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DATA CENTER CONSOLIDATIONS
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CHANNEL EXTENSION APPLICATIONS
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Organizations that operate multiple data centers do so
for a variety
of reasons, but a deliberate effort to decentralize is rarely the
cause.
More often, it is the result of a need to provide premium service
levels
for a business unit or location that mandated high speed data
storage/retrieval,
rapid response time for on-line customers or high volume printing.
Multiple
data centers are also the by-product of a business consolidation
through
merger or acquisition. One of the driving forces behind these business
combinations is the opportunity to down size support structures and
reduce
cost. This cost reduction must be achieved without negatively impacting
productivity.
The high capacity mainframes now available provide
sufficient processing
power to support consolidated computing requirements. The challenge
remains
to provide adequate communications to support the users without
degrading
performance. Channel extension is the logical solution to this problem,
bringing the power of the mainframe to remote users (see diagram which
follows):
The evolution from stand-alone processing center to channel extended
location
can be conducted in stages to allow for near transparent conversion.
Initially,
two centers can be connected by PIXNET-XL nodes emulating an IBM 3088
(CTCA).
This configuration will permit file transfer and terminal traffic
between
two or more data centers to assist software and file conversion (see
diagram
which follows):
Next, peripherals can be attached to the PIXNET-XL node and shared
between
the local and remote CPUs for testing (see diagram which follows):
In the last step, one host CPU can be disconnected and the conversion
is
complete (see diagram which follows):
The inherent flexibility of design in the PIXNET-XL product line
coupled
with the product family's very high speed communications capacities
form
a powerful channel extension system. This system can be the cornerstone
of a plan for data center consolidation.
The rewards are obvious - lowered cost for equipment,
facilities, maintenance,
software and software support. Additionally, fewer facilities simplify
and improve security, staffing, planning and control.
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