database consolidation on suse linux enterprise server … · database consolidation on ......
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Table of Contents page
An Oracle Use Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2The Limits of Virtualization on Commodity Hardware for Certain Use Cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2The Solution: IBM System z with SUSE Linux Enterprise for System z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Benefits of Oracle Consolidation with IBM System z and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. . . . . . . . . 5The Proof: Customer Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Conclusion / Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Database Consolidation on SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for System z
Business White PaperServer
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Server Business White PaperDatabase Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z
Executive SummaryCertainly,.x86.systems.are.both.“good.enough”.and.cost-effective.for.virtualizing.servers.and.applications.in.many.circumstances ..But.as.virtualization.grows,.the.result.is.often.virtual.server.sprawl—creating.a.new.kind.of.IT.complexity.and.adding.costs ..
Databases.have.been.particularly.challenging.to.consolidate ..Many.leading.databases.are.not.certified.(and,.therefore,.aren’t.supported).for.virtualization ..Most.run.on.bare.metal—which.adds.database.licensing.costs.as.well.as.increasing.hardware.costs.as.the.physical.environment.grows ..What’s.more,.running.databases.on.separate.servers.often.reduces.processing.performance .
As.a.result,.many.companies.with.databases.running.in.a.dis-tributed.environment.still.suffer.from.IT.complexity.and.continu-ally.escalating.database.licensing,.hardware.and.other.IT-related.costs.as.they.grow ..What.can.they.do?
One.virtualization.solution.overcomes.these.challenges:.IBM.System.z.hardware.(the.mainframe).running.SUSE®.Linux.Enter-prise.Server.for.System.z.on.IBM.z/VM.virtualization.technology ..It.offers:
OneoftheveryfewvirtualizationsolutionscertifiedforandsupportedbyOracle
Well-known,industry-leadingperformanceandsecurity,aswellasreliability,availability,andserviceability(RAS)—betterthananyx86environment
Opportunityforsignificantgrowthwithinasinglephysicalsystem—minimizingtheneedforadditionaldatabaselicenses(requiredper-core)andadditionalhardware
Lowertotalcostofownershipcomparedtovirtualizationonx86,includingreduceddatabaselicensingcostsandlowercostsinobtainingortrainingskilledmainframeresourcesthanisgenerallythought
Here’s.a.closer.look,.including.company.examples.that.illustrate.these.advantages ..
The Limits of Virtualization on Commodity Hardware for Certain Use CasesFrequently,.a.company.replaces.an.aged.x86.or.UNIX.server.or.virtualizes.workloads.with.a.new.commodity.x86.machine.be-cause.they.offer.greater.performance.per.watt.at.a.low.cost ..However,.in.mid-to-large.size.data.centers.often.issues.arise.in.using.x86s.for.virtualization.that.undermine.the.cost.cutting.and.IT.simplification.goals.of.virtualization .
Virtual Server SprawlWhat.happens.as.virtualization.on.x86.systems.keeps.growing—as.is.forecast?1.Typically,.virtual.server.sprawl ..As.more.mission-critical.workloads.are.virtualized.on.one.physical.machine,.the.risks,.if.that.machine.fails,.increase ..To.ensure.robust.fail-over.
An Oracle Use CaseTo reduce IT costs and complexity, many companies have used virtualization to consolidate x86 servers in their data centers—only to discover problems inherent in their virtualized, distributed UNIX, Linux, and/or Windows environments.
__________
1 EdisonGroup,“IBMEnterpriseLinuxServer:SuperiorVirtualizationEliminatesx86ServerSprawl,”NewYork,2012.
3www.suse.com
requires.adding.equivalent.hardware.as.well.as.two.disk.storage.adapters.and.networks.interface.cards ..Now.the.redundant.server.is.underutilized ..Also,.costs.have.doubled,.as.have.RAM,.processor.core.count.and.physical.cabling,.and.more.switches,.floor.space,.and.cooling.are.required ..New.servers,.backup.servers,.monitor-ing.infrastructure,.etc ..can.multiply.quickly--.bringing.greater.complexity.with.less.visibility.and.spiraling.costs ..And.with.more.external.“connections”.required.to.complete.processing,.comput-ing.slows.and.the.incidence.of.disruption.and.security.risks.rise .
Lack of Certification—and Support—for Databases in Virtualized EnvironmentsEven.with.small.virtualization.projects,.there.is.one.looming.issue ..
