Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Timothy Sipples wrote: it's impossible to configure a z114 at capacity setting A00 without either one IFL or one ICF -- and you probably know better. IBM's starting mainframe configuration is either a single IFL model or a capacity setting A01 model. Yes, it's one of those two (not the ICF-only model). No, IBM didn't say which of those two configurations starts at under $75,000 (U.S. pricing), but I assure you it's one of those two. Hmm. Sounds awfully like you don't know the answer either. I'm asking for facts, not guesses. I'll repeat the question: what is the exact configuration of the sub-$75,000 z114? How many CPs, how many IFLs, how much memory, how many FICON channels, and how many OSA cards are included in this price? It surely can't be that hard to answer. Regards, Roger Bowler Original message--- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main From: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com (Timothy Sipples) Date: 5 Oct 2011 23:59:45 -0700 Local: Thurs, Oct 6 2011 8:59 am Subject: Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX I have to respond to one point Roger Bowler made (again). Roger, it's impossible to configure a z114 at capacity setting A00 without either one IFL or one ICF -- and you probably know better. IBM's starting mainframe configuration is either a single IFL model or a capacity setting A01 model. Yes, it's one of those two (not the ICF-only model). No, IBM didn't say which of those two configurations starts at under $75,000 (U.S. pricing), but I assure you it's one of those two. (Hint: Joe Clabby narrows it down.) Just as IBM also didn't say which z890 configuration started at under $100,000 when that model was announced, but there were only the same two starting configurations then, too. Your repeating your false assertion (a $75K mainframe without customer-usable CPU capacity) in multiple forums doesn't make your assertion any more correct. (LinkedIn, too? Seriously?) Your assertion is just flat out false and disparaging. As I mentioned elsewhere, the only people upset that IBM has reduced starting prices for its z114 mainframes by 25% (fact!) are IBM's competitors. Everyone else is thrilled. And the only person who doubts this earth is round is you. If you've got hard evidence that IBM doesn't know its own pricing, put up. If you don't, it's long past time you ceased. (Sorry for that digression, folks.) ---- Timothy Sipples Resident Enterprise Architect (Based in Singapore) E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com -- -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
I have to respond to one point Roger Bowler made (again). Roger, it's impossible to configure a z114 at capacity setting A00 without either one IFL or one ICF -- and you probably know better. IBM's starting mainframe configuration is either a single IFL model or a capacity setting A01 model. Yes, it's one of those two (not the ICF-only model). No, IBM didn't say which of those two configurations starts at under $75,000 (U.S. pricing), but I assure you it's one of those two. (Hint: Joe Clabby narrows it down.) Just as IBM also didn't say which z890 configuration started at under $100,000 when that model was announced, but there were only the same two starting configurations then, too. Your repeating your false assertion (a $75K mainframe without customer-usable CPU capacity) in multiple forums doesn't make your assertion any more correct. (LinkedIn, too? Seriously?) Your assertion is just flat out false and disparaging. As I mentioned elsewhere, the only people upset that IBM has reduced starting prices for its z114 mainframes by 25% (fact!) are IBM's competitors. Everyone else is thrilled. And the only person who doubts this earth is round is you. If you've got hard evidence that IBM doesn't know its own pricing, put up. If you don't, it's long past time you ceased. (Sorry for that digression, folks.) Timothy Sipples Resident Enterprise Architect (Based in Singapore) E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Mainframe economics continue to improve, and it's important to take advantage of that if you can, when you can. With respect to the z10 BC and its IFLs, let's consider a back-of-the-envelope exercise for WebSphere Application Server workloads. I'm going to use IBM's LSPR PCI metric as a proxy for relative performance. (It's a pretty good one.) If you have three IFLs (only), that's the rough equivalent of a Z03 capacity setting, which has a PCI of 1777. If WebSphere Application Server is configured in such a way to be capable of running on all three IFLs, you would need to license 360 Processor Value Units (PVUs) worth of WebSphere (120 PVUs per z10 IFL). Thus you get about 4.94 PCIs per PVU -- that's a metric of software license efficiency, similar to kilometers per gallon. Now, let's re-run this calculation for a z114. Three IFLs on that machine would be roughly equivalent to a PCI of 2026. Also, z114 IFLs require only 100 PVUs each. So, taking 2026 and dividing by 300, you get