IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition - May/June 2012 - (Page 14)

IT Today Addressing IT challenges worldwide Room for Another Penguin? What to consider when adding a Linux workload to your z/VM system By Dennis Mosby and Gretchen Frye M any organizations have successfully implemented z/VM* and Linux* on IBM System z* servers. And with these initial successes come more opportunities to consolidate additional applications or deploy new ones requiring the service and scalability System z technology provides. The IBM Global Techline organization provides sizing and capacityplanning support at no cost to help answer these and other questions. To plan for these new opportunities, one option is to bring up another Linux guest under z/VM, configure it like the others, give it an IP address on your network and see how it goes. But will the system have enough capacity to handle the additional workload once it’s fully ramped up? Don’t risk impacting your workload service-level agreements when deploying new Linux applications. First, determine if your z/VM system has room for the additional Linux workload by answering the following: 1. How big is the additional workload? 2. Is the z/VM system running well today? 3. What’s the impact of the additional workload? ILLUSTRATION BY KIM ROSEN How Big Is the Workload? To answer this, IBM Global Techline can assist in sizing the new workload to determine the required System z CPU and memory capacity. It’s important to understand that a sizing estimate is a best-effort approximation of the hardware or software resources required to support an existing or new application set. The variability can be significant, and sizing does not constitute a performance guarantee. The best analyses are of small changes based on minimal assumptions; there’s a diminishing level of certainty as the scope of the change increases. Factors that impact application performance are, from greatest to least:

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition - May/June 2012

IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition - May/June 2012
Table of Contents
Editor’s Desk: System z and Linux: The IT Odd Couple?
IBM Perspective: Opportunities Abound With Linux on System z
Insider: Virtualization Brings New Technology to Mainframe Tape
IT Today: What to Consider When Adding a Linux Workload to Your z/VM System
Cover Story: Better Together: Linux on System z gains followers as clients discover its performance and value
Features: Successes Mount for Linux on Mainframe: Usage patterns evolve, building value for organizations
Tech Corner: zHPF Improves Upon Mainframe's I/O Capabilities
Administrator: System Cryptography Capabilities Enable Linux Applications to Run Securely and Efficiently
Solutions/Advertisers Index: Attunity Replicate - ISPF MQ Message Editor for z/OS - Voltage SecureData z/Protect
Stop Run: Destination z Project Manager's Childhood Interest Leads to Impressive Collection
Reference Point
Special Supplement: Innovate 2012
Special Supplement: Services Blueprint: IBM Systems Lab Services and Training

IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition - May/June 2012