This mainframe blog intends to write on IBM z Systems and high-end and midrange storage associated with it. My intention is to write all kinds of comments, hints and tips and thoughts about news in general, announcements, publications, interesting sites and user groups.
It’s become customary by now, the announcement of one system is accompanied by the End of Marketing announcement of the previous generation, in this case the zEC12 and the zBC12 : 'Hardware Withdrawal: IBM zEnterprise EC12, IBM zEnterprise BC12, and IBM z BladeCenter Extension (zBX) Model 004 - some replacements available (ZG16-0021)'
However, it’s a bit more complicated this time because what used to be a two step operation is now somewhat of a three step generation. Remember with the z10 EC and z10 BC or with the z196 and z114.
First there was the End of Marketing of the system itself and all hardware MES upgrades like disruptively adding memory, adding books or I/O cards.
And secondly, a year later, all LIC upgrades like e.g. adding a processor within the same book or drawer, non-disruptively adding memory was ended as well.
This is again the case with the zEC12 en zBC12, except that six months before the first step all delivery of and upgrades to a z12 are no longer possible “for the listed RoHS Jurisdictions”. This includes, I think, most of the European countries. So, this is how the withdrawals go
June 30, 2016 : RoHS jurisdictions
All Models of the zEC12 and upgrades towards them
All models of the zBC12 and upgrades towards them
December 31, 2016 : all countries
All Models of the zEC12 and upgrades towards them
All models of the zBC12 and upgrades towards them
Model conversions and hardware MES features applied to an existing zEC12 or zBC12 server
December 31, 2017
Field installed features and all associated conversions that are delivered solely through a modification to the machine's Licensed Internal Code (LIC)
You know I mentioned before that I thought the End of Marketing for previous generations was quite tight from a customer point of view. Here’s a brief overview.
Click on image for larger version
I also mentioned the zBX 004. Well, as of March 31, 2017 the last zBX Model 004 will have been marketed and no more upgrades from previous models will be possible either. I guess no further comment is needed with regards to the zBX ?
This is a bit of a strange announcement : it's a collection of some System z enhancements : 'IBM zEnterprise enhancements (ZG13-0042)'. I'll give you the summary, so if anything interests you, then just check out the announcement for more details.
"Today's enhancements extend System z unique leadership attributes for improved integration, agility, and security. These include:
IBM® zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) Model 003
Improved flexibility with top exit I/O and power cabling
IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) Model 002
Improved flexibility with the ability to dynamically add virtual storage to configurations for the IBM BladeCenter HX5 (7873)
IBM WebSphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50 for zEnterprise ( DataPower XI50z) V5.0 firmware for zBX Model 003
Increased governance with improvements to help control insight into your service-oriented architecture (SOA)
Enhanced security by enforcement of security industry standards to Web 2.0 infrastructure and mobile applications
Enhanced processing power with extended memory support
IBM System z Advanced Workload Analysis Reporter ( IBM zAware)
Increased distance allowed between the IBM zAware host system and IBM zAware monitored clients
Renaming of feature codes to improve clarity of ordering
Available now are the following items announced for first quarter 2013 in the IBM zEnterprise EC12 announcement:
zBX Model 003 move from one IBM zEnterprise EC12 to another IBM zEnterprise EC12
DataPower Blade remove or move from one zBX to another zBX
z/OS® support for these zEC12 functions is planned to be available by March 31, 2013:
2 GB pages, with the z/OS V1R13 RSM Enablement Offering web deliverable and the PTF for APAR OA40967
Dynamic reconfiguration for Flash Express , with the z/OS V1R13 RSM Enablement Offering web deliverable and the PTF for APAR OA40968"
There's also a statement of direction that might be of interest to some people, but I just don't know how widely spread non-raised-floor System z servers are.
IBM plans to offer only Top Exit I/O Cabling and Top Exit with Power on future System z servers for non-raised-floor implementations. Bottom exit cabling (I/O and power) will no longer be offered or supported in non-raised-floor environments. Enterprises with non-raised-floor data centers should begin planning for top exit I/O cabling and top exit power cabling.
If I'm not mistaken that was already the case for the zEC12 but the z114 still offered both options. So, any successor to the z114 will only have top exit I/O and Power cabling.
Ok, ok, I’ll anticipate a bit. I’m sure some of you will remark when they’ve read through this : is that all ? Does that justify a new System z announcement ? IBM zAware, Flash Express, some kind of discount on the MLC pricing and … oh, that’s it ? Well, I guess it is. Or not ? It's definitely not what people at IBM will tell you when you make this remark. They really invested a lot of money and people into this system and it really has a lot more to offer than you would think at first sight.
Well, you know what, let me walk you through it and at the end you can let me know which side you are choosing.
What about the name ? If you follow the logic of the zEnterprise z196, this should be the zEnterprise z2A1, but it isn’t. It’s the zEnterprise EC12. zEnterprise is clear, this is the new brand name since it was introduced in 2010. Apparently EC pops up again for the Enterprise Class Models. And we seem to have picked up the count again where we left off after the z10, skipping 11 and now resuming at 12. Hence : zEnterprise EC12 or zEC12. Thank God IBM keeps its naming conventions transparent.
I’ll first give you the general technical details. Then we’ll have a look under the covers with some special attention to connectivity and physical planning. Then we move on to the new features : Flash Express and IBM zAware. Other topics covered are Operating Systems, zBX, the HMC, software pricing, Statements of Direction, documentation and some key dates.
Technical specifications
Let’s start by giving you an overview of the most important technical specifications with all new elements indicated in blue.
Click on image for larger version
Models and sub-capacity settings
Similar to the z196 the zEC12 has four regular models and one large sized model : H20, H43, H66, H89 and HA1 (the ‘A’ standing for ‘10’, so ‘A1’ stands for ‘101’). For the regular models, every book has 27 PUs with the HA1 each book has 30 PUs.
