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Top 5 use cases for IBM PowerVS
1. AIX and IBM i Development and Test: Sandboxes in the Cloud with Power Virtual Server
For organisations running mission-critical applications on AIX and IBM i, development and testing can present unique challenges. Balancing the need for rigorous testing with resource constraints and minimising disruption to production environments is crucial. This is where IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) emerges as a compelling solution, offering a secure, flexible, and cost-effective platform for AIX and IBM i development and testing activities.
Client Needs:
Remote Testing Environment:
Organisations often require isolated testing platforms to assess application updates or perform regression testing without impacting production workloads. PowerVS provides a remote environment accessible from virtually anywhere, enabling developers and testers to work collaboratively without compromising production stability.
Flexible Resource Consumption:
Development and test environments typically exhibit fluctuating resource demands. PowerVS offers a pay-as-you-go consumption model, allowing organisations to scale resources up or down dynamically based on specific testing needs. This eliminates the need for upfront capital investment in dedicated hardware and avoids the burden of underutilised resources when testing phases conclude.
Future-Proofing Infrastructure:
Evaluating and planning for next-generation hardware or operating system (OS) versions is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. PowerVS empowers organisations to test the compatibility of their AIX and IBM i applications with new technologies before deploying them in production. This fosters a proactive approach to infrastructure advancement, minimising risks associated with major upgrades or migrations.
Examples:
Hybrid Cloud Journey:
PowerVS serves as a springboard for organisations embarking on their hybrid cloud journey. It allows them to experiment with cloud-based AIX and IBM i deployments in a controlled environment before fully committing to a larger-scale migration.
Testing Complex Architectures:
PowerVS provides a safe haven for testing complex or large-scale architectural changes without impacting production environments. This is particularly valuable when evaluating scenarios that require significant resource allocation, such as testing a potential scale-up to a high-end E980 system due to growing business demands.
Isolated Testing Infrastructure:
Organisations seeking a temporary and isolated environment for application testing can leverage PowerVS to create secure sandboxes. This enables thorough testing without introducing risks to production data or impacting critical business processes.
Hardware Refresh Testing:
Before embarking on a hardware refresh cycle, organisations can utilize PowerVS to test their AIX and IBM i workloads on the target infrastructure. This proactive approach allows them to identify and address potential compatibility issues beforehand, ensuring a smooth and seamless transition to the new hardware platform.
Technical Solution:
At the heart of this solution lies IBM Power Systems Virtual Server. It provides multi-tenant virtual IBM Power servers with the same level of security, performance, and reliability as dedicated Power hardware. This ensures a consistent and familiar platform for development and testing activities, minimising the need for extensive reconfiguration or code changes.
Connectivity Options:
Direct Link Connect:
This service offers dedicated, high-bandwidth connectivity between the client’s on-premises environment and the PowerVS instance, enabling seamless data transfer and efficient application testing.
VPN and Direct Link Dedicated:
These options provide alternative methods for secure and reliable connectivity between the client’s network and PowerVS, catering to various infrastructure configurations and budgetary considerations.
Backup and Storage:
Cloud Object Storage:
This service allows organisations to create backups of their development and test environments on PowerVS, ensuring data protection and facilitating disaster recovery scenarios. Additionally, Cloud Object Storage can be used to host custom images for faster deployment and streamlined testing processes.
Conclusion:
By leveraging IBM Power Virtual Server, organisations can establish secure and flexible development and test environments for their AIX and IBM i applications. PowerVS offers a cost-effective solution that eliminates the need for upfront capital expenditure, scales resources dynamically based on demand, and minimises disruption to production environments.
Whether embarking on a hybrid cloud journey, testing complex architectures, or simply seeking an isolated testing ground, PowerVS empowers organisations to confidently navigate the development and testing lifecycle of their AIX and IBM i workloads.
2. AIX and IBM i Production Application Hosting: Powering the Future with IaaS
For organisations relying on AIX and IBM i for mission-critical applications, embracing a modern IT infrastructure is essential for staying competitive and fostering innovation. IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) presents a compelling solution, offering a secure and reliable IaaS platform that empowers organisations to seamlessly migrate their production workloads to the cloud while retaining the familiar benefits of the IBM Power Systems environment.