First.and.foremost,.most.databases.aren’t.certified.or.supported.on.virtualization.software ..For.example,.Oracle.products.are.not.certified.or.supported.to.run.on.any.non-Oracle.x86.virtualization.technology.such.as.KVM,.Xen,.Hyper-V.or.VMWare .2.
Other.issues.that.arise.with.databases.in.distributed.x86.environ-ments.lead.to.increasing.costs ..For.example:
MostDBMS(databasemanagementsystem)vendorsrequirerecreatingtheDBMSonbaremetalforsupport,addingtothehardwarecountandcosts.
Ifadatabaseislargeorgrowing,asislikely,allthedatawon’tfitintomainmemoryonanx86.Therefore,databaseadministratorsoftenhosttheirDBsonbaremetaland,forimprovedresponsetimes(pagecachehits),theyaddalotmoremainmemorytothesetup—againaddingcostandcomplexity.
Whendevelopingandtestingapplications,it’sbestNOTtousetheproductiondatasets.Developersmustmakecop-iesofthedatabase—thusneedinganotherphysicalmachine.Multipledevelopmentprojectscan,therefore,leadtoaddingmorehardware,thusincreasingtheneedforcablingandcooling—anddatacentercosts.
Finally,databasesareusuallylicensedpernumberofproces-sorcorespermachine(notjustthecoresinuse).Soasthenumberofdatabaseserversgrows,sodothenumberofsoftwarelicenses—forincreasingcosts.
Fortunately,.there.is.a.solution.designed.to.circumvent.or.handle.these.problems .
The Solution: IBM System z with SUSE Linux Enterprise for System z
Why IBM System zIBM.System.z.machines.offer.many.advantages.for.virtualization:
CERTIFIED FOR VIRTUALIZING ORACLE DATABASES
One.mainframe.advantage.is.crucial.in.reducing.IT.complexity ..On.most.hardware.architectures.and.operating.systems,.Oracle.only.certifies.and.supports.its.own.virtualization.solutions ..This.is.different.for.IBM.System.z.running.Linux ..Oracle.software.stacks.are.certified.and.supported.on.certified.distributions.of.Linux.run-ning.natively.in.LPARs.or.as.a.guest.OS.in.z/VM.Virtual.Machines.deployed.on.IBM.System.z.64-bit.servers .”2.As.a.result,.Oracle.databases.are.supported.on.mainframe.partitions,.reducing.risks.and.eliminating.the.cost.of.adding.physical.machines.just.for.the.databases ..There.are.other.virtualization.and.cost.benefits.as.well .
HIGH PERFORMANCE, LARGE MEMORY CAPACITY
From.the.top.of.the.line.(IBM.z196./EC12).to.the.entry.point.(IBM.z114/zBC12).systems,.mainframes.excel.in.performance.and.ca-pacity ..The.IBM.zEC12.can.often.meet.the.capacity.requirements.of.an.entire.multi-platform.data.center.in.a.single.system ..It.offers.101.configurable.cores,.has.up.to.3.TB.of.main.memory,.uses.the.world’s.most.powerful.microprocessors.running.at.5 .5.GHz.and.is.capable.of.executing.more.than.78,000.millions.of.instructions.per.second.(MIPS) .3.The.newest.entry.point.system,.the.zBC12,.offers.up.to.13.configurable.microprocessors.running.at.4 .2.GHz.and.495.GB.of.available.memory .
BEST-IN-CLASS VIRTUALIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION
WITHOUT VIRTUAL SERVER SPRAWL
From.its.earliest.days,.IBM.designed.the.mainframe.with.two.lay-ers.of.available.virtualization ..The.first.layer.allows.partitioning.of.the.physical.machine,.or.general.purpose.processor,.into.several.independent.virtual.systems.(i .e .,.LPARs.or.logical.partitions) ..The.second.layer.is.made.up.of.IBM’s.z/VM.hypervisor,.which.can.host.hundreds.of.virtual.machines.within.an.LPAR.or.in.an.Integrated.Facility.for.Linux.(IFL) ..Operating.systems.running.in.an.LPAR.with.__________
2SeeOraclereferenceDocID:417770.1,OraclereferenceDocID249212.1
3“IBMUnveilszEnterpriseEC12,AHighlySecureSystemforCloudComputingandEnterpriseData,”www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/38653.wss
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Server Business White PaperDatabase Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z
z/VM.still.experience.hardware-supported.acceleration.to.manage.their.virtual.memory.at.very.low.cost.to.the.z/VM.and.LPAR.hyper-visor,.leaving.more.processing.resources.for.the.target.workloads .
z/VM.is.very.fast.and.efficient.and.allows.the.system.to.overcom-mit.main.memory.by.two-to-five.times,.depending.on.the.work-load ..Rates.of.800 .000.pages/sec.(at.4KB).are.not.uncommon,.and.delays.are.usually.unnoticed.by.the.user .
