Shield Achieves Milestone with HA Product

January 11, 2011 Alex Woodie

Shield Advanced Solutions has added the capability to replicate IBM i spool files with the latest release of HA4i, its high availability software for IBM i. The new feature was the last “major milestone” preventing HA4i from being considered a full-function HA product, Shield’s president says.

HA4i is the new name that Shield recently gave to RAP, which stood for Receiver Apply Program. Shield overhauled the software with the launch of HA4i version 6.1 in November. The release included features such as a new journal apply processes, a new Web-based interface, auditing improvements, and support for replication of source physical files for IBM i programs.

While HA4i marked a big improvement over past releases, there was one more function that potential IBM i customers wanted to see: support for the replication of IBM i spool files.

In December, Shield added the capability to replicate spool files at the output queue level. With this feature, any new spool files that are created in specific output queues are automatically replicated using remote journaling, and applied on the target machine using HA4i’s apply process.

“Spool file replication is the last major milestone we needed to complete to bring a rounded HA solution to the market,” states Shield President Chris Hird in a recent company announcement. “While our existing customers do not use it today, many have said that under certain circumstances, they could do with the capability.”

Hird also said that a number of HA4i prospects have told him that support for spool file replication is a required feature. “We are pleased to announce that we now offer this support, and are very happy with how it came together,” he says.