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Key features of IBM Power Virtual Server (IBM PowerVS)

The following is a list of the critical features of IBM’s Power Virtual Server (PowerVS).

Straightforward billing

Power Virtual Server uses a monthly billing rate that includes the licenses for the AIX and IBM i operating systems. The monthly billing rate is pro-rated by the hour based on the resources that are deployed to the Power Virtual Server instance for the month.

When you create the Power Virtual Server instance, you can see the total cost for your configuration based on the options that you specify. You can quickly identify what configuration options provide you with the best value for your business needs.

Get in Touch for complete TCO calculations, comparisons to on-premises pricing and a detailed analysis of the costs for your applications running on IBM PowerVS.

Infrastructure customisation

You can configure and customise the following options when you create a Power Virtual Server:

  • Number of virtual server instances
  • Number of cores
  • Amount of memory
  • Data volume size and type
  • Network interfaces.

Get in touch to discuss your preferred infrastructure setup.

Bring your own image

IBM provides you with stock AIX and IBM i images when you create a Power Virtual Server. However, you can always bring your own custom AIX, IBM i, or Linux image you tested and deployed.

Get in touch for more information about your image deployments.

Support for SAP NetWeaver or SAP HANA applications

When you provision a Power Virtual Server instance to support SAP NetWeaver applications, select a version of the IBM-provided AIX or Linux stock operating system image. When you provision a Power Virtual Server instance to support the SAP HANA applications, select a version of the IBM provided Linux® stock image. IBM i operating system and custom AIX and Linux images are not supported for SAP workloads.

When provisioning a Power Virtual Server to support SAP NetWeaver applications, select a version of the IBM-provided AIX operating system stock image. IBM i and operating system custom images are not currently supported for SAP workloads.

Get in touch for information about the supported operating system versions and how to deploy your infrastructure.

Support for deploying a Red Hat OpenShift Cluster

When you provision a Red Hat OpenShift Cluster on Power Virtual Server, it is easier to use the IBM™ provided automation to create the entire cluster of servers and install Red Hat OpenShift rather than individually provisioning Power Virtual Server instances.

Get in touch for more information about deploying a Red Hat OpenShift Cluster on the Power Virtual Server, including preparation of the required Operation System images for the cluster.

Hardware specifications

The following IBM Power Systems can host a Power Virtual Server:

  • IBM Power System S922 (9009-22A)
  • IBM Power System S922 (9009-22G)
  • IBM Power System E980 (9080-M9S)
  • IBM Power System S1022 (9105-22A)

Get in touch for more information about these systems and their use inside the Power Virtual Server.