Unlock the Hidden Path to PowerVC Exam Success

In the dynamic landscape of enterprise IT, managing virtualized environments efficiently is paramount. For professionals working with IBM Power Systems, the ability to administer IBM PowerVC is a highly sought-after skill. The IBM PowerVC Administrator exam, officially known as the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty (Exam S2000-024), serves as a beacon for experts looking to validate their proficiency in this critical domain. This long-form guide is meticulously crafted to be your strategic roadmap, illuminating the path to success and empowering you with the knowledge and resources required to conquer the S2000-024 certification.

Achieving this certification demonstrates your mastery of PowerVC V2.2, a powerful cloud management solution for IBM Power Systems, enabling you to provision, manage, and monitor virtual resources with unparalleled efficiency. Whether you're a seasoned system administrator looking to specialize or a cloud architect aiming to broaden your expertise, this credential opens doors to advanced career opportunities and solidifies your position as a trusted PowerVC professional. We will delve deep into the exam objectives, providing a structured approach to your preparation, comprehensive study materials, and practical advice to ensure you are fully equipped to excel.

For those eager to dive into the details of what awaits them, understanding the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty exam syllabus is the first critical step towards building a robust study plan. You can explore a detailed breakdown of the curriculum here: IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty exam syllabus.

Why Pursue the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty?

In an era where private cloud solutions and robust virtualization are cornerstones of modern IT infrastructure, the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty certification offers significant advantages. It's more than just a piece of paper; it's a testament to your specialized skills and commitment to excellence in managing IBM Power Systems environments.

Enhanced Career Prospects and Growth

Possessing the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty certification immediately elevates your professional profile. Organizations are constantly seeking skilled administrators who can harness the full potential of PowerVC for their private cloud deployments. This certification validates your capability to perform complex administrative tasks, making you an invaluable asset. It can lead to promotions, new job opportunities, and an increase in earning potential, positioning you as a go-to expert in PowerVC administration.

Validation of Specialized Skills

The S2000-024 exam meticulously assesses a broad range of skills crucial for effective PowerVC administration. By passing it, you prove that you have a comprehensive understanding of PowerVC V2.2, from installation and configuration to advanced management and integration. This validation reassures employers and clients of your competence and ability to handle critical PowerVC operations, thereby mitigating risks associated with complex virtualized infrastructures.

Contribution to Organizational Efficiency

Certified PowerVC administrators can significantly contribute to their organization's operational efficiency. With deep knowledge of PowerVC features and best practices, you can optimize resource utilization, streamline virtual machine provisioning, ensure high availability, and implement robust backup and recovery strategies. This directly translates into reduced downtime, improved performance, and cost savings for your company, driving greater return on investment from their Power Systems infrastructure.

Staying Ahead in Technology

The IT landscape evolves rapidly, and staying current with the latest technologies is essential for long-term career success. PowerVC V2.2 represents the cutting edge of private cloud management for IBM Power Systems. Earning this certification demonstrates your proactive approach to professional development and your commitment to mastering contemporary virtualization and cloud technologies, keeping you relevant and competitive in the job market.

Decoding the IBM PowerVC Administrator Exam (S2000-024)

Before embarking on your study journey, it's crucial to understand the structure and administrative details of the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam. Knowing what to expect on IBM S2000-024 exam will help you strategize your preparation effectively and manage your time during the test.

Exam Name and Code

• Exam Name: IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty
• Exam Code: S2000-024

These details are vital for registration and ensuring you are preparing for the correct certification.

Exam Logistics and Cost

The IBM PowerVC S2000-024 exam cost is $100 (USD), though this may vary by region and testing center. It's always advisable to confirm the exact pricing with your local Pearson VUE testing center before registration. The exam is designed to be completed within 75 minutes, comprising 40 multiple-choice questions. A passing score for IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty exam is 70%.

Understanding these specifics allows you to mentally prepare for the pace required during the exam and to prioritize your study efforts based on the passing threshold. Each question carries equal weight, so aim for accuracy across all topics rather than just mastering a few.

Comprehensive IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty Exam Syllabus

The IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty exam topics are meticulously organized into five key domains. Each domain carries a specific weight, indicating its importance and the approximate number of questions you can expect from that section. A thorough understanding of each objective is key to a successful outcome.

Hardware and software requirements for PowerVC (13%)

This foundational section ensures you understand the prerequisites and environmental considerations for deploying PowerVC. You must be familiar with the various IBM Power Systems hardware models that support PowerVC, including specific firmware levels and server types (e.g., PowerVM, KVM). Knowledge of supported operating systems for the PowerVC management server (e.g., Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SLES) and their versions is critical. Furthermore, understanding network requirements, including IP addressing, network topology considerations, and firewall configurations, is essential. Storage requirements, such as supported storage types (SAN, NAS, local storage), zoning, and multipathing configurations, also fall under this domain. You should know about prerequisite software packages, dependencies, and any compatibility matrix limitations that might affect PowerVC installation or operation. This section ensures you can correctly plan and prepare an environment suitable for a robust PowerVC deployment.

Prepare, install, upgrade, configure, and backup PowerVC (25%)

This domain covers the complete lifecycle management of PowerVC. It begins with preparation, which involves gathering necessary information, setting up host systems, and ensuring all hardware and software requirements are met. The installation process demands knowledge of executing the PowerVC installer, understanding installation options, and troubleshooting common installation issues. You must also be proficient in upgrading PowerVC to newer versions, including pre-upgrade checks, backup procedures, and post-upgrade verification steps. Configuration is a significant part of this section, encompassing initial setup, user management, project and domain creation, network and storage registration, and configuring compute templates. Additionally, mastering backup and restore procedures for PowerVC, including command-line tools and best practices for disaster recovery planning, is crucial. This domain reflects a significant portion of the exam, underscoring the importance of hands-on experience with these administrative tasks.

Manage the IBM Power environment with PowerVC (32%)

This is the most heavily weighted section and forms the core of a PowerVC Administrator's responsibilities. It focuses on the day-to-day management of virtualized resources within PowerVC. Key topics include managing virtual machines (VMs), such as provisioning new VMs from images, resizing, capturing, migrating (live and cold), and deleting VMs. You must understand how to manage images, including importing, exporting, and creating custom images. Managing storage resources involves understanding storage templates, volume creation and management, and attaching/detaching volumes to VMs. Network management covers managing virtual networks, VLANs, network connectivity for VMs, and understanding network isolation policies. Host management within PowerVC, including adding/removing hosts, monitoring host status, and understanding host groups, is also critical. Furthermore, this section includes performance monitoring and basic troubleshooting of VMs, hosts, and networks within the PowerVC interface. Efficiently managing these elements ensures optimal performance and availability of the Power Systems virtualized infrastructure. For more on how businesses are leveraging Power Systems, consider this new IBM study that offers insights into strategic IT decisions.

