IBM 990 - Manual (Page 50)

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zSeries 990 Technical Guide
2.2 System design
The IBM z990 Symmetrical Multi Processor (SMP) design is the next step in an evolutionary
trajectory stemming from the introduction of CMOS technology back in 1994. Over time, the
design has been adapted to the changing requirements dictated by the shift towards
e-business applications that customers are becoming more and more dependent on. The
z990, with its superscalar processor and flexible configuration options, is the next
implementation to address this ever-changing environment.
2.2.1 Design highlights
The physical packaging is a deviation from previous packaging methods in that its modular
book design creates the opportunity to address the ever-increasing costs related to building
systems with ever-increasing capacities. The modular book design is flexible and expandable
and may contain even larger capacities in the future.
The main objectives of the z990 system design, which are covered in this chapter and in the
following ones, are:
To offer a flexible infrastructure to concurrently accommodate a wide range of operating
systems and applications, from the traditional S/390 and zSeries systems to the new world
of Linux and e-business.
To have state-of-the-art integration capability for server consolidation, offering
virtualization techniques, such as:
– Logical partitioning, which allows up to 30 logical servers
– z/VM, which can virtualize hundreds of servers as Virtual Machines
– HiperSockets™, which implements virtual LANs between logical and/or virtual servers
within a z990 server
This allows logical and virtual server coexistence and maximizes system utilization by
sharing hardware resources.
To have high performance to achieve the outstanding response times required by
e-business applications, based on z990 superscalar processor technology, architecture,
and high bandwidth channels, which offer high data rate connectivity.
To offer the high capacity and scalability required by the most demanding applications,
both from single system and clustered systems points of view.
To have the capability of concurrent upgrades for processors, memory, and I/O
connectivity, avoiding server outages even in such planned situations.
To implement a system with high availability and reliability , from the redundancy of
critical elements and sparing components of a single system, to the clustering technology
of the Parallel Sysplex environment.
To have a broad connectivity offering, supporting open standards such as Gigabit Ethernet
(GbE) and Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) for Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).
To provide the highest level of security , each CP has a CP Assist for Cryptographic
Function (CPACF). Optional PCIX Cryptographic Coprocessors and PCI Cryptographic
Accelerators for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) transactions of e-business applications can
be added.
To be self-managing , adjusting itself on workload changes to achieve the best system
throughput, through the Intelligent Resource Director and the Workload Manager
functions.