IBM i

IBM i or IBM System i is the computer hardware of the manufacturer IBM. The IBM iSeries with the original name Application System/400 (AS/400) is a Business Computing System. Various applications written in the programming language RPG run on this mainframe. The IBM System i devices are scalable and are used in different dimensions: In smaller versions for a handful of users or as mainframes for several thousand users. The essential feature of IBM i is that it has a proprietary operating system and a database (DB2). Supplemented by numerous commercial application programs, IBM System i has proven itself for the management of business-critical processes of a company, as a reliable powerful combination of hardware, server and operating system, for years.

The history of the IBM AS/400 to the iSeries

1988

IBM introduces the IBM Application System/400 (AS/400) in June. A new family of user-friendly computers designed for small and medium-sized businesses. The AS/400 family includes six processor models (measured by trades processed per hour), with 24 times the main memory growth, 48 times the memory capacity and 10 times the performance margin. It offers twice the performance of the System/38 and five times the performance of the System/36. (By the time the first AS/400 was shipped, more than 2,500 applications were available).

1989

IBM introduces the B70, a new high-end model of the AS/400 that offers a faster processor and main memory, as well as the ability to expand disk storage and connect more local workstations and communication lines. Improvements were also implemented to make it easier for customers to upgrade other AS/400 models (B10 and B20). The company also increased the storage capacity of entry-level models and introduced three higher-speed matrix printers for the AS/400 family.

1990

In August, the AS/400 product line will be expanded with two low-cost processors designed for small businesses and for departments of larger companies. The entire AS/400 family is complemented by hundreds of hardware and software products, including operating system enhancements, new data storage products, expanded memory, better system availability and numerous advanced applications.

1991

The AS/400 line is renewed from the ground up with eleven processors. A new AS/400 entry-level model and a new version of the AS/400 operating system are introduced.

1992

The AS/400 product line is renewed with an enhanced operating system and 13 powerful new E-model processors that increase system performance by up to 70 per cent and feature the industry's first use of 16-million-bit memory chips. The new four-way AS/400 model E95 gives customers 20 per cent more throughput than with the high-end three-way model E90 and twice the computing power of its predecessor. IBM is shipping 200,000 AS/400 computers, while 300,000 of its predecessor systems, the System/36 and System/38, remain in use.

1993

A new F model of AS/400 is introduced that is up to 60 per cent more powerful. Later that year, three new high-performance AS/400 Server Series models are introduced: the 9402 Server Series Model 100 and the 9404 Server Series Models 135 and 140.

1994

A new generation of AS/400 computers, the AS/400 Advanced Series, is introduced in May. These include the AS/400 Advanced System, the AS/400 Advanced Server and the AS/400 Advanced Portable. This makes the AS/400 Advanced 36 a replacement option for the IBM System/36 with a powerful new 64-bit RISC processor based on the PowerPC architecture.

1996

IBM introduces the AS/400 Advanced Series to support Lotus Notes and provide easy Internet access: AS/400 Advanced Entry for small business owners and a new AS/400 Advanced 36 business computer.

1997

A new family of AS/400e-series servers is designed to help SMBs and departments of large companies take advantage of business opportunities on the Internet.

1998

The AS/400e Server 170 and AS/400e Server 150 will be introduced in February, followed by the AS/400e Model S40 and 650 and AS/400e Model 170 in August. During 1998, IBM delivers an AS/400 to a customer every 12 minutes on a business day.

1999

The powerful new line of AS/400e servers, with faster processors, higher performance and greater flexibility, handles multiple application workloads on a single server. The versatile server line consolidates multiple server models into a smaller, more powerful family. A new entry-level server, the two-way Model 170, offers more than double the performance of the previous year's model.

2000

IBM introduces the IBM eServer, a new generation of servers featuring mainframe-level reliability and scalability broad support for open standards for new application development and on-demand capacity to handle the demands of e-business. The new servers feature IBM's high-end server technology, which is used throughout the product line. The eServer, with the new iSeries name, is a high-performance, integrated business server for mid-sized, mid-market companies.

2001

World Access, a global telecommunications services provider, acquires IBM's largest-ever eServer iSeries system to date, the eServer i840, to handle bills for more than 100 million phone calls per day. IBM announces the worldwide availability of iSeries Connect, an integrated software product that helps small and medium-sized clients connect their businesses to expanding global e-markets.

2008

Merger of the System i and System p families to form IBM i, now IBM POWER System i.