zAAP is the zSeries Application Assist Processor, a mainframe processor introduced by IBM in 2004. zAAP engines are dedicated to running Java workloads under z/OS, accelerating performance. zAAPs are available for zSeries 990 and 890 servers and all System z9 servers. Since December, 2001, IBM designates all its mainframes with the name eServer zSeries, with the e depicted in IBMs well-known red trademarked symbol. ... An IBM mainframe is a large, high-performance computer made by International Business Machines (IBM). ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) NYSE: IBM (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, NY, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Java platform is the name for a computing environment, or platform, from Sun Microsystems which can run applications developed using the Java programming language and set of development tools. ... z/OS Welcome Screen seen through a terminal emulator The title of this article begins with a capital letter due to technical limitations. ... Since December, 2001, IBM designates all its mainframes with the name eServer zSeries, with the e depicted in IBMs well-known red trademarked symbol. ...

Currently a zAAP engine contains the same underlying hardware as any other mainframe engine. However, IBM uses microcode to limit code execution to Java workloads only. IBM does not change the "software model" or MSU rating on its mainframes with the installation of zAAPs. Consequently IBM's customers do not incur software license charges for their zAAPs, reducing their costs of running Java-based applications. The number of zAAPs cannot exceed the number of CPs (unrestricted, general purpose engines) within a zSeries/z9 server. A microprogram is a program consisting of microcode that controls the different parts of a computers central processing unit (CPU). ... MSU can stand for several things: Moscow State University In the US: Michigan State University Minnesota State University Mississippi State University Montana State University Morehead State University Morgan State University Midwestern State University Murray State University In the Philippines: Mindanao State University In Senegal: Movement for Socialism and Unity In...

IBM made the zAAP hardware (i.e. microcode) generally available on June 30, 2004, although the required z/OS release was not generally available until September 24, 2004. zAAPs work with z/OS V1R6 and higher, and Java 1.4.1 and higher. IBM modified the z/OS dispatcher and Workload Manager (WLM) to switch pure Java workload over to the dedicated engines. These modifications are completely transparent to Java applications. However, because Java must at least occasionally call native system services (I/O services, for example), some conventional system capacity (CP) must be available to initiate and sustain a zAAP engine. Major software subsystems that could benefit from zAAP (i.e. that can run Java workloads) include WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Message Broker, DB2, CICS, CICS Transaction Gateway, IMS, and z/OS UNIX System Services, among others. WebSphere refers to a brand of IBM software products, although the term also popularly refers to one specific product: WebSphere Application Server (WAS). ... DB2® is IBMs family of information management software products. ... CICS® (Customer Information Control System) is a transaction server that runs primarily on IBM mainframe systems under z/OS or z/VSE. CICS is available for other operating systems, notably i5/OS, OS/2, and as the closely related IBM TXSeries software on AIX, Windows, and Linux, among others. ... Information Management System (IMS) is a joint hierarchical database and information management system. ... It has been suggested that List of Unixes be merged into this article or section. ...

The first commercial production workload for zAAP began on September 1, 2004, at an undisclosed Midwestern U.S. insurance company performing claims processing. The company used Java 1.4.2, WebSphere Application Server Version 5.1, and a near-final z/OS V1R6 build on a zSeries 990 (2084-304/A08 with two zAAPs). This deployment is probably a mainframe record for speed of both development and adoption, since IBM only began its zAAP design project in 2003. WebSphere refers to a brand of IBM software products, although the term also popularly refers to one specific product: WebSphere Application Server (WAS). ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

zAAP is not the first processor technology dedicated to a specific programming language or even to Java. Other examples of Java processors include aJile Systems' aJ-100 and Sun's picoJava. However, zAAP is apparently unique to large-scale commercial Java processing. A programming language or computer language is a standardized communication technique for expressing instructions to a computer. ...

External links

• IBM zAAP

See also

• Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL)