7.3 Items to Be Aware of When Upgrading to IBM i 7.3 – Part 2

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on the new IBM i 7.3 Upgrade. Links to the rest of the series are listed a the bottom of this article.

things to know before you upgrade to IBM i 7.33. Increase the Licensed Internal Code space

If you are upgrading from 7.1 to 7.3 you need to increase the Licensed Internal Code space on the load source disk.  All server models with IBM i 7.1 or earlier releases require more reserved storage before IBM i 7.2 or 7.3 can be installed. Your upgrade will stop during the installation if you do not allocate the additional space.

You can do this by issuing the GO LICPGM on the command line, selecting option 5 on the menu to Prepare for upgrade, and then selecting the option to increase License Internal Code space.  Remember, your load source will need to be at least 70GB for a physical disk drive and 35GB for a virtual disk drive.

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IBM AS/400 and iSeries Users: Make Your Business Case for a Server Upgrade

Server UpgradeIf you’re making IT decisions for a smaller company that still uses IBM AS/400 servers, then it has probably crossed your mind that you could benefit from an upgrade to the newer IBM System i or IBM Power Systems servers.

Easier said than done, of course. In a tight global economy, it’s often tough to pry loose the budget you need for a major hardware upgrade. If you’re going to ask for servers that cost around $30,000 a piece, you’d better have a convincing business case that hits on a wide range of benefits.

With that in mind, we’d like to share a few thoughts.

Four Ways to Save with IBM System i

As you prepare your business case for a server upgrade, keep in mind that after you go live on new IBM servers, you can easily recoup tens of thousands of dollars in savings. How? In the form of power savings, greater processing speed, reduced hardware maintenance, and eliminated downtime.

Let’s explore each of these areas:

  • Power savings. This one is simple: newer servers are specifically designed to consume less electricity while delivering more processing power. They also generate less heat, which means lower air conditioning costs in your server room or data center. These costs are fairly easy to quantify.
  • Processing speed. It’s not easy to put a dollar figure on the benefit of having new servers that run faster. But think of it this way: when you’re getting 5 to 10 times the processing speed from all your servers, the productivity effects will trickle down throughout your organization. Newer servers offer much greater commercial processing workload (CPW) per dollar. When user queries are completed in one-tenth the usual time and reports end up in stakeholders’ hands sooner, they can make decisions more quickly, reducing the time for the month-end close so that everyone in the company has the numbers earlier. Everyone from accountants to manufacturing managers to distribution coordinators will be able to access information more quickly and run reports faster. These benefits will pay out all day, every day.
  • Hardware maintenance. Think of old servers like old cars. Your 1982 Subaru may still start every time you turn the key, in spite of the 300,000 miles you’ve put on it. But when you bring it in for repairs, you’re not looking at little tweaks – you’re looking at complicated and expensive overhauls that probably involve hard-to-find parts installed by specialized, highly experienced mechanics. Servers are the same way. The older they are, the harder (and more expensive) they can be to fix.
  • Downtime. Old servers often have a shorter mean time to failure, which can lead to lost productivity for your workforce. Because aging servers can’t run the newest version of each operating system, they won’t be able to deliver the latest features and functions your business users crave. And don’t forget that older machines also require more scheduled downtime for repairs, which further disturbs business processes.

Request Your Free Server Upgrade Consultation

Even after you’ve received the budget approval you wanted, you won’t be out of the woods. Many companies – especially on the smaller end of the spectrum – lack the time and specialized skills to pull off an upgrade.

At iTech Solutions, our team of IT experts deals with the unique challenges of upgrades and migrations every day. Before we start each project, we’ll take the time to consult with you and build a deep understanding of your account. And at the end of each project, we thoroughly test every aspect of your installation, providing whatever test hardware you need to make sure machines are talking to each other and data backups are working as planned. We can even upgrade your operating systems as part of the process. (And did I mention that we can also offer you project financing through IBM?)

What does this mean for your organization? A smoother experience for your end users, and more peace of mind for your IT staff. To request your free upgrade consultation, please call us at (203) 744-7854. Or email us at info@itechsol.com.

Are your IBMi systems running at optimal performance? Find out with our IBMi Health Check.