Additional Information

• 1: FAQs
• 1.1: General FAQs
• 1.2: AIX FAQs
• 1.3: IBM iFAQs
• 1.4: Linux FAQs
• 2: Availability
• 3: Backup Solutions
• 4: Terminology

1 - FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for IBM Power for Google Cloud Platform (IP4G)

1.1 - General FAQs

General FAQ

• What are the SLAs for Support?
• What Google Cloud regions are supported?
• What SLA is available for resizing and restarting Virtual Machines?
• What is the maximum Virtual Machine size?
• What is the maximum bandwidth available between virtual machines on the same host vs different hosts?
• What is the maximum Core and RAM that can be allocated to an affinity group?
• Is the customer notified when a Virtual Machine will be moved to another Power Host?
• When Soft Pinning is configured, how long will the Virtual Machine be removed from the original Host?
• Can you provide a sample of a scheduled maintenance notification?
• What security and compliance certifications are in place?
• What is the latency to IBM Power for Google Cloud from my datacenter?
• Why does the hostname revert after being changed?
• Volume Types

What are the SLAs for Support?

Support for IBM Power for Google Cloud is delivered via the Google Collaborative Support model.

An IBM Power for Google Cloud customer must have Google Premium or Enhanced support contacts for Support SLAs. The Customer will contact Google for support and SLAs will align to the Support contact. For more information, see Google Cloud Support.

Additional details about Google Support can be found in the Google Technical Support Services Guidelines.

What Google Cloud regions are supported?

IBM Power for Google Cloud is available in the following regions.

1. us-east4 (N. Virginia)
2. us-central1 (Iowa)
3. europe-west3 (Frankfurt)
4. europe-west4 (Netherlands)
5. northamerica-northeast1 (Montréal)
6. northamerica-northeast2 (Toronto)

We are continously evaluating expansion to new regions based on market demand. Contact power4gcp@googlegroups.com if your workload requires a region that is not listed.

What SLA is available for resizing and restarting Virtual Machines?

IBM Power for Google Cloud provides a self-service interface for interacting with IBM i, RHEL Linux and AIX workloads. The customer can resize and restart virtual machines using the API, Web Console or CLI.

Provisioning SLO for new virtual machines is 20 minutes until the system is ready for access via ssh.

What is the maximum Virtual Machine size?

Default core limits are identified by region in the table below. Some limits can be increased, contact sales using the Marketplace Page or open a support request if you require increased limits.

What is the maximum bandwidth available between virtual machines on the same host vs different hosts?

The maximum bandwidth between two Power Virtual Machines on two different hosts is up to 10Gb per second. However, that can be affected by the VM sizing, OS configuration and application. Maximum bandwidth between two Power Virtual Machines on the same host is expected to be greater. We recommend deploying workloads and validating performance if reaching a platform performance maximum is critical.

What is the maximum Core and RAM that can be allocated to an affinity group?

The total resources allocated to an affinity group cannot exceed the maximum core and RAM for a single Virtual Machine.

Is the customer notified when a Virtual Machine will be moved to another Power Host?

Yes. During onboarding the customer provides contacts for maintenance notifications. Converge will notify the customer contact via e-mail for scheduled or emergency maintenance.

• For Scheduled Maintenance, a notification will be sent to the customer two weeks prior to scheduled maintenance.
• For Emergency Maintenance, a notification will be sent when the Virtual Machine is being moved. Emergency maintenance is only performed when Power Host health is severely impacting Virtual Machine availability.

What do soft and hard pinning mean?

By default VMs are not pinned when created. You can optionally specify hard or soft pinning when creating a VM. Virtual machines with Pin Policy set to “soft” will be live migrated back to the original Host System once the maintenance is complete. Virtual machines with Pin Policy set to “hard” will be powered down during maintenance.

What are the affinity and anti-affinity groups?

The customer can create groups of VMs that should live on the same host or should not live on the same host.

When Soft Pinning is configured, how long will the Virtual Machine be removed from the original Host?

Up to 24 hours. If additional time is expected, a notification will be sent prior to maintenance.

Can you provide a sample of a scheduled maintenance notification?

A sample notification is shown below.