about 6.75. That's an almost 37% improvement in performance per dollar of software licensing! That's huge. That doesn't count the performance improvements made in newer software releases, which are also huge. Even when you keep the version levels the same, if you can get to the latest JVM (in WAS 8) you'll find some exploitation of instructions found only in z196/z114. So I think it's fair to say that 37% improvement is more like a floor and less like a ceiling in this example. And this is just looking at the IBM software licensing, which is just a piece of the financial picture -- and probably not the most significant piece here. But it is an interesting piece. Also, in general, data centers aren't getting less full nor is expanding them (or building new ones) getting any cheaper. Timothy Sipples Resident Enterprise Architect (Based in Singapore) E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
How many Virtual Linux Servers per IFLHm with the usual answer it it depends. Today I am running one z9BC IFL and have up 55+ Virtual Linux Servers. That is, 3 LPARS (BUILD, TEST, Prod). As to what they do is more relevant than the quantity. Have 2 production DB2 LUW servers, 2 production Oracles, 2 Production Websphere Application Servers, Tivoli TAMS WebSeal, and a number of Virtual Firewalls to implement Defense in Depth. Now we have duplicated those is the TEST/UAT LPAR and then we have to build all of it. In general when we brought up zLinux back in 2004-5 or so, we found if you had z/OS trained people managing things with not Linux experience, it all got built very inefficiently. Everytime performance got bad they would add memory to improve things and it just made it worse. Then there was the z/VM aspect where historically speaking it was 2 different cultures. One needed to tune z/VM first and then move down to the Linux machines. So again, to me, it depends on what you are asking these Virtual Linux servers to do would be important in understanding how many one can usually run in an IFL. jim -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
/jumping in At the time it was definitely the right move. For those who have not seen my presentation - at the time we had no other option but to use zLinux as we had no room at our DR site for any more blade type servers. Our current issue is that the ratio of zLinux guests per IFL is much lower than what was expected. THis has an affect on the TCO/TCA of the whole project. Add to that the challenges that we have zLinux(lack of supported third party solutions, internal politics, general virtualization issues) and we are taking a hard look at the platform. Sheldon asked the question because we want to know if the ratio we have is comparable to other sites. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com wrote in message news:2726868143899905.wa.mikeshorkend@bama.ua.edu... /jumping in At the time it was definitely the right move. For those who have not seen my presentation - at the time we had no other option but to use zLinux as we had no room at our DR site for any more blade type servers. Our current issue is that the ratio of zLinux guests per IFL is much lower than what was expected. THis has an affect on the TCO/TCA of the whole project. Add to that the challenges that we have zLinux(lack of supported third party solutions, internal politics, general virtualization issues) and we are taking a hard look at the platform. Out of curiosity: how low is 'much lower'? Kees. Sheldon asked the question because we want to know if the ratio we have is comparable to other sites. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html For information, services and offers, please visit our web site: http://www.klm.com. This e-mail and any attachment may contain confidential and privileged material intended for the addressee only. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that no part of the e-mail or any attachment may be disclosed, copied or distributed, and that any other action related to this e-mail or attachment is strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail by error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV (KLM), its subsidiaries and/or its employees shall not be liable for the incorrect or incomplete transmission of this e-mail or any attachments, nor responsible for any delay in receipt. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (also known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) is registered in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, with registered number 33014286 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