There are 2 spares designated per system. We see 4 SAPs per book. So if we take e.g. the H20 with 27 PUs, we subtract the 4 SAPs and the 2 spare processors, that leaves us with, hey, 21 PUs. Well, each system has 1 PU which is reserved for future use. And, no, don’t ask, I really don’t know what it will be used for. As usual processors can be defined as Central Processors (CPs), ICFs, IFLs, zAAPs zIIPs and optionally as additional SAPs.
A full processor (the 701 or a specialty engine) has a capacity of 1.514 mips as opposed to 1.202 on the z196. We have again three sub-capacity levels (4-, 5, -6) now for up to 20 CPs.
The zEC12 supports two different internal I/O infrastructures : the InfiniBand I/O infrastructure first introduced on the z10 supporting the 6 GBps InfiniBand I/O interconnect and the PCI Express Generation 2 (PCIe Gen2) I/O infrastructure introduced with z196 and z114 supporting the 8 GBps PCIe I/O interconnect. Only the last one is available on new systems.
Memory
In general we have the same RAIM Memory design as introduced on the z196. The system minimum is 32 GB and goes up to 768 GB per book and up to 3 TB for the entire system. This means the same maximum as on the z196. You can go up to 1 TB per LPAR. The fixed HSA is now set at 32 GB.
Where are the improvements ?
First of all the Out of Order core execution has become more performant than on the z196. There’s the introduction of 2 GB page frames, increasing efficiency for DB2 buffer pools, Java heap and other large structures. Decimal format conversions enable broader exploitation of Decimal Floating Point facility by COBOL programs.
And there’s the improved cache, too. A small comparison :
z196
L1 private 64k i, 128k d
L2 private 1.5 MB
L3 shared 24 MB / chip
L4 shared 192 MB / book
zEC12
L1 private 64k i, 96k d
L2 private 1 MB i + 1 MB d
L3 shared 48 MB / chip
L4 shared 384 MB / book
And next to that, there’s the additional Flash Express, which I will discuss later in this post.
Processor speed
Processor speed has now gone from 5.2GHz on the z196 to 5.5GHz on the zEC12
Click on image for larger version
Upgrades
In short you can upgrade from any z10 EC or any z196 to a zEC12.
When a z196 with a zBX is upgraded to a zEC12, the zBX Model 002 is converted to a Model 003. Mind you, this takes a considerable amount of additional planning. So be sure to walk this through with BP or IBM Subject Matter Experts.
Under the covers
Here’s a picture of how an air cooled model might look like on the inside
Click on image for larger version
The cooling has been changed for this new system. As far as I understand it for the moment, you have ‘fill and drain’ kits for both air and water cooled models. The radiator is filled with some kind of cooling fluid which is used for cooling the cores in the book. This fluid is cooled with water in the water cooled models and with air in the air cooled models. It’s an entirely new system which is completely incompatible with the z196.
Drawers and connectivity
Must I remind you of the fact that ESCON is no longer supported ?
Let’s have a look at the other card types.
FICON
Well, nothing spectacular concerning FICON. The FICON-Express8 card can be carried forward and the FICON-Express8S card for the PCIe drawer was already available. There is some improvement with zHPF as the 64k byte limit is eliminated allowing the card to fully exploit its available bandwidth.
OSA-Express
There’s now also a new OSA-Express4S 1000Base-T card for the PCIe I/O drawer.
The card has 2 ports accounting for 1 CHPID.
There’s nothing much to tell about the other OSA-Express cards. It’s pretty straightforward as already saw on the illustration above.
Crypto-Express
The new Crypto Express4S card has one adapter per feature and you initially have to order two features. There are three configuration options for this PCIe adapter, but only one configuration option can be chosen at any given time. Switching between configuration modes will erase all 'card secrets'. The three options are : Accelerator, Secure IBM CCA coprocessor (default) and IBM Enterprise PKCS #11 (EP11) coprocessor, which is new.
Just a final remark on connectivity in general : there are limitations on carrying forward I/O cages and drawers. A maximum of 45 Non-PCIe Feature Cards can be carried forward following strict rules. So, do your planning carefully if you still have a lot of these cards.
Physical Planning
Measurements, weight, clearance
As far as I can see, as good as no changes regarding the footprint. There will apparently be identical floor cutouts for the zEC12 as for the z196 with no significant increase in weight. The depth of the system with covers will increase by 64 mm or 2.52 inches.
Top exit power cabling and non-raised floor option
The overhead Power option is shipped separately and installed on-site to allow for door clearance. In some cases this can avoid ordering the machine with height reduction saving the IBM CE some extra work.
The only thing for which there is no overhead support is for the water supply on water cooled systems. So it also speaks for itself that for the new non-raised floor models, only air cooled systems will be available.
Let’s move on to the really new features now.
Really New 1 : Flash Express
As a picture tells more than a thousand words, I guess this illustration shows you immediately what Flash Express is about :
Flash Express is used to deliver a new tier of memory, which is indeed slower than real memory but which is a lot faster than external disk. So, Flash Express introduces Solid State Drive (SSD) technology to the zSeries family. An operating system, such as z/OS, will be able to access blocks of flash storage as storage locations within a logical partition.
The main application of internal Flash in the zEC12 GA-1 is paging store for z/OS. z/OS paging subsystem will work with a mix of internal Flash and External Disk. This leads to improved paging performance realized through a simplified configuration. That way Flash Express can improve availability and reduce latency during transition periods and spikes. It helps accelerate start of day processing. It enables faster snapshots of diagnostics (e.g. SVC dump, standalone dump).
With pageable large (1MB) pages it can improve performance of DB2 and Java making it also ideal for applications with random read access and high read/write ratios.
Flash Express is implemented via NAND Flash SSDs (Solid State Drives) mounted in PCIe Flash Express feature cards.
They plug into PCIe I/O drawers in pairs. They are cabled together to form a Raid 10 Mirror for redundancy thus providing 1.6 TB of storage.
A maximum of 4 pairs is allowed per system.
Internal Flash is accessed using the new System z architected EADM (Extended Asynchronous Data Mover) Facility, an extension of the ADM architecture used in the past with expanded storage. Definition in IOCDS is not required.