Manage PowerVC for Private Cloud (20%)

This domain emphasizes PowerVC's role in delivering private cloud capabilities. It covers advanced aspects of cloud resource management, including understanding and configuring compute templates, storage templates, and network templates to streamline VM provisioning. Knowledge of self-service portals and how to enable and manage user access to deploy and manage their own resources within predefined quotas is essential. This includes creating and assigning roles, policies, and quotas to different projects and users. Understanding resource pooling, dynamic resource allocation, and optimizing cloud resource utilization are also key. Furthermore, topics like image lifecycle management for cloud deployments, including image versioning and deprecation, are covered. This section highlights PowerVC's ability to transform traditional virtualization into an agile, self-service private cloud environment, enabling rapid deployment and scalable operations.

Integration options for PowerVC (10%)

The final domain explores how PowerVC integrates with other IBM and third-party solutions to enhance its capabilities. This includes understanding the integration with OpenStack components, as PowerVC is built upon OpenStack technologies. Knowledge of integrating with external identity management systems like LDAP or Active Directory for user authentication and authorization is important. You should also be familiar with PowerVC's REST APIs for programmatic control and automation, enabling seamless integration with orchestration tools or custom scripts. Integration with other IBM products, such as IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management or external monitoring solutions, may also be touched upon. Understanding these integration points allows administrators to leverage PowerVC within a larger enterprise IT ecosystem, extending its functionality and automating complex workflows. This domain is crucial for administrators working in hybrid cloud or multi-vendor environments.

Crafting Your Study Guide for IBM S2000-024 Success

A structured approach is vital for anyone asking how to prepare for IBM PowerVC Administrator Specialty exam. Merely reviewing the syllabus isn't enough; you need a strategic study guide that maximizes your learning and retention.

Utilize Official IBM Resources

IBM offers a wealth of documentation, Redbooks, and whitepapers that provide in-depth information on PowerVC V2.2. These resources are often overlooked but contain the most accurate and comprehensive details straight from the source. Make it a habit to cross-reference your study materials with official IBM documentation to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Enroll in Training Courses

Hands-on training is indispensable. Consider enrolling in official IBM training courses or workshops designed specifically for PowerVC administration. For instance, the Ansible on IBM Power Workshop (QZC51G) can provide valuable insights into automation, which is often integrated with PowerVC environments. These structured learning environments provide expert instruction, practical labs, and opportunities to clarify doubts, significantly boosting your understanding and confidence.

Practice with IBM S2000-024 Practice Questions

Simulating the exam environment with IBM S2000-024 practice questions is an excellent way to gauge your readiness. Practice questions help you become familiar with the exam format, question types, and time constraints. They also highlight areas where your knowledge might be weak, allowing you to focus your subsequent study efforts more effectively. Look for reputable practice exams that closely mimic the difficulty and style of the actual certification test.

Gain Hands-on Experience

There is no substitute for practical, hands-on experience. Set up a lab environment with PowerVC V2.2, even if it's a small-scale or simulated one. Practice installing, configuring, managing, and troubleshooting PowerVC. Work through common scenarios, experiment with different features, and deliberately break things to learn how to fix them. Practical application of theoretical knowledge will solidify your understanding and prepare you for real-world challenges, which are often reflected in exam questions.

Join Study Groups and Online Forums

Engaging with a community of fellow learners and certified professionals can provide invaluable support. Join online forums, study groups, or professional networking platforms where you can discuss PowerVC topics, ask questions, share insights, and learn from others' experiences. The collective knowledge and diverse perspectives found in these communities can often clarify complex concepts and offer alternative solutions to problems.

Essential Resources for the IBM PowerVC Administrator Exam

Beyond your structured study plan, leveraging the right resources is critical for passing the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam. These resources provide official information, structured learning paths, and avenues for scheduling your exam.

Official Certification Page

Always start with the official source for the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding the certification. The IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty official page provides the latest exam objectives, prerequisites, and registration details. It's your primary go-to for any policy changes or updates related to the S2000-024 exam.

Comprehensive Training & Workshops

Beyond the specific Ansible workshop mentioned earlier, explore other structured training options. IBM's own training platform and authorized training partners offer comprehensive courses designed to cover the entire S2000-024 syllabus. These courses are often taught by experienced instructors who can provide practical insights and answer specific questions. Another excellent resource for foundational knowledge and advanced concepts is the Linux and Private Cloud Administration on IBM Power Systems Specialization available on Coursera. This specialization can build a strong base for understanding the broader ecosystem in which PowerVC operates.

Scheduling Your Exam

Once you feel prepared, the next step is to schedule your exam. IBM certifications are typically administered through Pearson VUE. You can find detailed information on scheduling, test center locations, and available dates on the Pearson VUE IBM landing page. Be sure to schedule your exam well in advance to secure your preferred date and time, and double-check all requirements before your test day.

The PowerVC Administrator Job Description and Skills

Earning your PowerVC v2.2 administration certification details a clear set of skills and responsibilities that are highly valued in the IT industry. An IBM PowerVC Administrator job description typically involves managing the virtualization and private cloud environment on IBM Power Systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Installation, configuration, and maintenance of PowerVC environments.
• Provisioning, migrating, and managing virtual machines (VMs) on Power Systems.
• Managing storage resources, including volumes, storage templates, and connectivity.
• Administering network resources, virtual networks, and network policies within PowerVC.
• Monitoring PowerVC components, hosts, and VMs for performance and health.
• Troubleshooting issues related to PowerVC, PowerVM hosts, and virtual infrastructure.
• Implementing backup and recovery strategies for PowerVC and its managed resources.
• Managing user access, roles, and projects within PowerVC to enable private cloud capabilities.
• Integrating PowerVC with other systems, such as LDAP, monitoring tools, or automation platforms.
• Performing upgrades and applying patches to PowerVC and associated software.

Essential Skills

Beyond the technical proficiency validated by the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam, successful administrators often possess a combination of technical and soft skills:

• Deep understanding of IBM Power Systems and PowerVM: Knowledge of LPARs, VIO servers, HMCs, and fundamental PowerVM concepts.
• Linux Operating System Expertise: Proficiency in Linux commands, scripting (e.g., Bash, Python), and system administration, as PowerVC often runs on Linux and manages Linux-based VMs.
• Networking Fundamentals: Strong grasp of TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, and network security.
• Storage Concepts: Familiarity with SAN, NAS, fibre channel, iSCSI, and storage area networking.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues efficiently.
• Automation and Scripting: Experience with automation tools like Ansible or scripting to streamline repetitive tasks.
• Communication Skills: Ability to clearly communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to configuration and troubleshooting to prevent errors.

The demand for skilled IT professionals, particularly in specialized areas like cloud administration, remains robust. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, underscoring the long-term career viability for certified experts. You can explore more about these trends and occupational outlooks on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

The IBM PowerVC Certification Path

The IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty certification is a focused credential, often serving as a specialization for those already working with IBM Power Systems or in general cloud administration roles. While it stands strong on its own, it can also be a stepping stone within a broader IBM certification path.

Foundational Knowledge

Before pursuing the S2000-024, it's highly recommended that candidates have a solid understanding of IBM Power Systems virtualization (PowerVM) and Linux administration. While not strict prerequisites, certifications like the IBM Certified System Administrator - AIX or similar Linux certifications provide an excellent foundation upon which to build PowerVC expertise. A general understanding of cloud computing concepts is also beneficial.

