ORION Advanced Enterprise
ORION Advanced Enterprise is a managed availability solution designed to manage the most demanding of OS/400 information availability needs of large, enterprise class companies including everything from disaster recovery through advanced clustering and leverages the most leading edge methods and technologies including IASP, switchable IASP and mixed clusters.
ORION Advanced Enterprise companies typically have a very complex environment, where critical information is being managed within integrated environments or large scale applications such as ERP, CRM or other critical LOB applications. It is typical for the business to use multiple iSeries servers and/or LPARs where the applications are often inter-dependent to one another or even tightly integrated serving remote and local users, including employees, partners, contractors and vendors.

The enterprise has a critical requirement for data currency and information availability and typically cannot tolerate any significant downtime or lost production cycles. They are very aware of the value of the availability of their information and invest resources to manage this corporate asset to insure maximum competitive advantage. It is typical for these sites to have experienced IT staffs and managers with team members specializing in unique technical skills for their dayto- day business. These customers also recognize the value of methodology and have built, or will build, standardized processes and procedures to help manage the availability of their information and eliminate any threats of downtime to keep business running smoothly.

ORION Advanced Enterprise Key Features, Benefits and Competitve Differentiators include
Single Consolidated Interface/Single Point of Operation - Simplify the solution through a single intuitive interface and single point of operation for configuration and management for all platforms reducing costs of training and system management
Highly Scalable Solutions - Implement the solution required and migrate through solutions eliminating expensive upgrades and training costs with associated downtime. Improves performance, availability and manageability, lowers training and administrative costs
Enterprise Class Functionality - All modular components developed to the highest enterprise standards providing robust data integrity; high transaction performance; enhanced ease of use and best of breed functionality at all solution levels across multiple platforms, applications and databases
Data Integrity - Validates a production database against the target copy through intelligent processes built into ORION that samples each string of replicated data and compares byte for byte ensuring the rock-solid accuracy and integrity of the replicated objects, all while the system users are active. Improves availability, performance and manageability
Multiple Topology Support - ORION is the first and only solution to support data integration through clustering for IBM OS/400, Windows 2000, Red Hat Linux and SuSE Linux in both stand-alone and integrated environments. Enabling reduced cost through a common infrastructure and single point of operation
Remote and Local Journaling - Eliminates confusion over journaling methods and optimizes the environment and solution through options. Improve availability, performance and manageability
Dynamic Logical Replicationand Workload Balancing - Replicated data is “active” on the target server allowing workload balancing of resource intensive jobs such as data warehouse, user queries or backup jobs saving users time and resource processing power, improving productivity and availability by better leveraging assets for increased ROI
Advanced Clustering Support - ORION supports sophisticated cluster configurations for OS/400, Windows and Linux including mixed clusters and multi-node clusters for flexible and high performance application switchover/failovers during both planned/unplanned downtime events

ORION Engine
At the heart of the ORION solution is the ORION Engine, a unique Java/XML application which resides on each server within an ORION solution, providing the common infrastructure and interface for the environment. The Engine functions as a distributed application and is responsible for controlling the clustering functionality, replication, information processing and overall management of an ORION solution across servers and databases from a single point of operation.
Embedded in the ORION Engine is the ORION Navigator, the intuitive interface that provides a consolidated view for the entire ORION environment. The Navigator communicates directly with the ORION Engine via XML and provides the management console responsible for monitoring and administrating the replication environment, configuring and managing views of the replicated objects, data links, and system alerts as well as management of operations including system switching.
This single interface enables companies to better leverage IT resources by enabling companies to consolidate training, skill sets and management of availability across OS/400, Windows, and Linux environments. Through the common interface, administrators can manage more with less, allowing them to re-allocate resources, save valuable time and reduce their overall total cost of operations.

