IBM Offers Paid Support for No-Cost Data Server

May 8, 2007

IBM will now offer users of its DB2 Enterprise-C data server a paid annual support subscription.

The move, announced last week by IBM, made the company the first of the three largest database players to offer an annual support option for the no-cost version of its respective database. The option includes technical support around the clock, seven days a week, as well as regular maintenance and upgrade protection, high-availability clustering free of charge, and off-site disaster recovery. Customers also have the ability to replicate data with remote data servers at no additional cost, IBM officials said.

"Our customers and our business partners asked for the new support option," Steven Miller, manager of IBM data servers, said in an interview with eWEEK. "When we polled our customers and partners we found that most preferred the subscription model over a one-time charge model. The new support option gives our customers and business partners the flexibility to choose the model that works best for them."

The ability to replicate data with other DB2 servers means clients that outgrow DB2 Express can migrate more easily to other editions of DB2, said officials of IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y.

Database rivals Microsoft and Oracle also offer free versions of their database products. Traditionally, the free database offerings from the three vendors have been seen by many as an answer to open-source database providers such as My SQL, headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden.

However, officials at MySQL, which already offered a free database with optional support, said they are not concerned by IBM's latest move.

"First off, we don't believe that MySQL competes against DB2 Express-C at all," said Zack Urlocker, MySQL's executive vice president of products. "Our user bases have completely different database needs and applications. Most of the time, we see MySQL co-existing with the big three databases in the IT data center. If IBM's DB2 Express-C users need support for their applications, we think it's great that IBM is offering it to them."

The support option is available at a price of $2,995, according to IBM.

Copyright 2007 by Ziff Davis Media, Distributed by United Press International


Rank not rated yet
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Need help reading 3-D
    created7 hours ago
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    created13 hours ago
  • Tabletop Cold Fusion Reactor
    created14 hours ago
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created 15 hours ago | popularity 3.9 / 5 (10) | comments 32 | with audio podcast weblog

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Technology / Telecom

created 16 hours ago | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Technology / Internet

created 12 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.

Technology / Business

created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Navy to begin tests on electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher

The Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility ...

Technology / Engineering

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (15) | comments 91 | with audio podcast


Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Explained: Sigma

It's a question that arises with virtually every major new finding in science or medicine: What makes a result reliable enough to be taken seriously? The answer has to do with statistical significance -- but ...

Political leaders play key role in how worried Americans are by climate change: study

More than extreme weather events and the work of scientists, it is national political leaders who influence how much Americans worry about the threat of climate change, new research finds.

New power source discovered

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation.

NASA budget will axe Mars deal with Europe: scientists

US President Barack Obama's budget proposal to be submitted next week for 2013 will cut NASA's budget by 20 percent and eliminate a major partnership with Europe on Mars exploration, scientists said Thursday.