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Information Technology News IBM to offer web services on mainframes
Information Technology News IBM to offer web services on mainframes | IBM to offer web services on mainframes |
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| by Stan Beer | |
| Tuesday, 09 May 2006 | |
  
The mainframe computer is the only machine with architecture to provide the grunt, scalability and, above all, reliability to keep the back offices running in all the world's major corporations. Large banks, for instance, would never consider using anything else to house the critical data that forms the backbone of their organisations. However, when it comes to customer interfacing web services, that's normally handled by beefed up Intel and Linux servers. IBM, which recently released its new range of $100,000 System z9 Business Class servers, running the Z/OS mainframe operating system, promises to make the tools available for the environment to develop and run the necessary web services without the need to use mid-range servers to connect to users. Specifically, IBM plans to make its WebSphere suite of web development software available on the System z9 and other mainframes. IBM also wants to encourage developers to build web-based applications for the mainframe platform. So it has announced a tool, aimed at developers used to Java, VB and other web development languages, that will automatically generate Cobol code, the business transactions language developed in the 1950s but is still used in much mainframe development today. Although Big Blue knows mainframes will probably never really go away, the company wants to make sure that undergraduates will complete their IT courses with an understanding that the platform is not only relevant but is one which will continue grow. To that end, IBM knows it is never going to get young IT students interested in development for the big iron unless it can convince them the applications being developed include web services.{moscomment} |
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