A very rough estimate of about 30%. On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM, Vernooij, CP - SPLXM kees.verno...@klm.com wrote: Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com wrote in message news:2726868143899905.wa.mikeshorkend@bama.ua.edu... /jumping in At the time it was definitely the right move. For those who have not seen my presentation - at the time we had no other option but to use zLinux as we had no room at our DR site for any more blade type servers. Our current issue is that the ratio of zLinux guests per IFL is much lower than what was expected. THis has an affect on the TCO/TCA of the whole project. Add to that the challenges that we have zLinux(lack of supported third party solutions, internal politics, general virtualization issues) and we are taking a hard look at the platform. Out of curiosity: how low is 'much lower'? Kees. Sheldon asked the question because we want to know if the ratio we have is comparable to other sites. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html For information, services and offers, please visit our web site: http://www.klm.com. This e-mail and any attachment may contain confidential and privileged material intended for the addressee only. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that no part of the e-mail or any attachment may be disclosed, copied or distributed, and that any other action related to this e-mail or attachment is strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail by error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV (KLM), its subsidiaries and/or its employees shall not be liable for the incorrect or incomplete transmission of this e-mail or any attachments, nor responsible for any delay in receipt. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (also known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) is registered in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, with registered number 33014286 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com www.shorkend.com Tel: +972524208743 Fax: +97239772196 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com wrote: Our current issue is that the ratio of zLinux guests per IFL is much lower than what was expected. Vernooij, CP - SPLXM kees.verno...@klm.com wrote: Out of curiosity: how low is 'much lower'? Mike Shorkend mike.shork...@gmail.com wrote: A very rough estimate of about 30%. Mike, IBM marketing materials claim that one IFL can support 30 distributed servers or more http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/hardware/zenterprise/z114.html You say your finding was 30% lower than expected. So does that mean you actually found you could support about 21 servers per IFL? Regards, Roger Bowler Hercules the people's mainframe -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
30% of what you estimated or 30% lower than you estimated? Can you give figures? I understood one could run 'thousands' of guests. Kees. Mike Shorkend mike.shork...@gmail.com wrote in message news:CAK9P_5QbFqXqk6Ngp8=U1+BBmdz=pmadursfgmn2rs_sp3a...@mail.gmail.com ... A very rough estimate of about 30%. On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM, Vernooij, CP - SPLXM kees.verno...@klm.com wrote: Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com wrote in message news:2726868143899905.wa.mikeshorkend@bama.ua.edu... /jumping in At the time it was definitely the right move. For those who have not seen my presentation - at the time we had no other option but to use zLinux as we had no room at our DR site for any more blade type servers. Our current issue is that the ratio of zLinux guests per IFL is much lower than what was expected. THis has an affect on the TCO/TCA of the whole project. Add to that the challenges that we have zLinux(lack of supported third party solutions, internal politics, general virtualization issues) and we are taking a hard look at the platform. Out of curiosity: how low is 'much lower'? Kees. Sheldon asked the question because we want to know if the ratio we have is comparable to other sites. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html For information, services and offers, please visit our web site: http://www.klm.com. This e-mail and any attachment may contain confidential and privileged material intended for the addressee only. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that no part of the e-mail or any attachment may be disclosed, copied or distributed, and that any other action related to this e-mail or attachment is strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail by error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV (KLM), its subsidiaries and/or its employees shall not be liable for the incorrect or incomplete transmission of this e-mail or any attachments, nor responsible for any delay in receipt. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (also known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) is registered in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, with registered number 33014286 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com www.shorkend.com Tel: +972524208743 Fax: +97239772196 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html For information, services and offers, please visit our web site: http://www.klm.com. This e-mail and any attachment may contain confidential and privileged material intended for the addressee only. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that no part of the e-mail or any attachment may be disclosed, copied or distributed, and that any other action related to this e-mail or attachment is strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail by error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV (KLM), its subsidiaries and/or its employees shall not be liable for the incorrect or incomplete transmission of this e-mail or any attachments, nor responsible for any delay in receipt. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (also known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) is registered in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, with registered number 33014286 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