One or more IBM Power for Google Cloud Virtual Machines are running on a host system that requires maintenance. The following virtual machines will be live migrated to a new host system using Live Partition Mobility (LPM).

Impacted Virtual Machine by Name ip4g-vm-1 ip4g-vm-2

Virtual machines with Pin Policy set to “soft” will be live migrated back to the original Host System once the maintenance is complete. Virtual machines with Pin Policy set to “hard” will be powered down during maintenance.

During live migration, your virtual machine might experience a decrease in Volume, Compute, Memory, and Network performance for a short period of time.

This maintenance is required. If you would like to migrate your virtual machine prior to the scheduled maintenance, please open a support ticket to live migrate your virtual machines preemptively.

Required action: No action is required from you. Converge will monitor and ensure restoration of compute, block storage, and networking services.

Recommended actions: Ensure your team is aware of the maintenance and is available to validate any critical applications during and after the maintenance process is complete. Take additional care if your workloads are sensitive to brief loss of performance or connectivity.

Our intent is to strengthen our infrastructure and deliver you the best experience possible. If you have questions or concerns about this scheduled maintenance or If you would like to Live Migrate your virtual machine prior to the scheduled maintenance, please contact Google Customer Care and reference maintenance event XXXX.

Sincerely,

IBM Power for Google Cloud Operations

What security and compliance certifications are in place?

IBM Power for Google Cloud undergoes independent verification of security, privacy, and compliance controls to demonstrate compliance.

Audit reports are available at request via contractscompliance@convergetp.com.

What is the latency to IBM Power for Google Cloud from my datacenter?

Some services are recommended for deploying workloads that require low latency communication to applications running in IP4G. Converge recommends deploying on services such as

• Google Compute Engine
• Google Kubernetes Engine

Further, for best results, deploy in the same region. A heterogeneous workload can have latency as low as 1ms between IBM Power for Google Cloud and services like Google Compute engine.

In some cases Google Cloud services are not a good fit for a workload. Instead, a hybrid cloud solution is required. However, low latency to IBM Power for Google Cloud is still important. To build a low latency hybrid cloud solution, the customer must select an appropriate data center to host the non-Google Cloud workload.

Google Cloud provides a list of low latency colocation facilities. They are a subset of all colocation facilities that can provide dedicated Cloud Interconnects. Customers can choose to establish a direct relationship with these low latency colocation facilities. They can achieve less than 5ms of latency to a Google Cloud region. When selecting a colocation facility for low latency connectivity to IBM Power for Google Cloud, Converge recommends the facilities in the table below. They will allow for the lowest possible latency to a IBM Power for Google Cloud region.

Why does the hostname revert after being changed?

The following applies to both AIX and Linux. To prevent cloud-init from resetting the hostname, edit the cloud-init configuration file. This is usually /opt/freeware/etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.

Set the parameter “preserve_hostname” to false: preserve_hostname: false

Volume Types

In IP4G there are two volume types. Those volumes are defined by a name (HDD or SDD) and correspond to the following Characteristics:

You can see an individual volumes iops limit using

pcloud compute volumes describe <volume name>

1.2 - AIX FAQs

• What versions of AIX are supported?
• Can IP4G run IBM AIX Workload Partitions?
• Can IP4G run IBM AIX 5.3 Versioned Workload Partitions?

AIX

The following FAQs are related to the AIX operating system.

What versions of AIX are supported?

We follow IBM current supported versions.

The following AIX versions are supported:

• AIX 7.3 and higher (Recommended)
• AIX 7.2 TL4 SP1 or higher (Minimum Recommended)
• AIX 7.1 TL5 SP9 is available in extended support (since in April 2023)
• Extended support for prior versions is not currently available. A customer can choose to run legacy versions of AIX. However, no SLA is provided and support is not available.

Can IP4G run IBM AIX Workload Partitions?

Yes. Supported operating systems include any supported level of AIX.

Can IP4G run IBM AIX 5.3 Versioned Workload Partitions?

AIX 5.3 can run as a Versioned Workload Partition (Version WPAR) using an AIX 7.2 host system in IP4G. This configuration is up to the customer to complete. However, the following guidelines should be considered.

