Upgrading to AIX 7

The latest versions of the AIX® operating system give your business operational efficiencies, increased utilization and enhanced productivity that you simply can't get from older versions. In other words, it helps your IT infrastructure support the rapidly changing requirements of today’s business environment.

Built-in features like Workload Partitions and Dynamic Logical Partitioning (Dynamic LPAR) and Capacity Upgrade on Demand (CUoD) allow you to shift workloads and add capacity simply and easily, almost instantly. The software upgrade itself is intuitive and if you need assistance, migration services are readily available.

Why upgrade to AIX 7?

Binary Compatibility

  • AIX 7 is fully binary compatible with AIX 6 and AIX 5 releases
  • AIX 7 is binary compatibly for 32-bit programs created on AIX 6, AIX 5 and AIX 4
  • Binary Compatibility Guarantee

Performance and Scalability

  • AIX 7 can support Logical Partitions of up to 256 cores / 1024 threads
  • AIX 7 fully exploits POWER7 processor capabilities including SMT4
  • 64-bit kernel
  • Industry-leading benchmarks
  • Support for POWER4™, PowerPC® 970, POWER5™, POWER6® and POWER7® processors

Virtualization

  • Workload Partitions
  • Enablement for running AIX 5.2 in a WPAR requires the “AIX 5.2 Workload Partitions for AIX 7” product available separately
  • Live Application Mobility
  • Support for POWER6 and POWER7 virtualization features

Enterprise Security

  • Role Based Access Control with security domains
  • Encrypting Filesystem
  • Trusted AIX
  • Secure by Default installation option
  • AIX Security Expert
  • Trusted Execution
  • Hardware assisted encryption

Near Continuous Availability

  • AIX Concurrent Kernel Updates
  • Dynamic Tracing with probevue including support for C, C++, Java and FORTRAN
  • Support POWER6 and POWER7 Storage Keys
  • Live Dump
  • POWER6 and POWER7 firmware-assisted dump
  • Functional Recovery Routines
  • Enhanced software First Failure Data Capture

Manageability

  • Workload Partitions manageability features
  • Systems Director Console for AIX
  • Integrated Filesystem Snapshot
  • POWER6 and POWER7 automatic, variable Page Size
  • Enhanced default performance tuning

Reference center

Product specifications and reports

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Advantages

Companies embracing Smarter Computing are implementing IT infrastructure based on the IBM Power Systems platform that is designed for data, tuned to the task and managed with cloud technologies. With Power Systems, businesses can outpace their competitors by delivering services faster, differentiate their offerings by delivering higher quality services, and turn operational cost into investment opportunity by delivering services with superior economics.

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Hardware

Power Systems hardware provides the foundation for designing workload optimized systems in conjunction with software and expert domain knowledge. Power servers and blades are modular and scalable and designed from the chip through the software stack to help deliver new levels of business performance.

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Operating systems

Power servers deliver flexibility and choice of operating systems to enable your business to select the best applications for your business needs. Whether running 1, 2, or all 3 - coupled with PowerVM, they maximize the benefit of Power Systems in your business.

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System software

IBM's integrated approach to developing Systems and Systems Software stacks together delivers maximum utilization, availability, and flexibility helping you deliver new advantages in your business.

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Solutions

IBM and IBM Business Partner solutions exploit key benefits in Power Systems that help you deliver new capabilities and new competitive advantages to your business.

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Migrate to Power

Over the last five years thousands of clients have migrated to POWER. Learn how Power Systems has helped them improve their business performance, reduce risk, and establish a more secure future.

Upgrade your AIX software maintenance

  • Entitled software support

    Request your entitled (i.e., no charge) software updates via IBM's simple, Web-based application.

Learn more

  • Open invitation

    Learn about the future of technology and the benefits of migrating to IBM