You assign flash memory to partitions like main memory by minimum/maximum memory amount, not by feature. Each partition’s flash memory is isolated like main memory. You can dynamically increase the partition maximum amount of flash or dynamically configure flash memory into and out of the partition.
For the moment Flash Express is only used by z/OS 1.13 (4 GB LPAR or larger) plus PTFs. In the future it may also be exploited by Linux on System z … For availability, check the key dates below.
Really New 2 : IBM zAware
IBM zAware grew from the awareness (no pun intended) that systems are changing very fast and are gradually getting more and more complex. It becomes a real challenge to detect problems soon enough before they cascade and lead to system failures at some or other point. The challenge lies in the ability to identify the causes of system anomalies and other problems proactively and repair them as quickly as possible, within SLA conditions before the system lets you down. That’s why IBM developed IBM zAware (IBM System z Advanced Workload Analysis Reporter).
Here’s an illustration of how IBM zAware monitors your sysplex(es).
Click on image for larger version
Let’s have a look at the several components on this picture. IBM zAware is running in its own LPAR (on a CP or an IFL), kind of acting as e.g. a coupling facility does. Therefore it is also defined from the HMC. So it needs its own memory as well and this is estimated to start at 4GB and an additonal 200MB per monitored system. It also requires its own DASD and connectivity via HiperSockets or OSA ports. It can monitor any System z Server running z/OS 1.13 + PTFs. However, it can only run on a zEC12.
IBM zAware goes through massive amounts of OPERLOG messages (including all z/OS console message, ISV and application generated messages) and turns this into useful information. It creates a 90 days baseline. Starting from this baseline it performs machine learning, pattern recognition, and statistical analysis on the new streaming messages. It looks for unexpected patterns detecting unusual behavior of z/OS images in near real time.
The results are presented in a single browser based view showing the health of your Parallel Sysplex via a relative weighting and color coding as you can see in the example below.
The colors give you an indication on the timeline of possible problems with their weight and you can drill down on any problem (color) in order to get more details about it.
IBM zAware can also provide information in XML format that can feed other processes or tools.
There are some overlaps with other products like e.g. z/OS Health Checker, z/OS PFA and z/OS RTD. Still it goes one step further because it’s a self learning pattern based message analysis tool able to diagnose complex z/OS problems across your sysplex reporting problems that might bring down your system(s).
IBM zAware is a fee-based feature based upon the number of z/OS images it is monitoring. The good news : IBM zAware licenses for DR machines are included in the base purchase, so no extra cost there.
Operating Systems
z/OS Support Plan :
z/OS V1R10 with PTFs (Toleration, Lifecycle Extension Required)
z/OS V1R11 with PTFs (Toleration, Lifecycle Extension required)
z/OS V1R12 with PTFs (Exploitation of some functions like e.g. Crypto Express4S)
z/OS V1R13 with PTFs (Exploitation of most functions plus Flash Express and IBM zAware Support)
z/OS V2.1 with Full Exploitation in base
z/VM Support Plan :
z/VM 5.4, 6.1, and 6.2 will support zEC12 in compatibility mode with PTFs
Exploitation support to be provided with z/VM 6.3 (to GA after zEC12)
z/VSE Support Plan:
z/VSE plans to provide compatibility support at zEC12 GA1 for:
z/VSE 4.3 with PTFs
z/VSE 5.1 with PTFs
Linux for System z Support Plan :
IBM intends to support zEC12 with the following distributions:
SUSE SLES 10 and SLES 11
Red Hat RHEL 5 and RHEL 6
zBX and hybrid computing
General
When you take a look at the zBX Model 003, apparantly there was no money left to do a restyling for this box too. As a matter of fact, when you take a closer look at new functionalities or features, there’s nothing much that really accounts for introducing a new model at all. There’s no big deal happening under the covers either. To put it bluntly : no new types of blades (not even for the DataPower XI50z), just some extra connectivity for redundancy and throughput reasons, and that’s about it. Does that justify the extra amount of planning and work it takes for the forced upgrade from model 002 to model 003 when upgrading to a zEC12. I’m just not sure about it.
So what ís new here ?
For the Unified Resource Manager dynamic discovery and configuration of storage is added. There’s a fulfillment of the statement of direction to implement new Unified Resource Manager APIs to enable discovery, monitoring and management of ensemble resources using external tools. As an example, IBM Tivoli is using these APIs.
For connectivity the 10 Gb cables between BladeCenter 10Gb switch and 10 Gb TOR (Top of Rack) switch are doubled enabling a potential of 20 Gb Ethernet bandwidth via link aggregation.
By the way, if you should have a IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer (ISAOPT), it is no longer supported on the Model 003. You will have to migrate to the IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator (IDAA) which is the separate Netezza box. If this was all you were running on the zBX, you probable won’t even need a Model 003.
I’ll finish this part with a spark of good news : at least there is no cost for upgrading from Model 002 to Model 003 and transferring zManager from z196 to zEC12.
And of course the zEnterprise keeps its enormous wealth of possibilities that were already introduced since it's first announcement back in 2010.
Operating system support on zBX
Support for Linux environments on System x blades in zBX
64-bit version support only
Red Hat RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 6.0 6.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 (SP4) and SLES 11 SP1
Support for Windows environments on System x blades in zBX
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (SP2)
For either Windows the Datacenter Edition is recommended
Support of AIX environments on POWER7 blades in zBX
AIX: AIX 5.3 Technology Level 12 or higher,
AIX 6.1 Technology Level 5 or higher, AIX 7.1
HMC
It’s simple : only HMCs with feature code FC0091 are allowed on the zEC12. When carrying them forward previously supplied FC 0091 consoles are upgraded to the newly required 16 GB with Driver Level 12 adding an additional 8GB to them. FC0091 shipped prior to zEC12 have only 8GB.
For those still using dial up connections : HMC application LIC for zEC12 and zBX Model 3 will NOT support dial modem use. Modems on installed HMC FC0091 hardware will no longer work and future HMCs will no longer have modem hardware.