On Wed, 5 Oct 2011 15:42:16 +0200, Vernooij, CP - SPLXM kees.verno...@klm.com wrote: 30% of what you estimated or 30% lower than you estimated? Can you give figures? I understood one could run 'thousands' of guests. Here is what IBM marketing have been claiming: IBM calculates that workloads from as many as 300 competitive servers can be consolidated onto a single z114 - http://dancingdinosaur.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/new-ibm-z114-reduces-mainframe-tca/ 'We can take 1,500 PC class servers and collapse them all in one mainframe to offer 85 percent less in energy cost and 85 percent less floor space,' said Jim Porell, IBM Distinguished Engineer with the company's Systems and Technology Group - http://gcn.com/articles/2008/02/27/ibm-unveils-z10-mainframe.aspx consolidate an average of 30 distributed servers or more on a single core, or 300 in a single footprint, delivering a virtual Linux server for under $1.45 day - http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/hardware/zenterprise/z114.html They also claim you can get a z114 entry level configuration for under $75,000. I have been trying to pin them down on what *exactly* constitutes the entry level configuration, but they seem to be rather coy about the details. I suspect it is a model A00 with no FICON, no OSA cards, and no DASD. Roger Bowler Hercules the people's mainframe -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Yes, sure you can run thousands of guests on one IFL. But running what? I really can't go into specifics but lets say that we are running less than 20 servers per z10 BC IFL(a mix of production and test). These are mainly WAS and a some Oracles. As for the question asked about 30% less of what.let me just say that instead of our prediction of running a specific mix of workload on 2 IFLs, in reality it needs 3 IFLs On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 3:51 PM, Roger Bowler ibm-m...@snacons.com wrote: On Wed, 5 Oct 2011 15:42:16 +0200, Vernooij, CP - SPLXM kees.verno...@klm.com wrote: 30% of what you estimated or 30% lower than you estimated? Can you give figures? I understood one could run 'thousands' of guests. Here is what IBM marketing have been claiming: IBM calculates that workloads from as many as 300 competitive servers can be consolidated onto a single z114 - http://dancingdinosaur.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/new-ibm-z114-reduces-mainframe-tca/ 'We can take 1,500 PC class servers and collapse them all in one mainframe to offer 85 percent less in energy cost and 85 percent less floor space,' said Jim Porell, IBM Distinguished Engineer with the company's Systems and Technology Group - http://gcn.com/articles/2008/02/27/ibm-unveils-z10-mainframe.aspx consolidate an average of 30 distributed servers or more on a single core, or 300 in a single footprint, delivering a virtual Linux server for under $1.45 day - http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/hardware/zenterprise/z114.html They also claim you can get a z114 entry level configuration for under $75,000. I have been trying to pin them down on what *exactly* constitutes the entry level configuration, but they seem to be rather coy about the details. I suspect it is a model A00 with no FICON, no OSA cards, and no DASD. Roger Bowler Hercules the people's mainframe -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- Mike Shorkend m...@shorkend.com www.shorkend.com Tel: +972524208743 Fax: +97239772196 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Hi Does anyone have a method of comparing x86 Linux vs IFL Linux? (Performance and cost) Thanks Sheldon Davis -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
I believe the problem is not with Linux kernel itself, but what you run under... ITschak On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 9:19 AM, Sheldon Davis sda...@isracard.co.il wrote: Hi Does anyone have a method of comparing x86 Linux vs IFL Linux? (Performance and cost) Thanks Sheldon Davis -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
