Taking the next step

By Neil Tardy

Many people equate virtualisation with partitioning. It's a natural response from a generation of business-computing users who've created and shared virtual workloads and devices with the IBM mainframe's PR/SM and virtual machine (VM) hypervisors and/or VMware workstations.

However, the IBM Virtualization Engine platform extends virtualisation's capabilities far beyond the realm of simple partitioning on a single platform or technology. As a standard component of IBM POWER5 technology-based eServer and Systems Storage (formerly TotalStorage) systems, the VE portfolio allows enterprises of all sizes to virtually deploy applications across IBM and non-IBM platforms, and manage in realtime heterogeneous IT systems and storage and networking devices as if they were a single entity.

To IBM, the Virtualization Engine platform represents the next step in virtualisation, where the technology evolves into an overall IT strategy. By consolidating resources and pooling underutilised storage assets, enterprises not only reduce costs and management overhead, but acquire the ability to operate and set business goals without being constrained by their IT infrastructures. Even the process of virtualisation itself is designed to adhere to business needs — e.g., you can virtualise individual partitioned environments, like application testing and production, in a staged, gradual rollout.

As part of the IBM Systems Agenda for On Demand Business, we are asking customers to "Virtualise everything" and the IBM Virtualization Engine platform provides the capability to virtualise a client's IT infrastructure.

"We're trying to change the way we discuss virtualisation," explains Steve Cole, IBM eServer worldwide marketing, Systems and Technology Group. "The virtualisation of everything isn't just virtualising by creating partitions, but virtualising an environment containing IBM servers, HP servers, Dell servers, tape, file and all kinds of storage. It's turning that whole structure into one big pool of logical resources. This allows you to set business priorities rather than IT telling you what you can and can't do."

What follows is an introduction to some of the key technologies that comprise the Virtualization Engine platform. Take a look and see how IBM has not only enhanced virtualisation, but how it's transformed the technology into a complete business solution. Then take a look at IBM's other virtualisation features. In "Serving the City," read the story of the city of Richmond, Va., which relies on the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller to help maximise its storage resources and bring greater security and control to its IT environment. And in "Virtual Explanation," learn how IBM POWER5 technology and AIX 5L v5.3 function in tandem to exploit virtualisation.

• Dynamic logical partitioning (dynamic LPAR) enables selected system resources like processors, memory and I/O components to be added and deleted from dedicated partitions while they're actively in use.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM eServer p5 and pSeries; iSeries; zSeries; z9.
  
• Micro-Partitioning, which was introduced with the POWER5 microprocessor-based systems, allows administrators to more efficiently allocate server resources by assigning resources to fractions of processors as opposed to whole processors. Resources can be shared easily, and changes in resource allocation are transparent to users.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM eServer p5 and pSeries, iSeries.
  
• Virtual I/O is a special-purpose partition that provides virtual I/O and network resources to client partitions. The Virtual I/O Server owns the resources that are shared with clients. A physical adapter assigned to a partition can be shared by one or more other partitions, enabling administrators to minimise the number of physical adapters they require for individual clients. The Virtual I/O Server can thus reduce costs by eliminating the need for dedicated network adapters, disk adapters and disk drives.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM eServer p5 and pSeries; iSeries; z9, zSeries, xSeries.
  
• Virtual LANs, which are configured through software rather than hardware, allow computers to behave as if they are located on the same LAN segment, even though they may be physically located on different segments. Extremely flexible virtual LANs help provide virtualisation capabilities by allowing you to prioritise traffic on shared networks. A virtual LAN is organised by traffic patterns rather than physical location.
  
  Supported platforms: z9, zSeries, iSeries, pSeries
  
• Virtual Ethernet communication paths are provided between multiple operating systems (e.g., AIX 5L and Linux) without the need for any additional hardware. Virtual Ethernet segments can be dynamically created and access to a virtual LAN segment can be restricted for security or traffic segregation requirements.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM eServer p5 and pSeries, iSeries.
  
• HiperSockets provide an integrated virtual TCP/IP network connection among multiple combinations of virtual servers and LPARs running Linux on zSeries, Linux on S/390, z/OS V1R2, z/VM V4R2 and VSE/ESA V2R7 or later on zSeries.
  
  Supported platform: IBM System z9.
  
• Integrated Virtualisation Manager (IVM) which is aimed at small- to medium-sized enterprises, provides a browser-based systems management interface for managing a single system without a Hardware Management Console (HMC). The IVM allows you to create and manage logical partitions, configure virtual Ethernet networks, manage storage in the Virtual I/O Server, and more.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM eServer p5, pSeries, and OpenPower.
  
• SAN Volume Controller is designed to enable changes to physical storage with minimal or no disruption to applications. It combines the capacity from multiple disk storage systems into a single storage pool, which can be managed from a central point. SAN Volume Controller also allows you to apply advanced copy services across storage systems from many different vendors.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM and non-IBM storage systems.
  
• SAN File System is designed to help reduce the associated costs and complexity of managing files within SANs by providing centralised and policy-based storage and data management for supported heterogeneous server, OS and storage platforms.
  
  Supported platforms: IBM and non-IBM storage systems.
  

• IBM Director provides a single, Java-based user interface for monitoring the usage and performance of heterogeneous system resources (including Windows, AIX 5L v5.3, Linux on Power, Linux on zSeries and VMware configurations, as well as storage devices), as well as tracking inventory and events. Administrators can manage tasks, take core corrective actions and issue distributed commands.
  
• Enterprise Workload Manager (EWLM) provides a consolidated end-to-end view of transactions and their performance across a heterogeneous infrastructure as devined against business goals. Select systems resources, such as POWER5 partitions, can also be managed with EWLM.
  
• Resource Dependency Services (RDS) tool automatically discovers IBM and non-IBM resources, both physical and logical, and maps the virtualised topology, associations, and dependencies of any customer defined environment.
  

• The Virtualization Engine Console features a comprehensive set of management tasks and provides a single consolidated, graphical view of resource health and monitoring capabilities across multiple operating systems and multiple management domains/disciplines (e.g., IBM Director, CSM, MC, Tivoli, EWLM).
  
• The IBM TotalStorage Productivity Center is the storage equivalent of the VE Console. It centralises management of SAN devices, disk, replication, capacity planning and storage usage.