Another point of attention : the HMC LAN switch (FC0070) which could be supplied with former systems is no longer provided. They can be carried forward or the customer must acquire the switches separately to implement the required HMC LAN connectivity.
The software pricing is pretty straightforward this time. It may come as a surprise, but the pricing metric remains the same for MLC : AWLC. Still, there’s a benefit of on average 5%. How is it realized ? Quite simple, there’s a reduction on some softwares depending on the MSUs.
Let me give you an example. You have a zEC12 with a machine capacity of 1.500 MSUs and your SCRT reports 1.300 MSUs for z/OS and in a smaller partition 300 MSUs for Cobol. Well, it’s not the reported MSUs that count. Since your machine has 1.500 MSUs, you’ll get a reduction compared to the z196 of 5% on those softwares. So, no need to make elaborate calculations starting with 2% on the first 45 MSUs, then 4% from 46 to 315. No, plain and simple 5% because the machine has 1500 MSUs. You see, even software pricing can be easy from time to time.
The zEC12 will be the last high server to support connections to an STP Mixed CTN. This includes the Sysplex Timer(R) (9037): After zEC12, servers that require time synchronization, such as to support a base or Parallel Sysplex(R), will require Server Time Protocol (STP), and all servers in that network must be configured in STP-only mode.
Removal of support for Ethernet half-duplex operation and 10 Mbps link data rate: The OSAExpress4S 1000BASE-T Ethernet feature is planned to be the last copper Ethernet feature to support halfduplex operation and a 10 Mbps link data rate. The zEC12 servers are planned to be the last IBM System z servers to support half-duplex operation and a 10 Mbps link data rate for copper Ethernet environments.
Removal of ISC-3 support on System z: The zEC12 is planned to be the last high-end System z server to offer support of the InterSystem Channel-3 (ISC-3) for Parallel Sysplex environments at extended distances. ISC-3 will not be supported on future high-end System z servers as carry forward on an upgrade.
The same applies for OSA-Express3 support and FICON Express4 support.
IBM System z Integrated Information Processor (zIIP) and IBM System z Application Assist Processor (zAAP) simplification: IBM zEnterprise EC12 is planned to be the last high-end System z server to offer support for zAAP specialty engine processors. IBM intends to continue support for running zAAP workloads on zIIP processors ("zAAP on zIIP"). This is intended to help simplify capacity planning and performance management, while still supporting all the currently eligible workloads. In addition, IBM plans to provide a PTF for APAR OA38829 on z/OS V1.12 and V1.13 in September 2012 to remove the restriction that prevents zAAP-eligible workloads from running on zIIP processors when a zAAP is installed on the server.
Documentation
IBM Announcement page.
Here you'll also find more product details, the data sheet and an elaborate FAQ, which also gives you an idea of some price features
The Technical manuals will be available in the Library section of Resourcelink.
I'll come back with a larger overview as soon as all documentation is fully available.
Key Dates
August 28, 2012 :
Announcement Day
First Day Orders for GA Systems
September 4, 2012
zEC12 Models H20, H43, H66, H89, and HA1
z10 EC and z196 upgrades
z196 with zBX model 002 upgrades to zNext with zBX model 003
IBM zAware
Flash Express - orderable August 28, 2012, and deliverable September 19, 2012. Planned availability of z/OS exploitation of functionality is December 14, 2012
It's been a while since I had some short takes. Sometimes I'm making a bookmark thinking 'I'm going to blog
about this'. But then, it's often too short, too little, just a link, but still, interesting enough to mention. So here we go.
Susan Visser (also on Twitter as @susvis) writes an excellent blog on DB2 resources. The focus : "Build your Skill on Information Management : books, certifications, tutorials, and more". And here's an very interesting post on Skills Resources for DB2 for z/OS Enthusiasts containing magazines, books, eBooks, Twitter, Redbooks, blogs, events, certification material, communities . . .
Just some pictures this one : Roger Luethy with his Storage CH Blog directs us towards a peek inside the new IBM PureApplication System. Go have a look over here and . . . watch your step !
On a somewhat more serious note is a blog post on Dancing Dinosaur about the relation between the newly announced PureSystems and zEnterprise : 'PureSystems Joins zEnterprise Hybrid Family'. When to use zBX, when to use PureSystems, how are they related, do I not end up with 2 separated hybrid worlds, indeed all very interesting questions that Alan Radding is trying to answer. Just one small quote : "Looking ahead, IBM already is planning zBX support for the next
generation z and promises to more tightly integrate the zEnterprise with
PureSystems".
What about IDAA ? Well, Willie Favero blogs about enhancements to the IDAA (IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator) in this post. The enhancements are due for this summer and they are quite interesting : IDAA will e.g. be updated to allow an incremental update. Now I find that great news since "this also means that the data in the Accelerator can be continuously
updated, giving queries an almost real time copy of the data". Also the capacity of the IDAA is raised from 128TB up to 1.280TB. you can find more information over here in an article of Alan Meyer in the IBM Data Management Magazine.
I mentioned the tips and techniques contest on the Destination z siteearlier. Well, here are the finalists. Have a look at them and decide which one is your favourite. Then go over to the voting page where you can cast your vote until next Friday. You should do it, because for the moment it's a head to head race between two of the contestants. You might cast the decisive vote.
Last but not least we have a special anniversary this month : IBM tape has turned 60 ! Here's a brief history of it. Or you can have a look at several storage blogs or at the IBM site itself. To me the titles up there summarize it very well : "Tape is an essential component of today’s storage infrastructure" and "60 years of innovation – and counting". I still know what was the first tape I ever came across in my career, about 25 years ago. You know why : I kept one of those when they disposed of them in favour of some shiny, brand new 3480s. So here it is ! (I'm not even sure it's IBM material. Anyone ?). So, happy anniversary to IBM tape !
And you want to know why ? Or you want to explain to others why ?
Then here's a nice short eWeek presentation that does it for you. Apparantly it comes from Greg Lotko, vice president and business line executive for System z.
Here we are with some new documents from TechDocs I recently came across or found while browsing through the latest publications.
