What We Can Expect To Come For IBM i And POWER9
The purpose of this blog is to share the early insights I have read about the IBM iOS and the POWER9 server. Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system and iSeries and AS400 are server names. I use them interchangeably to make it easier for users to find information with search engines
What Is The Foreseeable Future For IBM i?
I often get asked how long will IBM support my IBM i OS.
I expect the IBM i OS to evolve and be supported for 10 more years…probably longer.
The diagram below makes it clear.
V5R4 and IBM i 6.1 are no longer supported by IBM.
IBM has announced that IBM i V7.1 support ends in April 2018. This means there will be no further updates or PTFs (software patches) for V7.1. While you can pay for V7.1 Service Extension through 2021, be aware that it is expensive (about double the price of regular Software Maintenance, or SWMA) and support is best efforts.
Now, notice that V7.2 is supported through 2021 and V7.3 is supported through 2023. As of now there is no announcement for Service Extension of either of these versions.
I can also tell you that the new POWER9 will only support V7.2 and V7.3 and the latest Technology Refresh (TR). So, if a new POWER9 server is part of your planning, you will need to upgrade to these newer operating systems.
We can also note IBM i “Next” from 2019 to 2026 as well as IBM i “Next + 1” which extends beyond 2028.
My sense is it is safe to say the IBM i will continue to evolve over the next decade.
Can you think of any other operating system which currently has support through 2028?
What Can We Expect From The New POWER9?
In a word…FASTER.
The rated speed of the POWER9 core is 150% more than POWER8.
For large, multi-core IBM i users, this is good news.
This means you can support growing workloads with fewer cores which will save you money.
80% Of IBM Users Only Need 1000-2000 CPW
As exciting as 150% increase in performance is, only about 20% of the IBM i install base will truly benefit. That is because 80% of the IBM i install base uses 1500 CPW or less.
First, most small-to-medium sized IBM i users do not have enough disk units or Solid State Drives (SSDs) to ever get rated speed for 1 full core.
Second, most small-to-medium sized IBM i users’ workloads have not grown nearly as fast as the boost in processor speed. (Your actual rated speed has a lot to do with the number of disk units. For example, if you only have 4 disk units, you may only achieve about 800-1000 CPW even when your processor’s rated speed is 15,000 CPW.)
What Is Important About The New POWER9 For Small-To-Medium Users?
I think the important factor of the new POWER9 is that users will get a server at the beginning of its life cycle.
We have seen with recent announcements about End of Service for POWER5 and recently 8202-E4C, that where an IBM i user could expect server support for about 16 years, it appears that server support may now be more like 8 years (i.e. 8202-E4C was announced in 2011 with End of Service in 2019).
How Does The New POWER9 Compare To POWER8?
Most of my clients have 8286-41A, or S814 systems.
So, let’s compare the S914 to the S814.
You will note a big increase in memory.
The POWER9 4U Scale Out Server is known as the S914 or machine 9009-41A and the specifications are as follows:
- 4U server – 19” Rack enclosure
- POWER9 Scale-Out SMT8 processor (4-core, 6-core, 8-core offerings)
- Up to 1TB Total DDR4 Industry Standard memory RDIMMs
- Up to 172 GB/s total system memory bandwidth
- 16 IS RDIMM slots (no Risers)
- 4-core offering limited to 64GB max memory
- 8 PCIe Gen3/Gen4 slots, Full Height, Half Length
- Two PCIe GEN4 slots (CAPI enabled)
- Six PCIe GEN3 slots (1 reserved for Ethernet adapter)
- High Speed 25Gb/s port for OpenCAPI / GPU Acceleration
- 12 or 18 SFF (2.5”) bay options
- Two internal storage controller slots
- Single or Split backplane or Dual RAID write cache support
- 2 Internal NVMe Flash boot adapters (two M.2 devices per card)
- Internal RDX Media Bay (DVD External)
- I/O Expansion Drawer support (for 6 or 8 core offerings)
Conclusion
For small-to-medium users, you can expect to be at the beginning of next POWER server life cycle.
You can expect more speed and memory.
My sense is that price will be slightly more than the POWER8.
While I have yet to learn of General Availability, my guess is these servers will be available late 3rd quarter to 4th quarter 2018.
Contact Bob Losey at 714-593-0387 or blosey@source-data.com.
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