thanks so much for snapping me out of this loop with a good answer in simple terms. previous to pleading to the kindness of strangers[thanks again for the quick reply], i did use the exact same method as you suggested.. - i started by using a Google search and boy, did i wear out the IBM site looking for a definitive answer (twice!) but was annoyed and felt somewhat amused by the fact that from the thousands of hits found using an advanced search on IBM.com, i found nary an overview or definitive explanation as to what "AS400" or "AS/400" specifically represents. after scanning several articles i did find that vague mentions [again, not definitive] were made connecting
'relationships' to -systems, -printing, -servers, -software, -platforms, -Lotus servers, -support and of course DB management in general. --at this point, feeling like quite the knuclehead, i downloaded a redbook that contained numerous references to this mystery concept and found that hardcore data on it has been mostly removed because IBM no longer markets this/these product(s).....so there you go.. in any case, i learned more from your submission than +-1 hour of websearching, something i normally pride myself on as an analyst, but remain even more impressed by the fact you were benevolent enough to provide an answer. thanks fungus.
....of little interest i'm sure, yet i'm compelled to state that as an analyst i am still learning architectures but survive as sole operator of a software application and provider of various reports/analyses. plus, a liason between true IT wizards and product/buyers, management and the like, which is great but has once again left me -in a vortex.