Presentation : Why Websphere Application Server for z/OS Starting point of this presentation is : "Websphere is Websphere" no matter what platform you run it on. But is that really so ? No, not at all. Websphere Application Server for z/OS is very aware and is using the underlying platform to a considerable extent. So, there might be a couple of reasons why you would specifically want to use WAS for z/OS . . . So, read on, here they are.
Presentation : z114 Hardware Management Console 2.11.1 "The 2.11.1 Traditional Hardware Management Console (HMC) is new with the z114 Server. This presentation covers the enhanced features and functions of the 2.11.1 Traditional HMC which is available at Driver 93 for both the z196 and the new z114".
Technical document : DS8000 EasyTier Implementation Guide This is a DS8000 EasyTier Implementation Guide Using DSCLI with examples. Subjects discussed are Easy Tier Overview, Easy Tier implementation using DSCLI, DS8000 Logical configuration, Data Relocation with Easy Tier Automatic Mode and with Easy Tier Manual Mode.
Flash : IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension Top of Rack Switch (TOR) New technology usually comes along with lots of new terminology as well. Well, it's not different with the zBX and here you'll find two documents explaining everything about the Top of Rack Switch and the connectivity with the mainframe.
FAQ : Frequently asked questions from IBM and Oracle customers about Linux on IBM System z Nice FAQ that "answers a few common questions about Oracle products running on IBM System z running Linux. This document was jointly written by IBM and Oracle". Subjects are Oracle product availability on the System z platform, Oracle Grid and IBM System z and Technical Support.
Referral pages : I'm concluding with some classics that keep getting updated every once in a while. First there's 'Withdrawal of z/OS Function Beginning with z/OS Release 5 Through Current z/OS Release'. "This flash lists those items IBM has announced intention for removal in a specific z/OS release. These items have already been announced in previous IBM z/OS announcement letters. Consideration should be given to this list when planning your migration to a z/OS release". The second is the 'IBM System z I/O Feature Reference Table'. This table provides information about System z I/O features and the specific machine types on which they are supported. It is grouped by card type / function: OSA, FICON, Parallel Sysplex, Cryptography, ESCON, and I/O Support. The last one is the 'IBM Mainframe Life Cycle History' : System z mainframe hardware product marketing and service life cycle history since 1994.
Well that's it for now. As I always say : just check them out !
In fact it's quite simple : IBM promises to deliver the roadmap "to incorporate select IBM System x technologies, originally targeted for the first half of 2011". But where originally the Linux part of the roadmap was stressed, IBM apparantly also had many requests by customers for Windows support (cf. my previous post over here). So here are the two Statements of Direction :
"In the third quarter of 2011, IBM intends to offer select IBM System x blades running Linux® on System x in the IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension Model 002.
In the fourth quarter of 2011, IBM intends to offer select IBM System x blades running Microsoft Windows in the IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension Model 002."
And you know what IBM adds after every SOD : "All statements regarding IBM's plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice".
I covered this already in our newsletter, but I still want to repeat it here as this whole zEnterprise story really seems to mark a turning point in our mainframe history.
I'll start off with a video, just watch it before you continue reading.
OK, now you may ask yourself : "how did I get here, am I right am I wrong". Oops, no, that's Talking Heads. Second attempt : now you may ask yourself : "what does this have to do with me ?" Actually, a lot ! The IBM Websphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50 for zEnterprise (XI50z) is - next to the Smart Analytics Optimizer - announced as the following optimizer on zBX. And it fits perfectly in the new zEnterprise strategy of IBM.
Let me repeat some of my own words when I discussed the announcement of the z196 EC : "Starting point for this is that we live in a heterogeneous world where a one size fits all approach for all workloads does no longer stand a chance. Each platform has its specific strengths. What IBM wants to do now is bring those platforms together into one system, the IBM zEnterprise System. The goal is to use the mainframe as a central system to manage the heterogeneous platforms which are connected to it." I think the XI50z is quite a good example of this strategy as it bring's an existing appliance to the mainframe. And there are good reasons for doing so. Let me tell you some more about it.
Some history The DataPower appliances (there are several) were added to the IBM portfolio in 2005 when IBM took over DataPower. De XI50z is actually the System z version op the existing XI50B appliance, you also see in the video above. These appliances are hardware platforms built with a specific goal : functionalities that are originally executed at server level are consolidated into appliances. This does not only consolidate these functionalities, it should also boost your performance.
Click on image for larger version in new window
How does it work ? It's clear that this follows the same philosophy as what I described above or it's at least a predecessor of it. Summarized the XI50z is specifically used to accelerate XML processing, converting Web services protocols and also taking up some security aspects.
Ok, it's clear, you can best describe this as an Enterprise Server Bus (ESB). Let's give you some functionalities in more detail :
Protocol Bridging : Integrate disparate transport protocols with extreme ease like : HTTP(s), WebSphere MQ, WebSphere JMS, Tibco EMS, Database (DB2, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server)
"Parsing of messages to allow specific routing based on Quality of Service requirements by user or transaction type.
The ability to take synchronous or asynchronous action based on the message, such as additional database calls to add to the message, or to modify the message content.
Conversion of XML to more efficient protocols than the SOAP or HTTP format, such as WebSphere MQ."
As I also indicated, IBM states the use of these appliances should give you a performance gain. For the XI50 this should be around 23%.
What about the mainframe Here are some functionalities the XI50z (or for that matter of course also the XI50B) can handle in a mainframe context :
Connect to existing applications over WebSphere MQ
Transform XML to/from COBOL Copybook for legacy needs
Natively communicate with IMS Connect
Dynamic crypto material retrieval & caching, or offload crypto ops to z
Service enable CICS using WebSphere MQ
Virtualize CICS Web Services
As always, a picture tells more than a thousand words, so here are a couple of examples for CICS and DB2
Click on image for larger version in new window
Click on image for larger version in new window
Integration of the DataPower appliance on zBX For the technical implementation I'm going to refer to the announcement, but I would like to point out some of the advantages for putting this appliance on mainframe (zBX) instead of running it as a standalone appliance.
