| Developers: | IBM |
| Last Release Date: | 2018/04/10 |
| Technology: | Server Platforms |
IBM System z (formerly IBM eServer zSeries) is a brand created by IBM to refer to the mainframe line.
The letter Z comes from "zero down time," meaning zero idle time, which reflects one of the main qualities of the server - the highest reliability, which allows you to continuously maintain the server at a given level of performance according to the 24 × 7 × 365 scheme, that is, 24 hours a day × 7 days a week × 365 days a year.
History of development
2022: IBM has started delivering its mainframe capacity in the cloud
In mid-February 2022, IBM opened access to the Z mainframe platform in the IBM Cloud, starting to provide a solution in the format IaaS "infrastructure as a service."
The service will be tied to Wazi, IBM's development environment for mainframe applications. Testing and development was one of the first workloads proposed to run in the cloud. Before the advent of IaaS, organizations often created and used copies of their production stacks for their developers. Leasing such environments as needed in the cloud was often (and often remains) cheaper than owning and operating the necessary infrastructure.
IBM's new offering is designed to reduce the time and resources required to develop mainframe applications.
IBM significantly reduced the time to access z/OS development and testing environments from days or weeks to 6 minutes or less. According to IBM internal tests, z/OS development on IBM Cloud is up to 15 times faster than comparable alternatives for development and testing on the x86 architecture.
IBM said the proposed solution by mid-February 2022 is a "closed experimental" technology. The service will become publicly available in the second half of 2022, when IBM will be 112 years old.
 | We believe that IBM Wazi as-a-Service will be a significant addition to our mainframe application upgrade solutions and services. This will accelerate the launch of new and upgraded systems, as well as allow users access to z/OS development and testing. Using cloud solutions and TCS accelerators along with secure and reliable IBM Cloud, we help customers accelerate their hybrid cloud upgrades and business transformation, "said Arun Prabhakar, vice president and global head of TCS.[1] |  |
2019
Announcement z15
On September 12, 2019, IBM announced a new generation of mainframes. The family, called z15, will help companies protect data in hybrid multi-cloud environments, according to a press release.
To do this, the platform implements Data Privacy Passports technology, thanks to which enterprises can protect and block access to data not only in the z15 environment, but also in the entire enterprise cloud infrastructure.
The main improvements over previous generation IBM mainframes are:
- the number of configurable processor cores increased from 170 to 190;
- 14 percent improvement in single-stream code performance;
- 25% increase in maximum system performance;
- 25% more RAIM memory, up to 40 TB;
- Up to 17 times faster data compression;
- 20% more I/O channels;
- Use up to 4 19 "racks.
According to IBM, the server system was developed for about four years with the involvement of more than 100 companies.
IBM notes that the new mainframe for the first time in the industry implemented the concept of limiting damage from planned and unscheduled outages. Customers can use all the power of systems to speed up the shutdown and restart of IBM Z services, and temporarily increase power so that recovery takes place faster.
z15 is capable of processing up to 1 trillion web transactions per day and supports large-scale databases. Up to 2.4 million Docker containers can be scaled on a single system - up to 2.3 times more Docker containers per z15 LPAR core than comparable x86 hardware platforms with the same load.
According to IDC analysts, which IBM cites, global mainframe spending in the world will grow by about $2.8 billion per year by 2022.[2]
Red Hat OpenShift для IBM Z
On August 1, 2019, IBM announced the transformation of its portfolio of software products, which is now designed for cloud environments and optimized to work on the Red Hat OpenShift platform, and also announced the launch of the Red Hat OpenShift solution for IBM Z. Read more here.
2018: IBM z14 Model ZR1 - Mainframe for Cloud
IBM On April 10, 2018, the corporation introduced the IBM z14 Model ZR1 mainframe for cloud environments - the model supplemented the z14 line, which was announced in 2017. IBM Z comes in 19-inch industry-standard single-frame racks and can be easily deployed in cloudy DPCs both private and private cloud environments.