• Required Operating Systems: AIX 5.3 TL12 SP5.
• AIX 5.3 and Versioned WPARs are no longer supported by IBM.
• Converge can only provide best-effort support.
• Versioned WPAR filesets are available via IBM RPQ P91337.
• AIX 5.3 filesets are only available through IBM.
• PowerHA cannot run within the Versioned WPAR.
• The Versioned WPAR may be able to run as an application under PowerHA. Please see the IBM PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX Cookbook, section 13.2.5, Planning for a versioned WPAR.

1.3 - IBM iFAQs

• What IBM i versions are supported?
• What options are available for upgrades and patching?
• What backup solutions are available for IBM i?
• What Licensing Tiers are available?
• What OS features and LPPs are available?
• OS Features
• Licensed Program Products
• Rational Developer Pack

IBM i

The following FAQs are related to the IBM i operating system.

What IBM i versions are supported?

IBM Power for Google Cloud uses POWER9 and POWER10 hardware. It supports the following versions of IBM i:

• 7.2 TR8
• 7.3 TR4
• 7.4
• 7.5

What options are available for upgrades and patching?

The customer is responsible for IBM i system maintenance including upgrades and patching. Converge can provide additional managed services for IBM i. Possible services include managed backup, basic OS updating and patching, and complete managed services. Please contact a Converge representative for more information.

What backup solutions are available for IBM i?

Reference architectures and managed services for IBM i backup on IBM Power for Google Cloud are in development. Currently, any agent-based solution would be technically viable as long as it can support the customer’s backup requirements. Customers should consider an IP-based VTL solution hosted in GCE as the recommended approach to IBM I backups in IP4G.

What Licensing Tiers are available?

We offer P10 (all regions), P20 (select regions) and P30 (select regions) licensing tiers for IBM i.

What OS features and LPPs are available?

OS Features and LPPs are available as follows:

OS Features

• 5770-DG1: HTTP Server for i
• 5770-JV1: Developer Kit for Java
• 5770-NAE: Network Authentication Enablement for i
• 5733-SC1: Portable Utilities for i
• 5770-TC1: TCP/IP
• 5770-TS1: Transform Services for i
• 5770-UME: Universal Manageability Enablement for i
• 5770-XE1: IBM i Access for Windows
• Zend Community Edition
• 5733-ARE: IBM Administration Runtime Expert
• 5798-FAX: IBM Facsimile Support for i
• 5770-SM1: IBM System Manager for i
• 5770-DFH: IBM CICS Transaction Server for i
• 5770-MG1: IBM Managed System Services for i
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 23, OptiConnect
• Any other no-cost OS feature from IBM

Licensed Program Products

• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 18 Media & Storage Extensions
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 26 DB2 Symmetric Multiprocessing
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 27 DB2 Multisystem
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 38 PSF for IBM i Any Speed Printer Support
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 41 HA Switchable Resources
• 5770-SS1: IBM i Option 42 HA Journal Performance
• 5761-AMT: Rational Application Management Toolset
• 5770-AP1: Advanced DBCS Printer Support
• 5733-B45: AFP Font Collection for it
• 5770-BR1: Backup, Recovery and Media Services
• 5761-DB1: System/38 Utilities
• 5761-CM1: Communications Utilities
• 5761-DS2: Business Graphics Utility
• 5648-E77: InfoPrint Fonts
• 5769-FN1: AFP DBCS Fonts
• 5769-FNT: AFP Fonts
• 5733-FXD: Integrated Domino Fax
• 5770-PT1: Performance Tools
• 5770-QU1: Query for i
• 5770-ST1: DB2 Query Manager and SQL Dev Kit for i
• 5733-XT2: XML Toolkit
• 5770-XW1: IBM i Access Family
• 5770-MC1: IBM Cloud Storage Solutions

Rational Developer Pack

This is not part of the standard LPP package, it is an add-on.

5770-WDS: Rational Development Studio for i

• ILE compilers
• Heritage compilers
• Application Development Toolset (ADTS)

5733-RDW: Rational Developer for i

• RPG Tools, basic user
• COBOL Tools, basic user

1.4 - Linux FAQs

• What versions of Linux are supported?

Linux

The following FAQs are related to Linux operating systems.

