Best Practices for Migrating Linux/x86 Applications to Linux on IBM Power Systems

With its 2010 launch of a new generation of Power Systems™ servers and blades based on the POWER7® processor architecture, IBM has extended its market lead and elevated system performance, throughput and energy efficiency to unprecedented levels that far outpace competitors. Most importantly, the new architecture also provides the foundation for the integrated PowerVM™ virtualization solution to deliver unrivaled scalability, flexibility and robustness. As a result, enterprise workloads deployed in PowerVM virtual machines (VMs) not only run faster on POWER7 processor-based platforms, but they can also scale further and be optimized more efficiently.

If you manage complex and energy inefficient x86-based server farms with each server dedicated to a single application or operating environment, you can consolidate dedicated and even virtualized Linux/x86 workloads and significantly reduce costs throughout your infrastructure, while dramatically improving your ability to meet changing processing demands.

Power Systems servers and blades based on the new POWER7 architecture provide the foundation for the integrated PowerVM virtualization solution to deliver unrivaled scalability, flexibility and robustness. As a result, enterprise workloads deployed in PowerVM virtual machines (VM) not only run faster on POWER7 processor-based platforms, but they can also scale further and be optimized more efficiently.

This paper studies IBM’s recommendations for best practices in the selection and migration Linux/x86 workloads and applications for migrating to Power Systems servers. Best practices discussed include:

• optimizing performance and scaling with PowerVM based virtualization
• when to migrate applications
• maximizing costs savings associated with energy, administration, license and maintenance, capacity on demand
• leveraging IBM offerings such as Migration Factory, IBM Power Rewards, PowerVM Lx86
• practices for application development

PowerVM is a complete virtualization solution that is integrated and packaged with Power Systems. This is a very robust implementation of virtualization developed by IBM during more than a decade of development, based on best practices developed for more then four decades of experience from the IBM mainframe. With each new Power system, IBM continues to grow its virtualization offerings, beyond just a hypervisor, such as Live Partition Mobility and Active Memory Sharing. Reducing costs, improving service, and managing risk are three focus areas of virtualization customers are interested in. Deploying virtualization can maximize scalability and thus reduce IT costs.

This white paper provides numerous best practices and references to additional material for your consideration, when selecting and migrating Linux/x86 workloads to Linux on Power.