Five Steps to Migrate Unisys Mainframes to AWS
By Craig Marble, Senior Director of Legacy Modernization, Astadia

Key Takeaways

- Cloud providers like AWS have proven to be a viable option for running mainframe application workloads

- The most effective method to exploit the value of Unisys mainframe applications and data is a transformative migration to modern systems frameworks in AWS, reusing as much of the original application source as possible.

- Execute a discover, design, modern, test, and implement cycle to move mainframe applications.

- Some mainframe migration tools can keep existing code in place, but expect to replace components and rethink data storage.

The Mainframe Conundrum
If you have a Unisys mainframe, you may be thinking that cloud computing isn't an option. You'd like to take advantage of all that cloud computing offers but don't think it's possible because it can't handle your transaction workloads, or the architectures are just too disparate to merge, or even that it's just plain too hard to do. I used to think the same thing. And until fairly recently, it was true. But cloud computing has quickly matured, as have the offerings of service providers like AWS, and it's now proving itself to be a viable option for running mainframe application workloads. With help from both AWS and mainframe experts, I've assembled a reference architecture for moving Unisys workload to AWS.  But before I go into what changed my mind, let's set the stage with a little history on Unisys mainframes and the evolution of cloud computing.

Unisys
Unisys can trace its roots all the way back to 1886 and American Arithmometer Company, which later became the Burroughs Corporation. The Unisys Corporation of today was formed in 1986 when Burroughs combined with the Sperry Corporation, which was originally founded in 1910 as the Sperry Gyroscope Company. Unisys and its various predecessor companies are credited with developing the first general-purpose computers, known as BINAC and UNIVAC - truly amazing achievements of the late 1940s and early 1950s that changed the world forever.

When Burroughs and Sperry merged to form Unisys, each company had its own line of mainframe computers, each with its own loyal customer base. There were attempts to unify the two architectures and their respective technologies, but the two distinct systems survive to this day. Unisys ClearPath Libra mainframes originated from the Burroughs line, while ClearPath Dorado's heritage is Sperry. Even though there are distinct differences between these two sets of mainframe technologies, they are in many ways very similar and share many of the same basic characteristics.

Little did anyone know at that time, advancements in computing architectures and miniaturization would lead to the ubiquitous nature of computers today. They're everywhere you look: cars, smartphones, tablets, even kitchen appliances like refrigerators, microwave ovens, and yes, even toasters. The average smartphone today makes the early mainframes look like children's toys; their computing power and speed far exceed that of their ancestors - for a mere fraction of the cost. An incredible evolutionary pace in a relatively short span of time.

Enter Cloud Computing
Flash-forward to around 1996. We began to hear about a new, revolutionary form of data processing called cloud computing. Many of us, including myself, were somewhat skeptical. Although we found it an interesting idea, we wondered whether it was just another trend du jour, and we took a wait-and-see attitude. Many of us figured it would fizzle out like other "revolutions" as soon as the next, shiny computing trend garnered attention. Certainly, those of us with mainframes thought it would have little impact on mainframe computing.

By the mid-2000s, it became apparent that cloud computing had legs. It did not disappear into obscurity like so many failed IT trends before it. Still in its infancy, it was nonetheless proven to be a reliable, cost-effective computing paradigm that had merit - for some. Companies like Salesforce.com began offering business functions such as customer relationship management (CRM) as a service. No longer did you need to invest in hardware and software to track customer data and interaction or to manage and automate sales activities. For a reasonable price, you could set up an account to do all this through any standard internet browser. No servers to buy and manage, no software licenses to track, no upgrades to plan and manage. Cloud computing was real and it had real benefits.

Cloud Computing Goes Mainstream
In 2006, Amazon introduced its Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) infrastructure-as-a-service solution, followed quickly by Microsoft Azure's Platform-as-a-Service offering in 2008. This seemed to solidify cloud computing's standing as a solution for more than just specific business needs, like CRM; it could also be used to run virtually any kind of Windows, Linux or Unix application. Using a pay-for-use model, you could migrate existing application workloads and development activities to AWS or Azure cloud environments. No more expensive data centers or co-location facilities to maintain, no more costly hardware upgrades to meet the demands of your expanding business, and through cloud replication, you could even satisfy your back-up and disaster recovery needs without an expensive remote mirroring facility! How awesome was that?

But again, those with mainframes felt the needs being met by their big iron couldn't possibly be matched by cloud computing. I mean, the high-volume transaction requirements alone were enough to make it a non-starter for enterprise needs. Not to mention the security implications of letting your sensitive data reside "somewhere" in the cloud. I admit I'm guilty of having had the same view. Until late one night in 2010.

If you'd like to learn more about this topic, I've done a further investigation in this report: Unisys to AWS Reference Architecture.

For the complete story, please continue to InfoQ.

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Craig Marble is the senior director of Astadia's legacy modernization practice and author of Unisys to AWS Reference Architecture. Craig has spent over twenty-five years in the information technology industry, most of which has been focused on legacy modernization projects. For more information about Astadia, a premier cloud consultancy for businesses expanding to the cloud, visit and follow Astadia at LinkedIn/Astadia, Facebook/AstadiaInc and @AstadiaInc.

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