The fight for gold in this category was tough. Both Vision Solutions' ORION for AIX, Version 1.1 and DataMirror iCluster 2.1 are in step with IBM's clustering strategy for the iSeries, but it's ORION's functionality for AIX partitions that swayed the judges.

ORION for AIX supports AIX as a hosted partition on iSeries servers. It is built on a highly autonomic architecture and advanced clustering. It is designed to deliver application high availability between two or more servers connected to a common storage tower or storage sub-system, supporting both iASP and SCSI data storage. In the event of an application or server failure, ORION for AIX fails over the production server to a backup server maintaining uninterrupted application functionality and the highest degree of data integrity.

"It's a great new innovative function to replicate AIX-hosted partitions on the iSeries! This new function keeps pace with the iSeries strategy," one judge said. "Ease of use and integration are also a prime features of this product."

ORION for AIX is not intrusive to the AIX kernel, which simplifies installation, configuration, management and troubleshooting. No patches are required to support the product, and unlike similar products that contain significant legacy software code, no additional scripting and configuration work is necessary for the product to launch and run correctly.

The judges said ORION for AIX is simple to use and doesn't require a lot of training, and it minimizes or even eliminates the need for follow-up external devices specific to the high availability deployment. Prior to ORION for AIX, high availability systems would need to be tested and possibly reconfigured by high-level internal IT staff or an external services group after each update or maintenance window.

"Being that it is the only product on the market that supports the AIX environment on the iSeries, it offers major savings potentials to many SMB companies," one judge said.

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