IBM changes spots with Informix 'Cheetah' database

IDS 11 gives new lease of life to veteran product

IBM will next month reward loyalists to the veteran Informix database by releasing the first major upgrade of the product for over two years.

Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 11, codenamed Cheetah, is touted as bringing high-availability and disaster recovery capabilities through clustering routines adopted from mainframe technology. IDS 11 also leans on DB2 technology with Advanced Access Control, which lets DBAs lock down cells, columns and rows for flexible security hierarchies. Monitoring has also been polished with a SQL-based Admin API for admin tasks, and a query scheduler for automated reporting. XML and web services support is also extended.

Informix has always had a strong reputation in transaction-heavy datacentres and as a system that needed relatively little administrative attention and could run in a variety of footprints. However, after buying Informix in 2001, IBM seemed to be neglecting the acquired product line in favour of its own DB2.

Now IBM insists it is committed to IDS and will continue research and development on the back of customer demand and double-digit growth for the product.

“After the acquisition, we had looked at figuring out how to migrate customers onto DB2 but we found we had a very loyal customer base and they really liked the product,” said Bruce Weed, IBM programme director for data server channels.

“One size does not necessarily fit all and all these databases have a place in the market to solve customer problems. They’re both strategic databases and there are situations where they work together such as [US DIY retail chain] Home Depot where IDS is used for OLTP and DB2 is used at the back-end.”

Weed said DB2 and IDS will continue to share functionality with a unified user interface planned for the next IDS release.

“You can share technologies in the same way as the DaimlerChrysler 300C uses the rear end of the Mercedes E-Class,” he said.

IBM said customers already on board for IDS 11 include Visa for US credit authorisation, the US 911 emergency-call network, and online gaming provider WorldWinner, which will use it as the back end for multi-player games, tracking players, authentication and billing. In Germany, Informix is the back end for the German Bundesliga football league and is being used for a project where RFID chips will be embedded in the ball, for example to help referees judge goal-line decisions.