Managing Data Centers Much More Than Managing Operating Systems

We’re in for a treat come Thursday when Greg Hintermeister, who happens to be an IBM Master Inventor (coolest title ever), shows us how to manage our Power/AIX environments with IBM Systems Director at our Power IT Pro virtual event. 

In the description of his session, he mentions that managing a data center is a lot harder than managing just operating systems -- successful administrators have to manage server hardware, how it's virtualized, how network and storage are integrated, plus the operating systems running the workloads. But Hintermeister will show you how to manage all of these layers by focusing on just five key areas. And what are those areas? I reached out to Hintermeister to find out. Read the rest of entry »

Beckman on Linux on Power at Virtual Event Next Week

Mel Beckman, our senior technical director for Power IT Pro, will be delivering just one of many free sessions on Power System tips and technology next week during our Power IT Pro Virtual Conference. We’re pretty excited about the event, mostly because we know it’s jam-packed with excellence. (And you can’t beat the price!) Of course, topics: IBM Senior Engineer Jim Mitchell will outline IBM’s Power Systems strategy and directions in the keynote, followed by a hands-on with AIX 7 session by Rob McNelly. Read the rest of entry »

IBM Makes Big Power Announcements: Hardware, Software, Cloud

IBM made a slew of announcements last week for Power Systems during its Power Tech University conference, which saw everything from Power box upgrades to a Starter Kit for Cloud on Power to a new version of Rational Developer for Power Systems Software, among others. Read on to get the full details. Read the rest of entry »

PowerVM vs VMware, Plus a Dose of Automation to Handle the Virtualization Tide

One of the cool things we get to do here at Power IT Pro is to extend our content -- it's not just articles -- out to everyone around the world. We do webcasts and events, and where they really shine is getting experts to condense the good stuff down into PowerPoint slides and then talk about it using natural language. Articles are great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes a more off-the-cuff explanation through the spoken word can help make something confusing surprisingly clear. Read the rest of entry »

New Power Systems Cloud Offering from Logicalis Lights the Sky

While we haven't extensively covered cloud computing yet at Power IT Pro, there are a handful of well-respected players offering AIX-focused professionals the ability to serve up Power Systems-based servers from the so-called clouds. Connectria is one, and I know the company serves up a variety of AIX-focused configurations for several dozen customers, large and small. The latest company to invest in IBM Power Systems cloud offerings is Logicalis, which is offering its new Enterprise Power Cloud service -- based on IBM Power 770-class systems capable of supporting multi-tenancy running AIX and i5/OS virtual servers.  Read the rest of entry »

Power of AIX Webcast Series Packed with POWER

IBM is sponsoring another great Power of AIX Webcast series this winter, packed with all-new AIX and POWER-focused solutions you can put to work right away. Topics include the Cloud on AIX, reducing complexity with AIX Systems Management, and PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX, which will feature Barry Cohen, CTO of Edison Group, who will focus on key characteristics of a cross platform solution verses the PowerHA SystemMirror solution for AIX environments. Read the rest of entry »

Virtual Conference to Deliver: AIX 7.1, HA Answers, 5.2 WPARS, PowerVM in Action, and Much More

The first ever Power IT Pro Virtual Conference is set to deliver an astounding amount of information in one jam-packed day. With seven sessions designed to get at the heart of the hottest topics in the industry, the crew here at Power IT Pro are looking forward to November 16 when we get to share it all -- free!

Ever wonder how IBM's PowerVM actually stacks up against the likes of VMware vSphere on x86-based servers?  Read the rest of entry »

Chris Gibson Q&A: AIX 7.1 'Rocks'

I recently caught up with Chris Gibson, an AIX and PowerVM specialist who makes his home in Australia, for an email Q&A on AIX 7. You might recognize Gibson from his "Chris's AIX Blog" on IBM's developerWorks site, his activity out and about in our Power Systems world, his Twitteringn Twitter (@cgibbo), or even as an author on the AIX 7.1 Differences Guide Redbook, which is currently available as a draft and is due for official release in December.

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CloudBurst to Shine on POWER7 in December

IBM has expanded its CloudBurst family of private cloud appliances to include a new POWER7-based unit, as well as offer the brains of CloudBurst as a software solution capable of installation on a company's currently installed system. IBM's previous CloudBurst solution was x86 for IBM BladeCenter, but this new POWER7 option, IBM CloudBurst v2.1 on Power Systems, is based on IBM Power 750 servers. 

The "appliance" can support from 160 up to 2,900 virtual machines and securely keep the data in those applications separate. The operating systems that run on POWER7, of course, are AIX, IBM i, and Linux. Incidentally, IBM estimates that private clouds built on Power systems can be up to 70 percent less expensive than stand alone x86 servers.

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Redbook Roundup: Top Ten for AIX, Plus 7.1 Differences

IBM's International Technical Support Organization (ITSO) has been publishing Redbooks for more than 40 years, and by now IBM's Redbook program has got to be a shining light of knowledge transfer. IT pros download more than half-a-million Redbooks each month. To date, IBM has published more than 4,800 Redbooks, and the company is publishing more than one red tech-focused document each day. And these are nothing to sneeze at -- they are in-depth how-to guides.

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