Client Needs:
Traditional IaaS Value:
Organisations seeking the established benefits of IaaS, such as scalability, pay-as-you-go pricing, and reduced management overhead, can utilize PowerVS to achieve these goals while leveraging their existing investments in AIX and IBM i skills and applications. This fosters a smooth transition to the cloud without sacrificing the stability and performance associated with the IBM Power platform.
Modernisation with IBM Cloud Services:
PowerVS goes beyond basic IaaS by providing a springboard for organisations to modernize their core business through the extensive portfolio of IBM Cloud services. This enables them to integrate their AIX and IBM i applications with cloud-native services, fostering innovation and unlocking new business capabilities.
Flexible Bursting and Scaling:
PowerVS caters to organisations with fluctuating workloads by offering a flexible solution for bursting and scaling their on-premises infrastructure. This allows them to seamlessly handle peak workloads or temporary capacity needs without incurring additional hardware costs. Additionally, PowerVS can serve as a temporary hosting solution during data centre migrations or mergers, providing a secure and reliable platform to bridge the gap between the existing environment and the future state.
Consumption-Based Model:
Organisations seeking to transition towards a consumption-based model for their IT infrastructure can leverage PowerVS’s pay-as-you-go pricing option. This aligns IT spending with actual usage, eliminating the burden of underutilised resources and empowering organisations to optimise their IT budgets.
Data Centre Exit Strategy:
Organisations contemplating an exit from data centre operations can utilise PowerVS as a strategic migration tool. By migrating their AIX and IBM I workloads to the cloud, organisations can significantly reduce their data centre footprint, minimise associated maintenance costs, and free up valuable resources to focus on core business activities.
Examples:
Legacy Database Systems:
PowerVS provides a robust platform for hosting mission-critical databases like Oracle© and Db2, ensuring the continued performance and reliability of these enterprise systems within a modern cloud environment.
Custom Applications: Organisations with custom enterprise applications built on AIX and IBM i can leverage PowerVS to migrate these applications to the cloud while maintaining their functionality and security. This enables them to benefit from the scalability and flexibility of the cloud without the need for extensive code rewrites.
Hybrid Cloud Modernization:
PowerVS serves as a foundation for a hybrid cloud strategy, allowing organisations to modernise their existing infrastructure by integrating their AIX and IBM i workloads with cloud-native applications and services. This fosters agility and innovation while maintaining the stability and security of critical business applications.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
During mergers and acquisitions, organisations often need to consolidate data centres and workloads. PowerVS provides a temporary hosting solution to bridge the gap between the existing environments, facilitating a smooth transition and minimising disruption during the integration process.
Technical Solution:
The core of this solution lies in the IBM Power Systems Virtual Server. It delivers virtual IBM Power servers with the same level of performance and reliability as dedicated hardware, ensuring a familiar and secure platform for hosting AIX and IBM i production workloads.
Additional Considerations:
PowerHA (Optional): For enhanced high availability and disaster recovery capabilities, organisations can leverage PowerHA with PowerVS, ensuring continuous application uptime and data protection.
Mass Data Migration (MDM): Facilitating the secure and efficient migration of large datasets from on-premises environments to PowerVS is crucial. IBM offers MDM solutions designed to streamline this process and minimize disruption to ongoing operations.
Connectivity:
Direct Link and Direct Link Dedicated provide dedicated and secure connections between the on-premises environment and PowerVS, enabling seamless data transfer and efficient application management.
Cloud Object Storage: For optional backup and custom image hosting, Cloud Object Storage offers a scalable and cost-effective solution within the IBM Cloud.
Conclusion:
By leveraging IBM Power Virtual Server, organisations can migrate their AIX and IBM i production workloads to the cloud with confidence. PowerVS delivers a secure, reliable, and flexible IaaS platform that empowers organisations to embrace a modern IT infrastructure, pushing scalability, cost-efficiency, and the ability to leverage the extensive capabilities of the IBM Cloud.
Whether seeking traditional IaaS value, modernising with cloud-native services, or exiting the data centre, PowerVS provides a powerful solution for organisations to propel their AIX and IBM I environments into the future.
