Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux on i5
1.2 Differences between legacy iSeries and eServer i5
The following tables shows some of the significant differences between the iSeries and eServer i5 systems.
Table 1-1 Differences at a glance
iSeries eServer i5
Documentation IBM eServer iSeries
Information Center
IBM eServer Hardware Information Center and IBM eServer iSeries Information Center
Architecture POWER4 POWER5
Max # partitions 32 254
Max partitions per processor 10 10
Processor movement Static
Dynamic movement of processor units
Static
Dynamic movement of processor units and number of processors
Memory movement Static Dynamic Assigned in 1 MB increments Static Dynamic Assigned in 16 MB increments
Max # of virtual ethernets 16 4094
Partition management Primary partition HMC
Types of partitions Primary
Secondary
No primary or secondary
i5/OS service partition
Partition profiles
System profiles
LPAR user interface iSeries Navigator
Dedicated Service Tools (DST) or System Service Tools (SST) LPAR API HMC required for partitioning LPAR DST/SST not available HMC remote command Operating systems V5R3 OS/400 Linux i5/OS Linux AIX 5L
Sharing I/O with other operating systems
Linux Linux
AIX 5L
Scheduling of I/O resources, CPU and memory
LPAR toolkit
iSeries Navigator
Memory and CPU movement through HMC
Partial CPU and I/O movement planned for future release
I/O allocations Allocated at bus-level or IOP-level
IOP may be switched among partitions dynamically
Bus ownership or bus changes occur dynamically
IOP may be switched among logical partitions
I/O resources allocated at slot level
Bus ownership cannot be configured. All buses are effectively shared
Uncapped processor partitioning
no yes
LPAR configuration data Contained in load source Contained in service processor (SP) and HMC
1.2.1 eServer i5 editions
This section discusses the edition offerings which are unique to i5 servers.
Standard edition
The i5 standard edition includes:
i5/OS
WebSphere Express
Multiple, concurrent OS support including i5/OS, Linux, Windows, and AIX 5L
Dynamic logical partitioning
Capacity on Demand with selected models
Support for WebFaced 5250 OLTP applications
Enterprise edition
The i5 enterprise edition includes the i5 Standard edition offerings plus:
Support for WebFaced and non-WebFaced 5250 OLTP applications
e-business software including WebSphere Portal Express Plus
Systems management software including Backup Recovery and Media Services (BRMS) with selected models
One additional processor activation for Linux or AIX 5L with selected models
Integrated xSeries Server with selected models
Service vouchers
Education vouchers with selected models
Console support iSeries Operations
Console - LAN or direct attach
Twinax console
HMC
iSeries Operations Console - LAN or direct attach
Twinax console
Fixes (PTFS) for Hypervisor Primary partition HMC
Service partition
Main storage dumps System level dump
Logical partition dumps
Service processor dumps
Platform system dumps
Logical partition dumps
Note: At the time of writing this redbook the dynamic memory movement does not work with the current version of Linux.
Solution edition
This edition provides an integrated offering including IBM middleware to meet the needs of ISVs. With the offerings from the ISVs, this edition is an exceptional value for clients wishing to update their applications and server platforms. This edition includes:
One i5/OS license
Activation of one additional processor
Integrated xSeries adapter
Service voucher for use on either Linux, Windows Integration, AIX 5L (including one AIX 5L license), or WebSphere
Requires purchase of solutions from Independent Software Venders (ISVs)
Domino edition
This edition is targeted for clients who want an integrated offering to run Domino and collaborative applications. This edition includes:
Two i5/OS licenses
Options for migration from Microsoft Exchange Servers
Options for Domino consolidation
1.2.2 eServer i5 model 520 editions
All eServer i5 520 Editions include licensing for i5/OS and support 5250 OLTP applications, Web modernization and the ability to run multiple operating environments. They also offer support for dynamic logical partitioning (LPAR). However, each offers a different level of capacity, power and functionality.
Express edition
Designed for small to medium-sized businesses, the 520 Express Edition runs a broad range of applications. It can consolidate Windows and UNIX servers providing the capability to run your business and not a server farm.
Supports i5/OS™, Linux®, Windows Server™, AIX 5L™. Goes up 32GB on memory and 19TB on disk. The processor performance goes from 500 to 1000 CPW.
Standard and Enterprise edition
Supports i5/OS™, Linux®, Windows Server™, AIX 5L™. Goes up 32GB on memory and 19TB on disk. The processor performance goes from 500 to 6000 CPW.
1.2.3 eServer i5 model 550 editions
Designed for the unique infrastructure requirements of medium-sized businesses, the model 550 is ideal for server consolidation and IT infrastructure simplification.
It comes in Solution, Domino, Standard and Enterprise edition.
Supports i5/OS™, Linux®, Windows Server™, AIX 5L™. Goes up 64GB on memory and 38TB on disk. The processor performance goes from 3300 to 12000 CPW.
Note: The main differences between Standard and Enterprise edition are explained in Section 1.2.1, “eServer i5 editions” on page 25
1.2.4 eServer i5 model 570 editions
Ideal for growing medium to large enterprises, the model 570 offers multiplatform management and maximum flexibility for customer requiring up to 16-way symmetrical multiprocessing capability.
It comes in Standard and Enterprise edition.
Supports i5/OS™, Linux®, Windows Server™, AIX 5L™. Goes up 512GB on memory and 96TB on disk. The processor performance goes from 3300 to 44700 CPW.
1.2.5 eServer i5 model 595 editions
Designed for medium to large enterprises, the model 595 is the largest server in the eServer iSeries family. It offers multiplatform management and maximum flexibility for customers requiring up to 64-way symmetrical multiprocessing capability.
Comes in Standard and Enterprise edition.
Supports i5/OS™, Linux®, Windows Server™, AIX 5L™. Goes up 2TB on memory and 190TB on disk. The processor performance goes from 24500 to 165000 CPW.
1.2.6 Linux enhancements on eServer i5
The following table shows the enhancements for Linux on the eServer i5 hardware.
Table 1-2 Linux on i5
Function Linux on iSeries Linux on eServer i5
Supported Linux version SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 (SLES8)
RedHat Enterprise Linux 3
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 for POWER (SLES 9)
RedHat Enterprise Linux AS for POWER Version 3
RedHat Enterprise Linux 4
Max number of partitions Maximum number of partitions supported depends on the number or processors in the iSeries server model
Maximum number of logical partitions supported equals ten times the number of processors in the eServer i5 model
Partition management Requires the installation from
DRM (DLPAR Resource Manager) of service tools within the partition
(http://techsupport.service s.ibm.com/server/lopdiags)
More i5 enhancements
iSeries Navigator
iSeries Navigator has been enhanced to support server and storage management for Linux logical partitions. An administration can start and stop Linux logical partitions in the same interlace they use to manage Integrated xSeries Servers. In addition, iSeries Navigator supports the creation of virtual storage spaces that can be linked/unlinked from Linux NWSDs.
BRMS
Support has been added to BRMS to shut down hosted logical partitions before a backup is done and to restart the logical partitions after the backup completes.