Advancing Your Expertise

After achieving the PowerVC Administrator Specialty, you might consider broadening your skills with other IBM certifications related to cloud, automation, or specific Power Systems hardware. For instance, exploring certifications in hybrid cloud management, containerization on Power, or advanced PowerVM administration could be logical next steps, allowing you to build a comprehensive skill set that addresses diverse enterprise needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty certification?

The IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty is a certification designed to validate the skills and knowledge of IT professionals who manage and administer IBM PowerVC V2.2 environments. It covers installation, configuration, management of virtual resources, and private cloud capabilities.

2. What is the exam code for the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam?

The exam code for the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam is S2000-024. It is officially titled the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty exam.

3. How many questions are on the S2000-024 exam, and what is the passing score?

The S2000-024 exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions, and candidates are allotted 75 minutes to complete it. A score of 70% or higher is required to pass the exam.

4. Are there any prerequisites for taking the IBM PowerVC Administrator exam?

While there are no formal prerequisites to take the S2000-024 exam, IBM recommends that candidates have significant hands-on experience with PowerVC V2.2, IBM Power Systems, PowerVM, and Linux administration. Practical experience is crucial for success.

5. What are the benefits of achieving the IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty certification?

Benefits include enhanced career opportunities, validation of your specialized skills in PowerVC administration, increased earning potential, improved job security, and recognition as an expert in managing IBM Power Systems private cloud environments. It helps you stay competitive in the evolving IT job market.

Conclusion

Embarking on the journey to become an IBM PowerVC v2.2 Administrator Specialty is a strategic decision that promises significant career rewards. This certification not only validates your technical prowess in managing PowerVC V2.2 environments but also positions you as a critical asset in organizations leveraging IBM Power Systems for their private cloud infrastructure. By diligently following this roadmap, utilizing the recommended resources, and gaining extensive hands-on experience, you will be well-prepared to pass the IBM S2000-024 exam.

Remember, success in certification is a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application. Dedicate time to understanding each syllabus topic, practice regularly, and leverage the community of professionals for support. Your commitment to mastering PowerVC V2.2 will undoubtedly unlock new opportunities and elevate your expertise in the realm of modern IT infrastructure. For those interested in innovative ways to manage data and drive business value, take a moment to read about a new IBM study that outlines strategies for business leaders to harness data effectively.

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IBM Business Partners, MSPs, and ISVs amplify growth with IBM Power Systems Virtual Server

To achieve our mission of helping enterprises across the globe succeed through innovation, our team works alongside IBM® Business Partners within our valued, growing ecosystem.

Our network consists of IBM Business Partner companies, independent software vendors (ISVs), managed service providers (MSPs), global system integrators (GSIs) and other integral organizations that share our goals. Together, our Business Partners have achieved new levels of growth themselves through innovative products, including our latest IBM Power® offering, IBM Power Systems Virtual Server.

In this third installment of our blog series about IBM Power Systems Virtual Server, we’re looking at real-world examples of how growth is possible through scalable and transformative software hosting and management solutions.

IBM Power Systems Virtual Servers at a glance

Our team is thrilled about the impact our new hybrid cloud solution is already making for our Business Partners. We’ve combined the reliability and sheer processing power of on-premises Power servers with the scalability and flexibility that comes with a hybrid cloud environment. The result enables end-users to appreciate true hybrid cloud solutions that are strategically designed to be a seamless extension of their on-premises Power servers and IBM Power Systems Virtual Server data centers. IBM Power Systems Virtual Server is designed to deliver low-latency capacities thanks to 14 data centers in 7 countries with more on the way. They can run IBM AIX®, IBM i and Linux® workloads, including SAP SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12 and 15 Open Virtualization Alliance (OVA) boot images and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 8.1 and 8.2.

ISVs and IBM Power Systems Virtual Server

Let’s look at some examples of how ISVs are currently using IBM Power Systems Virtual Servers to promote innovation, transformation and peace of mind.

Created as a global solution

While Iptor has over 1,000 clients across the globe, its data centers were only in Denmark. Its goal was not only to globalize its operations, but also to automate and streamline its process. The worldwide data centers of IBM Power Systems Virtual Servers helped Iptor maximize uptime, while its image capture feature helped them better meet the needs of clients quickly and in a more efficient way. Finally, our DevOps pipeline helped make installation and upgrades universally accessible so customers on its supply chain could stay up to date.

A security-rich environment for sensitive data

Silverlake, a provider of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) digital banking cloud platform, joined our ecosystem to support IBM Cloud® for Financial Services™. Our collaboration allowed Silverlake to create scalable and security-rich virtual digital banking solutions in the highly regulated financial industry. Silverlake uses IBM Power Systems Virtual Server as an efficient and effective way to virtualize its solutions while meeting compliances and lowering risk.

Sandbox capabilities

Many of our ISVs that are already part of the IBM Power Systems ecosystem have found success by conducting proof of concepts (PoCs) in IBM Power Systems Virtual Server data centers. These vendors have containerized their applications, while also running demo versions of their application in a client-accessible sandbox. With this structure in place, prospects can try out applications in an isolated environment. This offering is designed to help improve security and uptime while helping environments meet spikes in traffic.

MSPs, Business Partners and IBM Power Systems Virtual Server

It’s always vital for MSPs, resellers and business partners to grow and discover new opportunities and revenue paths. IBM Power Systems Virtual Server is an excellent way to extend Power Systems offerings in a hybrid cloud environment for current and new customers while being supported and covered by the IBM brand. Moreover, we take infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) management responsibilities from our MSPs and take care of it ourselves, including maintenance, data center floor space, updates and the costs of running a data center. Handling the maintenance of infrastructure helps not only cut costs by taking away data center expenses, but it also helps increase revenue margins and maximize uptime and availability.

As an IBM partner, you now have the opportunity to build partner-driven solutions on top of IBM Power Systems Virtual Server. We work alongside MSPs looking to grow in the enterprise space and shift their focus on services, such as disaster recovery (DR), migration, end-to-end management or reselling the offering. IBM Power Systems Virtual Server helps the clients of our Business Partners reach new geographies — regardless of their location — to further achieve globalization. Clients also have quicker access to new Power Systems features and functions.

At the end of the day, it’s all about making a better experience for the end-user. Plus, being the only on-premises and off-premises certified Power solution for SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver platform workloads, IBM can help enterprises meet the deadline to migrate to SAP S/4 HANA by 2027.

◉ Success through collaboration

A leader in hosting and managed services, Connectria has years of demonstrated and recognized experience serving IBM i customers. Connectria is now offering IBM Power Systems Virtual Server solutions to both its install base and new prospects after seeing strong demand for such a virtualized Power solution.

The Connectria team was excited to work with us, embracing opportunities to access a new market of high-end P30-tier licensing clients, as well as several other IBM i software tiers. We provided a variety of managed services and licensing specifically tailored to Connectria’s goals, growth objectives and current offerings. Now, Connectria is proud to offer our hybrid cloud infrastructure portfolio solutions bundled together alongside its management solutions. Connectria is also extending and shifting current clients’ infrastructure, including older on-premises Power Systems, to IBM Power Systems Virtual Server. As a result, Connectria clients can stay modernized by staying virtual.

