Computer Associates International Inc. today extended its Unicenter TNG Framework management suite to IBM Corp.'s OS/390 server and announced bundling deals with Hitachi Data Systems and Amdahl Corp.
The Unicenter TNG Framework for OS/390 will let users feature IBM's platform as their management hub, according to Sanjay Kumar, president and chief operating officer of Computer Associates.
The Unicenter TNG Framework for OS/390 will have the same essential functionality as TNG on other platforms, though the OS/390 architecture did require some differences, Kumar said. For example, memory management on the OS/390 is different, as are communications between the platform and the hardware, he said.
"Other than that, the functionality that we will provide will be substantially similar," Kumar said. "We have essentially delivered ... a complete framework solution set for the OS/390 platform."
Unicenter TNG Framework for OS/390, which will arrive for testing at certain customer sites early next year, will be offered free to existing customers, Kumar said.
One analyst said that a possible performance boost of Unicenter TNG Framework on OS/390, as well as its power, could be attractive to existing OS/390 users.
"You can do a lot more on one OS/390 box than you can off multiple other boxes," said Colin Mahony, an analyst at the Yankee Group Inc.
Computer Associates also said that Hitachi Data Systems and Amdahl plan to bundle Unicenter TNG Framework for OS/390 in their products, delivering out-of-the-box manageability to customers.
Computer Associates also announced today new agents which extend Unicenter TNG to OS/390 applications and subsystems and a Service Retainer Program for OS/390.
The agents help integrate OS/390 and its subsystems, including MQSeries and DB2, into a comprehensive management system, according to a statement from Computer Associates. For example, Unicenter TNG can automatically discover the OS/390 agents and integrate that information into its repository, the statement said.
On the service side, CA's new Service Retainer Program for OS/390 is available in two programs. The Gold Level Program includes enterprise systems assessment, scheduled onsite service visits, initial and annual assessment of and recommendations for program areas, and credits for use at CA learning centers or for on-site training, according to CA's statement. The Platinum Level Program includes everything in the Gold Level Program, plus scheduled Problem Warning and Analysis (CA-PROWL), onsite support CA-PROWL services, and 40 days of onsite CA improvement services, it said.