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Basics of AS400 Architecture

The iSeries architecture features a two-part operating system, technology independence through TIMI, an object-based design, single-level storage, separate I/O processors, and a high degree of integration. It also supports logical partitions allowing multiple operating systems like OS/400, Linux, and Windows to run simultaneously on an iSeries server.

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242 views

Basics of AS400 Architecture

The iSeries architecture features a two-part operating system, technology independence through TIMI, an object-based design, single-level storage, separate I/O processors, and a high degree of integration. It also supports logical partitions allowing multiple operating systems like OS/400, Linux, and Windows to run simultaneously on an iSeries server.

Uploaded by

Taha Nasr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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iSeries architecture

Several architectural features of the iSeries Architecture


distinguish the system from other machines in industry,
including UNIX and Windows NT. These features [“the
five sacred architectural principles”] include:

• Technology Independence [ due to the two-part operating


system and TIMI]

• Object-based design

• Hardware integration

• Software integration

• Single level store


iSeries architecture

Several architectural features of the iSeries Architecture distinguish the system from
other machines in industry, including UNIX and Windows NT. These features [“the five
sacred architectural principles”] include:

• Two-part operating system

• Technology-independent machine interface (TIMI)

• Object-based system

• Single-level storage

• Separate I/O processors

• Multiple data busses

• High degree of integration

• Open Standards

• Logical partitions and many operating systems


Two-part operating system

• There are two components to the operating system software on an


iSeries server.  unique in the industry. The two components are
– System Licensed Internal Code (SLIC) and
– Operating System/400 (OS/400).

• SLIC provides the TIMI with


– process control
– resource management
– integrated SQL database
– Security
– Communications
– file system
– temp storage
– JVM, and other primitives.

• SLIC is a layer of software at the lowest level, much like a Unix kernel,
only far more functional.
Two-part operating system (cont.)

• Operating System/400 (OS/400).

– Provides the functions that present and work with these


services to the user and to applications.

– OS/400 also provides a vast range of high-level


language (such as C/C++, COBOL, RPG, FORTRAN)
runtime functions.

– OS/400 interacts with the client-server graphical user


interface [iSeries Navigator].
Technology-Independent Machine Interface

SLIC, is the Optimizing Translator converts applications


to the proper instruction set for the processor. After
translation, which is much like the last part of a compile
process, the resultant code is maintained with the program
object, for reuse.
Two-part operating system (cont.)

• In iSeries  changes to processor hardware and firmware do not


affect the
– operating system
– middleware or
– business applications.

• The heart of this ability to change without disrupting customers and


their applications is
– the Technology-Independent Machine Interface (TIMI).

• Applications do not have to rewritten or even recompiled to exploit


new hardware technologies.

• This permits only iSeries servers to make technology advances in


the hardware, such as storage, memory, and processor technology,
while protecting end-users' investments in existing applications
Two-part operating system (cont.)
• All iSeries models
• smallest  a few hundred users
• Largest  hundreds of thousands of users

– share the same software architecture, including the TIMI.

– This permits applications to scale across the entire product line,


from the smallest to the largest models.

• 48-bit [CISC]  64-bit [RISC]


• Digital Equipment case !! 32 – 64
• 128-bit ?
Object-based system
• OS/400 keeps all information as objects.

• All program and operating system information, such as:


– user profiles, database files, programs, printer queue etc. has its
associated object type stored with the information.

• In the iSeries architecture, the object type determines


how the object can be used (which methods).
– For example, it is impossible to corrupt a program object by
modifying its code sequence data, as if it were a file. Because
the system knows the object is a program, it will only allow valid
program operations (run, backup). Thus, with no write method,
iSeries program objects are immune to a true virus.

– Simple stream data files, such as MP3 audio files, are stored as
stream-file objects with familiar open, read, and write operations.
Object-based system
Single-Level Storage
• The iSeries architecture specifies a single very, very large virtual
address space known as Single-Level Storage (SLS).

• All objects, programs, files, users, data, working space, database


tables... everything, resides in this storage space.

• This storage space is addressed using 128-bit pointers. It is divided


into sections, including Temporary and Persistent. This distinction
refers to between re-boots. For examples, a user profile is in
Persistent, and a shared memory segment is in Temporary.
Single-Level Storage
Separate I/O processors and multiple data busses

• The hardware side of the iSeries architecture emphasizes the use of


specialized, intelligent I/O).

• Tasks such as disk, network, tape, and terminal I/O are offloaded to
a variety of dedicated processors, allowing the main processor(s) to
work on application execution.

• Most of these I/O processors are PowerPC-based high-speed RISC


processors running a small, self-contained operating system.
High Degree of Integration
• Another defining characteristic of the iSeries architecture is the high
degree of integration both above and below the TIMI.
– For example, DB2 for OS/400 is a native relational database management
system. That is, DB2/400 is shipped with every system and highly
integrated into the licensed internal code and the operating system.

• The following are areas of iSeries's integration:

• Relational database management system (DB/2 for OS/400)


• Transaction monitor
• Communications
• Security
• Internet serving
• User and group administration
• Printer management
• Job (process) management
• Backup and recovery
• Online help
• Electronic customer support
• System and network management
Logical partitions and many operating systems
Logical partitions and many operating systems
iSeries is the universal server.
• OS/400
• Linux
• Unix,
• Windows
applications all run on iSeries servers.
A single server may optionally be divided into several partitions, each
of which receives a dedicated set of resources, including processor
and memory.
The primary partition must be OS/400, but the other partitions can run,
as of this writing, different versions of OS/400 and Linux.
Logical partitions and many operating systems (cont.)

• Linux distributions, provided by several vendors, run in logical


partition(s) of an iSeries server.

• Windows applications run on an iSeries server on an optional plug-


in Intel processor.

• Rather than run an instance of a Unix operating system, applications


from AIX run inside an OS/400 job, completely and seamlessly
integrated into OS/400.
– This option is the OS/400 Portable Application Solution Environment
(OS/400 PASE). PASE provides a very easy way to drop in, often
unmodified, a Unix application on iSeries.

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