What versions of Linux are supported?

We follow IBM current supported versions.

The following Linux versions are supported:

• RHEL LE 7.8
• RHEL LE 7.9
• RHEL LE 8.4 and later
• RHEL LE 9.0
• SLES LE 12 and 15
• SLES LE SLES 15 SP2 and SLES 15 SP3
• Ubuntu LE 18.04

2 - Availability

Availability for IBM Power for Google Cloud (IP4G) is based on region and available hardware.

Region

IP4G is available in the following regions:

Hardware - Council Bluffs (US-Central01)

Hardware available in Council Bluffs is as follows:

Hardware - Northern Virginia (US-East04)

Hardware available in Northern Virginia is as follows:

Hardware - Frankfurt (Europe-West3)

Hardware available in Frankfurt is as follows:

Hardware - Netherlands (Europe-West4)

Hardware available in the Netherlands is as follows:

Hardware - Montreal (NorthAmerica-NorthEast1)

Hardware available in Montreal is as follows:

Hardware - Toronto (NorthAmerica-NorthEast2)

Hardware available in Toronto is as follows:

Operating Systems

Licensing and support will vary according to the operating system used.

Operating System - AIX

AIX licensing and support is provided as part of the service. Clients are not able to migrate or use any owned AIX licenses on an IP4G Virtual Machine.

Operating System - IBM i

IBM i licensing and support is provided as part of the service. Clients are not able to migrate or use any owned IBM i Operating System or IBM i Licensed Program Products licenses on an IP4G Virtual Machine.

Operating System - Linux

Linux licensing is not provided as part of the service. Clients must acquire or bring their own Linux license for all Linux IP4G Virtual Machines.

3 - Backup Solutions

IBM Power for Google Cloud (IP4G) offers several possible strategies for backup. Many solutions are similar to those used in on-premises environments. Others are more cloud-specific. Below are some recommended options. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list.

Capture and Export

Capture and Export can take virtual machine (VM) images and store them in Google Cloud Storage. This works for all supported operating systems. Capture and Export leverages FlashCopy on the backing storage. Captured images are available from the interface for exporting to Google Cloud Storage, or cloning to additional virtual machines (VMs).

Exporting images is a resource-intensive operation. Only one Capture and Export operation can be queued at a time. As a best-practice, only capture images containing a rootvg for AIX/Linux. Or, just the load source volume for IBM i. The maximum image size is 10TB.

See [Capturing and exporting a virtual machine)[capture-and-export.md] for more information.

AIX backup solutions

Almost any agent-based backup solution supporting AIX can be used in IP4G. The backup server or proxy should be implemented within IP4G or GCE. Some common solutions include:

• IBM Spectrum Protect
• Veeam Backup & Recovery
• Cohesity
• Rubrik
• CommVault

Several solutions can also integrate directly with Google Cloud Storage. Customers are responsible for implementing, maintaining, and managing their own backup environment.

Consider if a shorter backup window or larger backup set is required. If so, deploy backup infrastructure within IP4G. Then, replicate backups to GCE or elsewhere, using native methods within the individual backup solution. Keep in mind, implementing and testing backup architecture is a customer responsibility.

Managed backup services can also be utilized.

IBM i backup solutions

For small IBM i VMs, IBM recommends IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i (ICC). Larger VMs may want to implement an iSCSI-attached VTL solution. Most customers will want to leverage Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) as a backup tool. All of the recommended solutions will integrate fully with BRMS. Managed backup services can also be utilized.

IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i

This solution integrates with BRMS and Google Cloud Storage using the S3 protocol. It can manage tiering of local backups to Google Cloud Storage. This solution involves backup to virtual optical volumes. This may require additional storage for optical volumes on the VM, until they are offloaded to Google Cloud Storage.

Key Prerequisites:

• Install and configure IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i Licensed Program Product (5733-ICC).
• Install and configure Digital Certificate Manager.
• Obtain and install certificates for Google Cloud storage.
• Aproximately 2x used disk capacity to hold virtual optical images during backup.
• BRMS integration configured.