According to IBM, compact mainframe models can handle more than 850 million encrypted transactions per day on a single system, do not require additional space, as well as special cooling and power supply. At the same time, they provide enciphering information and include Secure Service Container technology to create a trusted information processing environment and reliable data maintenance on an industrial scale.
When designing IBM Z models, the corporation applied the design-thinking methodology and worked closely with more than 80 customers, including IT service providers, online banks and insurance companies.
The IBM z14 Model ZR1 offers a significant increase in capacity, performance, memory and cache in almost all respects. The complete redesign of the system provides an increase in capacity while reducing the occupied area by 40% and is aimed at placing the product in any data center. The introduced z14 ZR1 model can become the basis for the IBM Cloud Private solution, which will create a "ready-made data center" by sharing storage, network and other elements with the mainframe in one physical rack.
Among the features of the z14 ZR1 model in IBM are:
- 10% performance improvement over predecessor z13s
- double (8TB) increase in memory;
- more than 850 million encrypted transactions per day in one system.
| | The capabilities of IBM Z will be available to an even wider range of customers who are important for security with universal encryption, machine learning, cloud capabilities and powerful analytics, "said Ross Maury, CEO of IBM Z. - This will allow customers to increase the security and functionality of local systems, as well as hybrid clouds. In addition, new mainframes will be placed in IBM public data centers in order to increase security and performance in the face of increasing amounts of information processing. | |
2017: IBM Z will provide continuous encryption of data on any scale
The corporation IBM introduced the next generation mainframe IBM of Z, a powerful transactional system that can process more than 12 billion encrypted transactions per day. The system uses a mechanism enciphering that allows you to continuously encrypt data associated with any application, cloud service, or. database
In general IBM , Z is the next generation of CMOS mainframe technology. The microprocessor of a 32 TB system runs at 5.2 GHz, and the scalable structure is estimated by Intel to provide 35% performance improvements for traditional workloads Linux and environments over the previous z13 generation IBM.
IBM Z generally supports: more than 12 billion encrypted transactions per day in one system; 2 million Docker containers; 1000 parallel databases NoSQL.
Compared to z13, IBM Z provides: three times more memory for faster response, improved throughput, and faster analytics efficiency; three times faster I/O and faster transaction processing than z13 to support data growth and transaction throughput Slow SAN response times with zHyperLink, which in turn provides 10X less latency and 50% faster application response times. This allows enterprises to do more work, such as real-time analytics or interacting with devices and cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications in a single transaction without changing a single line of application code.
Large-scale data encryption
According to the manufacturer, enciphering IBM Z capabilities are designed to combat the global "epidemic" of data theft. Optimized cryptographic capabilities of the system are now extended to any data, networks, external devices or entire applications, such as IBM the Cloud Blockchain service. They do not require changes in applications and do not affect service level agreements.
"The vast majority of stolen or hacked data was not protected and could easily be accessed. This is because enciphering it is an expensive process that is difficult to organize at a proper level, "said Ross Maury, IBM Z." We have created a data protection mechanism for the cloud era that we believe will significantly affect the global sphere. " information security
Continuous Data Encryption
With IBM Z, organizations will be able to encrypt data related to an application, cloud service, or database in one click in active use and at rest. Mass encryption on a cloud scale was made possible due to a sevenfold increase in the performance of cryptoalhormas compared to the previous generation z13. In particular, due to a quadruple increase in the number of chips intended for the operation of cryptographic algorithms.
Tamper-proof encryption keys
According to the manufacturer, IBM Z can protect millions of keys (as well as the processes of accessing, creating and reprocessing keys) using equipment with a system to protect against unauthorized hacking. With any hacking attempt signal, the encryption keys are destroyed themselves, and then can be restored in safe mode.
The IBM Z key management system is designed to meet the requirements of the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). At the same time, the norm for high quality information security in the industry is the second level. IBM Z capabilities can be extended beyond the mainframe to other devices, such as storage and cloud servers. In addition, IBM Secure Service Container protects against internal threats from counterparties and privileged users. It also provides automatic encryption of data and coding in an active and resting state, as well as protection against hacking during installation and operation.