As.a.result.of.its.performance.and.design,.IBM.System.z.ma-chines.offer.massive.consolidation.potential.with.extreme.virtual.machine.(VM).density .................
Note:.Clientresultswillvarybasedoneachspecificcustomeren-vironment,includingtypesofworkloads,utilizationlevels,targetconsolidationhardware,andotherimplementationrequirements.Source:IBMSystemzTechnicalUniversity2012
In.short,.mainframes.often.have.85.percent.or.more.server.utiliza-tion.rates;.leading.performance,.in.part.from.a.huge.internal.com-munications.bus.and.off-loading.of.certain.computing.tasks.to.specialized.engines;.vast.memory.and.exceptional.security.(e .g .,.IBM.System.z.servers.are.the.only.commercial.servers.awarded.Common.Criteria.Evaluation.Assurance.Level.5+.security.certi-fication) ..Also,.z/VM.can.support.hundreds.of.individual.Linux.VMs.for.consolidating.distributed.x86.Linux.server.workloads .4.Additionally,.having.multiple.workloads.in.a.single.system.simpli-fies.system.management.and.maintenance.while.reducing.the.number.of.IT.resources .
But.when.is.this.overkill.and.when.is.this.an.efficient.way.to.re-duce.virtual.server.sprawl?.An.enterprise.should.start.taking.it.in.consideration.when.it.has.10.or.more.virtual.servers ..According.to.IBM,.the.System.z.entry.point.zBC12.“can.consolidate.up.to.40.virtual.servers.per.core.or.up.to.520.in.a.single.footprint.for.as.low.as.US$1 .00.per.day,.per.virtual.server ..A.single.zBC12.can.save.clients.up.to.55.percent.over.x86.distributed.environments .”5.These.statistics.were.derived.from.customer.data.on.the.zBC12’s.predecessor,.the.z114,.and.depend.on.workload.and.customer.configuration .
Why SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System zLinux.running.on.System.z.combines.the.advantages.of.the.IBM.mainframe.with.the.flexibility.and.open.standards.of.the.Linux.operating.system ..Linux.can.play.a.major.role.in.simplifying.the.IT.infrastructure—not.only.because.it.helps.simplify.business.in-tegration.through.the.use.of.open.and.industry.standards,.but.also.because.it.supports.quicker.new-solution.deployments.and.accelerates.time.to.market .__________
4IDCwhitepaper.RandyPerry,JeanBozman,NancySelig,“TheBusinessValueofIBMzEntepriseSystemDeployments.”Framingham,MA.July2012.
5IBMpressrelease,“IBMBoostszEnterpriseMainframePortfoliotoHelpClientsBuildBetterCustomerExperiences,”www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/41529.wss
Industry
Distributed Cores
IBM Enterprise Linux Server Cores
Core-to-Core Ratio
. .Public 292 5 58.to.1
Banking 111 4 27.to.1
Finance 442 16 27.to.1
Banking 131 5 26.to.1
Insurance 350. 15 23.to.1
Insurance 500+ 22 22.to.1
Banking 63 3 21.to.1
Finance 854 53 16.to.1
Healthcare 144 14 10.to.1
Transportation 84 9 9.to.1
Insurance 7. 1 7.to.1
Figure 1. IBMSystemzStructure
Figure 2. HighCore-to-CoreRatiosforConsolidation—RealCustomerExamples
5www.suse.com
SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.is.the.Linux.operat-ing.system.from.SUSE.that.is.optimized.for.IBM.mainframes ..It.includes.features.developed.specifically.for.System.z.to.take.advantage.of,.and.fully.exploit,.System.z-specific.hardware.ca-pabilities.and.IBM.z/VM.virtualization.technology ..
Running.under.z/VM.on.a.System.z.server,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.offers.an.alternative.to.x86.platforms.for.virtualizing.Linux,.UNIX.and.Windows.workloads ..When.you.use.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.to.consolidate.servers,.you.are.leveraging.the.resiliency.of.the.mainframe,.the.power.of.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.and.the.hypervisor.capabilities.of.z/VM.to.create.a.virtual.environment.that.lowers.TCO,.reduces.data.center.complexity,.increases.flexibility.and.decreases.downtime ..
