Cloud and virtualization
Many improvements and enhancements have been implemented since the first logical partition was allowed in the IBM i family of servers. This chapter describes the virtualization options that are available in IBM i 7.2 running on IBM Power Systems. Additionally, with the industry-wide push for “the cloud,” this chapter covers topics that are available to help implement and manage IBM i in a cloud environment.
This chapter describes the following topics:
For more information about the IBM i 7.2 virtualization enhancements, see the IBM i Technology Updates developerWorks wiki:
3.1 Cloud and IBM i
Although the current cloud enhancements on IBM i are not strictly related to the IBM i 7.2, this section describes the following most recent cloud capabilities and offerings regarding IBM i:
All available options provide IBM i as an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud model where IBM i partitions are infrastructure services. No cloud management, provisioning, and automation software are supported natively on the IBM i operating system. However, the IBM i operating system is a supported operating system on virtual machines (VMs) that can be managed by the software products that are described in this section.
IBM i has been a cloud-ready server platform for years because of its hypervisor-managed logical partitions and robust virtualization capabilities. When using the cloud management software that is described in this section, it has been a fully cloud-enabled platform since 2012.
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Note: To use the cloud capabilities on Power Systems, the environment that hosts the VMs must be fully virtualized with VIOS.
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3.1.1 IBM PowerVM
IBM PowerVM® provides a secure and scalable server virtualization environment for AIX, IBM i, and Linux applications that are built on the advanced reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features and leading performance of the Power platform.
PowerVM is a building block for all current IBM cloud on Power Systems solutions.
Here are some key features of PowerVM:
•Deliver services with superior economics by consolidating virtualized workloads.
•Deliver services that are built for the cloud faster by automating the deployment of VMs and storage.
•Optimize the usage of server and storage resources to control cost and boost return on investment (ROI).
•Scale out or scale up virtualized deployments without paying underlying performance penalties.
•Eliminate scheduled downtime by deploying live mobility between servers.
•Deliver higher-quality services by improving virtual resource management.
For more information about PowerVM, see the Server virtualization with IBM PowerVM website:
3.1.2 OpenStack
OpenStack provides open source software for creating and managing private and public cloud environments.
OpenStack is a global collaboration of developers and cloud-computing technologists working to produce a ubiquitous IaaS open source cloud computing platform for public and private clouds. The OpenStack software provides tools and standards that are required to manage the storage, processor, and network resources that compose a cloud solution. IBM, among other entities, has been a key player in developing the OpenStack software.
OpenStack is a building block for IBM PowerVC software and other cloud solutions that are described in the following sections of this publication.
For more information about OpenStack, see the OpenStack website:
3.1.3 IBM Power Virtualization Center
IBM Power Virtualization Center (PowerVC) is an advanced virtualization management offering that is built on OpenStack (see 3.1.2, “OpenStack” on page 197) and provides simplified virtualization management for IBM AIX, IBM i, and Linux VMs running on Power Systems.
PowerVC is designed to improve administrator productivity and simplify the management of VMs and LPARs on Power Systems servers. PowerVC provides the foundation for Power Systems scalable cloud management, including integration with higher-level cloud managers that are based on OpenStack technology.
After registering resources in PowerVC, the following capabilities are available:
•Creating VMs by deploying images and then resizing and attaching volumes to them.
•Importing existing VMs and volumes so they can be managed by PowerVC.
•Monitoring the utilization of the resources that are used in the environment.
•Migrating VMs while they are running Live Partition Mobility (LPM). For more information about LPM, see 3.4, “Live Partition Mobility” on page 207.
•Capturing a VM that is configured for later deployment elsewhere in the environment.
•Deploying images quickly to create VMs in response to changing business needs.
•Automatically deploying or migrating VMs based on the specified criteria.
PowerVC is a building block for the IBM SmartCloud® Entry for Power Systems cloud solution. For more information, see 3.1.4, “IBM SmartCloud Entry for Power Systems” on page 199.
PowerVC V1.3.0
At the time of writing, the latest version of PowerVC is Version 1.3.0. Power VC Version 1.3.0 supports the following IBM i versions as guest operating systems:
•IBM i V7.2 TR1 or later
•IBM i V7.1 TR8 or later
For more information about the PowerVC Lifecycle, see the following website:
What is new in PowerVC for IBM i
PowerVC V1.2.2 contains the following new functions for IBM i:
•PowerVC officially supports IBM i as a client.