See the ICC Quick Start Guide for more information: ICC Quick Start.

iSCSI VTL

IBM i also supports backup to an iSCSI-attached Virtual Tape Library (VTL). Customers leveraging on-premises tape or VTLs may find this solution offers the greatest flexibility and familiarity. A VTL solution will most likely also be preferable for VMs larger than 1-2TB.

VTL solutions that offer iSCSI connectivity to IBM i include:

• QUADStor
• FalconStor

Converge has tested the QUADStor solution. QUADStor is a free software package that can be installed on most Linux distributions. QUADStor supports both x86 and Power architectures. It can be deployed in IP4G as well as GCE. Furthermore, it can be configured to tier to Google Cloud Storage under the control of BRMS. QUADStor offers paid support options for production instances.

QUADStor prerequisites

Prerequsites for use of QUADStor are as follows:

• Supported Linux distribution (x86 or Power).
• 8 cores.
• 64 GB RAM.
• Sufficient storage based on current backup policies.
• Latest IBM i PTFs installed for iSCSI Support. See IBM i Removable Media: Support for iSCSI VTL. Note that the linked document was written for FalconStor. However, the PTF requirements apply to QUADStor as well.

Converge has measured aproximately a 4:1 data reduction ratio when using QUADStor in deduplication mode.

FalconStor prerequisites

Customers are recommended to contact FalconStor directly for implementation requirements.

Linux backup solutions

Most of the same solutions that work for AIX will work with Linux as well. Additionally, there may be open source solutions that can meet customer backup requirements. Managed backup servies can also be leveraged.

Managed backup services

IP4G is an Infrastructure as a Platform (IaaS) solution. It does not include managed backup as part of the offering. Converge can offer managed backup services and solutions outside of the IaaS subscription. Please contact a Converge representative for more information.

4 - Terminology

List of Terms

The following is a list of terms used within the IP4G offering.