As.the.market-share.leader.in.Linux.for.mainframes,.SUSE.en-sures.that.you.have.access.to.the.largest.number.of.open.source.and.proprietary.applications.for.IBM.System.z,.and.receive.the.best.support.in.the.industry ..Today,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.is.the.overwhelming.choice.of.organizations.that.run.enterprise-class.software.on.Linux.for.System.z ..
Benefits of Oracle Consolidation with IBM System z and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
A Winning Combination with Superior Performance, Security, and RASSUSE,.IBM.and.Marist.College.began.collaborating.in.1999.to.port.the.Linux.operating.system.to.the.mainframe ..Since.then,.SUSE.and.IBM.have.focused.on.optimizing.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.to.run.seamlessly.with.System.z.hardware.and.the.z/VM.hypervisor ..SUSE.has.worked.with.IBM.on.Linux.for.System.z.more.closely—and.for.much.longer—than.any.other.company ..Our.longstanding.joint.development.of.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.with.IBM.means.businesses.have.been.running.the.SUSE.platform.for.the.IBM.mainframe.in.data.centers.for.about.15.years ..As.a.result,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.delivers.the.reliability,.availability.and.ser-viceability.that.enterprises.in.general—but.above.all.mainframe.owners—demand ..
System.z.hardware.is.celebrated.throughout.the.IT.world.for.its.ability.to.manage.mission-critical.workloads.such.as.databases,.protect.the.integrity.of.sensitive.data.and.preserve.business.
continuity ..IBM’s.mainframes.have.been.known.to.run.for.years.without.interruption ..Your.internal.policies.and.customers’.ser-vice.level.agreements,.however,.may.require.even.higher.levels.of.protection.for.your.data.and.workloads ..You.can.implement.these.with.the.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.High.Availability.Extension ..SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.is.the.only.operating.sys-tem.for.mainframes.that.provides.these.advanced.high.availabil-ity.services.with.every.subscription ..The.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.High.Availability.Extension.includes.the.only.clustered.file.system.available.for.Linux.on.System.z,.and.delivers.essential.monitor-ing,.messaging.and.cluster.resource.management.features.in.an.integrated.suite.of.open.source.technologies ..
In.addition,.SUSE.is.renowned.for.its.enterprise-class.security.ap-plications ..As.an.example,.AppArmor®,.an.open.source.offering..included.with.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise,.is.an.effective,.easy-to-use.application.security.framework.for.Linux ..It.proactively.protects.the.operating.system.and.applications.from.external.and.inter-nal.threats.and.zero-day.attacks ..AppArmor.comes.with.default.policies.out.of.the.box.and.lets.you.secure.even.the.most.com-plex.applications.with.minimal.time.and.resources ..SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.also.integrates.with.other.secu-rity.products.and.connects.with.standard.mainframe.security.through.the.Identity.Manager.Integration.Module.for.Mainframes .
Low TCO THE COST OF MAINFRAME SKILLS
One.persistent.myth.that.keeps.many.IT.departments.from.evalu-ating.mainframes.is.that.it’s.time-consuming.and.expensive.to.hire,.train,.and.maintain.people.with.mainframe.skills ..
Some.SUSE.customers.that.purchased.their.first.mainframe.for.new.projects.also.had.this.fear—and.later.discovered.it.was.unfounded ..The.staff.at.Allone.IT.Co .,.Ltd ..had.very.limited.ex-perience.with.the.mainframe.platform ..But.according.to.Marco.Mak,.Allone’s.Regional.Director,.“Getting.started.on.Linux.on.the.mainframe.was.a.very.smooth.process ..By.choosing.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.IBM.System.z,.we.were.able.to.take.advan-tage.of.the.mainframe.while.using.an.operating.system.that.we.are.relatively.familiar.with ..This.helped.us.to.leverage.the.exist-ing.skills.of.our.staff .”.For.their.staff—as.for.many.others.with.Linux.skills—this.knowledge.is.easily.transferable.to.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z ..
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Server Business White PaperDatabase Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE COSTS
Several.factors.result.in.affordable.total.cost.of.acquisition.(TCA).and,.in.most.cases,.reduce.the.TCO.of.IBM.System.z.servers.run-ning.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z:.
Thesupporteddatabaseworkloadscanbevirtualizedandconsolidated,reducingcorecountsandresultinginsignificantsavingsonsoftwarelicenses.(Seebelowonpricing.)