In 9744671434806595.wa.sdavisisracard.co...@alabamamaps.ua.edu, on 10/04/2011 at 02:19 AM, Sheldon Davis sda...@isracard.co.il said: Does anyone have a method of comparing x86 Linux vs IFL Linux? (Performance and cost) First define your workload; the results will vary depending on whether you are CPU bound or I/O bound. The only accurate method is to construct a benchmark reflecting what you will actually be doing and then run it on both x and z. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz, SysProg and JOAT ISO position; see http://patriot.net/~shmuel/resume/brief.html We don't care. We don't have to care, we're Congress. (S877: The Shut up and Eat Your spam act of 2003) -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 13:25:19 -0600, Mark Post wrote: As always, makes me wonder what else they got wrong. Like this: quote IBM measures use of its mainframe systems in millions of instructions per second (MIPS). /quote -- Tom Marchant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
There have been several published studies showing that using a zero-based comparison, the z/Linux solution is cheaper. Check the archives. At least one person has stated this formally and offered his analysis to others. Unfortunately, I have misplaced my copy and can't tell you where the break even point is. Mark Post is a also very good source. HTH, -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
On 10/4/2011 at 03:19 AM, Sheldon Davis sda...@isracard.co.il wrote: Hi Does anyone have a method of comparing x86 Linux vs IFL Linux? (Performance and cost) Interesting question coming from someone at Isracard. Mike Shorkend has given a number of presentations at SHARE about Isracard's experiences running Linux on System z. Is there now some question as to whether it was the right move? (I think so, but your perspective might be interesting as well.) Mark Post -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
Linux on Mainframes - an IBM update By Dan Kusnetzky | October 3, 2011, 3:03am PDT Summary: Many Linux proponents appear to equate Linux with the use of industry standard X86 systems. IBM demonstrated that its Mainframes are a growing portion of the market. IBM presented an update on Linux on its mainframe line of computers. It was refreshing to learn about the success Linux has been having outside of the realm of industry standard X86-based systems. Here’s a quick summary of the session. Growth of Linux on IBM System Z The shipments of IBM’s Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) increased 76% between the second quarter of 2010 and the second quarter of 2011. IBM measures use of its mainframe systems in millions of instructions per second (MIPS). Linux installations consumed 26% more MIPS between the second quarter of 2010 and the second quarter of 2011. Nineteen percent of the IBM System Z MIPS are deployed to support Linux as of the end of the second quarter. If we look at the overall installed base, 34% of IBM’s System Z customers have installed the Linux facility. This includes 63 of the top 100. At this point, more than 3,000 Linux applications are available on this platform. z/VM 6.2 IBM’s virtual machine facility has a very long track record of supporting production workloads. The major improvements offered by version 6.2 was support of clustering for up to four z/VM instances hosted on mainframe logical partitions (LPARs). These LPARs can be hosted on a single machine or distributed over several machines. Linux guest environments can be relocated from one LPAR to another without disruption of the workloads being supported. Variable pricing model IBM also launched an interesting pricing model for Linux on IBM System Z that mimics the pricing used in the wireless telephone market. Customers basically subscribe to a specific computing capacity and pay a monthly fee for its use. If they use more than the capacity that they’ve subscribe to, they would incur variable fees based upon actual usage. The customer may change the capacity subscription to increase or lower the usage entitlement. It appears that this pricing model is intended to make it possible for customers or service providers to operate using a private cloud model. Snapshot analysis A common assumption I’ve observed when speaking to those using Linux or thinking about a Linux deployment is that industry standard systems are always the best choice of physical platform. The growth in IBM’s System Z Linux deployments demonstrates that the mainframe may be a strong option for some workloads. Mainframe deployments were seen to offer lower cost of ownership in past studies due to the powerful management and virtualization tools the operating environment supported. It appears that IBM has been working hard to improve the performance of its systems in this area. Organizations would be wise to consider the mainframe option when designing their Linux-oriented Web, virtual or cloud computing environments. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: ZDNET actually says something nice about IBM LINUX
It's Linux, not LINUX. And it's not IBM Linux, it's Linux for IBM's System z. IBM doesn't have their own Linux distribution. It would have been nice if Kusnetzky got IBM's branding right. As always, makes me wonder what else they got wrong. Mark Post -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
