Sold at Auction: One Mainframe

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/23/08
Time to unplug the mainframe? Just what do you do with that big black box with all of its gear and software--especially if it's only three years old and still running in the data center? That was the dilemma faced by Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, FL when it outgrew its IBM z890 mainframe. Why, if you have nerves of steel, you auction it off on eBay, of course.

According to CIO Tony Parziale, IBM brokers were willing to pay about $30,000 for the box, which housed the college's student information system, financials, personnel, security, Web services, and other applications. That price was still more than it would have been bid at during the college's annual surplus equipment auction. But the move was risky. Bidding started at $995. After a nail-biting eight days, it reached $35,000. Eventually, it topped out at $40,000, $10,000 more than the brokers were willing to ante up. The buyer is responsible for charges related to having an IBM-certified power-down as well as packing and transportation.



As for PBCC, Parziale said the school has moved its enterprise resource planning system to an Intel server running SuSE Linux. "The system runs about three times faster on the Intel," he said. "We lose some of the management tools that we had in the IBM z environment, but the hardware/software acquisition and maintenance cost are a fraction compared to the mainframe."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • MathGPT

    MathGPT AI Tutor Now Out of Beta

    Ed tech provider GotIt! Education has announced the general availability of MathGPT, an AI tutor and teaching assistant for foundational math support.

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • white desk with an open digital tablet showing AI-related icons like gears and neural networks

    Elon University and AAC&U Release Student Guide to AI

    A new publication from Elon University 's Imagining the Digital Future Center and the American Association of Colleges and Universities offers students key principles for navigating college in the age of artificial intelligence.

  • abstract technology icons connected by lines and dots

    Digital Layers and Human Ties: Navigating the CIO's Dilemma in Higher Education

    As technology permeates every aspect of life on campus, efficiency and convenience may come at the cost of human connection and professional identity.