Consolidationonasingleserveravoidsadditionalroom,rackspace,cableandcoolingcostswhileincreasingresourcesharingandutilizationandreducinglatency.Additionally,thenetworktrafficofmulti-tieredapplicationsstaysinthesamebox,whichincreasessecurityandperformance.
Developmentenvironmentscanbecreatedasvirtualmachinesonthesamemachine.WithSystemzthesecanbestrictlyisolatedfromaccesstoandresourcerequirementsofproductionworkloads.Duringguestidletimes,resourcescanbereallocatedinstantlytoothertasks,whileworkloadpeakscanbesupportedandconfined.
WithinIBMSystemz,theIntegratedFacilityforLinux(IFL)isaspecializedprocessorthathandlesLinuxworkloadsexclusivelyandissup-portedbythez/VMvirtualizationtechnology.OnoneIFLyoucanrunalargenumberofLinuxvirtualmachinesinparallel(theoreticallyanunlimitednumber,butpracticallylimitedbythespecificworkloadyourunonthevirtualmachines).ThankstospecialpricingofmostsoftwareonIFLs,youcanbuyasinglesoftwarelicenseandshareitacrossmanyLinuxvirtualmachines.Forexample,Oracleuses“cores”forthepurposeofpricing.OnelicenseforanOracledatabasecoststhousandsofdollarspercoreorprocessor.FromanOraclelicensingper-spective,oneIFLequalsonecore.Becauseyouarechargedforonlyoneprocessorli-cense,runningOracledatabaseworkloads
onanIFLkeepsthecostsofsoftwarelicensesdown.Yousimplybuyasingle-corelicenseforanOracledatabaseforusebyseveralvirtualLinuxserversandjustoneSUSELinuxEnterpriseServerforSystemzsubscriptionperIFL.
Comparethattoamulti-corex86machinewithfourprocessors:softwarelicensecostsquadruple.Thenwithfourquad-corex86machines,thecostofsoftwarelicensesincreases16times(withoutevenconsideringtheaddedstaffandmanagementsoftwarecostsforhandlingmultiplex86serversversusoneSystemzmachine).Thisismajorcostsavings—onlyavailablebyrunningSUSELinuxEnterpriseServerforSystemzrunningonanIBMmainframeIFL.
The.graphic.below,.based.on.calculations.using.the.z114,.sums.up.this.advantage:
Figure 3. ConsolidationandCostReductiononLinux
7www.suse.com
The Proof: Customer ExamplesWhile.this.may.sound.too.good.to.be.true,.the.experience.of.customers.worldwide.of.varying.sizes.and.different.industries.validate.the.cost-effectiveness.of.this.platform .
Business ConnexionTHE CHALLENGE
Headquartered.in.South.Africa,.Business.Connexion.Pty.Ltd ..pro-visions.information.technology.and.communication.services.to.the.financial.sector,.government,.the.petrochemical.and.auto-motive.industries.and.more ..The.company.wanted.to.extend.its.BMC.Remedy.internal.help.desk.solution.running.on.Solaris.and.make.it.available.as.a.hosted.service.to.clients ..The.company.needed.a.flexible.but.low-cost.platform.for.hosting.virtual.client.environments—one.that.also.supported.very.high.availability.and.performance .
THE SOLUTION
The.company.set.up.two.IBM.System.z.Enterprise.Class.servers.in.separate.data.centers,.hosting.around.50.virtual.machines.with.a.mix.of.databases,.applications,.and.proxy.servers.for.different.hosted.clients.across.them ..It.also.switched.from.Red.Hat.to.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z.with.the.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.High.Availability.extension ..With.SUSE,.the.company.quickly.clones.new.instances.from.an.existing.template.and.cus-tomizes.them.for.their.clients .
THE RESULT: COST SAVINGS
According.to.Frans.Labuschagne,.Senior.Manager.for.Open.Systems.Support.Services.at.Business.Connexion,.“We.calcu-lated.that.our.production.environment.equates.to.about.36.Intel-based.servers ..Running.in.a.distributed.environment.would.have.pushed.the.Oracle.licensing.costs.way.beyond.the.point.where.we.could.offer.a.competitively.based.solution.to.our.clients ..With.the.System.z.IFLs,.Oracle.is.priced.as.running.on.one.CPU,.and.you.can.run.as.many.virtual.machines.as.you.want.with.that.one.SUSE.subscription ..That.means.that.cost.is.a.very.manageable.component.as.we.grow .”