• Active Node Halt Policy (ANHP) When a cluster split occurs, this policy ensures that only one node is operating. It stops a previously active LPAR hosting an application. Then, makes sure the LPAR has quieted, before the application is brought online again with a standby LPAR.
• Affinity Policy IP4G policy used to determine if two IP4G Virtual Machines can exist on the same host. Can also be created to determine if the storage of two virtual machines can exist on the same Storage Area Network (SAN).
• AIX Acronym. Stands for Advanced Interactive eXecutive. A UNIX based operating system from IBM.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) A service from Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computer platforms and Application Programming Interfaces (API).
• ANHP Acronym. Stands for Active Node Halt Policy. When a cluster split occurs, this policy ensures that only one node is operating. It stops a previously active LPAR hosting an application. Then, makes sure the LPAR has quieted, before the application is brought online again with a standby LPAR.
• API Acronym. Stands for Application Programming Interface. A type of software interface. It allows two or more programs to communicate using a set of definitions and protocols.
• Application Programming Interface (API) A type of software interface. It allows two or more programs to communicate using a set of definitions and protocols.
• Asynchronous When two or more events or objects do not exist or happen simultaneously. Especially when a specific operation begins after the preceding operation ends.
• AWS Acronym. Stands for Amazon Web Services. A service from Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computer platforms and Application Programming Interfaces (API).
• Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) Backup and recovery software from IBM. Provides an orderly way to retrieve lost or damaged data.
• Boot Image A boot image is a disk image. Specifically, a disk image that allows the associated hardware to boot.
• Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) First introduced in 1993. It is a method for allocating IP address and for IP routing.
• CLI Acronym. Stands for Command Line Interface. A text-based user interface for a program or computer.
• Command Line Interface (CLI) A text-based user interface for a program or computer.
• Console A program that runs in a command prompt window. A user can input commands and view the output, such as results or status messages.
• Converge Technologies Converge is a Software-Enabled IT & Cloud Solutions Provider Focused on Delivering Industry-Leading Solutions and Services. In the Google Marketplace specifically, Converge is the provider the provider of IBM Power Server hardware.
• DB2 IBM product. A hybrid relational and XML data server.
• Dedicated Service Tools (DST) Service functions that are only available from the console. Can run both when the operating system is available or unavailable.
• Disaster Recovery (D/R) or (DR) The method of regaining access and functionality of IT infrastructure after a disaster.
• (D/R) or (DR) Acronym. Stands for Disaster Recovery.
• Electronic Service Agent (ESA) A monitoring tool that proactively reports both hardware and software events. They are reported as soon as they are detected.
• Entitled Software Support (ESS) Support for software where the software is covered by a valid Software Maintenance Agreement (SWMA).
• EoSPS Acronym. Stands for End of Service Pack Support. That is the end of the maintenance period for a service pack or technology level.
• FlashCopy FlashCopy is a function available for use in IBM’s storage systems. It can create copies which are immediately available for use.
• FTP Acronym. Stands for File Transfer Protocol. A network protocol for transmitting files over Transmission control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
• Geographic Logical Volume Manager (GLVM) A software-based mirroring method. Allows for mirroring of data in real-time over unlimited geographic distance.
• Geographic Mirroring Abbreviated as Geomirroring. A method of logical mirroring, with a stored, consistent backup copy. That copy is typically kept at a different location, separated by geography.
• Geomirroring Abbreviation. Shortened form of Geographic Mirroring. A method of logical mirroring, with a stored, consistent backup copy. That copy is typically kept at a different location, separated by geography.
• Google Cloud Organization The organization resource is the root node in the Google Cloud resource hierarchy and is the hierarchical super node of projects. For more information about how to acquire and manage an organization resource, see: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/creating-managing-organization
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Google’s public cloud services. Customers are able to use resources housed in Google’s data centers.
• Google Cloud Project Mechanism in Google Cloud to organize all GCP resources. For more information, see: https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/projects
• Google Direct Interconnect A direct physical connection between an on-premises network and Google’s network.
• Google Cloud Storage (GCS) A service for storing objects in Google Cloud.
• GUI Acronym. Stands for Graphic User Interface. A method for users to interact with a system using icons and representations for files and applications.
• HADR Acronym. Stands for High Availability Disaster Recovery. A method of providing disaster recovery with small to no loss of function for IT infrastructure.
• Hardware Management Console (HMC) A console used to manage hardware. They typically provide a Graphic User Interface (GUI) and a Command Line Interface (CLI) for configuring and operating multiple managed systems.
• High Availability (HA) Systems with High Availability operate continuously and are always available. In those systems, steps have been taken to avoid
• HMC Acronym. Stands for Hardware Management Console. A console used to manage hardware. They typically provide a Graphic User Interface (GUI) and a Command Line Interface (CLI) for configuring and operating multiple managed systems.
• Host Physical hardware executing virtual machines.