Encrypted APIs
IBM z/OS Connect technologies allow cloud developers to discover and invoke any IBM Z application or data from a cloud service. In turn, IBM Z developers can call any cloud service. At the same time, IBM Z allows organizations to quickly encrypt these APIs - a connecting link that combines services, applications and systems.
Compliance with new data protection regulations
IBM Z will help customers build trust with consumers and comply with new information security standards, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation will come into force next year and will increase the number of regulatory requirements for organizations doing business in Europe. Under GDPR, companies will be required to report data breaches within 72 hours. Otherwise, they may face the need to pay a fine of up to 4% of the company's annual revenue or 20 million euros. The exception will be only companies that have proved that the information was encoded, and the encryption keys are protected.
Create a blockchain service
IBM Cloud is continuously optimized with advanced computing options. According to IBM, the platform will include the IBM Z system as an encryption mechanism for cloud services on IBM Cloud, and in the future will run IBM Blockchain services using it.
"The combination of IBM Z encryption and the use of secure containers provides support for the trust models that are required for new blockchain networks, and thereby distinguishes IBM Blockchain services from other solutions in the cloud," said Mary Vick, head of IBM Blockchain.
Predictable and transparent container pricing
IBM also announced three container pricing models for IBM Z, providing customers with a simplified software costing system. They combine flexible deployment in a highly competitive market as opposed to public clouds and local x86 environments.
Microservices and applications enable customers to leverage the real-time capabilities of local enterprise systems. Service optimization applications can now be co-located and have competitive pricing over public cloud and local platforms.
For application development and testing, you can triple the load of all z/OS development environments to support the latest DevOps tools and processes. Customers can increase capacity threefold without increasing monthly license fees.
The pricing of payment systems is based on business indicators, such as the amount of payments that the bank carries out, rather than the available capacity of the system. This gives customers more flexibility to intelligently implement innovative solutions in a competitive environment, especially in the fast-growing instant payment segment, IBM explained.
Cloud Era Transaction System
According to IBM, the IBM Z system is based on a powerful transaction mechanism for global trade, which, as of July 17, 2017, supports:
- 87% of all credit card transactions and payments of about $8 trillion per year;
- 29 billion transactions through ATMs annually, equivalent to almost $5 billion per day;
- 4 billion passenger flights per year;
- more than 30 billion transactions per day;
- 68% of the world's workloads at 6% of the total IT cost.
The vast amount of sensitive data generated during financial services transactions can now be better protected from fraud and cybercrime, analyzed and monetized using IBM Z, without disrupting the speed of processing everyday transactions. Banks get the opportunity to encrypt using one click even during the operation of applications and transfer data from unencrypted to encrypted without any influence on service level agreements, the corporation emphasized.
z/OS Software
At the same time, IBM announced updated z/OS software, which offers fundamental opportunities for providing private cloud services, which will allow companies to transform the IT cost center into a value-added service provider. The services will provide support for business process extensions for IBM Cloud Provisioning and Management for z/OS and real-time SMF analytics infrastructure.
2016: IBM z13s mainframe
On February 16, 2016, IBM introduced the IBM z13s mainframe, aimed at small companies. The system provides an additional layer of security by encrypting data without sacrificing speed and performance.
IBM z13s is designed and optimized for hybrid cloud environments and is capable of providing high quality and reliability to protect critical information and operations.
| | Fast transactions in a secure environment is a key element of mainframe and enables customers to grow their digital business in a hybrid cloud environment. With the new IBM z13s, customers no longer have to choose between security and performance. The speed of secure operations combined with new malicious activity detection analytics and built-in IBM Security services helps small business owners grow their business gradually. Tom Rosamilia, Senior Vice President, IBM Systems
| |
As part of the z13s mainframe, upgraded and hardware-accelerated coprocessor encryption cards with protection against unauthorized access with faster processors and more memory. They double the encryption speed compared to medium performance servers. Customers can process twice as many large-scale secure protocols using tamper-proof features. For example, a mainframe is able to handle twice as many requests coming from a computer or mobile devices, while the cost of transactions will be lower.
