CALCULO boosts DB2 performance with Linux on System z

CALCULO S.A. is an IT services company based in Madrid, Spain. As a leading provider of solutions and outsourcing services to the insurance sector, CALCULO relies on continual investment in research and development to keep itself at the forefront of the industry.

CALCULO is a long-term user of IBM mainframe technology, hosting and maintaining a number of COBOL applications for its clients, all of which run under z/VM. CALCULO was also running DB2 for z/VM as the database for these applications, and found that data volumes were approaching the capacity limits of the operating system.

“We decided to plan a new environment before the situation became critical, so that we would have plenty of time to consider all the options and get everything right,” says Raul Barón, Systems Manager at CALCULO. “IBM has been our main provider for many years, so we turned to them for advice on a new solution.”


A choice of solutions
IBM gave CALCULO two options – moving to DB2 for z/OS or running DB2 under Linux on an Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) engine in a new IBM z890 mainframe, replacing two older Multiprise 3000 H30 servers.

“The Linux option was a more exciting prospect,” says Raul Barón. “There is a definite trend towards Linux in the IT industry, and we are keen to keep with the times. We also expected Linux to offer excellent price-performance. However, for our specific planned environment, we wanted IBM to prove the concept to us.”


Proving the concept
IBM offered to provide a proof-of-concept to show that the planned solution would deliver the performance and capacity required. CALCULO agreed, with the requirement that most of the proof-of-concept would take place on its own premises, so that the internal team could gain the skills to manage a new Linux environment.

Octavio Lopez-Lafuente, the IBM project lead, describes the process: “We built two virtual z/VM machines on the existing CALCULO hardware – one hosting the z/VM application and the other running DB2 for Linux. We showed that the system was viable, and started the staff training, ensuring that the internal team would be able to manage the solution.”

Luis Reina Juliá of IBM adds, “We then moved to performance testing at the IBM Laboratory in Montpellier, France, using the final target hardware: a z890 with an IFL. To accelerate the project, we restored an image of the CALCULO environment on the new z890 and ran a number of performance tests remotely from IBM Spain headquarters. Even without precise tuning, the system far outperformed the customer’s requirements.”

Luis Mengotti, CIO of CALCULO, comments: “It simply would not have been possible to carry out this project without the invaluable assistance provided by IBM, in particular during the viability and performance testing of the new platform in Montpellier."


Boosting performance
Performance tests at the Montpellier laboratory showed a 90 per cent improvement in database loading times, with an 80 per cent speed increase in restoring from backups. The speed of batch extraction, indexing and calculation also increased by 75 per cent. The overall average reduction in response times for both online and batch processing was also 75 per cent.

“It used to take between eight and ten hours to reorganise the huge tables in our DB2 database – during which time, the system was effectively offline and nobody could do any work,” says Raul Barón. “With the z890, it only takes about one hour, which is by comparison a negligible interruption.

“Similarly, although backups only took a couple of hours, restoring the data took ten hours, which was a drain on productivity. The new system should be able to cut this to just over two hours.”

When the solution goes into full production at CALCULO, these performance improvements should significantly reduce offline time, increasing productivity. The new solution will also remove the constraints on database size, which were threatening to constrain business growth.


A potent combination
“We have been impressed by the ease with which z/VM and Linux work together,” says Raul Barón. “With the DB2 for Linux federation capabilities, data can be loaded into DB2 tables directly from DB2 for z/VM, with no intermediate staging of data. The compatibility and general ease of use of the new platform are attractive features.”

The synergy between the two versions of DB2 enables CALCULO to switch the data server for COBOL applications from DB2 for z/VM to DB2 for Linux in a way that is entirely transparent to the applications – so that there is no disruption to business processes.

Luis Mengotti says, “CALCULO is now developing an new version of its Integral Management System for Insurance Companies, using the most advanced technologies (J2EE and Struts) and open standards to run it on Unix, Linux and Windows servers. We are considering using the current System z and Linux architecture to run the new software for our outsourced customers, and will carry out viability and performance testing on the System z platform over the coming months.”

He adds: “Working with IBM, CALCULO is confident that it can achieve what would be a landmark in the insurance sector - the delivery of the first integral management system for insurance running under Linux on System z, which would be of interest for all insurance companies which currently rely on the mainframe platform."

Raul Barón concludes: “We have seen how the combination of Linux, DB2 under Linux, and z/VM on IBM System z can deliver the performance and capacity we need to provide the services our clients demand. IBM has provided a solution which keeps the future of this company in mind – leveraging the benefits of emerging open-source technology while protecting our core business applications. We are very much looking forward to the full implementation.”