Blade Hardware Management
Monitoring of hardware for health, degraded operation
Call-home for current/expected problems, automatic dispatch of CSR
Consolidation/Integration of DP HW problem reporting with other problems reported in zBX
Energy Monitoring and Management of DP Blades
DataPower Firmware Load and Update
Consistent change mgmt with other zGryphon firmware mgmt
Enforced restriction of firmware updates to SE userid
Enhanced new firmware level testing in zBX
HMC Console Integration
Person monitoring the z environment from an overall hardware operational perspective will see DP blades included in the picture, with associated status from a single console
Group GUI operations for functions supported on HMC (e.g. power up/quiesce/upgrade firmware)
Time synchronization with system z time via HMC/SE time server
DataPower Failure Recovery and Restart
HMC/SE will detect and report on appliance failures and can be used to re-cycle appliance if DataPower built-in restart fails
Periodic Backup/restore of full blade configuration (automatic on changes to config); Backup to HMC media
Networking
Virtual Network Provisioning
Provides enforced isolation of network traffic via VLAN support
10Gb end-to-end network infrastructure
Built-in network redundancy
IEDN provides protected network, possibly obviating customer-perceived need for encryption of last-mile flows between DP and target back-end server
Monitoring and Reporting
Monitoring of DataPower health via HMC
Consolidated platform error logging across whole environment
Conclusion I repeat my question : "what does this have to do with me ?". Well, in the coming years we will see more and more of these 'strange' technologies coming to the mainframe. All technologies that wé are not familiar with. Still, we will have to invest time in them, learn to know them because otherwise we will never be able to convince people that these technologies can run on, yes, belong on the mainframe. This is a new challenge we are facing. Let this XI50z be a first testcase for you.
I'll end up with another video, specifically on the XI50z and how you can implement it on mainframe.
It's been a while since I've referred to some of the most interesting publications I regularly find on Techdocs. But, here we are once again with a selection.
Presentation : DS8000 PAV and FlashCopy with z/VSE There's more to life than just z/OS. Here's a nice presentation on the implementation of PAV on z/VSE. It explains PAV in general and then continues on how to implement it on z/VSE. Do take a good look at the restrictions, though.
Presentation : DS8000 Advanced Functions and z/VM "This presentation discusses which DS8000 System z functions are exploited by z/VM. Functions discussed are Parallel Access Volumes (PAVs), FlashCopy, MIDAWs, zHPF, and Extended Address Volumes (EAVs)." Also interesting if you're running e.g. z/VSE as a guest on z/VM.
Flash : IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension Top of Rack Switch (TOR) This document starts with an overview of the zBX but goes into greater detail afterwards. It discusses the Bulk Power Heads on the z196, the connectivity for the Intranode Management Network (INMN) and the IntraEnsemble Data Network (IEDN), with some illustrations (always nice to get a visual) and it concludes with lots of reference materials.
Well that's it for now. As I always say : just check them out !
Some time ago I had a post with a Picture of the Day.Well here's a similar one :
Where did I find it ? Well, it accompanies an article of the Novell Connection Magazine. The article is about server proliferation and all the problems it causes. The solution is of course very simple : "The New Linux Math: zEnterprise System = z196 + IFL + zBX + SUSE Linux Enterprise + zManager". Oh well, I'm not going to take part in the Suse vs. RedHat discussion. This is just another comprehensive article on the use of Linux on System z and how the story will even get more interesting once IBM will provide the x86 based servers for zBX later this year.
I also learn that apparently the IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer is a Suse Linux Enterprise-based appliance. Such an appliance is built by Suse Studio "with an integrated, preconfigured, and fully supported enterprise-class Linux operating system ready for deployment anywhere from desktop to cloud". This technology "to easily build scalable System z server images" will also be made available later in 2011.
When IBM announced the zEnterprise System with its zBX, it was quite clear on what was going to run on the zBX and what wasn't. At the launch only Power 7 blades were available with AIX running on it, no Linux, no i (formerly OS/400). Next to that Xeon-based blades with Linux were put on the roadmap for the first half of 2011. No Windows as this seemed to be too difficult to implement.
Apparently the situation has changed now as we read in this article from The Register : 'IBM's mainframe-blade hybrid to do Windows'. This article does not only give a good recap of the (concepts of the) zEnterprise System, it also gives us some insights in its future, as told by some IBM people. I quote :
"The (...) change that's coming with the zBX, according to Doris Conti, director of System z marketing at IBM, is that Microsoft's Windows operating system will be supported on the Xeon blade servers inside the zBX complex. IBM has hosted over 300 workshops with mainframe customers discussing the new hybrid system, and customers were not exactly happy that IBM was restricting Linux to Xeon blades and not supporting Windows.
'We heard the feedback and we very much intend to deliver Windows support on zBX,' says Conti."
Mind you, no specific date has been given, nor with which hypervisor it will be implemented on the zBX. If we deduce a timescale we now will first see the Xeon-based blades with Linux. Afterwards IBM seems to go for the Windows implementation. Then "if mainframe shops want to run the IBM i 7.1 operating system (formerly known as OS/400) on Power blades, IBM will consider it, says Conti". Linux on Power seems to have the lowest priority for the moment.
Never thought I would give one of my posts a 'Windows' label.
I guess this is the first product I know of that's already end of marketing before its Planned Availability Date. The zEnterprise Bladecenter Extension Model 001 for z10 was announced along with the zBX for zEnterprise on July 22, 2010. It was to become available on December 17, 2010.
"Based on the positive feedback surrounding the zEnterprise System launch, IBM has decided to focus on the IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer for DB2® for z/OS® with zEnterprise 196 and Unified Resource Manager on the zBX Model 002. This will help clients to simplify and accelerate their time to value using a single approach and focusing on the latest technologies. As a result IBM is withdrawing the zBX Model 001 for System z10®, previously announced on July 22, 2010".
By the way, you might want to view the .pdf of the announcement as the (European) announcement itself is rather illegible.