Driven by the benefits of this latest offering combined with competitive pricing, Connectria’s sales team is proposing Power System Virtual Server solutions worldwide. Clients can now experience a new level of performance, experience and peace of mind.

A look at our roadmap

We are always pushing to add new capacities and capabilities to IBM Power Systems Virtual Server. In addition to upgrading our storage to IBM FlashSystem® 9200, here’s a high-level look at what end-users are finding beneficial. We’ve recently implemented virtual private network as a service (VPNaaS) solutions into this offering, as well as new network automation features. Coming soon is a whole new way to manage your IBM Power Systems Virtual Server, with IBM Cloud credit management. This credit system creates a simplified and efficient way for you to get the most out of your virtualized solution.

Source: ibm.com

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Accelerating Modernization on IBM Power with Open Source Software and CI/CD Tooling

Much as Linux and open source transformed how operating systems were developed, open source software (OSS) is transforming the way applications are developed. Clients and ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) are increasingly embracing OSS. According to the 2021 Red Hat State of Enterprise Open Source report, 90% of IT leaders are using enterprise open source. At IBM, OSS forms the foundation for our Red Hat synergy, Cloud Paks, and the ISV enablement that Power customers can rely on as they accelerate the modernization of their mission critical workloads.

To stay competitive, customers are embarking on workload and infrastructure modernization which is designed to help their enterprise systems keep pace with today’s speed of business. We see that many of these customers are shifting to an open hybrid cloud and are adopting flexible tools for a modern DevOps environment. Architecture-independent developer tools can simplify developer workflows while increasing collaboration, productivity, and visibility by unifying enterprise-wide DevOps regardless of the underlying platform.

With the GitLab Ultimate 14.3 release, IBM Power customers can gain a modern DevOps platform, delivering an end-to-end solution for collaboration, visibility, and development. The GitLab Runner, and its operator, available via the OpenShift Operator Hub with support for Power expected at the end of October, extends GitLab’s multi-architecture CI/CD capabilities and native build and validation of high value workloads to IBM Power.

Nima Badiey, VP of Alliances at GitLab shared that “GitLab, the DevOps platform, is designed to accelerate deployment of critical workloads on IBM Power and Red Hat OpenShift. As businesses look to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives with hybrid and multi-cloud deployments, our customers can leverage the latest GitLab 14.3 release including the GitLab Runner for IBM Power and the new Power10 processor, to develop, secure, and operate software in a single application which can lead to faster pipeline performance and increased collaboration between developers and security teams.”

To further integrate Git repositories into Kubernetes deployment paradigms, OpenShift offers fully supported CI/CD with OpenShift Pipelines, based on OSS Tekton. OpenShift Pipelines is fully integrated with GitLab to deliver a seamless experience for both ISVs and end customers. Other tooling ISVs focused on CI/CD include Travis-CI and Jenkins. Jenkins is used by developers mostly as a continuous integration engine but also facilitates continuous build and deployment and infrastructure deployment. In keeping with the open source spirit, OpenShift Pipelines can be used as an alternative to or alongside Jenkins deployments. Jenkins and Tekton are both Continuous Delivery Foundation Projects.

Travis-CI, who announced support for Power9 in 2019, is a continuous integration platform for building, testing, and deploying open source software, and it supports open source projects that are hosted on GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Travis CI is designed to make it simple to run a build against multiple CPU architectures with the addition of one additional line in the configuration file.

Choosing the right tooling solution influences DevOps flexibility, maturity, automation and transformation to help customers develop and deploy applications to the cloud environment of their choosing. Along with our ISVs like GitLab, IBM Power and Red Hat OpenShift can help customers and ISVs accelerate their modernization journeys by adopting tooling designed to support important missions, likean accelerated time to market through the continuous delivery of an automated and efficient CI/CD pipeline.

Source: ibm.com

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IBM Power Ecosystem reacts to Power10 launch

As we continue our focus on the critical role IBM Power ISVs play in supporting the Power 10 launch, I would like to highlight innovations with ISVs that go beyond performance optimization to how we are extending capabilities around AIX solutions with OpenShift on Red Hat, enabling IBM Power as a platform for mission critical data management solutions, and driving continued competitive advantages with ISVs for our AIX and IBM i clients.

Application modernization

Any application modernization effort requires a strong ecosystem of software to provide developers the ability to leverage new innovations and position their business to realize efficiency and flexibility gains.

Read More: C1000-004: IBM Cúram SPM V7.X Application Developer

Finacle customers have long relied on IBM Power to run their mission-critical core banking workloads. As banks face pressure from demanding customers and competition from fintechs, they are innovating to handle an increased demand for digital banking and more personalized services. Finacle Digital Engagement Hub provides customers who have long relied on Finacle Core Banking on AIX with a system of engagement with analytics-driven customer experiences across channels, applications, and devices. The Digital Engagement Hub is a cloud-native workload deployed with Red Hat OpenShift and can be delivered on the same infrastructure as the core banking workload, allowing for a highly flexible solution offering with very low latency.

Kelly Switt, senior director of Financial Services Industry Strategy, Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships at Red Hat explained that, “We predict the future of digital banking will be built on the ability of FSIs to innovate at scale while retaining stable and reliable operations. Red Hat OpenShift running on Power10 can provide a production-ready, cloud-native foundation that fosters innovative offerings like Finacle Digital Engagement Hub, supporting banks and financial institutions in driving the next-generation of personalized services without impacting operational stability.”

Power10 based systems provide a solid foundation for application modernization. The consolidation and dynamic scaling capabilities enable customers to run systems of record side by side with Red Hat OpenShift based applications, allowing for a highly agile and flexible experience. Power10 is designed to allow customers to incrementally modernize by extending the value of existing applications on AIX, IBM i and Linux while starting to surround them with new cloud-native apps at their own rate and pace. Customers are able to leverage existing investments while also reaping the innovation, technology and economic benefits of the Power platform as the technology stack is modernized.

Mission-critical data management

Customers have utilized IBM Power for over 25 years with mission critical databases. The introduction of Power10 builds on the industry leading reliability of IBM Power, ranked most reliable for 12 years by ITIC, with the delivery of innovations like Open Memory Interface and inter-node SMP fabric.

Reliability is incredibly important as customers begin evaluating the modernization of existing systems of record to open source databases (OSDBs) like PostgreSQL and MongoDB. On database modernization, Eric Cargol, VP NA Commercial Sales and Global IBM Alliance at EnterpriseDB expressed how “Customers are increasingly using PostgreSQL as their database of choice to accelerate innovation and meet business objectives. EDB’s enterprise-grade PostgreSQL, coupled with IBM Power’s top ranked reliability and investment in hybrid cloud, makes Power10 a great option for flexible and scalable growth of EDB environments. We are aligned with IBM and committed to supporting our joint customers across their modernization journey.”

