Server virtualisation beyond the x86 environment

z/VM

We have a fairly large Windows visualized farm on VMWare. A few hundred servers we've migrated over or built on VMWare over the last 3 years or so.

However, in the last 12 months, we've gone from having 2 IFLs to play with, to more than 20, running well in excess of 400 Suse Linux servers on the Mainframe. We expect to at least double that this year, and ANY server that CAN run on Suse is being migrated to Suse.

Windows needs 1 license per virtual server in most cases (OS excluded), where most IBM license is by the processor underneath. A P6+ 4 core processor is 480PVUs worth of license. An IFL is 120PVUs, and can run 4-6 times the number of guest servers.

You can now get a mini-mainframe (Buseinss class z10), with 2 starter IFLs for under $200,000. That can run 40-60 servers easy. The same capacity on a 570 or 590 platform will cost about the same, if not a bit less (we pay about $80 per fully loaded VMWare chassis), and it will also run 40-60 guests. However, licensing costs between them, for things like WebSphere, are about 8 times higher on the VMWare side, and on top of that you need the VMWare licenses themselves, plus the OS. A z10 BC can hold a whole lot of IFLs, a few ZIIPs and ZAAPs too. If you;re visualizing a few hundred web and Java servers, DB2 or PGSQL/MySQL databases, WebSphere or MQ, then z/VM linux on a z10 IFL is by FAR the cheapest way to go. We've also seen cost reductions in Oracle pricing, VRU services, and more.

The single binary image model is far superior to image independent VM guests (patch one system to patch a hundred). Operational issues are lessened by not running Windows, no one writes viruses compiled for OS390X hardware (since you'd actually need access to a mainframe or Hercules VM server to do it), and LPAR replication between 2 chassis is easy (and you don't have to license the second chassis).

If you look at IBM list pricing for the IFLs, ZIIPs, and Chassis, it sounds like a bad deal, but consider, NO ONE pays list price for IBM mainframe hardware (we pay about half).

Is this a solution for an SME, with 30-50 servers? no, but then honestly nether is a true VMWare infrastructure...

Insanely Beautiful Machines

Virtualization on non-x86? Easy - AIX/Linux on Power platforms. I'm not a big fan of IBM per se (especially as I work for one of their closest competitors - ahem) but the virtualization features they've got on the Power boxes (APV/PVM) are really powerful and easy to use. So much so, that when you come to look at Solaris/HPUX/etc you wonder they do it the hard way...

I guess that's the upside of having control of the hardware and software like IBM do - okay, it's more expensive, but you can really layer on the useful features. Take a look at the PVM Concepts "Redbook"/manual and you'll see what I mean.

Okay, Power virtualization arguably isn't as wide-spread as it is for x86, but the AIX stuff is easily good enough to be usable for slice-n-dice of big server frames into multiple production machines, even high-load, production-critical stuff with clustering etc. So you can then get the advantages of the bigger boxes - less floorspace/server, better cost/server, more resiliancy features, etc.

And if it's not production, but dev/test then being able to fast provision a shed-load of small servers (I've seen a half a dozen images running happily on a little 2-core p520 'pizza box') on a resource-limited box is a god-send.

I initially wasn't that impressed with the virtualization, but once I'd had a good while in 'hands on' I became a convert - so much so, that my own "dev" Linux (x86) box at home now runs VMware Server with a couple of VM's on it. It's definitely the way to go.

bright sparc

Now what would be useful is some cross-platform architecture virtualisation, or would that be emulation.

I have the need to run some apps produced by a certain company that is big in networking on real Sun SPARC hardware. While the rest of my estate is x86 orientated, I need a couple of SPARC boxes to jog alongside. For development and prototyping purposes; I believe if the likes of VMware could incorporate SPARC emulation then I could get rid of my two ageing SunFire V120's running Solaris10 and that would allow me greater flexibility when addressing client needs, while keeping my costs at the right level.

That said, for production purposes though I guess real SPARC-tin would still be needed to hit those SUNny performance levels. Perhaps after another 12-24 months that could be addressed too.

Fun Graphs

I absolutely love how they include "Not answered" and "don't use this platform" in the graphs to make it look as if only a tiny fraction of unix and other systems use virtualization.

I need to remember that trick.

What's with the gradients?

The graphs are difficult to read. Simplify, simplify.