In this product review, we
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ll be covering IBM PowerVM server virtualization. We
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ll discuss the virtualization tool
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s features as well as its pros and cons.
IBM PowerVM can virtualize AIX, IBM Linux and IBM i clients running on its Power server platform. It is one of the most full-featured virtualization programs on the market – no surprise, given IBM’s deep legacy in the data center. In fact, IBM invented virtualization in the 1960s, as a technology for mainframes; VMware brought the technology to the mainstream with its server virtualization.
Despite that legacy, PowerVM may not be the easiest platform to implement. It will require experts to deploy it. Consequently, mid-sized and large companies should do fine, but SMBs may do best to avoid it unless they can afford outside help. IBM PowerVM is geared specifically for today’s advanced data centers with demanding application workloads.
IBM PowerVM can consolidate multiple workloads onto fewer systems, increasing server utilization and reducing cost. PowerVM provides a secure and scalable server virtualization environment for AIX, IBM i and Linux applications built upon the RAS features of the Power Systems platform. It can scale up to 1,000 VMs on a single server.
In short, its hypervisor is quite flexible. It can help provide services in the cloud faster by automating the deployment of VMs and storage. It can also help eliminate downtime via live mobility between servers.
PowerVM delivers enterprise-grade virtualization, providing the foundation for cloud computing on IBM Power Systems. It can efficiently share resources among applications, consolidate multiple workloads and provide application mobility in a multi-cloud infrastructure. It can increase resource utilization, reduce operating costs and provide a more agile environment for IBM AIX, IBM i and IBM Linux applications running on Power Systems.
You can migrate an active or inactive AIX, Linux or IBM i logical partition from one system to another by using Live Partition Mobility.
POWER systems provide a secured server platform. POWER9 hardware and firmware make it even more secure for cloud deployment with key features for PowerVM servers. Implementation includes:
IBM tightly integrates PowerVM with the Power platform. Every POWER9 server comes with PowerVM Enterprise Edition. There is also a Standard Edition as well as an IBM PowerVM, Linux Edition. PowerVM Standard Edition includes the following components:
Management tools such as Hardware Management Console (HMC), Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) and PowerVC help to aggregate and manage resources by using a consolidated logical view. You can allocate processors to partitions in increments of 0.01, which allows multiple partitions to share the processing power of the system.
When the firmware is at level 7.6, or later, micro partitions can be defined as small as 0.05 of a processor and can be changed in increments as small as 0.01 of a processor. A maximum of 20 micro partitions can be created per core.
A running AIX, Linux or IBM i logical partition can be suspended along with its operating system and applications. You can share memory among partitions in a shared memory pool by using PowerVM Active Memory Sharing.
Power Virtualization Performance (PowerVP) is a performance monitoring solution that provides detailed and real-time information about virtualized workloads that are running on Power Systems. You can use PowerVP to understand how virtual workloads use resources, analyze performance bottlenecks and make informed choices about resource allocation and virtualized machine placement.
IBM PowerVM allows you to create shared storage pools to distribute storage access to all logical partitions in a cluster. This feature is available on the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) Version 2.2.0.11, Fix Pack 24, Service Pack 1 and later.
With the PowerVM Enterprise Edition, you can migrate active or inactive AIX, IBM i and Linux logical partitions between systems using the Live Partition Mobility feature. This will transfer the processor state, memory, attached virtual device and connected users.
The PowerVM Active Memory feature allows logical partitions to share memory from a single physical memory pool.
Active Memory Deduplication is a feature that optimizes memory use. This virtualization technology removes identical memory pages within physical memory to free other duplicate memory blocks.
PowerVM NovaLink provides highly scalable virtualized cloud management and deployment of critical workloads. It can be used to quickly and affordably provision large numbers of VMs.
Pricing for IBM PowerVM starts at $590 per core. The solution comes free with some other IBM products.
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Product
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IBM PowerVM
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Platforms
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AIX, Linux and IBM i clients |
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Scalability
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1000 VMs on a single server |
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Overhead %
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10 to 15 |
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Markets
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Virtualization for AIX, Linux and IBM i clients running IBM Power platforms |
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Cost
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$590 per core |
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Migration
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Move active or inactive VMs |
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Key Differentiator
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Well suited for IBM environments |
See the full list of best server virtualization software.
This article was updated in May 2021 by Kyle Guercio.
Drew Robb has been a full-time professional writer and editor for more than twenty years. He currently works freelance for a number of IT publications, including eSecurity Planet and CIO Insight. He is also the editor-in-chief of an international engineering magazine.
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