Leveraging enterprise distributions of popular OSDBs like PostgreSQL and MongoDB provide the support and tools needed for deploying mission-critical databases, whether they are new applications, re-platforming, or legacy database migrations. Undertaking the shift to commercial OSDBs with IBM Power and our ISVs minimizes the risks customers face with an extremely reliable system that maximizes availability and performance while minimizes outages.

IBM i ISVs excited for Power10

The IBM i operating system team has an incredibly strong customer base and ISV ecosystem. Current innovations focus on numerous areas, including application modernization, along with ongoing enhancements in Db2, RPG, and open source integration. The latest IBM i is designed to benefit from Power10 performance and throughput gains for single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. Future work with Power10 and IBM i includes the exploration of on-chip compression and crypto accelerators. Ross Freeman, Product Manager and IBM Strategy Leader for IBM i partner, Infor, shared his excitement around Power10, “As a long-standing ISV of IBM Power, Infor is excited by the industry-leading innovation in the new Power10 systems. With thousands of clients running on IBM Power today we look forward to continuing our relationship with IBM and the benefits Power10 will bring to our mutual clients.”

AIX leveraging Power10 technology

The IBM Power team ensures that each operating system, AIX, IBM i, and Linux all take advantage of new Power10 functionalities. The AIX operating system team has a history of collaborating with ISVs for roadmap enhancements that help them optimize and build value around their solutions. This collaboration is demonstrated in the recently published IBM Power10 whitepaper. Other examples include enabling open source technology, performance and scale features, services for integrating with Power capabilities such as hardware acceleration of encryption and compression, and support for IBM’s next generation of advanced compilers with features for Power10 optimization and acceleration of machine learning and inferencing solutions.

Source: ibm.com

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Innovating with ISV partners

ISVs have always played a critical role in the value IBM Power delivers to customers. Through joint development and optimization with ISVs, IBM Power has continuously led the market in performance, scalability, and flexibility. As we launch Power10 we’re excited to highlight just some of the continued innovation with ISVs, going beyond performance optimization to how we are integrating AI, extending capabilities around Linux containers and Red Hat OpenShift, and teaming to further enhance security of one of the most secure platforms in the industry.

Jointly Innovating

The launch of the IBM Power E1080 system is only the beginning. We have a number of new innovations coming to Power10 on which we are partnering with ISVs such as SAP. Changbin Song, Vice President, SAP HANA & Analytics at SAP shared “SAP and IBM are working continuously on projects and technologies to benefit their joint customers. Together, SAP and IBM plan to look at new and improved capabilities brought by Power10 for its SAP HANA workloads.” 

In Core AI Inferencing and Machine Learning

The Power10 processor is designed to democratize AI across applications and operating environments, be it on Linux, AIX, IBM i, and across the entire Power10 family of servers. IBM Power users can now infuse AI directly into the core business applications and enterprise databases and run AI close to where the data resides. Our ISV partners can leverage this via four new Matrix Math Accelerator (MMA) units in each core. MMAs are alternatives to external accelerators for the execution of statistical machine learning and inferencing and are designed to reduce cost and provide a simplified solution stack for AI. IBM has optimized math libraries to enable AI tools to benefit from the acceleration provided by MMA units. The IBM Power E1080 has 5x faster AI inferencing per socket over the IBM Power E980 and, by supporting MMAs, ISVs can use the capabilities to help customers to speed up their applications and run high performance AI with security and efficiency.

Accelerating business decisions with Red Hat

IBM and Red Hat have extended their synergy around Red Hat OpenShift and Power10 to accelerate business insights with the infusion of AI into applications and data stores with the new Power10 MMA engines. This is designed to eliminate specialized systems or attached accelerators, to lower the total cost of ownership. In addition, IBM has enabled greater efficiency in cloud-native workloads with the ability to have 4X more containerized throughput per core running Red Hat OpenShift applications than compared x86.

End-to-end cloud-native security

Securing your data is more important today than ever before with the high threat of cyber-attacks. Power10 is architected for security, leveraging accelerated encryption across the stack so that data is available only to people authorized via encryption keys. To help support our customers’ modernization effort, IBM has teamed with Aqua Security, a pure-play cloud-native security provider that builds on our strong, secured Power10 base. Amir Jerbi, Co-founder and CTO at Aqua Security, shared that “IBM customers are shifting to hybrid cloud environments to help address operating costs and increase automation, but in doing so they also demand security and compliance. Aqua plays a key role and provides a further layer of cloud native security to support this transformation. We are proud to be one of the first security providers to help IBM and their customers achieve the potential of cloud native applications.” For more details on our relationship, check out Aqua’s press release and video. Partnering with Aqua gives our customers the ability to securely deploy cloud-native Red Hat OpenShift solutions on IBM Power.

Getting Started with Power10

We understand that many of our customers may not upgrade their software and hardware concurrently. These customers can take advantage of the ability to run in Power9 compatibility mode, designed to enable them to modernize software environment at their own pace.

IBM Power has a long history of partnership and co-creation with ISVs, providing support such as complementary access for development and testing on the latest equipment and collaboration with technical professionals. Whenever we have a new server release, as with Power10, we encourage ISVs to work with their IBM contact to be nominated for early access to hardware through our Early Support Program. ISVs can learn more about the support and programs available through the ISV Resource Center.

Source: ibm.com

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Announcing IBM Power E1080: engineered for agility

Organizations around the world are navigating constant and rapid changes to their operations and customer demand. They want IT infrastructure to help them be agile and flexible, efficient, and cyber resilient. It should help them to predict marketplace changes and respond at near real-time. While this requires their data to transform into value quickly, the security of sensitive data remains a key concern with increased ransomware and malware attacks. As organizations modernize their infrastructure, IBM is addressing these requirements with the new IBM Power E1080, the first in a generation of servers based on the Power10 processor.

IBM Power E1080 is engineered for agility. It supports IT modernization with a frictionless hybrid cloud experience. Here is how it is designed to deliver on the key enterprise needs:

Respond faster to business demands

Power E1080 delivers scalability and efficiency.

◉ World record SAP SD-two tier benchmark with 8 sockets that beats the best 16 socket results of x86 environment

◉ 2.5X performance per core than x86 Xeon Platinum

What if you can get this performance with a lower energy footprint? With the revolutionary 7nm Power10 processor, workloads that run on a Power E980 will consume 33% lower energy when run on the Power E1080.

IBM Power10 generation of servers is designed to make technology consumption a frictionless experience. With Hybrid Cloud Credits, enterprises can procure pay-per-use capacity that can be deployed across Power Private Cloud and Power Virtual Server co-located with IBM Cloud. The architectural consistency across these environments gives the flexibility to deploy where you want and when you want without requiring additional middleware or application re-factoring.

Protect data from core to cloud

With data residing in an increasingly distributed environment, you cannot set a perimeter to it anymore. This reinforces the need for layered security across IT stack. Power10 family of servers introduces a new layer of defense with transparent memory encryption. All data in memory remains encrypted when in transit between memory and processor. Since this capability is enabled at the silicon level, there is no additional management setup and performance impact. Power10 also includes 4X more crypto engines in every core compared to Power9 to accelerate encryption performance across the stack. For example, the widely used AES encryption performance is improved by 2.5X over Power E980.