• HTTP Acronym. Stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A set of rules for transferring files. It is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.
• I/O Acronym. Stands for Input/Output. Refers to the operation of putting something in and getting something out in return. For example, a system receiving a command, and sending a signal in response to that command.
• I/O processor (IOP) A processor that specifically handles Input/Output tasks.
• IaaS Abbreviation. Stands for Infrastructure as a Service. A type of cloud computing where compute and storage resources are kept in the cloud.
• IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i (ICC) An IBM product. It allows clients to store data to the cloud for archiving, file sharing, and backup recovery.
• IBM i An operating system developed by IBM for use on IBM Power systems.
• IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) A Java based, platform independent, interface. It will run on most operating systems that support Java.
• IBM Spectrum Protect An IBM product. It provides scalable data protection. That production can cover physical file servers, applications, and virtual environments. Previously known as IBM TSM.
• Image In computing it is a copy of the entire contents of a storage device. It represents a precise copy of the original, including data and organization.
• Initial Program Load (IPL) The first initial step of loading an operating system on a computer. For example, loading the operating system of a mainframe into its main memory.
• IP4G Abbreviation. Stands for IBM Power for Google Cloud.
• IP4G VM Service Container for all included IP4G Virtual Machine instances within a Google Geographic Region.
• IPL Acronym. Stands for Initial Program Load. The first initial step of loading an operating system on a computer. For example, loading the operating system of a mainframe into its main memory.
• Journaled File System (JFS) A journaling file system created by IBM. With JFS, changes to files are recorded in a separate log, the journal. This record is committed before the indexes to the file are updated.
• Journaled File System 2 (JFS2) A journaling file system created by IBM. Refers specifically to the Enhanced Journaled File System. Created after IBM’s Journaled File System (JFS).
• Jump server A system on a network for accessing and managing devices in a separate security zone.
• Licensed Internal Code (LIC) Specifically, software for POWER6 systems that enable hardware on a system. It initializes the hardware so that the system boots up, operates correctly, and provides an interface.
• Licensed Program Products (LPP) A complete software product that may include one or more filesets as well as packages.
• Linux An operating system. Linux is an open-source, Unix-like operating system.
• Logical Volume Manager (LVM) A system of managing filesystems or logical volumes.
• LPAR Abbreviation. Stands for Logical Partition. An LPAR is a virtual division of a computer’s resources, enabling that set of resources to act independently. Sometimes used interchangeably with Virtual Machine (VM), however there are subtle differences.
• LVM Acronym. Stands for Logical Volume Manager. A system of managing filesystems or logical volumes.
• Main storage dump (MSD) A process of collecting data from a system’s main storage.
• mksysb image A file that is a system backup image. Created with the mksysb command.
• N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) A Fibre Channel standard. It makes it possible to create multiple virtual ports on a single physical node port.
• NAT gateway NAT is an acronym. It stands for Network Address Translation. NAT gateway then refers to a service that allows instances in a private subnet to connect to outside services. However, it also prevents external services from initiating a connection to them.
• Network Installation Manager (NIM) An object-oriented system management framework. It installs and manages systems over a network.
• Network Interface Card (NIC) A computer hardware component that connects a system to a network. It then controls data traffic to and from that connected network. Can also refer to Network Interface Controller.
• NFS Acronym. Stands for Network File Server or Network File System. It is a method of storing files on a network. Specifically, one that allows users to access remote files and directories as if they were local to the user.
• NIM Acronym. Stands for Network Installation Management. May also stand for Network Installation Manager. Refers to a server, or the server’s process, of managing the installation of software. A NIM can manage the installation of a base operating system and any optional software. It can do this to one or more machines.
• NPIV Acronym. Stands for N_Port ID Virtualization. A Fibre Channel standard. It makes it possible to create multiple virtual ports on a single physical node port.
• On-premises Refers to resources or devices located at the same physical location. If a business has a physical site, anything located at that site would be considered on-premises.
• Open Virtualization Appliance (OVA) An Open Virtualization Format (OVF) package, in a single file archive. It contains files for distribution of software to run on a virtual machine.
• Open Virtualization Format (OVF) An open standard for packaging and distributing virtual appliances or software, for use in virtual machines.
• pcloud A Command Line Interface (CLI). It is used for creating and managing virtual machines.
• PDU Acronym. Stands for Power Distribution Unit. A device for controlling electrical power. Some resemble basic power strips. Others have additional features, such as surge protection.
• Pip installs Python (pip) Pip is a package management system that manages packages written in Python.
• PowerHA IBM product. Provides clustering technology with both failover protection, through redundancy, and scalability.
• PowerHA SystemMirror IBM product. A storage-based clustering solution using mirroring to prevent hardware and software failures.
• PowerVC IBM product. Software that enables use of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for IBM Power systems.
• PowerVC Manager IBM Product. Works with PowerVM to provision workloads and manage virtual images.
• PowerVM IBM product. Provides scalable server virtualization for AIX, IBM i, and Linux applications for IBM Power systems.
