Batch-Job Booster Now Available for Rent

Published: March 8, 2011

by Alex Woodie

IBM i shops can now get access to the batch-job performance boosting power of iStream on a monthly basis. Midrange Performance Group, the U.S. distributor for iBoost Systems' iStream software, last week announced that rentals for iStream will start at $995 per month.

iStream is a unique product designed to increase the throughput of IBM i batch jobs. The software, which iBoost Systems introduced to North America via MPG last year , works by using a command substitution technique to basically split a single-streamed batch job into multiple streams that can better utilize the horsepower of Power Systems, System i, and iSeries servers.

iBoost says customers can expect at least a 40 percent boost in performance, while some programs will run up to 10 times faster. The product, which has been vetted by IBM's lab in Rochester, Minnesota, does not require any programming changes, and works with RPG, COBOL, and C++ applications.

Under the new rental pricing scheme, IBM i customers can get access to the batch-boosting power of iStream on a monthly basis. Customers can get a key that unlocks the software on an IBM i server with between one and four activated POWER processors for $995 per month. That fee increases to $2,750 per month for a server with 33 or more processors.

Customers must purchase at least six months worth of access to the software, but are free to stop paying after that. The vendor says the break-even point under this new scheme is 24 months, meaning an unrestricted license for iStream to run on one to four Power processors costs about $24,000.

The new monthly fee will be welcomed by potential iStream customers, says iBoost CEO Iain Coles. "We have had many clients who badly need the help that we offer, but are not certain enough about the future of their server platform to purchase a full license," Coles states in a press release. "For them and others who predict that they may only need a temporary solution, our new pricing is the perfect solution."

The new licensing scheme will be particularly useful for customers who are planning to upgrade their IBM i server later in the year, but who need the extra performance cushion now, the company says.

MPG, which also announced a new release of its Performance Navigator software last week, started offering access to iStream on a monthly basis on March 1. For more information, see the vendors' websites at www.mpginc.com and www.iboostsytsems.com.

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