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pSeries Overview


Porting
Porting to a pSeries server with the AIX operating system is similar to porting
to other UNIX-based platforms. Although all UNIX operating systems, including
AIX, share many similarities, there are differences between each type of
UNIX which may require platform-specific changes. Some applications may
operate across several UNIX platforms, but generally some porting effort
is required.
pSeries servers now run the Linux operating system native on a select set of servers as the p5 550 and p5 570. For those applications currently running on Linux on Red Hat Linux or SuSE Linux, it is now possible to run your application without modifications and after a simple re-compile on these pSeries servers.
We have gathered resources here to aid you in your pSeries porting
effort. This includes information on porting from other UNIX platforms
such as HP-UX or Sun Solaris to the AIX operating system, as well as Linux.
We also include reference materials such as white papers and books that
provide in-depth information on topics relevant to the porting process.
pSeries porting information
Infrastructure
Porting the application code itself to the pSeries platform is one part
of a successful solution on the pSeries server. There are also certain
tasks that need to be performed on a recurring basis as new versions of
your application are released. These tasks include QA and testing, as well
as benchmarking. Integration of the pSeries ported code into the regular
build process for the current release of the application as well as future
releases should also be determined. Additionally, long-term support of
the pSeries platform should be determined up-front which includes investment
in training and education for your staff, as well as procuring hardware
and software resources for long-term support. You should consider this
as an investment in the infrastructure -- in the systems and skills necessary to effectively support the pSeries
platform.
pSeries infrastructure information
Tailoring
Along with the information provided regarding porting and infrastructure,
you will also want to consider the following which we call tailoring. Customers usually like to have a familiar look and feel. This may mean having the same application interfaces across all of the
platforms that it runs on, or it can mean tailoring part of the look and
feel to make it similar to other applications on pSeries servers. This is what
we call tailoring to pSeries servers.
The items that you may want to consider tailoring are those listed around
the outside circle of the diagram above. It is likely that you will only
tailor a few of the topics in the outer circle of the diagram, but not
all. Still, you should consider the entire list and see if your application
could benefit from tailoring these items to the pSeries platform.
A high level description of each of these items around the outside of the
graphic can be found on the tailoring to pSeries page. There is also detailed information on how to tailor to each of
these elements.
pSeries tailoring information
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