ORION Server Replicator
The ORION Server Replicator for OS/400 component is responsible for data replication. It supports the following features:
• Data Object Replication – Replication of all data objects ` such as files, IFS, data areas, and data queues as well as MQSeries, so all data objects are available with the highest integrity on one active, available system in the event of planned or unplanned downtime.
• Active Replicated Copy – Replicated copy of information is active, so resource intensive jobs such as data queries or report generation can be off-loaded to secondary servers, saving users time, resources and processing power.
• Non-Data Object Replication – Replication of all system objects such as configuration files and user profiles, so these system objects are available with the highest integrity on the appropriate system. In the event of planned or unplanned downtime, the target machine is ready for users to switch to and continue work.
• Data Change Replication – Replication is based on database changes and supports triggers, constraints and referential integrity. In addition, only altered data changes are transferred and applied to the target machine through sophisticated subsetting and filtering mechanisms enabling the efficient use of processor power and network band width, improving system performance and overall data replication throughput.
• Remote or Local Journaling – Administrators have the flexibility to choose either remote journaling, where the data transportation between servers is natively managed by the operating system, and the latest data changes are transferred to the replicated server before they are applied to the source server, or local journaling, where all journaling, journal management and transport is efficiently managed by ORION.
• Unlimited Link and Sender Job support – Supports
unlimited data replication links and non-data sender jobs. Administrators have the flexibility to configure as many links and sender jobs to one or more of their replicated servers improving performance and availability.
• Clustering support – Information is protected from planned or unplanned system downtime, so business operations can be continuous during these typically non-productive situations.

ORION Active Data for OS/400
ORION Active Data for OS/400 is a set of sophisticated availability tools to help eliminate downtime by enabling users to continuously access information during database intensive maintenance, including reorganization, syncheck and file repair. This component supports the following features:
• CRC Syncheck – A unique and highly sophisticated software solution that uses advanced algorithms to validate a production database against its target copy while it is active. During this process, a sampling of each string of replicated data is tested and compared ensuring byte for byte accuracy and integrity of the replicated objects, all while the system users are active!
• File Repair While Active – Repairs out-of-sync files by transferring only the necessary fixed segments of the object, versus transmitting the entire object for quick and efficient file repairs.
• Re-Org While Active – Purge old records and recapture lost space on the fly. This database tool allows for the reorganization of the production database while it is active and being replicated. Keep your database clean and organized while never taking the system down.

ORION Advanced Enterprise for OS/400
ORION Advanced Enterprise for OS/400 is state of the art technology for insuring the highest levels of availability through advanced technology. Leveraging the newest OS/400 features through integrated ORION clustering, customers can use and benefit from ground-breaking advances in OS/400 functionality including IASP, switchable IASPs and even mixed clusters including support for:
• Multiple IASP Support – For multiple instances of DB2/400 with duplicate library names on a single OS/400 system.
• Mixed Clustering – Combines the benefits of switched disk with replication in a single environment, eliminating the single point of failure at the disk level.
• Advanced Clustering – Support for synchronized multinode clusters and large complex environments.
• Multiple Replication Topologies – Including peer to peer, broadcast, cascade and daisy chain, in unique instances or in combination.

“ORION is the first and only solution that supports all the iSeries operating system environments including OS/400, Windows, Linux and Switched Disk.”

Adapt to Change and Never Change the Interface!
Businesses change and so do the requirements driving applications and data management. New competitors, business pressures or operating departments require changing levels of information availability to maintain competitive advantage.

The requirement for the business is flexibility…flexibility to adapt to the change without suffering the impact of change…scaling to meet the needs of the business without adding resources, infrastructure, new skills, different interfaces or significant costs.

The answer is ORION, a component based solution that enables companies to modify functionality and service levels by “plugging in” additional components or modules to a common engine enabling ORION to seamlessly scale to meet new requirements while maintaining a common infrastructure and interface.
With ORION in place, administrators easily manage availability of any operating system, database or application with simple point and click commands and procedures, reducing resource and personnel requirements while minimizing training, administration, operating and maintenance. The result, improved availability and competitive advantage with a lower cost of ownership.

Ensuring the predictable availability of information across any business environment requires experience, professional skills and proven methods.
Integrated with the technology components of ORION Advanced Enterprise is the proven Visualize methodology and specific Visualize Professional Services designed to ensure the proper configuration, performance, and integration of a company’s information that is being consistently managed. Utilizing the Visualize methodology, Vision's Professional Services or a Vision VIP Partner will work side-by-side with a company to create a plan according to the requirements of the business and then implement, tune and document theORION solution, including such tasks as environment preparation, database sync points, and properly functioning role swaps to ensure a well tuned availability environment. End user education courses are provided as an integral part of any ORION solution; training users on all aspects of managing their ORION solution. Training is offered onsite or at certified training centers worldwide.

The solution is completed with the world-class CustomerCare provided by highly skilled Vision professionals who are available around the clock and around the globe.