•Support for connecting IBM System Storage® SAN Volume Controller to IBM i through VSCSI.
•Support for connecting IBM XIV® Storage System to IBM i through VSCSI.
PowerVC V1.2.3 contains the following new functions for IBM i:
•Supports capturing multiple volumes that are attached to an IBM i VM, resulting in a single deployable image. Also, an IBM i image that is composed of more than one volume can be deployed as a new VM.
•Remote restart is introduced for IBM i. You can use PowerVC to restart remotely VMs from a failed host to another healthy host.
•Support for connecting an EMC Symmetrix VMAX storage system to IBM i through VSCSI.
•Support for connecting an EMC VNX storage system to IBM i through VSCSI.
•SAN Volume Controller mirroring support allows a customer to create a local mirror in a second pool on the same SAN Volume Controller or Storwize controller, which can provide a degree of disaster recovery.
•Redundant HMC support for PowerVC allows customers to switch to the redundant HMC in case of an HMC failure or upgrade.
•Support for PowerVM Multiple Shared Processor Pools is provided in PowerVC 1.2.3 FP2. This support allows you to share a group of processors between multiple VMs. This feature is supported during VM deployment, resize, and migration.
PowerVC V1.3.0 contains the following new functions for IBM i:
•A new Dynamic Resource Optimizer (DRO) component that uses policy-based control to automatically move workloads to available resources by using VM migration.
•PowerVC storage connectivity groups contain the following new enhancements:
– Support for new Fabrics section. This support allows you to control how much fabric redundancy is required in your environment.
– Connect to up to 26 fabrics.
– Specify how many ports to connect per fabric on each VIOS.
•Support for connecting IBM System Storage DS8000 to IBM i through VSCSI. NPIV support for DS8000 with IBM i will be provided in a future release.
For more information about new enhancements of PowerVC, see the following websites:
•What’s new in Version 1.2.2:
•What’s new in Version 1.2.3:
•What’s new in Version 1.3.0:
For detailed hardware and software requirements for PowerVC, see IBM Knowledge Center:
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Note: PowerVC is meant to replace IBM Systems Director VMControl™. There is no migration support of an IBM Systems Director VMControl installation to the new PowerVC configuration.
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For more information about PowerVC, see the IBM PowerVC - Virtualization Center websites:
3.1.4 IBM SmartCloud Entry for Power Systems
IBM SmartCloud Entry for Power Systems has evolved to become IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack, which is described in 3.1.5, “IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack” on page 199.
Documentation for IBM SmartCloud Entry was merged with documentation for IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack, and is available on the IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack wiki:
For more information about IBM SmartCloud Entry for Power Systems, see the IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack for Power Systems website:
3.1.5 IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack
IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack is a robust IaaS software offering that simplifies management of a virtualized environment that is driven by the IBM SmartCloud Entry product.
IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack helps convert virtualized environments to a cloud quickly and easily. Users can request and provision an environment quickly through an easy-to-use web-based interface. IT managers can monitor and manage this environment for improved efficiency and utilization of data center resources.
IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack includes heterogeneous server architecture support from a single user interface. You have the flexibility to manage the following platforms with a single, consolidated image of IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack software:
•IBM Power System
•System x
•IBM BladeCenter
•IBM NeXtScale System
•IBM Flex System®
•PureFlex System
IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack supports multiple virtualization environments, including VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM, and IBM PowerVM and IBM z/VM® environments.
Here are some of the capabilities of IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack:
•Managing images:
– Easily create “golden master” images and software appliances by using corporate-standard operating systems.
– Convert images from physical systems or between various x86 hypervisors.
– Reliably track images to ensure compliance and minimize security risks.
– Optimize resources, reducing the number of virtualized images and the storage that is required for them.
•Deploying VMs:
– Deploy application images across compute and storage resources.
– User self-service for improved responsiveness.
– Enable security through VM isolation and project-level user access controls.
– Easy to use, with no need to know all the details of the infrastructure.
– Investment protection from full support of existing virtualized environments.
•Operating a cloud:
– Delegate provisioning to authorized users to improve productivity.
