The Virtualization Engine offers you the ability to run a mix of IBM i, AIX, and Power Linux operating systems in virtual machines or LPAR’s on your POWER5 or POWER6 machine. You can now run an LPAR from as little as 1/10th of one processor to 64 processors depending on your system. Your Processor allocation, memory, DASD, and Network connectivity are all now dynamic and may be allocated and changed in real time for any LPAR you are running in the system.
You have a wealth of options on how to configure and share resources giving you tremendous control over the system with the ability to prioritize workloads.
The five brands of IBM Software Group (WebSphere, Information Management, Lotus, Rational, and Tivoli) all support AIX and LINUX on power systems as well as the attached Intel processors where you can add support for Microsoft Windows if you wish. Note that all of the software group brands are building new and enhanced software for AIX and Power LINUX. I am not aware of any new software products running on i other than Rational's Team Concert for IBM i released in December 2008. Note that IBM Information Management continues to support the integrated DB2 database on IBM i and Web Query on i.
Major enhancements to IBM i 6.1 from i5/OS V5R4 enable IBM i to now utilize external Storage Area Network (SAN) devices where i5/OS V5R4 could not. Let me clarify. i5/OS V5R1 and subsequent releases could interoprate with IBM's SHARK, but not with a smaller SAN. There were also limitations in the implementation of DASD technology and you could not virtualize multiple i5/OS LPARs across shared DASD as you can at IBM i 6.1 and the new Power5/6 machines. It also enables IBM i to dynamically share DASD across LPARS unlike V5R4.
The Virtualization Engine with LINUX or AIX allows you to create separate machines for specific purposes (i.e. one for IBM i, another for your WebSphere Application Server, another for the Apache HTTP Server, and perhaps another for Lotus Domino). You can allocate resources and adjust performance based on the business priority of your workloads. The integrated high-speed internal connectivity between machines provides high-speed communications between machines.
If hiring an AIX or LINUX expert is a problem, can outsource management of this environment to IBM who for a reasonable monthly fee will monitor and manage your environment remotely via secure communications.
IBM is making significant investment in the Virtualization Engine based technology and in a number of articles talks about a 10 year development plan and strategy which may at some point in the future include zOS.
Modernization
So how does the Virtualization Engine affect a modernization strategy? You can move your web applications and related servers off you IBM i LPAR and into high performance LPARS running either one or more AIX or Power Linux and gradually migrate from IBM i centric to Java or other language based applications running in the LPAR’s.
There are a number of vendors including IBM and Databorough Ltd, that can assist in migrating from RPG, COBOL, or Synon/2e to Java or other languages that run on Power Linux or AIX.
You can leverage your existing Power Systems hardware and create a progressive modernization strategy that allows you to focus on key objectives and gradually move to a platform neutral environment running on an open source Power Linux environment.
What about Linux?
A few years ago, I would have argued that you not to use an open source operating system. Today, my attitudes toward open source have changed greatly as Open Source organizations have matured. Today IBM supports Linux across their full line of machines. Linux is also supported on machines of IBM competitors such as HP and Sun.
There is a large pool of highly skilled Linux expertise both as individuals available as employees and as consultants working for a 3rd party. Another key issue is how the Open Source Community control builds of their software. Today there is always a stable build that is well tested that supports the majority of the community. New or experimental releases are isolated form the stable builds of the software and clearly marked as emerging technology.
Articles on the Virtualization Engine
Linux web publication: WebHostGear.com -- September 22, 2009
Redbook: IBM PowerVM Virtualization Managing and Monitoring, March 12, 2009
The Register - March 3, 2009 -- Virtualization soars on Big Blue Power Boxes
IBM's IBM PowerVM web site -- Look at the "learn more" area and watch the video Comprehensive virtualization technologies with Jeff Howard, Director Platform Marketing, Power Systems.
0 comments:
Post a Comment