More and more businesses are moving to the Linux® operating system to save money and increase business flexibility. If this describes your IT strategy, it makes good business sense to consider consolidating your Linux applications on the IBM System p™ and BladeCenter® platforms. The IBM PowerVM™ Lx86 feature of PowerVM Editions is designed to allow you to run most x86 Linux applications. This allows consolidation of AIX® and Linux on POWER™ and x86 Linux applications1 on the same server!
Highlights
PowerVM Lx86 supports the installation and running of most 32-bit x86 Linux applications on any System p or BladeCenter model with POWER6™, POWER5+™ or POWER5™ processors, or IBM Power Architecture™ technology-based IBM BladeCenter blade servers. It creates an x86 Linux application environment running on POWER processor-based systems by dynamically translating x86 instructions to Power Architecture instructions and caching them to enhance performance, as well as mapping x86 Linux system calls to Linux on POWER system calls. Best of all, no native porting or application upgrade is required for running most x86 Linux applications. Imagine the possibilities of having tens of thousands of x86 Linux applications for the industry-leading2 System p platform! Unleash the System p advantages for your x86 Linux applications:
- Exceptional performance and scalability.
- Improved service quality through leadership availability and security features.
- The ability to dynamically optimize the mix of processor, memory, disk and network resources with optional IBM PowerVM virtualization technology3.
IBM System p and BladeCenter blade servers with the PowerVM Editions3 options and the PowerVM Lx86 feature form the ultimate consolidation platform for Linux and AIX applications. These features combined with a server such as the BladeCenter JS22 Express, which offers up to 14 blade servers in a single chassis, can amplify the cost-savings of a consolidated environment with the ability to obtain reduced energy, space and hardware maintenance costs by a reduction in individual servers.
Help reduce your cost and effort to support a Power Architecture server
Developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are encouraged to try the PowerVM Lx86 feature to gain rapid access to advanced virtualization capabilities of the PowerVM Editions options, high computational performance and superb RAS features available with IBM System p and BladeCenter platforms. These servers are packed with features designed to enable your users to achieve lower costs and more flexibility, as well as have the peace of mind that comes from knowing their applications are available when needed. PowerVM, a family of IBM virtualization technologies, capabilities and offerings is designed to dramatically increase server utilization by providing innovative capabilities that enable one server to act like many–while giving your users the ability to automatically move more processing power to critical applications when needed.
PowerVM Lx86 can help developers and ISVs reduce the effort required to add support for a Power Architecture technology-based server running Linux by reducing or eliminating the requirement to port, tune, recompile, release new media or documentation, or maintain a unique product offering for POWER technology.
ISVs typically want their applications to exploit the powerful features of System p and BladeCenter blade servers in order to give their users a competitive advantage. Because this typically requires a native port of the application, ISVs look for ways to reduce the time and effort required to get to production quickly. IBM offers the Chiphopper™ program which includes resources to help ISVs more quickly port their applications and obtain assistance with client support. PowerVM Lx86 can also assist ISVs by helping immediately enable the x86 version of their Linux application to run on the Power Architecture technology-based server so their users can begin to deploy the application while the ISV is implementing a native port.
ISVs may also use the Virtual Loaner Program (VLP). The VLP provides System p partitions with PowerVM Lx86 installed, ready for your remote access. VLP usage requires PartnerWorld® membership and login, as well as a one-time usage agreement.
Intrigued? Want to learn more?
To request more information about PowerVM Lx86, please send an e-mail (lop@us.ibm.com) to the Linux on POWER Solution Enablement team (subject "System p AVE Information Request").
1 Runs most x86 Linux applications except those that
- Directly access hardware;
- Are hardware architecture specific;
- Provide unique kernel modules; or
- Use instructions added later than the Pentium® II processor, e.g. SSE2.
All application components and plug-ins must meet these qualifications.
Visit ibm.com/systems/power/software/virtualization/editions/lx86/qual.html for detailed qualifications.
2 IBM achieved industry-leading factory revenue share of UNIX servers for Q3 2007 according to IDC
3 PowerVM Standard Edition is standard on the IBM System p5™ 590 and 595 servers and BladeCenter JS21 and JS22 Express blade servers and optional on all other System p servers.
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x86 Linux application consolidation on Power Systems platforms using IBM virtualization technologies