Friedemann Baitinger

System control structure of the IBM eServer z900

As computer systems become more complex, the use of embedded controllers for initializing and maintaining system operation is becoming increasingly prevalent. In the IBM eServer z900, a new control approach was introduced. This paper discusses why its introduction was necessary and outlines its associated, key technological and economic innovations. In particular, the following topics are addressed: service subsystem topology, hardware elements for performing system control, hardware abstraction, object-oriented framework for control, and internetworking of system control microprocessors.

IBM unified resource manager introduction and overview

The IBM zEnterprise® 196 processor complex has been complemented with the zEnterprise System z® BladeCenter® Extension, a modular system structure that is capable of hosting native IBM POWER7® system and IBM System x® processing blades. The Unified Resource Manager has been introduced to provide integrated and advanced hardware and virtualization management capabilities. Together, these components work to form the basis of an integrated hybrid system architecture capable of hosting multitier heterogeneous business workloads, reducing operational complexity, and providing workload-aware optimization of the information technology infrastructure. This paper provides a descriptive overview of the major components of the IBM Unified Resource Manager.

Unified resource manager virtualization management

The IBM zEnterprise® 196 introduces the IBM zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager (zManager) that allows customers to manage a collection of one or more zEnterprise nodes including any optionally attached IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter® Extensions (zBX) as a single logical virtualized system using a hardware management console (HMC). The HMC and Support Elements provide a user interface through which the data-center personnel can deploy, configure, monitor, manage, and maintain the integrated System z® and zBX hardware and software resources based on heterogeneous architectures in a unified manner. In addition to providing the provisioning and the life-cycle management for the physical and virtual resources, the HMC owns the configuration and workload policy information that zManager uses to optimize and adjust resources for all members of the ensemble in accordance with user-defined goals and priorities. This paper describes the details of the virtualization management integration covered by the zManager.