3. Hybrid Disaster Recovery (DR) on IBM Power VS
Ensuring the uninterrupted availability of mission-critical applications is paramount for any organisation. IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) emerges as a compelling option for organisations seeking a robust and cost-effective solution for Hybrid Power Disaster Recovery (DR). This approach leverages the cloud as a secondary DR site, offering enhanced security, reliability, and scalability while minimising investment in additional on-premises infrastructure.
Client Needs:
Stepping Stone to IaaS:
PowerVS can serve as a stepping stone for organisations considering an eventual transition to a full IaaS environment. By implementing PowerVS as a DR solution, organisations gain valuable experience with cloud infrastructure and management practices, easing the transition to production workloads in the future. This allows them to test the waters of IaaS without committing to a complete migration upfront.
Enhanced DR for On-premises Power Environment:
Organisations with mission-critical IBM Power environments often require robust DR solutions to ensure business continuity in the event of disruptions. PowerVS provides a secure and reliable offsite DR platform, offering a higher level of protection compared to traditional on-premises backup and recovery methods. This fosters increased confidence in application uptime and data availability.
Geographically Diverse DR Site:
In today’s interconnected world, geographically diverse DR sites are crucial for mitigating risks associated with regional disasters. PowerVS allows organisations to establish a DR site in a different geographical location, ensuring that their critical applications remain operational even in the event of a localised incident impacting their primary data centre.
Examples:
Reducing DR Investment:
PowerVS offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional DR solutions that often require significant capital expenditure in building and maintaining secondary data centres. By leveraging the cloud as a DR destination, organisations can optimise their DR budgets and avoid unnecessary infrastructure investments.
Cloud Migration Readiness:
Organisations with a long-term strategy for cloud migration can utilise their PowerVS DR environment as a testing ground for IaaS. This allows them to gain insights into cloud infrastructure management and application performance in the cloud and identify potential areas for optimisation before migrating production workloads. This fosters a smooth and successful migration process while minimising risks and disruptions.
Remote DR Site:
PowerVS facilitates the establishment of a remote DR site for geographically dispersed organisations. This enables them to quickly restore critical operations in the event of an outage at their primary location, regardless of distance.
Technical Solution:
The cornerstone of this solution is IBM Power Virtual Server. It provides a secure and reliable cloud-based platform for hosting replicated copies of critical applications and data from the on-premises environment.
Additional Considerations:
PowerHA (Optional): For strengthened high availability and disaster recovery capabilities within the PowerVS DR environment, organisations can leverage PowerHA. This software ensures seamless failover and application recovery in the event of an outage at the primary site.
Connectivity:
Direct Link Connect and Direct Link Dedicated (optional) offer dedicated and secure connections between the on-premises environment and PowerVS, facilitating efficient data replication and failover processes.
Cloud Object Storage:
For optional custom image hosting and disaster recovery planning, Cloud Object Storage provides a scalable and cost-effective solution within the IBM Cloud.
Conclusion:
By leveraging IBM Power Virtual Server for Hybrid Power DR, organisations can significantly enhance their disaster recovery posture without compromising operational efficiency or incurring excessive costs. PowerVS offers a secure, reliable, and geographically diverse DR solution, fostering business continuity and peace of mind in today’s ever-evolving IT landscape.
4. Deploying and Modernizing Oracle Databases on IBM Power Virtual Server
Challenge:
Organisations running mission-critical Oracle databases on IBM Power Systems often seek ways to optimise performance, enhance security, and explore migration paths to the cloud. IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) emerges as a compelling platform that empowers organisations to deploy, modernise, and manage their Oracle databases in a secure and scalable cloud environment.
Solution:
PowerVS offers a versatile platform for various Oracle database needs, including:
New Oracle Database Deployments:
Organisations can leverage PowerVS to deploy new Oracle databases in a cloud environment. This eliminates the need for upfront capital expenditure on dedicated hardware, allowing for faster provisioning and increased resource flexibility.
Oracle Database Modernization:
PowerVS provides a platform for modernising existing Oracle databases by leveraging the latest features and capabilities available on the IBM Power platform. This can involve upgrading to newer Oracle versions, implementing advanced security measures, or integrating with cloud-native services for enhanced functionality.
Custom AIX Image Migration:
Organisations with custom AIX images containing existing Oracle database environments can utilise PowerVS to migrate these configurations to the cloud. By exporting the custom AIX image from their on-premises environment and redeploying it on PowerVS, organisations can establish a familiar and consistent platform for their Oracle databases in the cloud.
