They said it couldnt be done. But IBM Corp. keeps on keeping alive its enterprise computing workhorse, the steady AS/400 midrange computer. Not to be left out of the rush to the Internet, IBM last week unveiled the new AS/400e series designed to support electronic commerce, Web server software, and online transactions.
The new machines use eight- and twelve-way microprocessors in parallel, providing up to 4.6 times the processing power of earlier AS/400 versions. The family of servers comes with it own firewall, built in access controls, and increased storage and memory.
"IBM is bringing the value of AS/400 integration to the Internet," says Bill Zeitler, general manager of the AS/400 division. "It has thousands of new e-business applications, a new microprocessor, a new look, and a new name."
More than 275,000 AS/400 machines have been sold worldwide. Last year IBM sold about $5 billion worth of AS/400 computers.