– Maintain full oversight to ensure an optimally running and safe cloud through automated approval/rejection.
– A built-in workload metering delivers the foundation for a pay-per-use model.
– Standardize deployment and configuration to improve compliance and reduce errors by setting policies, defaults, and templates.
– Simplify administration with an intuitive interface for managing projects, users, workloads, resources, billing, approvals, and metering.
– Integrated platform management allows easy transition between physical or virtual resource views to facilitate diagnosis and maintenance.
– Manage automated approvals, metering, billing, users, and projects from a single pane.
The current available version is IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack Version 4.3.
For detailed hardware and software requirements for IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack, see the IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack wiki:
For more information about IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack, see the IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack website:
3.1.6 IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud
IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud is a pre-built and preinstalled solution of hardware, software, and implementation services for private cloud implementations.
IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud helps speed up and simplify the deployment of a cloud with OpenStack based cloud management software that is delivered on a ready-to-use appliance.
The Solution Edition is easy to order, and includes configurable hardware choices to address a customer’s needs and preferences. Building on PowerVM virtualization and PowerVC management, the IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud provides cloud capabilities based on a flexible and extensible OpenStack platform with fast and automated installation, an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, automated deployment, image management, workload metering, and the self-service features of cloud.
For more information about IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud, see the IBM Power System Solution Edition for Cloud website:
For more information about IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud, see the IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud website:
3.1.7 IBM i cloud offering summary
For environments where just VM management, deployment, and migration are the case, PowerVC is sufficient in most cases. It is also a required step and starting point for using robust cloud capabilities with IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack.
IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack provides the most comprehensive capabilities, including automated cloud service management process, cloud oversight, workload metering, billing, and much more. Using IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack requires skilled professionals for implementation and operation. If this is a problem or low time-to-market (TTM) factor is important, then the best option is IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud. IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud is a preinstalled and pre-configured appliance based on customer needs. It can also come with optional implementation services.
3.1.8 VMware vRealize Automation for Power
IBM and VMware each announced a cooperative effort to give their shared clients the ability to provision and manage VMs and applications running on IBM Power Systems with the VMware vRealize Automation (vRA) solution through OpenStack enabled APIs.
vRA sits on top of your existing PowerVC or IBM Cloud Manager OpenStack environment, as shown in Figure 3-1. vRA passes workload management requests through OpenStack APIs to IBM PowerVM, PowerKVM, and z/VM and KVM on IBM z™. vRA also can use images that are already created in PowerVC.
This new capability provides IBM Systems customers more choice and flexibility in deciding what orchestration tool to use.
Figure 3-1 VMware vRealize Virtualization for Power
3.2 IBM Power Virtualization Performance for Power Systems
IBM Power Virtualization Performance (PowerVP) for Power Systems is a licensed program that provides a performance view into the PowerVM virtualized environment.
PowerVP displays graphically in real time the utilization of individual cores and their mapping to logical partitions on Power Systems. The dashboard view of PowerVP gives a simple to understand snapshot of resource usage that can be used by system administrators to understand resource usage by different applications that run on logical partitions.
Customers who are using Power Systems in Cloud computing with large and small enterprises with PowerVM features now can use PowerVP to understand resource distribution among the virtual workloads and plan for business demands.
PowerVP collects performance data directly from the hypervisor, which offers the most accurate performance information about logical partitions that are running on Power Systems. This performance information is then displayed on a real-time, continuous graphical dashboard. Data collection is available for historical review.
PowerVP can also be used along with existing operating system performance utilities to identify performance bottlenecks on Power Systems. System administrators can use PowerVP to diagnose resource contention issues quickly.
3.2.1 PowerVP components
The architecture of PowerVP includes components that interact with the PowerVM Hypervisor, the operating system, a graphical user interface (GUI), and a Java JAR file that is used for data recording without the use of the GUI.
Here are the components of PowerVP:
•System-level agent: A central point to collect system-wide resource utilization data.
•Partition-level agent: Collects partition resource utilization data and interacts with the system-level agent.
•GUI: A Java based application that connects to the system-level agent and displays the PowerVP dashboard.
•Background recorder: A Java based application that is used to collect system-level resource utilization data without the GUI.
Figure 3-2 shows the high-level architecture of PowerVP and the data flow between the components of PowerVP and PowerVM.