• Program temporary fix (PTF) A single or multiple groups of fixes for an issue. The PTF is issued so as to be ready to install. When these fix a problem, they become permanent parts of the software they fix.
• PuTTY A terminal emulator application. It can act as a client for computing protocols, including: SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and TCP.
• Reliable Scalable Cluster Technology (RSCT) An IBM product. It is a set of software products that provide a clustering environment for AIX and Linux.
• Resource Optimized High Availability (ROHA) A function in IBM’s PowerHA SystemMirror. It automatically and dynamically manages Dynamic Logical Partition (DLPAR) resources.
• REST API Combined Acronym. REST stands for Representational State Transfer. API stands for Application Programming Interface. Together they refer to a method of allowing two systems to communicate using HTTP protocols.
• S3 Abbreviation. Stands for Simple Storage Service, an object storage service from AWS.
• SAN Acronym. Stands for Storage Area Network. Refers to a network of storage devices that provide a shared pool of storage space.
• Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) A method of transferring files between a local host and a remote host. It is based on SSH.
• Service Packs (SP) Collections of updates, enhancements, and fixes for software. Typically packaged as an individual, installable, bundle.
• Service Update Management Assistant (SUMA) Software for the AIX operating system. With little configuration it can automatically compare updates, fix repositories, and update a system.
• Shared Storage Pools (SSP) A server-based storage virtualization method. It provides distributed storage access to a VIOS for client partitions.
• SMIT Acronym. Stands for System Management Interface Tool. An interactive tool bundled with AIX. It uses standard AIX commands and Korn shell functions. It can accomplish almost any system administration related tasks using a SMIT screen.
• SMT Abbreviation. Stands for Simultaneous multithreading. A processor technology that allows multiple threads to run at the same time on the same processor.
• SSD Acronym. Stands for Solid State Drive. A type of storage device that typically uses flash memory, instead of the spinning disk and movable read-write heads used in hard disk drives.
• SH Abbreviation. Stands for Secure Shell or Secure Socket Shell. A network protocol that provides a secure method of communication through an unsecured network.
• Standard output (STDOUT) A stream of data output, produced by command line programs, which conforms to a standard.
• Storage Area Network (SAN) Refers to a network of storage devices that provide a shared pool of storage space.
• SUMA Acronym. Stands for Service Update Management Assistant. It is software for the AIX operating system. With little configuration it can automatically compare updates, fix repositories, and update a system.
• System reference code (SRC) A set of number and letter characters that represent a message from the system. That message gives information on system trouble, hardware, or software failure, or just a status.
• System Service Tools (SST) Part of the service function. Used on the system while the operating system is running.
• TCP/IP address A method of assigning a value to a network or host. That value can be used to identify the host, allowing users and applications to communicate with it. This method uses Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol, or TCP/IP.
• Technology Level (TL) The relative level of development present in a software release, such as an operating system.
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) One of the main protocols of the internet protocol suite. Typically used in conjunction with Internet Protocol (IP), as TCP/IP. Provides for reliable, error checked, and orderly delivery of information over an IP network.
• Veeam Veeam Software, an information technology company. They specialize in backup, disaster recovery, and modern data protection.
• VIOS Acronym. Stands for Virtual I/O Server. Software that allows for the sharing of physical I/O resources between client logical partitions within a server.
• Virtual Ethernet Adapter (VEA) Software that operates like a physical network adapter. It allows logical partitions within the same system to communicate without a physical Ethernet adapter.
• Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) A method of isolating the traffic for a select group of devices that share a physical local area network. This separates their traffic from the traffic of other devices on that same network.
• Virtual Machine (VM) Compute Resource using virtualized hardware to execute programs and applications. Multiple Virtual Machines could be executing on a single host system. The term Virtual Machine is similar to Logical Partition.
• Virtual Machine Image (VMI) An executable image file from a virtual machine. It contains a virtual disk with a bootable operating system.
• Virtual Machine Pinning IP4G policy related to the association level between an IP4G Virtual Machine and its Host.
• Virtual Processor (VP) A representation of a physical processor, used by virtual machines.
• Virtual Tape Library (VTL) A virtualization of the data storage method using tape libraries or tape drives. Typically used for backup and recovery purposes.
• VM Instance Individual Virtual Machine (VM) or Logical Partition within a VM Service.
• VM Pinning Setting a Virtual Machine (VM) to run on a specific host or hosts. This prevents it from running on any other hosts.
• Volume Storage space formatted to hold directories and files. May be virtual or physical.
• Volume group A storage pool across one or more physical volumes.
• VPC Acronym. Stands for Virtual Private Cloud. A virtual, isolated, private cloud hosted on a public cloud.
• VPC Peering A connection between Virtual Private Clouds (VPC). Makes it possible to establish a network between two VPCs.
• VPN A private encrypted network running over a public network, such as the internet.
• Wide Area Network (WAN) A computer network where the connected computers may be far apart.
• Yellowdog Updater, Modified (YUM) An open-source package management utility, originally developed for Yellowdog Linux.