Aix Unix....?

[Oyle]

Howdy!

I just had an interview for a job yesterday at a local company. Their main issue is that they want to migrate from their current AIX Unix system, which they admit is old, to a more modern system. Being an MCSE, I naturally recomeneded Windows 2000/2003.

I asked them about the size of the company. They have their corporate office here in town; they have sales agents over the rest of the country, that just VPN into the corporate office here in town.

So I have like, no experience with AIX. I know about some of the other distros of Linux:Red Hat 8, Knoppixx, DSL, Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Mandrake.

Does anyone know of any sites where I can read up on AIX and it's structure, and what would be involved in migrating from AIX over to Windows? Exactly how old is AIX? The company will turn 40 years old this year. Time for a change, I think.

Thanks a lot!

[jcl]

I just had an interview for a job yesterday at a local company. Their main issue is that they want to migrate from their current AIX Unix system, which they admit is old, to a more modern system. Being an MCSE, I naturally recomeneded Windows 2000/2003.

That doesn't really make sense to me. Windows isn't the last system I would considered moving to from AIX, but it's toward the end of the list. First choice would be some kind of 'nix. Probably Linux, maybe Solaris.

Does anyone know of any sites where I can read up on AIX and it's structure, and what would be involved in migrating from AIX over to Windows?

The

IBM AIX site. The Library seems to have all of the documentation for the current releases.

Exactly how old is AIX? The company will turn 40 years old this year. Time for a change, I think.

The AIX V1 was released in '86. The latest version, V5.3, was released in 2004. V5.4 was supposed to be a released late last year but it seems to be running late.

Edited February 3, 2007 by jcl

[iccaros]

Howdy!

I just had an interview for a job yesterday at a local company. Their main issue is that they want to migrate from their current AIX Unix system, which they admit is old, to a more modern system. Being an MCSE, I naturally recomeneded Windows 2000/2003.

I asked them about the size of the company. They have their corporate office here in town; they have sales agents over the rest of the country, that just VPN into the corporate office here in town.

So I have like, no experience with AIX. I know about some of the other distros of Linux:Red Hat 8, Knoppixx, DSL, Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Mandrake.

Does anyone know of any sites where I can read up on AIX and it's structure, and what would be involved in migrating from AIX over to Windows? Exactly how old is AIX? The company will turn 40 years old this year. Time for a change, I think.

Thanks a lot!

Why would you recommend Windows for servers running AIX?

Why replace AIx besides someone said it was old? which while having a Long history, the version they are running could be newer than windows 2003 server.

The real question is, what is the business need to change the entire system?

if I was asked this question the main goal would be to find what capability do they think they would get from upgrading. Most of the software that runs on Linux runs on AIX, or Solaris for that matter.

if it for Cheeper servers Solaris 10 runs great on "intel" boxes.

if they would like to take advantage of Outlooks collaboratives abilities, but not be locked in to one vendor (once you go exchange it hard to move off it, even when you want to move) http://www.scalix.com/, is the email system used by Comcast, AT&T, Verzon and SBC. it integrates with everything outlook does and lets you pick other clients besides outlook. http://www.zimbra.com/ looks interesting.

with mono you can do 80% of any .NET implementation (SuSE 10.1 and above has more C# code in it than Vista), and SAMBA DFS is much better than Windows DFS which is nothing but a pointer to other shares.

so again I would ask why the change?

as for what it would take to change over form AIX to Windows. Simple

All new servers (probably two for every one they have now), buy all new licenses and seat license for all the stuff they use. move from NFS to CIFS file shares. Since Windows Services for UNIX is the most usless thing I have ever used I would use SAMBA to share the NFS shares until you can move them to windows servers.

Since Microsoft does not follow the LDAP standard correctly in AD you will need to script a transfer from the AIX LDAP controllers (assuming they are not using Novel directory services) to the AD servers and repair the differences between the two.

my last part of advice, I went from being an MCSE making 50 - 70 thousand a year to a Linux/Solaris - Trusted Soalris Admin/Engineer and making (started at 80,000 to now around $130,000)

good luck..

[shanenin]

my last part of advice, I went from being an MCSE making 50 - 70 thousand a year to a Linux/Solaris - Trusted Soalris Admin/Engineer and making (started at 80,000 to now around $130,000)

Was your recent degree helpful in getting that job?

[iccaros]

no I have the same job, but my title has now changed to match the work I was doing, before my title was Administrator now its Engineer.

but hte Degree will help me when moving to a new company as they do no know what skills I have as the people I work for now do, and its hard ot represent. My Pay has been based on Unix work adn the Lack of UNIX admin and System Designers.

When I started Putting Linux/UNIX and Trusted (SELinux/Solaris) in my Resume, It goes into a company wide Database. As other parts of my company need UNIX people they would search the Database first to get already hired people the work first. It came to the Point I was attracting more work than 5 other MCSE's were getting, The great thing about SAIC when we were a Employee Owned company is that if you brought in the business they would compensate the added benefit, and as I got to the Point to where the devision I was working for could not handel the amount of work, they moved me to a Larger Division.

in the end you find that UNIX skill are in high demand in a Enterprise environment. While Windows seams the norm in Small companies, in Large Compaines its a MIX, With more Database and website and Mail being UNIX and account control and Desktops being windows.

I'll be glad to put in anyone resume, but keep in mind you must be wiling to submit for a Government Security Clearance for most of our work.