Do you have a minute ? Or two ? Or perhaps a bit more ? This is not your regular every once in a while new mainframe announcement. Previous announcements were all in all pretty straightforward : we have a new Enterprise Class system and this time it’s called the zEnterprise 196. Surprise, no System z11 and here it is :
Click on image for larger version in new window
This time, however, it’s much more. Of course, there’s a great similarity with the z10 EC but this time the mainframe is just a part of the entire announcement, the IBM zEnterprise System. This complex consists of three fundamental elements as you can see below : the IBM zEnterprise 196, the IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) and the IBM zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager.
Click on image for larger version in new window
With this announcement, IBM delivers on its Dynamic Infrastructure vision that was designed during the past years. If you look e.g. at this presentation, you’ll see how IBM wants to create “a single management and policy framework across Web serving, transaction, and database” with a central role for the mainframe. Starting point for this is that we live in a heterogeneous world where a one size fits all approach for all workloads does no longer stand a chance. Each platform has its specific strengths. What IBM wants to do now is bring those platforms together into one system, the IBM zEnterprise System. The goal is to use the mainframe as a central system to manage the heterogeneous platforms which are connected to it. In the beginning we will be mainly talking about managing, setting up, monitoring and automating these systems. But in the end we should be talking about a common policy based Workload Management. This would be directed from the mainframe but executed on several platforms. Today we take the first steps along this route.
I will try and give you some insight in each component and the way in which they are interconnected.
IBM zEnterprise 196 (Model 2817)
First of all this remains of course the announcement (ZG10-0349) of an Enterprise Class mainframe, the successor to the System z10 EC. Although it keeps belonging to the System z family, it has a new name : zEnterprise 196, because it really represents a new generation. What does the 196 stand for : 1 for the first generation of the new mainframe and 96 because it now has 96 engines.
Of course I can only focus on some of the highlights of this system.
Technical specifications
Click on image for larger version in new window
There’s a strong resemblance to the System z10 EC. The IBM zEnterprise 196 has four regular models again and one large sized : M15, M32, M49, M66 and M80. We have 2 spare engines per machine and the rules for implementing specialty engines also remain the same.
For the first 15 CPs there’s sub-capacity again. The full engines (701-715) can be defined as 4xx (approx. 20%), 5xx (approx. 49%) or 6xx (approx. 64%). The specialty engines on such a system are of course always running on full capacity.
You have a minimum of 32GB of memory ranging to 768GB per book and up to 3TB for the entire z196. There have been some memory enhancements with the introduction of RAIM or Redundant Array of Independent Memory. You immediately see the resemblance with RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). This should prevent further memory problems or outages.
Click on image for larger version in new window
The zEnterprise 196 again has a faster processor. It goes from 4.4GHz to 5.2GHz. It’s not as spectacular as the previous step forward but it’s enough in order to remain the fastest processor. There have also been some enhancements for the cache levels.
Click on image for larger version in new window
The Server Time Protocol (STP) remains optional, but do beware that connecting to External Timers is no longer possible with the z196.
Regarding connectivity nothing much has changed. Some cards are no longer supported but can still be carried forward like e.g. the FICON Express4 and the OSA-Express2 cards.
No spectacular changes for Capacity on Demand (CoD) either. A couple of things : the administrative On/Off Capacity On Demand test has been reintroduced. Because there was a lot of confusion about the installation of CoD records, 4 records will now be automatically ‘installed’ in the plant. For a lot of customers this will mean they will no longer have to run the process to ‘install’ their ‘staged’ records.
Upgrade paths are from the z9 EC or the z10 EC. Power consumption per book remains the same for a zEnterprise 196 compared to the z10 EC (1800 Watts).
What’s inside and physical planning
With the z10 BC the I/O drawers were introduced instead of the I/O cages. It’s a bit odd, but the z196 has kind of a mix of both. Depending on the necessary I/O slots you will have a mix of one or more cages (28 slots) and drawers (8 slots). As a customer you don’t have a choice. If you don’t have more than 32 cards, you will only have drawers. Otherwise, you will only have cages or a mix of both.
Physically the system has the same measurements as the z10 EC. Still, two optional features may influence the construction of the z196 and have an impact on your physical planning. The first feature is the optional ‘overhead cabling’ or 'Top exit' option. Cables will no longer go under the raised floor but are directed to the top of the machine. For this purpose cable towers are attached to both sides of the z196. This makes it 12 inches (about 30 cm) wider and 5.5 (about 14 cm) higher. Mind you, this does not include the power cables, as you can see on this picture.
Click on image for larger version in new window
Also the statement of direction about optional water cooling has been fulfilled. You choose this option at your initial order. There’s no MES to change this afterwards.
New software pricing : AWLC
IBM has developed a new pricing mechanism especially (and exclusively) for the z196 : Advanced Workload License Charge (AWLC) as the successor for VWLC. This new pricing mechanism will give “reduced price points, versus VWLC, for all MSU levels with more than three MSUs”. AWLC will be used for standalone as well as for sysplex pricing. For sysplex pricing it will only be applied when all systems within the sysplex are z196 systems. There will be a transition program for people who are gradually replacing their older systems by z196 machines.
IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX)
General features
The zEnterprise BX (model 2458-002) (ZG10-0263) is a 42U Enterprise rack in which two 9U Blade Centers can be mounted. They fill up less than half the rack, but the reason is that IBM wants the zBX to comply to the same severe (RAS) conditions as the mainframe itself. A zBX can consist of 1 to 4 racks. This means a maximum of 8 Blade Centers with a total of 112 (8x14) blades. With this first release, IBM will only allow Power 7 Blades, with AIX as operating system. The servers running on these blades will always run in a virtualized environment. The communication with the various components is realized via the so-called Top of Rack (TOR) switches. These blades can also have their own I/O (disks) and network connectivity. The distance between the zEnterprise 196 and the zBX is limited to a maximum of 26 meter.