With these innovations along with new in-core defense for Return-Oriented Programming attacks and support for Post Quantum Encryption and Fully Homomorphic Encryption, IBM Power E1080 makes the server platform family that is among the most secure even better.

Streamline insights and automation

As more AI models are deployed in production, the challenges around the AI infrastructure are coming to the fore. The typical AI deployment involves sending data from an operational platform to a GPU system. This usually induces latency and may even increase security risks with more data in network. Power10 addresses this challenge with in-core AI inferencing and machine learning. The Matrix Math Accelerator (MMA) in Power10 core provides the computational strength (at multiple levels of precision) and data bandwidth to tackle demanding AI inferencing and machine learning. Power E1080 delivers 5X faster AI inferencing per socket over Power E980.

Maximize reliability and availability

Power has been leading the industry in infrastructure reliability with 25% lower downtime vs. comparable high-end server. With Power E1080 we are making the most reliable server platform in its class even better with advanced recovery, diagnostic capabilities, and Open Memory Interface (OMI) attached advance memory DIMMs. The continuous operations of today’s in-memory systems depend on memory reliability because of their large memory footprint. Power10 DIMMs deliver 2X better memory reliability and availability than industry standard DIMMs.

As enterprises continue to modernize their business, the solutions of our ISV ecosystem partners will take advantage of these innovative and essential capabilities in IBM Power E1080. They will continue to help customers get more from their mission-critical workloads running on Power.

This is a critical time for IT infrastructure. Companies need agility, security, insights and reliability to ensure continuous operations. IBM Power is engineered for times like these.

Source: ibm.com

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Keeping your IBM Power Systems highly available

We’ve all heard of the “blue screen of death.” It’s the dreaded crash on a Windows-based computer. The potential loss of everything. If you’ve had the misfortune of seeing one, you know how upsetting it is. To put it mildly, it’s not fun.

Read More: C2150-609: IBM Security Access Manager V9.0 Deployment

An operating system crash of any kind leaves application users dead in the water. So avoiding single points of failure (SPOF) is a high priority. The UNIX® operating system is a potential SPOF, and this is true of all UNIX based operating systems including versions such as AIX®, HP-UX, iOS and all Linux flavors such as Ubuntu, RHEL, Android and SUSE.

IBM’s solution

Fortunately, thirty years ago IBM introduced high availability cluster multi-processing (HACMP) to combat this issue on its AIX RS/6000 systems. To state things in the simplest terms, two or more systems are paired in a cluster. When one system crashes, the other takes over. There is an application outage, but recovery is automated and downtime is primarily dependent on how long the applications themselves take to recover/restart. In the days without storage area networks, IP aliases or virtualized machines, HACMP/PowerHA® was a terrific way to go.

HACMP software is still widely used on the newest IBM Power Systems, having been renamed PowerHA SystemMirror®. But fourteen years ago, IBM introduced Live Partition Mobility (LPM). LPM gave users the ability to move fully virtualized AIX machines between physical hardware servers while the applications continued running. Ultimately, this is a game changer in high availability.

VM Recovery Manager High Availability (VMRMHA)

VMRMHA utilizes LPM simplified remote restart (SRR) technology for high availability. A user utilizing VMRMHA can set up an HA environment not just for selected virtual machines, but every virtual machine on an IBM Power® server. This includes Linux and IBM i virtual machines as well.

One drawback of using VMRMHA versus PowerHA is that with VMRMHA, the operating system must boot on a new physical server after an OS crash, and then the application restarts. In a PowerHA environment, only the application must restart. However, using VMRMHA has an advantage over PowerHA in that there are no “cluster of two AIX servers” that must be maintained or kept in sync.

To summarize:

No “cluster” to maintain.

– plus –

Only one AIX OS to maintain.

– plus –

Only one set of application code to maintain.

– multiplied by –

Number of PowerHA clusters

= equals =

Application High Availability is easier to maintain!

Converting existing PowerHA/HACMP clusters to a VMRMHA strategy is not a trivial task, but in the long term, it’s worth it because of reduced administrative overhead.

Source: ibm.com

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Get a health check for your SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems

We all know that seeing a doctor for regular checkups is important. Even if you aren’t having any problems, it’s always a good idea for your physical health. In some ways, a “health check” for your SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems is similar. You may be getting optimal availability and performance, but a regular review is very important.

Read More: C2070-981: IBM FileNet Content Manager V5.2

IBM Power Systems technology for HANA has numerous advantages such as flexibility, efficient resource utilization, server consolidation, performance and reduction in cost. An SAP-certified person is required to install and configure HANA using the tailored data center integration (TDI) model. During deployment, a certified HANA engineer sets up the system following IBM Power server and SAP HANA best practices as per SAP notes and runs the SAP HANA Hardware and Cloud Measurement Tool (HCMT). This ensures the environment has been configured for HANA prerequisites and for hardware performance to meet HANA key performance indicators (KPIs).

After deployment, however, organizations will eventually need to make changes to their workloads and infrastructure. The monitoring tools you use might not capture deviations from best practices. Some components of your system might require periodic checks like firmware updates, patches, backups, cluster operations and so on.

The need thus arises for a periodic health check for SAP HANA on Power Systems. Without periodic health checks, you might not be getting the best availability and performance from your systems, and you could be at greater risk for an unplanned outage.

What is an SAP HANA on Power Systems health check?

A health check involves inspecting your system in several key areas. These include:

◉ Ensuring up-to-date software levels

◉ Examining the adequacy of hardware resources

◉ Looking at system tuning based on your current workload pattern

◉ Doing checks for best practices in virtualization

◉ Checking for security hardening implementation as per your company security policy

◉ Checking the feasibility of adopting newly released features in the Power server/OS/HANA

Your HANA configuration, error logs, high availability and backup policies are also validated.

Minimum checks that need to be carried out as a part of SAP HANA on Power Systems health check

Here is a list of the minimum checks that must be covered as a part of SAP HANA on Power Systems health check. This is only a high-level list. You might need additional checks based on your results.

1. Physical hardware installation checks

◉ PCI adapter placement and memory dual inline memory module (DIMM) placement

◉ Active/inactive core/memory distributions

◉ Check for working links (link up status) for network and host bus adapters (HBAs)

2. Software-level checks

◉ Check to see the support of all installed software levels and their compatibility

3. Availability and redundancy checks

◉ “Working” redundancy at all levels such as I/O adapters, switches, storage, LPARs, frames and so on

◉ Business expectation of recovery point objective (RPO), recovery time objective (RTO) and infrastructure readiness to meet these numbers

4. Operating system configuration checks

◉ Checks to confirm OS installation as per best practices and as per SAP notes for SAP HANA on Power systems

◉ Checks to see security hardening implementation

5. LPAR/Frame-level resource utilization checks and performance

◉ Processor, memory, disk and network utilization and comparison with available capacity

◉ Check to see the tunable values associated with processor, memory, disk I/O and network I/O are optimal for the current load

6. HANA checks

◉ HANA file system checks

◉ Review of HCMT results

◉ HANA configuration verification

◉ HANA backup checks

◉ HANA resource utilization checks

Benefits of a HANA system health check

An SAP HANA on Power Systems health check offers numerous benefits:

◉ Identify any single point of failure and fix it

◉ Prepare you for handling unexpected downtime, if any

◉ Demonstrate current hardware utilization and growth trends, thus helping you plan for future growth or release a portion of your hardware for other workloads, saving on budget for any additional workloads

◉ Get better support by staying up to date with software versions

◉ Better manage your IT budget by knowing growth trends

◉ Identify new technologies that could be applied to your environment

◉ Improve productivity, security and confidence. May reduce the cost of acquiring additional hardware for new workloads

Who can perform an SAP HANA on Power Systems health check?