Sparda DVTHE CHALLENGE
Sparda-Datenverarbeitung.eG.(SDV).is.the.IT.provider.for.the.Sparda-Bank.Group.in.Germany ..SDV.needed.a.reliable.and.well-supported.Linux.distribution.to.run.on.its.IBM.mainframe,.which.supported.its.online.banking.and.Oracle.databases,.to.maximize.stability ..
THE SOLUTION
“We.considered.Red.Hat.Enterprise.Linux,.but.SUSE.Linux.Enter-prise.Server.had.the.better.driver.support.for.our.needs,”.said.Bernd.Bohne,.Department.Head,.Central.Systems.Technology,.SDV ..“The.longstanding.collaboration.between.SUSE.and.IBM.convinced.us.that.even.over.the.long.term.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.will.be.the.ideal.platform.for.our.IBM.mainframe .”
THE RESULT: ORACLE CONSOLIDATION AND VIRTUALIZATION,
HIGH PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY
Bohne.says:.“The.zEnterprise.platform.is.perfect.for.consolidating.Linux.workloads.because.of.the.high.I/O.bandwidth.and.business.continuity.with.capacity.backup.features ..Oracle.has.been.consoli-dated.on.this.platform;.we.are.using.right.now.only.Oracle.on.the.z196.platform .”.He.adds,.“Running.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.on.IBM.System.z.really.gives.us.peace.of.mind ..We.get.the.benefits.of.open.systems.technology.with.all.its.flexibility.combined.with.high.availability.and.high.performance.of.the.mainframe.platform .”.
Dundee City CouncilTHE CHALLENGE
Dundee.City.Council.needed.to.handle.increasing.demand.for.IT.and.eGovernment.services.while.reducing.costs ..When.the.lease.on.its.server.and.storage.hardware.needed.to.be.renewed,.it.saw.an.opportunity.to.enhance.its.capabilities.and.increase.value.for.money .
THE SOLUTION
Dundee.upgraded.its.mainframe.environment.with.two.powerful.IBM.System.z.servers,.IBM.storage.and.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.for.System.z ..It.chose.SUSE.because.it.is.the.best-adapted.Linux.distribution.for.the.mainframe.and.matched.the.release.cycles.for.Oracle.more.closely ..
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THE RESULT: IMPROVED PERFORMANCE,
CAPACITY FOR LOW-COST GROWTH
The.new.platform.improves.performance.by.more.than.50.percent.while.providing.capacity.for.low-cost.growth ..Tim.Simp-son,.IT.Support.Manager,.Dundee.City.Council,.says,.“Our.two.mainframes.host.100.virtual.servers,.replacing.at.least.50.underutilized.x86.machines.and.all.the.as-sociated.power.and.cooling.requirements.as.well.as.giving.us.a.smaller.and.more.efficient.infrastructure ..This.ultimately.means.that.we’re.making.better.use.of.taxpayer.money .”
“Running.Linux.on.the.System.z.platform.is.a.cost-efficient.approach,.especially.for.software.like.Oracle,.which.is.licensed.on.a.per-processor.basis ..We.can.run.60.vir-tual.machines.on.just.four.System.z.pro-cessors.here.as.an.equivalent.x86-based.architecture.might.require.several.proces-sors.for.each.server!.So.the.savings.can.be.considerable .”
Conclusion / SummaryAs.the.previous.customer.examples—and.the.calculations—show,.consolidating.and.virtualizing.databases.on.IBM.System.z.machines.running.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.can.reduce.data.center.complexity.
and.costs,.along.with.providing.other.op-erational.benefits ..
In.particular,.if.you’re.currently.running.your.Oracle.environment.on.distributed.systems.and.are.confronted.with.the.fol-lowing.questions,.you.should.probably.rethink.your.strategy:.
Howmanyx86/UNIXserversareyoudeployingeverymonth?
Howmuchdatacenterspaceisstillavailable,andwillspacebecomeaproblem?
Howfastisyourenergyconsumptiongrowing?Howmanyadditionalpeoplewillberequiredtomaintainyourgrowingnumberofservers?
Howmuchareyoursoftwarelicensecostsgrowing,includingvirtualizationsoftwarecosts?HowcanyouensureIT’savailability,andwhathappensintheeventofadisaster?
Explore.your.options.and.evaluate.the.costs ..Many.companies.have.been.doing.this—and.choosing.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.running.on.IBM.System.z.as.the.platform.for.their.Oracle.consolidation ..Shouldn’t.you.be.the.next.one?
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