Ron Gordon
Director, IBM Power Systems
The IBM Power10 based Scale-Out and Midrange Systems were announced on July 12, 2022. Soon thereafter, I authored a blog, 10 Things to Know about IBM Power10 Scale Out & Mid-Range Systems, that provided an informational overview of the IBM Power Systems Power10 based 1014, 1022, 1022s, 1024, and 1050 servers. The information presented, along with deeper level questions you have asked, should lead you to select the Power10 Systems server most appropriate for your existing solutions, migration from prior legacy Power System servers, or to support new workloads for on-premises, hybrid cloud, or cloud environments. Historically, the selection choice was primarily driven by system performance based on rPerfs or CPWs and system capacity needs (and, of course, cost). This blog is focused on configuration and planning considerations based on changes in architecture and internals of the new Power10 based Scale-0ut and Midrange systems, expanding on the 10 Things to Know blog.
Planning Considerations
So, now that you are probably focused on a specific server model, please consider the following and take the appropriate planning steps:
1. Planning item for Oracle SE2 users.
Remember most P10 Scale-Out (and Midrange) Systems use Dual Chip Modules and not the single chip module like all POWER9 systems and the 1080. This means more cores for servers (up to 48 on the 1024 and 96 on the 1050). If you have more than one socket on the Scale-Out systems Oracle DB SE2 licensing is no longer valid since Oracle DB SE2 is limited to systems with a maximum of two processors. So, if you are using Oracle DB with SE2 licensing, you need to limit the configuration to only one socket (12 cores models of the 1022 and 1024) or upgrade to Oracle DB Enterprise license. Other ISV software may have similar licensing restrictions.
2. IBMi support
Certain systems do not support IBMi such as the 1022s 4 core models (aka the “B” models). The 1022 models (aka the “A” models) only support LPARs of up to 4 cores for IBMi. Also, the 1014 4 core option is the only configuration to support the IBM i P05 tier but it only supports 4 NVMe internal drives. All other Scale-Out and Midrange have no limitations on IBMi, AIX, nor Linux RedHat and SUSE options.
3. Goodbye to “Linux Only” models.
In POWER8 and POWER9 based systems there were ACC, IC, LC, and L models that were only supported by Linux and internally had the OPAL hypervisor. This has changed and those models and their characteristic of “Linux only” no longer exist in the Power10 Scale-Out family. However, you will see there is an 1024L and 1022L model. These are not limited to “Linux only” and can run 25% of the system with AIX or IBM i or a combination of AIX and IBMi not exceeding 25%. Also, OPAL is no longer the hardware management technology and the L models have the eBMC for hardware management which is the eBMC found on all the Scale-Out models and the 1050. The 1022L and 1024L are a very good choice for running SAP HANA since SAP HANA runs Linux and the new “L” models come with special terms and conditions.
4. Large memory availability.
Large memory, meaning the 256 GB DDIMMs (x2) are not available until 4th Quarter 2022 (current plan). If you need the larger memory capacity, for SAP HANA for example, you must wait and if you start with lower capacity DDIMMs you will have to replace them with no trade-in nor upgrade pricing.
5. Physical size of 1022 models.
The 1022 models are 2U systems. To accommodate and cool the technology, the systems are 4 inches longer than the previous 922 and 822 models. This should be considered in your planning. As most racks are 19 inches wide, there is usually no specification for depth, and they can accommodate the extra length, but the 1022 models may now be longer than the rack and stick out 4 inches. Orders for the 1022 systems may consider the cable management arm to help with rack mounting and maintenance. No specific issues if you can move the rack away from the wall or other racks.
6. NVMe Drives.
NVMe drives are great. All the P10 Scale-Out and 1050 systems and 1080 systems now only have NVMe internal drives. The NVMe drives are independent, and the cards also contain the controller which enables them to be individually assigned to different partitions in VIOS. One item to consider however is that NVMe drives do not support RAID. As such, mirroring the process to ensure recovery on an NVMe failure is advised. This also implies, for example, if the system has 10 NVMe drives and you configure them to be recoverable, then you only have 5 drives mirrored to 5 drives for internal storage.
7. OS levels.
OS levels are important not only of the Operating Systems but also of the HMC and the HMC micro code. For the new Scale Out and Midrange systems please review this minimum support table:
Planning Assistance
There are many considerations to review as you develop your implementation plan for your new Power10 Scale-Out and Midrange systems due to the changes in architecture and internals. The information provided in the blog should steer you in the right direction, but it is certainly not all inclusive. Also consider as the Power10 1080 models have been out for almost a year now, the 1080 need not be restricted by some of these planning points. (The 1080, for example, is still managed by the FSP and not until Power11 is this expected to change.)
For joint planning or additional information, please contact your Mainline representative directly or contact us here.
More Information
Mainline is a Platinum level IBM Business Partner – the highest partnership level in the IBM PartnerWorld program. We have heavily invested in the technical skills and certifications necessary to provide the top level of services and solutions to our customers for all IBM hardware and software products, including maintenance and software support services. For further assistance with IBM Power10 servers contact us here.
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BLOG: 10 Things to Know about IBM Power10 Scale Out & Mid-Range Systems