Anyone who has good knowledge of IBM Power Systems, Linux and HANA can do an SAP HANA on Power Systems health check. You could do it yourself or engage a team of experienced consultants such as IBM Systems Lab Services. Lab Services helps organizations build and optimize SAP HANA solutions with Linux on Power Systems with a tailored data center infrastructure strategy. Health checks are among the many services we offer to help clients optimize their SAP HANA environments.

Source: ibm.com

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How to get the most value from SAP HANA

3 ways running SAP HANA on Power Systems can benefit your business

Increasing disruption creates increased complexity and a need to solve problems quickly—as in yesterday. The last year forced businesses to take a quantum leap in the acceleration of, and focus on, digital transformation. We all saw entire industries go completely online overnight, and companies that had started modernizing their businesses were in a better position to adapt quickly, while many struggled to maintain business continuity. What’s clear is today’s customer preferences and appetite for exceptional digital experiences is demanding, and the success of every business relies on the ability to adapt as the needs of customers continue to evolve.

More Info: C2090-543: IBM DB2 9.7 Application Development

Core business applications, such as SAP HANA, are key to ensuring your organization can keep up with the speed of change; the time to embrace migration and modernization is now. By using SAP business applications, IT teams can simplify workflows, speed processes, and reduce business risk, thus freeing up time and resources to focus on their move to SAP S/4HANA.

Why should running SAP HANA on Power Systems matter to you?

In the simplest terms, SAP HANA is a platform that can efficiently and cost-effectively process data faster than any traditional database. It can help your organization process information that is coming from, including but not limited to, the business, mobile, UX/UI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), efficiently and cost effectively. Notably, SAP HANA facilitates analytics and data processes as well as application development and deployment.

Furthermore, SAP HANA’s in-memory database can be run on-premises, on an IBM Power® Systems server, in the cloud, or both, and can be an integral part of your hybrid cloud strategy. It’s worth mentioning Power Systems is built precisely for memory-intensive applications, such as SAP HANA, offering the resilience, scale, and performance you’ll need to ease the process and still quickly deploy your applications.

Three scenarios where the benefits of SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems are undeniable

So, how can SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems benefit your business? Here are three questions and answers to help you get the most value out of SAP HANA and achieve your broader business goals.

Scenario 1: My SAP HANA application is due for a refresh. What do I stand to gain by updating my SAP HANA application?

If you’re running SAP HANA appliances on architecture that needs a refresh or are in the process of a strategic hybrid cloud transformation, upgrading to SAP HANA on Power Systems can help you reduce data sprawl, increase flexibility, improve reliability, boost performance and consolidate fewer workloads in a smaller footprint.

In fact, even if you’ve never had IBM Power Systems in your data center, establishing the platform will provide you with a powerful Linux system offering significant processor benefits and positions you to develop a customized solution for your business needs.

Scenario 2: I’m running a traditional database or other non-SAP HANA processing solution. Why should I make the costly and challenging move to SAP HANA from a traditional database?

SAP is discontinuing support for the SAP Business Suite with traditional databases in 2027, creating a mandatory move to SAP HANA. By maintaining traditional SAP deployments, you’re consuming IT resources that could be better diverted to more strategic initiatives. Migrating to SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems will significantly boost your performance, ease data administration and processing and increase user response time for transactional in-memory processing.

IBM Power Systems is an important part of this process because, as an in-memory database, SAP HANA performs best with high-quality memory and large memory spaces. With Power Systems you can easily shift resources from your traditional environment to a growing SAP HANA portfolio.

Scenario 3: I have on-premises SAP applications. Can I expand to off premises?

Absolutely! In fact, as customers develop their hybrid cloud strategies—and, simultaneously, SAP discontinues support for SAP Business Suite—there’s even more urgency to develop and execute on a migration plan toward SAP S/4HANA. Fortunately, you can easily extend your SAP environment to our IBM Power Virtual Servers. Power Virtual Servers provide a wide variety of SAP-certified options for running SAP workloads. One use case we see is customers utilizing Power Virtual Servers for non-production/test environments, freeing up on-premises infrastructure to optimize their production SAP workloads.

How to get the most out of SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems

SAP HANA can be complex, but the benefits of running SAP HANA on Power Systems are compelling—you can reliably process and analyze your data-intensive workloads with minimal delays, improved performance, faster load times and a lower overall cost.

If you’re curious and want more information, the IDC white paper, Who Can Benefit from SAP HANA Database and S/4HANA on IBM Power Systems? outlines the benefits of SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems, including deployment options, performance and cloud capabilities. Click below to learn more about how your organization can realize the benefits of SAP HANA on Power.

Source: ibm.com

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IBM Power Systems announces new hybrid cloud capabilities

Envision your data center a year from today. What has changed? Have you gained efficiency? Lowered costs? Increased agility and flexibility? These are just a few of the goals IBM Power Systems™ clients are focused on as they seek to integrate and extend their most mission-critical applications into hybrid cloud environments. The journey to hybrid cloud requires a variety of tools — not a one-size-fits-all approach — to successfully transform your operations.

Read More: C2150-606: IBM Security Guardium V10.0 Administration

Today we are announcing new capabilities available on the IBM Power Systems platform to help meet your business needs, no matter what point you are at in transforming your data center for the hybrid cloud era. You will have more options to leverage industry-leading scalability, reliability for VM based containerized applications and security built in at all layers from the processor to the OS. Clients can modernize their AIX®, IBM i and Linux® applications by deploying them in a hybrid cloud environment, automating common IT operations with Ansible, and co-locating containerized workloads with VM-based applications.

Unified enterprise hybrid cloud experience 

IBM Power Systems enables clients to move their mission-critical applications across hybrid cloud without refactoring or re-platforming. Now, we are adding more capabilities to provide a unified experience to acquire capacity in all Power®environments.

◉ IBM is extending that ability to hybrid cloud by piloting hybrid capacity credits, which can be purchased and used to unlock capacity on on-premises servers as well as on IBM Power Virtual Servers. IBM is also working with other ecosystem partners to further extend dynamic capacity across multiple Linux distributions.