It is expected that z13s will be available in March 2016.
2015: IBM z13 mainframe, $1 billion spent on
On January 14, 2015, IBM introduced the z13 mainframe, on which the company spent several years of work and a huge amount of money. The novelty can be used to handle a large number of requests sent by mobile devices.[3]
In February 2015, z13 was introduced in Russia. Representatives of the Russian office of IBM said that sales of the system should begin after March 8.
The computer system is equipped with a processor with a maximum clock frequency of 5 GHz, which is less than the predecessor z12. However, the decrease in frequency was offset by the use of a new 22 nm process and 8 computational cores compared to a 6-nuclear 32 nm solution in z12.
In addition, the hardware platform in the new mainframe received Simultane MultiThreading multithreading technology (SMT), which allows you to perform many tasks with maximum efficiency. Another innovation was the Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) vector processing, which speeds up the performance of analytical tasks.
IBM z13, 2015
IBM z13 supports up to 10 TB of memory and 141 processors, which allows up to 8,000 virtual servers (that is, more than 50 servers per chip) with isolation and protection of each virtual server environment. The Z13, an open platform that fully supports Linux and OpenStack, will help reduce the cost of maintaining a cloud infrastructure.
The computer system is capable of processing more than 2.5 billion transactions daily, each of which is encrypted in real time. Such a product can be used in the banking industry, healthcare, insurance and other fields.
The system uses the IBM solution MobileFirst by means of which z13 provides an increased level of performance, availability, analytics and security, which guarantees a positive experience of mobile transactions for the user. The IBM MobileFirst platform helps organizations develop improved and more secure applications. Protect from IBM MobileFirst provides continuous protection and ubiquitous management of the client's infrastructure, devices, applications, content, and operations.
z13 uses a microprocessor to analyze transactions in real time, which will help to quickly detect cases of fraud, and, in turn, will allow financial institutions to suspend the transaction in order to protect the consumer if necessary.
The new mainframe supports Hadoop, which helps the system analyze unstructured data. Other advanced analytical technologies allow faster execution of queries using DB2 BLU for Linux to maintain the database in RAM, IBM DB2 hardware acceleration, which ultimately improves the level of performance in the processing of analytical workloads.
IBM z13 will come with a new z/OS operating system (pre-release version of z13 was created at the time of the announcement), which will expand the capabilities of the mainframe in the field of data analytics in RAM and help in the use of a wide range of enterprise applications in mobile devices.
IBM claims that it took about 5 years and $1 billion to create a z13 mainframe. The new product involves more than 500 patents of the American manufacturer.
2008: IBM System z10 Release
In 2008, the IBM System z10 family was introduced, implementing a new level of z/Architecture 2 architecture.
The name IBM System z refers to all models supporting z/Architecture, that is, the IBM zSeries, IBM System z9 and IBM System z10 families.
2005: Launch IBM System z9
In 2005, a new IBM System z9 family was introduced to replace the zSeries models. At the same time, the name IBM System z was presented, combining these families.
2000: IBM eServer zSeries Architecture Presentation
In 2000 the IBM company on change of architecture of IBM System/390 announced new 64-bit architecture of IBM eServer zSeries, and in October, 2000 the first model of this zSeries 900 family was produced.
In 2002, a new basic model zSeries 800 was introduced. And in April, the zSeries 890 server appeared.
Notes
- ↑ IBM Simplifies Modernization of Mission Critical Applications for Hybrid Cloud
- ↑ [1]IBM Research Contributes to z15 Launch with Hybrid Cloud, Security Breakthroughs
- ↑ IBM Launches z13 Mainframe -- Most Powerful and Secure System Ever Built
| The site content is translated by machine translation software powered by PROMT. The machine-translated articles are not always perfect and may contain errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. Read original article If you find inaccuracies or errors in the results of machine translation, please write to editor@tadviser.ru. We will make every effort to correct them as soon as possible. |