Figure 3-2 PowerVP architecture showing system agents communicating with the GUI
3.2.2 PowerVP dashboard
System and partition resource utilization data that is collected by the PowerVP agents is accessed and displayed on the GUI. You can use the PowerVP dashboard to access system-wide performance data and data for a particular VM, and then drill down to get a detailed view of the data.
You also can use the PowerVP dashboard to record and playback performance metrics on the workstation where the GUI runs.
A sample PowerVP CPU resource affinity view is shown in Figure 3-3.
For more information about PowerVP implementation in an IBM i environment, see IBM PowerVP: Introduction and Technical Overview, REDP-5112.
Figure 3-3 PowerVP dashboard: CPU affinity view
3.3 IBM i virtualization enhancements
Many new features were added in IBM i 7.2 that are related to iVirtualization and non-hosted partitions and virtualization that use VIOS.
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iVirtualization: When referring to an IBM i partition hosting another IBM i instance, this is known as iVirtualization.
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For an overview of various IBM i virtualization methods and helpful tips, see the IBM i Virtualization and Open Storage (read-me first) document, found at:
3.3.1 Virtual Partition Manager GUI in IBM Navigator for i
IBM Navigator for i provides a GUI for Virtual Partition Manager. To create a logical partition by using IBM Navigator for i, complete the following steps:
1. In IBM Navigator for i, expand Configuration and Services.
2. Click Create Partition to start the wizard.
3. Follow the steps in the wizard to create an IBM i or Linux partition.
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Important: You cannot use Virtual Partition Manager on an IBM i server that is configured by an HMC. You can use Virtual Partition Manager only on the hosting IBM i partition. PowerVM Standard or Enterprise edition is required to support up to four client partitions that use VPM.
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For more information about creating and managing partitions with IBM Navigator for i, see 2.1.14, “Partition management” on page 100.
3.3.2 iVirtualization release support
Various releases of IBM i running on Power Systems support hosting of other releases. For a list of supported combinations when using iVirtualization, see Table 3-1.
Table 3-1 Supported iVirtualization combinations
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Processor family
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Host IBM i versions
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Client IBM i versions
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POWER5
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Not available
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Not available
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POWER6
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6.1, 7.1, and 7.2
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6.1, 7.1, and 7.2
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IBM POWER7®
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6.1, 7.1, and 7.2
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6.1, 7.1, and 7.2
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POWER8
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7.1 and 7.2
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7.1 and 7.2
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Important: Machine code release 6.1.1 is required for any host or client at IBM i 6.1.
IBM i 7.1 and 7.2 requires specific Technology Refresh levels based on the hardware on which the partitions are running. |
Little Endian Linux partitions are now supported on POWER8 with IBM i 7.2 TR3 and IBM i 7.1 TR11. You can configure a Little Endian Linux partition as a client that uses as IBM i 7.2 or IBM i 7.1 partition as a host partition. Both HMC and VPM configurations are supported.
For more information about supported Linux distributions for POWER8, see IBM Knowledge Center:
3.3.3 Using solid-state drives for network storage spaces
By using the Create NWS Storage Space (CRTNWSSTG) CL command, you can select affinity for solid-state drives (SSDs) for iVirtualization partitions, and anything else that uses a network storage space.
Figure 3-4 shows an example of how to create a network storage space and set its preference for SSD by using the Preferred storage unit parameter.
For more information about SSD support, see “Solid-state drive support” on page 108.
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Create NWS Storage Space (CRTNWSSTG)
Type choices, press Enter.
Network server storage space . . > NEW001 Name
Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > 100000 *CALC, 1-1024000 megabytes
From storage space . . . . . . . *NONE Name, *NONE
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . > *OPEN *NTFS, *OPEN, *REFS...
Auxiliary storage pool ID . . . 1 1-255
ASP device . . . . . . . . . . . Name
Text 'description' . . . . . . . > 'Storage space which should go to SSD'
Additional Parameters
Data offset . . . . . . . . . . *FORMAT *FORMAT, *ALIGNLGLPTN...
