, there are two network cards (one ethernet and one token ring).
As for the why and how, if you're interested, I can inquire, but for now, I can't say anything more, I don't handle this service...

Well yes, I'm interested because if we can run Windows on it, I suppose Linux must work as well! But that contradicts everything I've heard about the AS400 so far...

Hello;
I am currently in training on AS/400, and I can confirm that the only OS that works on it is indeed OS/400. That said, there are indeed expensive software solutions that provide a user-friendly interface similar to Windows. Regarding databases, it should be noted that they are integrated.

You indeed have a problem for at least 2 reasons

1) Only versions v5r1 and v5r2 are currently supported by IBM (hence marketed)

2) Your AS400 is "old" you definitely need an older version... so no longer marketed... and how old is your AS400?.... is it a CISC... or a RISC....?

The AS/400 server is not meant to be handled by just anyone!
In general, one never touches the machine (for example, starting an AS/400 takes 1.5 hours)
Only IBM is authorized to intervene on the machine; in companies, the people who take care of it only act as administrators (QSECOFR) or operators (QSYSOPR)
In short, it's not like a PC that can be disassembled, formatted, and reinstalled!
As for Windows, some AS/400 versions include a daughter card where there is a Windows architecture based on NT4
There is little interest in recovering an AS/400
But I know some people who would be interested in testing lab compatibility with SCS & IPDS printing.

Hello everyone,
I am a beginner in AS/400 and I have a calculation software to debug, without going through the debugger. Does anyone have any advice for me? I definitely don't want to lose my job because of this.
Thank you for your help
Darya

Hello everyone,
I am a beginner in AS/400 and I have a calculation software to debug, without using the debugger. Can someone advise me? I really don't want to lose my job because of this.
Thank you for your help
Darya

Good evening,

I will respond pretty much the same as VASCO, anyway he said the essential.
Searching for AS400 resources in my country, I often dealt with people who responded "oh yes, the AS400? but that's old..." with a mocking tone. I admit it irritates me, and I simply respond, "But do you at least know what you're talking about?" And often the discussion stops there, especially since personally I wouldn't want to engage in an endless discussion with technicians for whom business management is just a vague concept... Fortunately, some young people a bit smarter have started to understand (how? I don't know) that this mysterious machine could open a royal path for them in business (it's true that, like any job, you also have to know how to sell yourself). For them, I've decided to take a few as interns at the end of their IT school studies (with training provided on AS400, of course) so they can develop modules for the ERP I'm currently designing and selling! Ah, the lucky ones, because AS400 is not something you learn on every street corner, and on top of that, they will work on real cases.

Config: 9406-520, V5R3

I am also looking for specialists and developers on OS/400,
If you are young or less young, fresh out of school or with experience, not afraid to fly and live in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Morocco, Czech Republic... If you want to work in the foreign subsidiaries of a French group (the official languages in the subsidiaries are French and English) and invest in their development.
We have equipped the subsidiaries with I520 or I525 in V5R4 and need to adapt a business core to the environmental specifics of different countries (online orders, commercial management, production tracking, accounting...)
Contact me...

Hello,

As an analyst, I work on AS400. I have 16 years of experience in the aerospace industry, a short stint in mutual insurance, and have been in the healthcare sector for the past 2 years. The RPG language and procedural programming, any version, under PDM or Source Management (ARCAD), development tools like SDA, RLU, QM400, etc., and the DB2 database have accompanied me throughout my career.
Don't think that I am no longer learning! Constantly evolving, OS400 and its programming tools challenge your technical skills. That's what I love about this job—no routine. Uh! No pun intended.

My dream is to end my career working from home. Unfortunately, in France, remote work is still in the experimental stage, and that's a shame! I offer my skills in exchange for the same salary level to any business leader who would like to embark on the adventure...

Well, no project!!! Too bad, I will have to use Windows then... what a pity! If anyone knows people who still use AS/400, I do remote development, on my AS/400 or via VPN; 15 years of experience, development of a manufacturing management system for an international chemical industry in client-server (Windows clients, AS/400 server), web interfaces in ILE RPG, rewriting numerous management applications in different sectors (industry, insurance, distance selling, commercial management, production tracking, accounting and analytical interfaces, quality control, purchase management, etc.). By the way, I also pilot planes, nice comparison with the A380!!!

Hello

I need the as 400 to introduce a very important database. Thank you for letting me know how to download it??? Is it free?? And how do I input data, especially since I need to scan different documents:
example: Mr. X, I type 1 and the letters concerning him appear... another option 2 to view the contents of the letter...

Thank you so much, I assure you this is an urgent need.

I find that Vasco is quite hard on Windows.
I am not very familiar with the AS/400, but comparing it to Vista is easy.
It would have been better to compare it to Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition.
Up to 2TB of RAM, 64 processors, and 16TB of hard drives.

I assure you that such a server does not cost just €5,000.
But its virtualization capabilities are immense and offer many advantages. We can do what we want, choose DBMSs, file servers, virtual apps, web servers, on Linux if we like. It's up to the imagination (as Gad would say!), and without necessarily getting bogged down in barbaric code or machine language, and without the technical constraints of the former AS/400.

I have no shares in Crosoft, but I must admit that we have both performance and ease of use.