As discussed at WAVV: Based on requests from a number of customers, we have assembled a virtual machine appliance for System z and z/VM to permit running x86_64 based operating systems and applications on System z10 hardware in virtual machines. The appliance has been tested with (and passed) the Microsoft Windows Server Hardware Verification test, and Windows Server 2003 and 2008 virtual machines have been successfully deployed and run applications such as Exchange 2007 and Sharepoint.
What is the intended use? The appliance is intended to provide a immediate way for Intel server applications that perform mostly I/O intensive applications to run on System z hardware, and is best suited for server applications such as Exchange or Sharepoint hosting. The appliance does not include licenses for any OS (eg Windows, etc) or the applications to run within the appliance. Based on what IBM has publically shared about System z hardware futures, we see this as a roadmap item that will be expanded and optimized to take advantage of new direct execution capabilities as they become available. We are discussing how enhancements to speed up the emulation could be done with IBM, and will share more as things evolve. How's It Work? It's based on the research with dynamic instruction simulation done as part of the OpenSolaris for System z work and a clean-room x86_64 instruction description. It is (by definition) not as efficient as real iron, but it provides a way for x86_64 applications to be run without adding additional hardware to the data center. What Do I need to Run it? A z10 and z/VM 5.4 or greater. It may work on pre-z10 machines, but it is likely to consume an unacceptable amount of overhead CPU. Both IFL and CPs are supported. How do I get a copy? The appliance is available according to a mutual assistance model based on how many physical CECs you plan to deploy it on. You can contribute money, people or resources to obtain a copy. Please contact [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> if you are interested. -- db David Boyes Sine Nomine Associates
