In some ways, running VM on the IFL can be considered a cost savings.
First the costs: z/VM 5.1 is $25K one time charge (list price...your business partner may charge less). Then about $5,600 per year, starting in the first year for maintenance. 4-6 disk packs (3390-3) 20MB or so for real memory. Takes a small amount of support (can easily contract it out if necessary). Now for the savings... Each LPAR takes some real memory. With VM you only need one LPAR. If one Linux image isn't being used, under VM the memory can be used by other images. With LPAR, well, without an IPL, the memory sits there idle ($80K per 8 GB for memory....big cost savings). If you have a Shark type dasd, then disk sizes can be any size you want. VM can do this with any type of disk device with minidisks. So if you only need 200 MB for a Linux swap disk, you don't have to dedicate an entire volume if you can't create a 200 MB disk. With VM, you get vdisk support (Take that!...LPAR) Create the swap disk in memory. Doesn't take any space unless it is used and then it is the fastest thing alive. If you have FlashCopy, without VM, you have problems using the duplicate volumes without creating another LPAR and backing things up there. With VM, there are better or I should say easier ways to handle duplicate volumes. Tape drive sharing in VM is a breeze. With LPAR, it can be done, but it seems to me to be harder. The more Linux images you want, the more you need VM. Linux test systems? Easy in VM. Linux development systems? Easy in VM. Dedicated Linux images for certain workloads? Easy in VM. And easier to tune and define priorities. Central console management is easy in VM (doesn't require chargeable software, just use PROP). Console automation also. Speaking of performance, performance tools, such as from Velocity Software, can be well worth the price. Nothing similar for a Linux on multiple LPAR shops. This may be just wishful thinking, but the z/890 that was just delivered to us this past week...I expect the run the IFL side, with multiple Linux images, totally "lights out". Of course this is with a Shark 800 and and IBM VTS for tape. Disclaimer... I'm a VM bigot for the last 30 or so years. Tom Duerbusch THD Consulting [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
We are upgrading our system to a z890 (and getting a new HMC) which is now installed and running on the old hardware a z800. I see a new feature (Integrated Ascii Console) and I have been searching for a redpaper or existing e-mail archives from this list on how to cofigure so I can use this console to work with Linux instead of the horrible existing HMC single line mode interface. Can someone point me to documentation or some instructions about how to get this interface to work. Now when I click on the icon on the HMC I just gat a blank window with no text and I cannont type anything into it. TIA -- by the time I get any responses (and assuming things go well) I will be running Linux on a 890 box - still without VM. The IBM rep here just told me that VM to manage Linux only (running on our single IFL) is reasonable. Can someone confirm that. We are (like most companies) trying to keep costs down and avoid being "outsourced". Doug ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
