A large financial services company with a clear strategy to invest in FICON® channels on System z® was grappling with a compliance challenge that required them to support ESCON® tape at a remote datacenter for archived data access. Available ESCON channel extension solutions proved to be complex, expensive and nearing end-of-support.

The company deployed Optica’s Prizm FICON to ESCON converter while leveraging the distance capability of their FICON infrastructure to address the compliance issue in a simple, cost effective manner. The end to end solution is IBM SAK qualified and will be supported well into the future.

IBM is phasing out ESCON channels on System z as referenced in their Hardware Announcement Letter (#109-230) dated April 2009 as part of the Statement of General Direction. The System z recommended best practice is to leverage 100% FICON channel connectivity on the host and to utilize the Optica Prizm solution for connectivity to all remaining ESCON and/or Bus and Tag (i.e. Parallel) devices. This solution is available from IBM GTS via their ESCON to FICON Migration offering (#6948-97D).

Learn more about Managed Evolution for System z

IBM STATEMENT OF DIRECTION FOR ESCON HEIGHTENS REQUIREMENT FOR I/O PLANNING

Optica Technologies (“Optica”) announces that it is collaborating with IBM to promote an infrastructure simplification and planning approach known as Managed Evolution for System z. Managed Evolution enables customers to invest in the latest System z technology, FICON®, while preserving the ability to connect their mainframes to existing, mature storage and communications devices that require the older ESCON® and bus/tag channel protocols. By leveraging the principles of Managed Evolution, System z users can create a cost-effective and flexible infrastructure and maintain the mature devices essential for driving stable, cash-generating business applications.

IBM announced on April 28, 2009 its intent to phase out the availability of the older ESCON channels on System z. System z10 EC and System z10 BC will be the last servers to support greater than 240 ESCON channels. This announcement elevates the importance of System z infrastructure planning to ensure a smooth transition from the older to the newer technology for host to device connectivity.

Optica’s exclusive Prizm FICON to ESCON Converter (“Prizm”) is the implementation platform for Managed Evolution. Prizm is an inline appliance that provides the physical and logical connection of the older ESCON and bus/tag-based devices to FICON channel infrastructures. Optica recently completed rigorous interoperability testing in IBM’s Poughkeepsie solutions lab with Prizm receiving a comprehensive qualification for attachment to all ESCON device types.

Michael Dailey, Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Optica, said,

“Optica has enjoyed a long-term strategic relationship with IBM. We’re delighted to collaborate with the System z brand to help customers design and deploy current-generation dynamic infrastructures. Now that Optica has received the most extensive IBM qualification available for third-party solutions, customers can confidently leverage Prizm to support a wide variety of mature devices that remain crucial to their unique business requirements.”

Mark Anzani, VP and Chief Technology Officer, System z, made the following comments:

“As customer infrastructures evolve, conditioning the environment to support the deployment of new technology in a seamless manner is critical. Customers need to evaluate a variety of variables including physical infrastructure, data models, application placement, structure and workload trends to manage this transition effectively. Our strategic cooperation with Optica allows our mainframe customers to leverage all of the benefits of FICON on System z while maintaining access to ESCON devices that are required to support key applications. Working closely with Optica, we’re helping customers simplify the transition to new System z platforms, while maximizing the value of their investment in peripheral devices.”

Today IBM sent out an announcement letter detailing a number of enhancements as well as a statement of direction for System z.

Statement of general direction

The System z10 will be the last server to support connections to the Sysplex Timer® (9037). Servers that require time synchronization, such as to support a base or Parallel Sysplex, will require Server Time Protocol (STP). STP has been available since January 2007 and is offered on the System z10, System z9, and zSeries® 990 and 890 servers.

The System z10 will be the last server to support Dynamic ICF expansion. This is consistent with the Statement of Direction in Hardware Announcement 107-190, dated April 18, 2007: “IBM intends to remove the Dynamic ICF expansion function from future System z servers.”

The System z10 will be the last server to support ICB-4 links. IBM intends to not offer Integrated Cluster Bus-4 (ICB-4) links on future servers. IBM intends for System z10 to be the last server to support ICB-4 links as originally stated in Hardware Announcement 108-154, dated February 26, 2008.

ESCON® channels will be phased out. It is IBM’s intent for ESCON channels to be phased out. System z10 EC and System z10 BC will be the last servers to support greater than 240 ESCON channels.

IBM intends to support optional water cooling on future high-end System z servers. This cooling technology will tap into building chilled water that typically exists within the data center for computer room air conditioning systems. External chillers or special water conditioning will typically not be required. Water cooling technology for high-end System z servers will be designed to deliver improved energy efficiency.

IBM intends to support the ability to operate from High Voltage DC power on future System z servers. This will be in addition to the wide range of AC power already supported. A direct HV DC data center power design can improve data center energy efficiency by removing the need for an additional DC to AC inversion step.

All statements regarding IBM’s plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Any reliance on these statements of general direction is at the relying party’s sole risk and will not create liability or obligation for IBM.

The complete announcement can be found here.

Optica Technologies Incorporated and its European partners Dacoso and TrueCom will be sponsoring the IBM System z Conference in Brussels, Belgium May 4-8, 2009.

Optica’s Peter Dixon and special guest speaker Iian Neville from IBM are hosting a presentation on Managed Evolution for System z – a jointly developed and recommended infrastructure planning process by IBM and Optica.

The session (number zP001) will be held Tuesday, May 5th from 16:45-18:00 in room H

Partners of Optica Technologies – Europe

Germany, Austria, Switzerland

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Benelux, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg

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Visit Optica in the Brocade booth at SHARE in Austin, March 1 – 6, 2009, Booth 213.

You’ll learn how to:

• Prepare your z10 infrastructure to become workload-ready within a full FICON Fabric
• Consolidate and simplify IT for maximum operational efficiency
• Fully leverage the management, performance, and distance capabilities of FICON

Learn how to maximize your FICON investment when you visit Optica and Brocade at SHARE.

Moving to IBM System z10? IBM recommends that you leverage FICON I/O channels to service your applications, and that doing so can improve your operational processes, performance, and capacity. How can you accomplish this without writing off your investment in ESCON?

You’ll find the answers at Booth 213 at SHARE in Austin, March 1 – 6, 2009. Stop by and learn how Optica in partnership with Brocade can demonstrate how the Managed Infrastructure Evolution for IBM System z can help you migrate to an all-FICON z10 while protecting your investment in legacy ESCON devices.