1-2-1


LPARs. This is important both for our nightly batch runs and during production for the dialog-based applications.”


Norbert Koch says, “With IBM Power Systems we can do what formerly was only possible in the mainframe environment. AIX provides everything we need on one machine, and practical experience shows that the virtualization solutions are very good. For example, for overnight batch runs we can utilize the whole machine to meet processing demands, and then re-allocate resources automatically to the production applications the next morning.


“Additionally, scalability is a huge advantage, as we could not predict at the time of purchase how the workload would grow. By combining the processor and resource allocation offered by virtualization with the ability to add processors as required, Mannheimer is able to increase throughput without buying additional servers.”


Working with IBM


Mannheimer worked closely with IBM Global Technology Services on the migration processes themselves. This included the complex multiple steps for updating both the SAP applications and the introduction of the Unicode standard.


New versions of SAP applications require support for Unicode, and older operating systems, database data and applications must be upgraded in the correct sequence to ensure that the conversion is successful and that the revised data sets are suitably compact.


“IBM Global Technology Services provided us with the advice and experience necessary to plan and execute the SAP application upgrades and Unicode conversions rapidly and


Winter 2010


cost-effectively. By working with IBM Global Technology Services, we were able to draw on their global resources for the crucial periods, and complete the work on time, successfully,” says Norbert Koch.


Reducing costs with DB2 As a central services supplier to the Mannheimer group, IMD is particularly cost-conscious. On the database side, any ways to reduce infrastructure cost are welcome. For example, finding, training and retaining IT personnel is a costly business, and database administrators are no exception.


Norbert Koch comments, “To maintain the Oracle databases we needed to hire external contractors, whereas the DB2 tools remove this expense, and all database administration tasks can be managed internally.


“The volume of data generated by SAP transactions started strain our total storage capacity. Even though conversion to the Unicode standard often results in increased capacity, using IBM Deep Compression we reduced the volume of data by from 40 to over 60 percent.”


For example, SAP Financial Services Collections and Disbursements originally ran to 500GB, which on conversion to Unicode and migration to the latest SAP application release grew to 1TB. After applying DB2 Deep Compression (both indexes and data), the 1TB volume was reduced to 350GB, achieving a compression rate of 65 percent.


“We have been able to release several terabytes of disk space, and at current growth rates do not need to worry about running out of space for the next five to ten years,” says Norbert Koch. “This represents a considerable cost saving for the company.”


Improving storage performance As part of the project, Mannheimer re- structured its data storage. By mixing drive types within the DS4800 family storage units, the company implemented an information hierarchy that ensures data is placed on the drives as cost-effectively as possible while at the same time improving technical performance. Rainer Böhm explains, “We wanted to improve the response times from our business intelligence application, and one route would have been to license further processors.


“Instead, working with IBM, we reorganized the layout of the disks, and we now have smaller disk drives that offer faster data access, which has produced a remarkable improvement in response times without the expense of additional processor licenses.”


Two separate data centers each house an IBM Power 570 server and storage system. IBM Tivoli Storage Manager automatically replicates data from the production to the secondary server, including system state copies, ensuring that production can continue even if disaster strikes the primary site.


Rainer Böhm comments, “With the previous system, we needed three days to recover data and restart operations. Based on previous experience we used to dread this.


“The new solution has cut the period to just half a day, and with the IBM Power Systems and DB2 combination, recovery and it is no longer an issue. We use Tivoli Storage Manager to mirror data continuously between the two data centers, and the non-production Power 570 server acts as a hot stand-by system, offering very high availability of better than 99.98 percent.”


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