For many of its users, Linux goes hand in hand with Intel x86 servers. However, organizations that fail to properly examine all of the options available to them for supporting their Linux workloads may be missing out on an important opportunity to experience better results.
The truth is that IBM Power Systems servers have just as much claim to being the ideal platform for Linux as Intel servers do. In fact, every server that IBM sells can run Linux — the exact same Linux that x86 systems run, delivered and updated on the same schedule. Once Linux users recognize that they have another option available to them, they may realize that IBM Power Systems is the more appealing choice, due to its higher performance, built-in support for virtualization, and advanced reliability features. In addition, the perceived high cost of IBM Power Systems — one reason many organizations don’t consider Power for Linux — may not be as high as many people think it is, when you consider the total cost of acquisition.
Performance
For organizations running compute-intensive workloads such as data analytics, IBM Power Systems is the only logical choice. IBM POWER8, the most recent offering from the Power family, is built from the ground up for high performance. In addition to offering much higher memory capacity and memory bandwidth than x86 systems, POWER8 also includes support for simultaneous multithreading with eight cores per thread (SMT-8). By comparison, x86 systems are only capable of performing SMT-2. The ability to achieve four times the level of per-core performance allows organizations to do more with less, which in turn allows them to decrease their server footprint and potentially spend less on staffing, maintenance and troubleshooting.
Virtualization
The IBM PowerVM hypervisor is built into the firmware of IBM Power Systems offerings, meaning that POWER8 is capable of providing always-on advanced virtualization capabilities right out of the box. In addition, the built-in hypervisor helps reduce latency by allowing for a much higher level of hardware utilization, while also effectively eliminating security vulnerabilities. In contrast, Intel x86 systems must rely on third-party add-ons to serve as the hypervisor. These hypervisors fail to provide the simple, out-of-the-box approach to virtualization that the IBM PowerVM provides. In addition, they can significantly limit hardware utilization, eating up as much as 25 percent of system resources, compared to only about 2 percent for the IBM PowerVM.
Reliability
Unlike x86 systems, IBM Power Systems servers are intended to support 24/7 mission-critical enterprise operations by default. x86 systems deliver lower performance results when reliability features are turned on, in spite of the fact that most published benchmarks show x86 performance results with these features turned off. IBM Power does not consider reliability to be an optional extra, so systems administrators that use IBM Power need not worry about having to choose between reliability and results.
The reliability offered by IBM Power Systems can be traced back to many advanced features, such as built-in predictive failure alerts, chipkill memory, and DIMM sparing.
Cost
As noted previously, many systems administrators have a preconceived notion that IBM Power is simply too expensive to be a good option for Linux. In fact, when you consider the total cost of acquisition, including factors such as the list price of the server itself, the cost of virtualization, and the cost of Linux OS subscription and support, Power Systems offerings are usually price-competitive with x86 offerings, if not less expensive.
To take a closer look at what IBM Power Systems might cost you, check out the thinkASG Power Systems cost review evaluation. By taking a look at your current needs and what it would cost to meet those needs on Power, you’ll be able to make an educated decision about whether moving to Power would be right for you.
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