Sector size in bytes . . . . . . 512 512, 4096
Preferred storage unit . . . . . > *SSD *ANY, *SSD
Resource allocation priority . . 9 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
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Figure 3-4 Create a network storage space with a preferred storage unit of *SSD
3.3.4 Support of additional disks that are attached through VSCSI
In IBM i 7.2, 32 virtual disks can now be attached through a VSCSI link. The previous limitation was 16 virtual disks. This setting allows for a potentially less complex setup and easier expansion of an existing environment when needed.
3.3.5 Less-complex assignment of tape and optical resources
In previous releases, all optical and tape devices were available to client partitions when using iVirtualization, unless they were restricted individually in the network server description.
When running IBM i 7.2 as the host, the following two parameters are available on the Create Network Server Description (CRTNWSD) and Change Network Server Description (CHGNWSD) CL commands to specify only the devices that are allowed to be used. These parameters can be of great assistance in environments with a significant quantity of optical and tape resources.
•Allowed device resources (ALWDEVRSC)
•Restricted device resources (RSTDDEVRSC)
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Important: You cannot specify the same resources on the allowed and restricted lists at the same time. If resources are being specifically allowed, the restricted resources must be *NONE. If resources are being restricted, the allowed resources must be *UNRSTD. For more information about this requirement, see the command’s help text.
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3.3.6 Defining system resource usage during storage space creation
On systems running IBM i 7.2, a new parameter was added to the Create Network Server Storage Space (CRTNWSSTG) and Change Network Server Storage Space (CHGNWSSTG) CL commands. The parameter is called Resource Allocation Priority (RSCALCPTY), and you can use it to use the process to use a variable amount of system resources during creation of the storage space. See Figure 3-4 on page 206.
In the past, during creation of a storage space, the system attempted to use as much system resources as possible, which might have potentially affected other processes on the system in a negative manner. You can use this new parameter to modify the create priority to reduce the chance of significant delays to other jobs on the system.
This parameter can accept values 1 - 9, with 9 being the maximum and 1 being the minimum. Setting the value to the default of 9 creates the storage space in a manner equal to prior release behaviors. Modifying the value from 9 to any other setting reduces the resources that are used during creation.
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Note: Setting a lower priority can reduce server resource utilization, but ultimately causes the creation of the storage space to take a longer amount of time.
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For more information about resource allocation priority, see “Resource allocation priority” on page 104.
3.4 Live Partition Mobility
Live Partition Mobility (LPM) is part of the base functions of IBM i 7.2.
With the release of IBM i 7.2 with Technology Refresh 1, a customer can migrate from a POWER7 or POWER7+ system to all POWER8 systems with no downtime by simply performing a move with LPM and accommodating for licensing changes on the new server.
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Note: For partitions running IBM i 7.2, Technology Refresh 1 is required for Live Partition Mobility to move to or from POWER8 systems.
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LPM is the recommended “no downtime” maintenance strategy for IBM i customers running on POWER8 Enterprise servers. There is no longer any option for CEC Hot Add Repair Maintenance (CHARM) on the POWER8 Enterprise systems. Therefore, certain maintenance items that might have been concurrent in the past now require a central electrical complex outage to perform.
To ensure the most stability when using LPM, it is a good idea to review firmware and OS updates for the central electrical complex, HMC, and IBM i environments. Specific fixes might be released that are necessary to ensure a stable and seamless transition among CECs.
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Remember: Live Partition Mobility requires that all resources that are allocated to the mobile partition are virtual through a Virtual I/O Server (VIOS). The partition can own no physical hardware if it is to be mobile.
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For more information about LPM with IBM i, see IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration, SG24-7940.
3.5 Licensing and service provider accommodations
Ever since the release of the Power Systems servers, impressive advances have been made in relation to performance and virtualization. At the same time, businesses are constantly striving to streamline operations and use their servers in the most cost-effective manner.
Certain systems are available from IBM that are pre-configured in a manner to better support a cloud infrastructure. For more information about IBM Power Systems solution editions that are optimized for cloud, see the IBM Power Systems Solution Edition for Cloud website:
The IBM i operating system is also positioned strategically for implementation in cloud. Advances in virtualization and tape technologies have made it much easier to migrate environments from an on-premises system to a remote location.
Additionally, IBM has multiple offerings for both customers and managed Service Providers to help defray some costs during a migration to a new operating environment. For more information about these offerings and the benefits that are available to support cloud services on Power Systems, see the IBM Power Systems for Service Providers website:
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