Section 1.2. DB2 software and the IBM E-Business On-Demand Model

1.2. DB2 software and the IBM E-Business On-Demand Model

IBM's on-demand business model is based on the definition of an on-demand business. An on-demand business, as indicated on the IBM on-demand Web site, is "an enterprise whose business processesintegrated end to-end across the company and with key partners, suppliers and customerscan respond with speed to any customer demand, market opportunity, or external threat." To support the on-demand model, IBM uses the e-business framework shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2. The IBM e-business framework

In Figure 1.2 the dotted line divides the logical concepts at the top with the physical implementation at the bottom. Conceptually, the IBM e-business framework is based on the on-demand business model operating environment, which has four essential characteristics: it is integrated, open, virtualized, and autonomic. These characteristics are explained later in this section.

Below the dotted line shows how this environment is implemented by the suite of IBM software products.

• Rational is the "build" brand; it is used to develop software.

• DB2 and WebSphere are the "run" brands; they store and manipulate your data and manage your applications.

• Tivoli is the "manage" brand; it integrates, provides security, and manages your overall systems.

• Lotus is the "collaborate" brand used for integration, messaging, and collaboration across all the other brands.

The IBM DB2 software brand plays a critical role in the on-demand operating environment. All elements of the DB2 portfolio are developed with the four essential characteristics of the on-demand business model in mind.

• Integrated: DB2 software has built-in support for both Microsoft and Java development environments. It is also integrated into WebSphere, Tivoli, Lotus, and Rational products. In addition, the DB2 family has cross-platform capabilities and can be integrated natively with Web services and message-queuing technologies. It also provides support for heterogeneous data sources for both structured and unstructured information.

• Open: DB2 software allows for different technologies to connect and integrate by following standards. Thus, it provides strong support for the Linux operating system and for Java, XML, Web services, grid computing, and other major industry applications.

• Virtualized: Grid computing technology, a type of distributed computing, collects and shares resources in a large network to simulate one large, virtual computer. DB2 software products support grid computing technology through federation and integration technologies. Both of these are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

• Autonomic: An autonomic computing system manages, repairs, and protects itself. As systems become more complex, autonomic computing systems will likely become essential. DB2 software provides self-tuning capabilities, dynamic adjustment and tuning, simple and silent installation processes, and integration with Tivoli for system security and management.

The bottom of Figure 1.2 shows the operating systems in which the IBM software suite can operate: Linux, UNIX, Windows, OS/400^[2], and z/OS; and below that, the servers, storage, and network represent the actual hardware used to support the framework.

^[2] The next generation of OS/400 is called IBM i5/OS.