How will IBM Power10 impact IBM i

Published On: 13-12-2021 06:02

IBM released the IBM Power10 processor chip in early September 2021. With Power10, IBM introduces the IBM Power E1080, the first server with 7-nanometer capability, packing 18 billion transistors onto a single chip and giving a 50% performance boost over Power9. Many of the key challenges that IT teams will confront in the future will be addressed at this speed, including cloud, artificial intelligence, availability, security, and scalability.

In what way will this be significant to an IBM i customer? It's all about what's going to happen next. On the same physical footprint, the IBM Power server can run AIX, Linux, and IBM i. IBM continues to support non-legacy hardware for IBM i and AIX clients.

The future security of your business apps is the answer.

IBM i on IBM Power, a Modern Application System

Remember that the original AS/400 was designed for companies, and businesses want applications that are both resilient and always accessible, whether on-premises or in the cloud. For three decades, IBM i has been the only platform that is able to protect enterprises' application investments by releasing new servers and operating system versions. IBM upgraded from 32-bit to 64-bit technology in the late 1990s, allowing customers to use the same applications following an object-level change. Furthermore, the majority of users were able to complete the conversion over the course of a single weekend.

The vital applications that power banking, gaming, retail, insurance, manufacturing, transportation, and many other industries, are now hosted on IBM Power servers running IBM i or AIX. Even when big data and security issues force IT workers on other platforms to panic, these applications will hold transactional data that remain available.

IBM and its network of independent software vendors (ISVs) can assist you in maintaining a secure and automated IBM Power system. One of the ISVs is HelpSystems. We've helped IBM Power customers all across the world automate and protect their vital business data with our IBM i solution portfolio, which includes industry-leading software from our Robot and Powertech product lines.

IBM Power10 Availability and Scalability

Fundamental components of the IBM i operating system have been there for years, as we've mentioned. This system was designed from the ground up with business applications in mind, and it was created in such a way that the hardware could evolve while the business applications continued to run with little or no disruption.

According to recent ITIC surveys, IBM Power servers are among the world's most reliable servers, with a dependability rating of above 99.999 per cent. Data replication, backup/recovery, and disaster recovery software & services from Vofox assist customers to prevent calamities caused by large outages.

Similarly, the IBM Power server has been a two-decade winner in terms of scalability, and Power10 improved it by 50%. For enterprises running typical IBM AIX, or Linux applications, we know what the IBM Power server can do. IBM has shattered the standard for SAP HANA performance with the E1080 server. The stats are 174,000 users and 955,050 SAPS (almost 1 million with only 120 cores), which is a 30 per cent faster result than HPE with half the cores.

IBM Power10 in the Cloud

IBM Power servers can be placed on-premises or in the cloud. Many companies including IBM provide public cloud footprints that use the IBM Power CPU as the backbone.

Many IBM i customers value the cloud since the global lack of IT specialists affects all businesses. The rush to keep their IT up-to-date leads enterprises running IBM i or AIX to want to get out of the hardware management and administrative jobs industry.

By offering pay-as-you-go on-prem or in the cloud, IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) allows even on-premises customers to access utility-based computing. The IBM i ecosystem includes a well-established set of managed service providers (MSPs) who can work with IBM and other business partners (BPs) as well as independent software suppliers (ISVs) to monitor, back up, and support the operating systems and applications. IBM Power customers benefit by being able to focus on IT for the business.

IBM Power10 Security Considerations

Power10 servers provide a strong emphasis on security. Security is the top issue for most CIOs, according to the results of the annual IBM i Marketplace Survey. Transparent memory encryption, which is 2.5 times faster than AES encryption in Power9, is now included in the hardware. This enables clients to satisfy the expectations of in-process business data security concerns.

How to Make the Switch to IBM Power10 Hardware?

The new Power10 servers have cost IBM billions of dollars. This investment benefits the IBM i operating system, which gets the same set of technology as the Power10 chip, which is optimised for greater security, cloud, AI, availability, and scalability.

As you consider upgrading your hardware, you can contemplate using Performance Navigator software, which IBM Techline also utilises to help customers size their next system, whether on-premises or in the cloud. Customers using IBM AIX or Linux can use this technology. Why upgrade blindly when there is a way to eliminate the guesswork?

If your company has been one of the smart/lucky ones to stick with IBM Power over the years, investing in new technology does not entail rewriting your application. Your investment and total cost of ownership (TCO) will get better as IBM evolves from AS/400 and RS6000 to Power10, and the hardware will get quicker while still running your business applications. And for those of us on IBM i, that implies a great deal. To know more details, please visit www.vofox.com.