Is It Possible to Make AS/400 (Also Known as IBM i) Work on a X86 System or a Standard Cloud Server?

Introduction

Running an AS/400 (IBM i) system on X86 hardware or a standard cloud server poses unique challenges due to the proprietary nature of the operating system and its hardware dependencies. However, exploring alternative solutions can help you achieve your goals. This article discusses the potential avenues available and provides insights into the current landscape.

Challenges and Limitations

The AS/400 (IBM i) system is fundamentally designed to operate on IBM Power Systems hardware. Its native operating system and architecture are deeply integrated, making a direct transition to X86 or standard cloud servers practically infeasible.

Proprietary Nature and Hardware Dependence

One of the main reasons why running AS/400 (IBM i) on X86 or standard cloud servers is not possible is the proprietary nature of the operating system and its hardware requirements. The IBM i system is highly optimized for IBM's Power Systems, and attempting to run it on alternative architectures would require significant reengineering and compatibility adjustments, which are often not cost-effective or feasible for production environments.

Complexity and Performance Overhead

Even with emulators, which can theoretically run IBM i on x86 hardware, the complexity and performance overhead would likely be prohibitive. Emulation would introduce a significant amount of processing overhead and could compromise the performance and stability of the system. Hence, while technically possible, practical emulation for production environments is not a viable solution.

Potential Alternatives

IBM i on Power Systems

IBM i is designed and optimized to run on IBM Power Systems hardware. For cloud environments, IBM Cloud offers services that provide IBM Power Systems as a service. This option allows you to leverage cloud infrastructure while maintaining the IBM i operating system.

IBM i in the Cloud

Several cloud service providers offer IBM i environments on IBM Power Systems, including IBM Cloud and other specialized partners. These services provide a managed IBM i environment that can be hosted in a cloud infrastructure, offering flexibility and scalability.

Virtualization

IBM's virtualization solutions, such as IBM PowerVM, allow multiple instances of IBM i to run on a single physical Power System. This approach can help maximize resource utilization in a cloud environment, making efficient use of hardware resources.

Hardware and Operating System Overview

AS/400 as Hardware, Not an OS

Contrary to what some may think, the AS/400 is a hardware platform rather than an operating system. It is part of IBM's Power Systems family, which includes servers, storage, and networking technologies. The AS/400 operating system, officially known as System i, is deeply integrated with the hardware and therefore runs only on IBM's Power Systems.

System i Characteristics

The System i operating system is far more sophisticated than Unix in many respects. It offers a highly integrated environment with features such as:

An integrated relational database similar to DB2 with SQL and hardware-based security. Advanced batch and interactive work management. Extremely high resistance to malware and other security threats.

These features are tightly coupled with the hardware design, making it difficult to replicate on other architectures.

Power Systems

IBM Power Systems is a combination of IBM POWER CPUs and specialized fast hardware. It supports logical partitioning capabilities (LPAR), similar to mainframes, allowing the hardware to run multiple operating systems concurrently, including System i, AIX, and Linux.

PowerCHIP X86 Emulator

A more unlikely but theoretically possible scenario is an X86 emulator running on POWER chips. This would allow the System i operating system to run on X86 hardware, but it would be highly experimental and would not be commercially viable due to the significant challenges involved.

Conclusion

If you need to run the IBM i system, the most straightforward approach is to use IBM Power Systems either on-premises or through a cloud provider that offers these systems. This approach ensures the highest performance and stability, leveraging the hardware and software tightly integrated by IBM.