◉ IBM is helping you to drive agility with new Ansible modules from Red Hat® Ansible® Certified Content for IBM Power Systems across your hybrid cloud deployments on AIX, IBM i and Linux environments. IBM Power Systems has added 22 new Ansible modules to the collection that bring new automation capabilities for common tasks like patch management, security management, OS & application deployment, continuous delivery, centralized backup and recovery, and virtualization management & provisioning, bringing the total number of POWER-supported Ansible modules to 102. Currently, there are 102 Ansible modules, downloaded more than 13,000 times since February 2021, that support POWER and are available to the open-source community on GitHub. Many of these same modules are available as production-ready, enterprise-hardened and certified Ansible Collections through the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.”

Modernize existing applications

Now you are well into mapping out your hybrid cloud data center and looking to the future with new workloads. IBM Power Systems remains committed to supporting the modernization of your existing applications and building new cloud-native workloads required for transformation and business growth. With a robust 10+ year roadmap for AIX and IBM i, we are committed to delivering capabilities and solutions to help you meet today’s needs and prepare for future challenges.

◉ AIX 7.3 is coming to your data center in 2021. It will continue a 35-year tradition of innovation with enhanced capabilities that deliver resiliency, security and scale needed to get your IT environment ready for hybrid cloud.

◉ For clients who cannot upgrade currently or need more time to upgrade to IBM i 7.3, we are now supporting IBM i 7.1 on Power Systems Virtual Server co-located with IBM Cloud®.

Build new application services

IBM Power Systems continues to deliver modern capabilities to simplify the build of new cloud-native applications with OpenShift, which can be co-located with your existing AIX and IBM i applications.

◉ Simplify and accelerate private cloud deployments with the new IBM Power Systems Private Cloud Rack Solution. This is a pre-configured system with compute, storage, networking and pre-installed software to match an organization’s existing infrastructure, whether it is based around Linux, IBM i or AIX. It can help organizations operationalize their cloud management and provide an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) environment to help clients accelerate development and operations for Kubernetes container-based cloud-native applications with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.

◉ Expand into public cloud with Red Hat OpenShift® on Power Virtual Server leveraging OpenShift’s platform-agnostic installer. IBM Power Virtual Server is an enterprise IaaS offering built around IBM POWER9™, offering low-latency access to over 200 IBM Cloud services. In addition, IBM Power Virtual Server clients can now run leading business applications like SAP HANA in an IBM POWER9-based cloud.

◉ Red Hat Runtimes are now available on Power Systems, delivering a consistent development experience for applications that span across Power and other platforms.

Imagine your data center in 2022 and beyond. With our approach to continue delivering new capabilities, IBM Power Systems gives you the right infrastructure platform and co-optimized solutions to power your hybrid enterprise now and into the future!

Source: ibm.com

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8 reasons why IBM Power Systems is your app modernization foundation

Application modernization comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s not always easy to know where to start. So, over the next few minutes, we’ll showcase the strengths and benefits that IBM Power Systems™ brings to your modernization efforts. Sure, there are many more benefits than we’ll cover here. For more in-depth analysis tips and recommendations to help you determine the complexity of your applications and a modernization path forward, you can check out our Field Guide to Application Modernization on IBM Power Systems.

Read More: C2150-606: IBM Security Guardium V10.0 Administration

Power Systems is built for core enterprise applications and for the next wave of digital transformation fueled by application modernization. Here are the major benefits of modernizing with IBM Power Systems:

1: Flexible, efficient utilization

You can manage spikes in demand and support more cloud workloads per server with IBM PowerVM® hypervisor on-demand CPU capacity. It manages demand by sharing pools of CPU cores across Red Hat® OpenShift® CoreOS nodes. These differentiating hypervisor constructs such as uncapped processors and shared processor pools provide the ability to guarantee performance SLAs while donating unused processor cycles to worker nodes in need of additional capacity. All this flexibility guarantees an 80 percent utilization on an IBM Power Systems E980 server.

2: More performance from software with fewer servers

You can buy fewer Power Systems servers to run an equivalent set of applications at comparable throughput levels than on competing platforms. That’s because it enables you to use 3.2X more containers per core with more CPU threads, achieve 2.6X better price performance (based on the number of containers), and collocate cloud-native apps with AIX, IBM i and Linux® virtual machine-based apps and enterprise data to exploit low-latency API connections to business-critical data. Plus, you can leverage sub-capacity licensing to greatly reduce containerized software license costs (IBM Cloud Pak Solutions, for example) using PowerVM shared processor pools, allowing CPU cores to be autonomously shared across Red Hat OpenShift worker nodes without sacrificing app performance.

3: Superior performance for your enterprise data

Running Red Hat OpenShift in a virtual machine adjacent to your AIX, IBM i or Linux virtual machines provides low-latency secure communication to your enterprise data with PowerVM Virtual I/O Server. This provides superior performance due to fewer network hops. It also allows for highly secure communication between your new cloud-native apps and your enterprise data stores as network traffic never has to leave the physical server.

4: Proven security and resiliency

To meet today’s security challenges, it’s essential that every layer of your company’s IT hardware and software stack remains secured. IBM Power Systems customers utilize the most reliable mainstream server platform to innovate and get to market faster without compromising security. Power Systems’ multi-layered approach to security gives you full visibility of your hardware and software. It protects the stack with comprehensive end-to-end security at every layer — including functionality that allows containers to remain secure, during and after deployment — all with a simple web-based UI.

5: Trusted and proven foundation

Kubernetes provides the core foundation for modernizing your enterprise applications. As the premier open-source container orchestration platform, it benefits both developers and IT administrators. Your developers have access to the latest software innovations to build software faster while your IT administrators can easily observe, operate and manage the platform and infrastructure. This helps you deliver high-value, high-quality software faster to end users. All of this is enabled through Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.

6: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Red Hat OpenShift is an enterprise-ready Kubernetes container platform with full-stack automated operations to manage hybrid multicloud deployments. Red Hat OpenShift is optimized to improve developer productivity and promote innovation; it is fully supported on all IBM Power Systems servers (IBM POWER8® processors or later).

7: IBM Cloud Pak solutions

Power Systems provides superior performance and economics for containerized workloads like IBM Cloud Pak enterprise-ready containerized software solutions for modernizing existing applications and developing new cloud-native apps that run on Red Hat OpenShift.

There are three main benefits: They are comprehensive and easy to use, they are supported by Red Hat and IBM, and they run anywhere Red Hat OpenShift runs. IBM Cloud Pak Solutions take a bundled approach that allows you to accelerate your modernization journey by packaging everything you need to get started — including Red Hat OpenShift and the apps that run on top of it. The IBM Cloud Pak solutions available on IBM Power Systems include IBM Cloud Pak for Applications, IBM Cloud Pak for Data and IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management.

8: Innovate with an extensive container software ecosystem

At the heart of any application modernization effort is a strong software ecosystem that allows teams to innovate using the latest technologies. Now more than ever, open-source communities are playing a significant role in organizations’ modernization journeys. IBM Power Systems not only runs your core business applications, but also a wide range of popular open-source and commercial container software.

When you choose Power Systems to modernize, you choose industry-leading reliability, performance and security, as well as superior compute performance for data-intense and mission-critical applications. It is a foundation for modern container-based applications.

Source: ibm.com

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