“I would definitely recommend Source Data Products for IBM POWER i. Those guys REALLY know their stuff!” Source figured out exactly what we needed, they had the experience to make sure it was right for us and they knew that even though our e-commerce application maxed out our POWER5, the 8202-E4B could easily handle our new web site. I was confident that what Source Data was telling me was based on decades of experience – and that counts for a lot.”
West American Rubber Company, LLC (WARCO) with 320 employees is a 100-year old rubber manufacturer in Orange, CA. It manufactures a variety of rubber products including matting, military gas masks, sheet rubber, and custom-molded and extruded products. Solarsoft (formerly CMS) manufacturing ERP is their line-of-business software supporting 100 users on an IBM 9405-520 POWER5 iSeries with 30/500 CPW.
Recently, WARCO wanted to have a stronger web presence and sell products over the web. Specifically, WARCO wanted its e-commerce application integrated with its POWER i Solarsoft application to offer customers an easy way to place orders, look at order history, check shipping status and modify their addresses.
9406-520 POWER5 Not Enough Performance For E-Commerce Workload
WARCO developed their e-commerce solution in PHP with RPG programming. On June 3, 2011, when it came time to stress-test the new e-commerce application, WARCO’s IT Director Mike Escobedo explains, “The server completely choked. In 20 minutes we ran the test with as many users as we could get on our 9405-520 to see how the e-commerce solution functioned. Within 2 minutes the server reached 100% and stayed there for the duration of the exercise. It was evident we needed a new server and we needed it fast.”
“At this point,” Mike recalls, “we called Source Data, our IBM Business Partner, to check out our server upgrade options.
Despite Low Initial Cost, A Used AS400 Is Too Expensive
“Initially we thought a used AS400 would be a cost-effective option. Once Source Data explained how IBM charges for software support (SWMA) and After License Fee (ALF) as well as the higher support fees related to a more powerful AS400, it became real clear, real fast, that a used server was just not a consideration.”
Mike elaborates, “I could see where a used POWER i server would cost a lot more money. It did not make any sense at all to go with a used machine. A used server would be something that would just barely get us over the hump. We wanted something that could run the e-commerce site and our line-of-business application for years to come.”
Once it became evident that the current 9405-520 could not handle the e-commerce workload and a used server would not cost-effectively suffice for the next 7 years, WARCO management chose to get a new IBM POWER7 i.
The Right 8202-E4B Without Over Paying
“While my management may have been willing to pay extra for a bigger, more expensive POWER7 i, Source Data guided me to avoid a real pricey POWER i that was way too powerful.
“While Source Data showed me a P10 8202-E4B with 6-cores as we requested, they also pointed out how a smaller P05 8202-E4B with 4 cores, 16 GB of memory and (8) 139 GB disk units with RAID provided the capacity and performance we needed for years to come at the lowest total cost of ownership.”
Mike continues, “I feel like the P05 8202-E4B was the right fit. I don’t feel like we over-purchased, I don’t feel like we under-purchased. It’s just right.”
Mike goes on, “I feel I got excellent guidance and advice from SDP. In some ways, I feel like I may have gotten too much information – there is so much to know.
“Overall, I felt warm and cozy working with Source Data. I had a lot of questions. I am more of a Windows guy, so entering the AS400 world is a completely different animal. As we worked together I felt very confident that we would get a final configuration that we would be very happy with.
The Right Expertise To Assure We Get The Power We Need For E-Commerce
“Source Data did all the leg work. They did all the research. The presentations, explanations, and answers to all my questions made a lot of sense. Source figured out exactly what we needed, they had the experience to make sure it was right for us and they knew that even though our e-commerce application maxed out our POWER5, the 8202-E4B could easily handle our new web site. I was confident that what Source Data was telling me was based on decades of experience – and that counts for a lot.”
Fast Delivery – 8202 Arrives In 13 Days
WARCO placed their order on June 26, 2011 and the new 8202-E4B delivered on July 7, 2011. “That was a whole lot faster than we expected,” Mike explains. “With the importance of this new web site to us, time was of the essence. We were really excited to get the POWER7 so fast.”
Expert Accessible Technical Support On Tap When Needed – Even On Weekends
To facilitate the 8202 set up and go live, Source Data made Mark Breisacher available, one of its experienced POWER i technicians. “We found Mark to be easily accessible pretty much anytime we called him – even on the weekends. He followed up several times to make sure we were OK. Dealing with Mark was just great!
“Mark’s expertise was above and beyond. Dealing with Mark was way easier than other support companies that have you navigating through voice mail to leave a message and waiting for a callback. We found Mark to be extremely knowledgeable and very accessible.”
Ugh! IBM Software Improperly Registered Without Proof Of Entitlement Hinders Access To Permanent Software Keys – With The Risk Of More Money To IBM
During the migration from the 9405-520 to the new 8202-E4B, WARCO encountered an IBM error message that they could not get software keys for their IBM fax software. It seems that when they originally got the IBM fax software, which was purchased at the same time they got their Solarsoft ERP, it was not properly registered and entitled with IBM. Without proper proof of entitlement, IBM would insist on $1400 for a new, entitled version of the fax software. With coaching from Source Data, Mike was able to locate proof of purchase documentation to pass on to Source to present to IBM to properly register their fax software and get permanent software keys.
Last Minute Fax Software Download Keeps Go Live On Schedule
“Mark Breisacher also came to the rescue for the fax software. It was late Friday afternoon on July15, when we discovered the missing V7R1 version of the fax software. Mark was able to download and transmit to us a temporary copy of the IBM fax software so we could stay on schedule for our Monday July 18, 2011 go live and sort out the permanent keys with IBM later. He is the kind of guy that can find ways to get things done. Mark is very resourceful.”
“Snappy” Performance Amazes Users On Go Live Monday
Monday, July 18, 2001, when WARCO’s new 8202-E4B goes live, “Funny, everybody’s face lit up. They were happy with the extra speed. The word everyone used to describe the increased performance was ‘Snappy.’ They were able to access screens and run reports much faster.
“We had some minor issues with email and faxing. Mark guided us through getting both of those handled. He gave us all the tech support we needed until it was time to call IBM.”
Plenty Of Performance For Web Application
“When we stress-tested our e-commerce application, the CPU pretty much peaked a few times at 40% and was consistently around 20% or less. When had done this on the 9406-520, we had cases where pages would not even come up – they would just time out. With the 8202-E4B we did not have to wait more than 3 seconds for a page to open – which is more than satisfactory. So everyone was pleased with the web site.”
Management: the 8202-E4B Is Money Well-Spent
“Management says the 8202-E4B is money well spent. They know the money that was invested and they are pleased with the increase in productivity. For example, some customer service internal reports would take as much as 20 seconds to open now open in 1-2 seconds. Rather than telling a customer. ‘Please listen to this ‘elevator music’ while I look up your record,’ we can give them an answer on the spot. Even our backups that used to take about an hour now complete in 15 minutes.
“I would definitely recommend Source Data Products for IBM POWER i. Those guys REALLY know their stuff!”