IBM zEnterprise EC12

IBM announced in the summer of 2012 the server of a class of a menfreym zEnterprise EC12, the most powerful and innovative version of a system of IBM which sets standards of calculations at the enterprises 48 years. The new system of a corporate class uses the technologies developed by IBM in the invariable aspiration to satisfy the growing customers needs in management of important information and ensuring its security.

Mainframes support a considerable part of corporate information environments on most large enterprises. Facing the known scale-up problem of amounts of data, these companies look for new methods of protection and extraction of knowledge, important for formation of new proposals, from records about clients and also information on financial and other resources. zEC12 offers the most reliable in the industry information protection and strong support of operational analytics that can help clients to process effectively large volumes of data and to transform them to knowledge, valuable to business. For example, the retailer who is carrying out on-line transactions on zEC12 can take from data on clients the necessary information for creation of more personalized consumer experience.

The system of a corporate class IBM zEC12 – result of more than 1-billion investments of division of IBM Systems and Technology Group into research and development which was performed, mainly, by IBM development center in the city of Pokipsi, the State of New York and also other 17 IBM laboratories located worldwide. Besides, the significant role in creation of zEC12 was played by cooperation of IBM with a number of the leading clients.

The new mainframe of IBM is one of the most protected corporate systems [1]; the safety features which are built in a system provide compliance to the most strict requirements and standards of security existing in the different industries. Thanks to means of operational analytics and monitoring of loadings almost in real time, clients can use the new zEC12 mainframe to the solution of the most different resource-intensive tasks, including implementation of hybrid cloud environments, having used on a quarter the bigger performance of each core and half – all system and also the fastest processor in the world with clock rate of 5.5 GHz. [2]

The maximum protection for crucial information

IBM System z is the leading platform for safe service of data and the only commercial system awarded the maximum level of certification on the Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance standard – Level 5+ that guarantees to clients an opportunity to start a large number of the different applications operating with confidential data on one mainframe. Carrying on and developing traditions of a product line, new zEC12 system has the innovation safety features helping to protect data as at rest, and in the mode of active use that is extremely important during an era of Internet banking and mobile devices.

zEC12 contains the up-to-date, protected from unauthorized access cryptographic Crypto Express4S coprocessor which provides the high level of confidentiality of transactions and vulnerable data. Crypto Express4S includes the new equipment rooms and program components developed together with IBM Research for ensuring compliance to requirements to information security imposed in the different industries and the countries of the world. For example, Crypto Express4S can be configured for support of high-quality digital signatures which are used in "intellectual" passports and identity certificates of the different countries and also in on-line legal proceedings, according to rules of the European Union and national public institutions concerning replacement of hand-written signatures.

SC Data Center Inc company. provides services to Colony Brands Inc., one of the largest and most successful companies in the field of retail on directories, using technology of enciphering on the zEnterprise mainframe for protection of applications of call center in the course of customer service and adoption of orders. The system of e-commerce which performs all trade and credit operations of Colony Brands Inc. moves in the safe mode vulnerable data on other platforms for further processing, is protected using System z.

The operational analytics allows to receive valuable business information

The zEC12 mainframe expands possibilities of data analysis, offering performance increased by 30% for analytical workloads in comparison with the predecessor in zEnterprise line. [3] Besides, support of IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator technology which integrates into zEC12 the hardware-software Netezza device for the data warehouse allows clients to solve complex problems of business and operational analytics on one system.

The new mainframe also offers the functions of the analysis of IT systems based on technology from IBM Research. It analyzes system messages, providing information on a server status, including any potential problems, almost in real time. The technology which received the name IBM zAware analyzes messages and quickly reveals any deviations, using the available information for determination of an unusual system behavior and minimization of its effects. The service IBM STG Lab Services will offer clients of service for the help in planning, configuring and deployment of solutions based on IBM zAware technology.

Possibilities of considerable scaling of cloud environments

The leading virtualization opportunities offered by the mainframe do it by the effective platform for support of private cloud environments. Clients can consolidate thousands of distributed systems in images of Linux on zEC12, reducing operational IT expenses on payment of the electric power, use of the areas and licensing of software.

zEC12, as expected, will provide the low aggregate value of acquisition for consolidation in Linux of workloads of the database. [4] One zEC12 mainframe can have a capacity of the whole multiplatform DPC.

Being one of the most secure systems in the world, with functions which are intended to provide compliance to regulations of information security in the different industries and fields of activity, the new mainframe allows clients to execute effectively both traditional, and cloud applicaions and on one system.

Other innovations implemented in zEC12

zEC12 is the first mainframe of IBM which uses technology of internal solid state drives with Flash Express, new technology of the memory capable to help to improve performance of applications with intensive data processing or workloads for which support of optimum levels of service is a crucial condition (in particular, the client or service applications applied in banking sector, a public sector and retail). This technology is developed for ensuring bigger fault tolerance during the periods of surges in activity of a system, for example, during opening of financial markets or seasonal sales when there is a sharp growth of volume of on-line transactions.

For the first time in the history of high-performance mainframes of IBM clients can also set zEC12 without use of an expensive raised floor. Thanks to support of ceiling laying of power and signal cables, customers had a big freedom of choice of the place for deployment of zEC12. It can increase attractiveness of the System z platform for corporate clients in the growing markets where business of System z grew by 11% in the second quarter 2012, according to the quarterly financial statement of IBM.

zEC12 is the first server of IBM of general purpose in which the technology of a transactional memory for the first time applied in a commercial product to help to make the Sequoia system based on the IBM Blue Gene/Q platform installed in Livermore laboratory of Lawrence, the fastest supercomputer in the world [5] is used. IBM adapted this technology for zEC12 and improved a software support of side-by-side execution of transactions which use the general data sets – for example, carrying out by financial institutions of transactions between the same accounts.

zEC12 contributes to the development of hybrid calculations

In 2010 IBM provided model of hybrid calculations, having released the IBM zEnterprise System and IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) mainframe that allowed the enterprises to develop and integrate with the mainframe of the application and the workloads executed on IBM BladeCenter blade servers of the POWER7 and System x platforms. Using the software of zEnterprise Unified Resource Management it is possible to manage these diverse computing resources as the single virtualized system.

Today IBM presented the solution zBX Model 003 expanding possibilities of clients on accomplishment of the integrated and dynamic workloads. The solution zBX Model 003 using the simplified operational management and the integrated, highly productive and well protected private network, is intended for work with the new zEC12 mainframe. Like the predecessor, the latest integration solution zBX includes specialized processors and integration modules for certain workloads, such as IBM WebSphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50 for the zEnterprise mainframe and separate models of the IBM BladeCenter servers.

Since the second quarter 2012, IBM delivered to clients over 150 integration zBX complexes with 1100 blade servers, giving to clients the chance using model of hybrid calculations to reduce complexity of IT infrastructure and to take advantage of centralized operation on a single platform.