As you could see on the first general illustration, IBM makes a functional distinction between just blades and optimizers. Blades are running applications in a traditional manner as we have always known them. Optimizers are specific Workload accelerators that can give you a significant performance enhancement and/or a cost reduction per transaction (just like specialty engines on the mainframe do).The goal is always the same : optimizing workloads across different platforms. The optimizers are always pre-packaged.
IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer
For the moment there’s only one example of these optimizers which has been announced : the IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer for DB2 for z/OS (ZP10-0339) (ISAOpt). You know this one by now, it has been talked about a lot but now it’s getting announced as part of this new concept. I will not go into great detail on this ISAOpt, as you can already find lots of information about it elsewhere. But it’s quite clear that this is a very good example of this Dynamic Infrastructure set of mind and I think the illustration below clarifies a lot.
Click on image for larger version in new window
This is actually a data warehouse solution. The DB2 workload is really spread across different platforms. Some part of the transaction runs on the traditional processors, some part is executed on the zIIP and another part is running on the Smart Analytics Optimizer on the zBX. The blades on the zBX contain portions of the data warehouse in memory. This allows ultra fast access to those parts of the database and takes care of a real performance boost which would never have been possible with a standalone mainframe. The figures I’ve seen so far are really impressive starting at ten times (yes, not ten percent but ten times) better performance. And, as with the zIIP, offloading workloads to the ISAOpt may result in an additional cost reduction.
IBM zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager Functionality
The description of the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager will make it clearer how the communication between the zEnterprise 196 and the zEnterprise BX is set up and how the management of different components is happening. You might call the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager the glue sticking all the components together. It’s installed on the HMC of the mainframe and has the following functionalities :
Operational management
Virtual Server management
Network management
Hypervisor management
Platform performance management
Energy management
Management means Installation, Monitoring, Optimalization, Diagnosis . . .
As you will see, with this first generation the Unified Resource Manager is mainly focusing on the zEnterprise BX with its Power blades.
Below you see a couple of illustrations showing the connectivity between the various components.
Click on image for larger version in new window
Click on image for larger version in new window
Connectivity
As you can see the Unified Resource Manager is installed on the HMC of the mainframe. Via new functionalities on this HMC all components can be managed. This is done through a 1Gb connection between the mainframe and the various virtual servers. Thus, every ‘Hypervisor’ (z/VM, PowerVM) can communicate with the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager. For data transfer a 10Gb connection is used. Next to that, we still have the usual connectivity for the customer network.
But how do we implement this ? For the mainframe, communications are realized through the I/O cards. For the 1Gb Intra Node Management Network (INMN) two different connections on two different 1000BaseT cards must be defined in the IOCDS. To distinguish them from the rest, they get a new CHPID type : OSM. For the 10Gb Intra Ensemble Data Network (IEDN) again two different connections on two different 10Gb cards are defined, also with a new CHPID type : OSX. These connections run to the Power Blade Centers. The components communicating with the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager are the purple blocks on the illustration above.
A couple of examples to make this a bit more clear.
The Intra Node Management Network is used by the Unified Resource Manager for installing the hypervisor PowerVM on an ‘empty’ blade. So this hypervisor is entirely installed, started/stopped and managed by the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager. Once PowerVM is operational, virtual servers can be installed on it. Again this is completely initiated from and executed by the Unified Resource Manager.
The Intra Ensemble Data Network is a private network which is e.g. used by the Smart Analytics Optimizer to transfer data from the Blades to DB2 on z/OS.
Ensembles en Nodes
You saw these new terms a couple of times by now : nodes and ensembles. A node is a zEnterprise 196 with one or zero zEnterprise Bladecenter Extensions. When you combine one or more (maximum 8) nodes of which at least one contains a zEnterprise BX you create an ensemble. These nodes and ensembles are created by the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager.
HMC
So, the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager runs on the mainframe HMC. No wonder you’ll need a new HMC with feature code 91. And if you’re using the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager you must always order two consoles. One of them will be used as primary console, the other is the alternate console. The first console on which you define an ensemble automatically becomes the primary console. The alternate console is used to back up all the management data the Unified Resource Manager is using. This console is automatically activated when there’s something wrong with the primary console.
Keep in mind that, just like the Smart Analytics Optimizer, the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager only becomes available on November 19, 2010.
Statements of Direction
The zEnterprise 196 will be the last System z generation to support ISC-3 links. So, time to have a closer look at InfiniBand.
The zEnterprise 196 will also be the last generation to support ESCON. It might be possible that you will still be able to carry them forward to the next generation but I wouldn’t count on that. Also here : time to replace remaining ESCON channels or to have a look at the Optica Converters.
The zEnterprise 196 is planned to be the last high-end server to support dial-up modems for Remote Support Facility (RSF). If you haven’t done so, you might want to take a look at setting up a broadband connection.
In the first half of 2011 the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager should support System x blades in the zBX with Linux on System x.
Key dates
September 10, 2010
z196 Models M15, M32, M49, M66, and M80
Water Cooling for z196
Manage suite for z196
z9™ EC upgrades
z10 EC upgrades
November 19, 2010
Manage suite enhancement functions for z196
Automate suite (#0020) for z196
IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer for DB2 for z/OS for z196 in blade quantities of 7, 14, or 28 POWER7 blade for z196 in a zBX
December 17, 2010
IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer enablement on z10 EC and z10 BC
IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer for DB2 for z/OS for z196 in blade quantities of 42 or 56
December 31, 2010
MES features for Models M15, M32, M49, M66, and M80
Here you find a virtual tour of the zEnterprise 196. You can e.g. see how an I/O card or a processor book is removed
I posted a little movie in my previous post. If you take a look over here, you'll find several others on Youtube.
Final remark : This is really a LOT of new stuff and I know I can only superficially touch upon all these new functions and features. So I hope you get at least some first impression of where IBM is heading with this new zEnterprise System. I will definitely write more on a lot of these aspects.
I'm an employee at NV Realdolmen (Belgian IBM Premier Business Partner). I'm mainly involved in all pre-sales activities and systems architecture for IBM z Systems and IBM Storage.
Opinions expressed here are my own.