Considerations:
It is important to note that the videos referenced within your content may not reflect the latest functionalities of PowerVS. While they can provide a general overview of the deployment process, it is crucial to consult the latest documentation and resources for accurate and up-to-date information.
Benefits:
Leveraging PowerVS for Oracle database deployments and modernization offers several advantages:
Scalability and Agility:
PowerVS allows organisations to dynamically scale their Oracle database resources up or down based on demand, optimizing costs and ensuring optimal performance.
Security and Reliability:
PowerVS inherits the robust security and reliability of the IBM Power platform, providing a secure environment for mission-critical Oracle databases.
Reduced Operational Expenditure:
By leveraging the cloud infrastructure of PowerVS, organisations can potentially reduce their hardware and software licensing costs associated with on-premises Oracle deployments.
Modernisation Opportunities:
PowerVS opens doors for exploring hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, enabling organisations to integrate their Oracle databases with cloud-native services and foster innovation.
Conclusion:
IBM Power Virtual Server empowers organisations to deploy, modernise, and manage their Oracle databases in a secure and flexible cloud environment. Whether seeking to streamline new deployments, explore modernisation options, or migrate existing environments, PowerVS offers a compelling platform that caters to the evolving needs of organisations running Oracle databases on IBM Power Systems.
5. Cloud native development and application modernisation by using Red Hat OpenShift on Power Virtual Server
Cloud-Native Development and Modernisation: Supercharge Your Applications with OpenShift on Power Virtual Server
The modern IT landscape is driven by innovation and agility. Organisations are increasingly adopting cloud-native development approaches and modernising legacy applications to accelerate time to market and deliver enhanced value to their businesses. IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS), paired with Red Hat OpenShift, provides a powerful platform that empowers organisations to achieve these goals.
Cloud-Native Development:
PowerVS delivers a secure and scalable environment for building and deploying microservices-based applications using containers. By leveraging Red Hat OpenShift, a leading container orchestration platform, organisations can:
Develop applications faster:
OpenShift streamlines the development lifecycle by automating deployments, scaling, and container management. Developers can focus on building innovative features instead of managing infrastructure complexities.
Deploy reliably:
OpenShift ensures consistent and reliable deployments across different environments, minimising the risk of errors and delays.
Manage efficiently:
OpenShift provides a centralised platform for managing containerised applications, simplifying operations and reducing administrative overhead.
Application Modernisation:
PowerVS allows organisations to modernise their existing monolithic applications into a microservices architecture. This enables:
Faster delivery of new functionalities:
Breaking down applications into smaller, independent components facilitates faster development and deployment cycles, allowing businesses to respond to market demands quickly.
Increased agility and flexibility:
Microservices architecture enables independent scaling and updating of components, promoting greater agility and flexibility in meeting changing business needs.
Improved maintainability and scalability: Modernized applications are easier to maintain, update, and scale as the business grows, reducing costs and improving overall efficiency.
Deployment Options:
PowerVS offers two primary deployment methods for OpenShift:
IPI (Installer-provisioned installation):
This automated option simplifies the process by provisioning all necessary infrastructure services within the OpenShift cluster, ideal for fast and easy deployments.
UPI (User-provisioned infrastructure):
This method offers greater control, allowing administrators to manage OpenShift nodes themselves. It’s suitable for organisations requiring more customisation or existing infrastructure integration.
Conclusion:
By combining the scalability and security of PowerVS with the power of Red Hat OpenShift, organisations can unlock the full potential of cloud-native development and application modernisation. This powerful combination empowers them to build and deploy applications faster, innovate more efficiently, and ultimately achieve a competitive edge in the ever-evolving IT landscape.
Additional Resources:
Field Guide to Application Modernization on IBM Power Systems
Installing OpenShift Container Platform on Power Virtual Server with IPI
Installing OpenShift Container Platform on Power Virtual Server with UPI
IBM Cloud Power Virtual Server OpenShift Playbooks
Coovenco understands that every business has unique needs and budgets. That’s why we offer a free, comprehensive assessment to help you determine if PowerVS is the right fit for your organisation.
Get in touch for more information and to start a conversation with our IBM Power team.
