Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 with Utility Capacity
IBM® Power® Enterprise Pools 2.0 provides enhanced multisystem resource sharing and by-the-minute consumption of on-premises compute resources to clients who deploy and manage a private cloud infrastructure. Power E950, Power E980, Power S924 (9009-42G), and Power S922 (9009-22G) servers are supported in Power Enterprise Pools 2.0. Power S924 and Power S922 servers can coexist in the same pool. However, neither Power E950 servers nor Power E980 servers can be mixed in the same pool with another system type.
All installed processors and memory on servers in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 are activated and made available for immediate use when a pool is started. Processor and memory usage on each server are tracked by the minute and aggregated across the pool.
Base Processor Activation features and Base Memory Activation features, and corresponding software license entitlements are purchased for each server in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0. The base resources are aggregated and shared across the pool without having to move them from server to server. The unpurchased capacity in the pool can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis. Resource usage that exceeds the pool's aggregated base resources is charged as metered capacity by the minute, and is debited against purchased capacity credits on a real-time basis. Capacity credits can be purchased from IBM, an authorized IBM Business Partner, or online through the IBM Entitled Systems Support website, where available.
Processor usage is tracked based on actual consumption by partitions. Memory usage is tracked based on the assignment of memory to active partitions, and is not based on Operating System (OS) usage of the memory. Both processor and memory usage are tracked and charged by the minute. Both processor and memory usage are based on the average usage for 1 minute and not the peak usage during the minute.
Base Memory Activation features and metering are not enabled for Power S924 and Power S922 systems as all installed memory is included with the purchase of these systems. However, memory usage can still be tracked.
- Any OS core (a core that can run any operating system that is supported on Power systems)
- Linux® or VIOS core (a core that can run only Linux or VIOS)
- IBM AIX® software (licensed per core)
- IBM i software (licensed per core)
- Eligible SUSE Linux® Enterprise Server (SLES) software (licensed per core)
Software charges are not applicable for VIOS partitions. For Linux partitions, software charges are applicable only for partitions running SLES in pools with specific SLES subscription offerings that are supported as base and metered capacity resources.
A monthly budget for metered capacity consumption can be set.
A Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 is monitored and managed by the IBM Cloud Management Console (CMC). The CMC Enterprise Pools 2.0 application helps you to monitor base and metered capacity across a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0, with summary and sophisticated drill-down views of real-time and historical resource consumption by the logical partition.
Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 configuration requirements
- Power E980 and Power E950 systems cannot be mixed in the same Power Enterprise Pool 2.0. Additionally, Power S924 and Power S922 systems can be mixed in the same pool, but these systems cannot be mixed with either Power E980 or Power E950 systems.
- A single CMC instance can support a maximum of 2000 logical partitions across all Power Enterprise Pools 2.0.
- All IBM Power Systems servers in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 must be under a warranty or current IBM Hardware Maintenance contract with the same service level.
- All IBM Power Systems servers in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 must be within a single enterprise and a single country.
- All processor cores that are activated by Base Processor Activation features must be licensed for a supported operating system and must be registered for the associated Software Subscription and Support. Also, while registering for associated Software Subscription and Support, a CMC subscription, which is usually included as part of IBM Power Systems Enterprise Cloud Edition (5765-ECB) or IBM Power Systems Enterprise Cloud Edition with AIX (5765-CBA), is required.
- All IBM Power Systems servers in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 must be connected to an IBM Cloud® Management Console through an HMC.
- Capacity credits that are purchased through IBM or an IBM Business Partner or the IBM Entitled Systems Support website, where available.
- An attachment for Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 with Cloud Management (Z126-8404) either signed with purchase of capacity credits or accepted online as part of a capacity credit purchase transaction through the Entitled Systems Support website.
- All shared processor partitions are always allowed on IBM Power Systems servers within a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0. Dedicated processor partitions are only allowed when the Power Systems Firmware level is FW950, or later, and the HMC is at Version 9.2.950, or later, and the Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 is created in CMC to allow dedicated processor partitions.
- All Hardware Management Consoles that are managing IBM Power Systems servers within a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 must have Network Time Protocol (NTP) enabled.
- Performance and Capacity Monitoring (PCM) must be enabled for each IBM Power Systems server in a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 through the HMC.
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Linux Software Requirements
The following SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) subscription offerings are monitored, shared as base capacity, and made available as pay-per-use metered capacity resources in a pool consisting of Power E980 systems or Power E950 systems:
- 5639-15S and 5639-12S: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for Power with Base 1 - 2 Socket, Unlimited LPAR and Priority Subscription, or Priority Subscription and Support features.
- 5639-SAP: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications for Power with 1 - 2 Socket, Unlimited LPAR and Priority Subscription, or Priority Subscription and Support features.
Base SLES subscription entitlement resources can be shared across systems within a pool. SLES base subscription entitlement for each system is set to the number of cores that are available in the quantity of sockets entitled by the current, and valid subscription for that system (the number of cores per chip multiplied by the quantity of sockets acquired in the current subscription).
All systems that are expected to share the base SLES subscription entitlement resources within a pool must have the same product subscription and add-on features.
Linux subscription entitlement is monitored and metered independently of processor activations. Metered capacity charges for minutes of SLES use exceeding a pool’s base of respective subscription entitlement will be charged by the minute and debited, similar to AIX and IBM i operating system minutes, against the pool’s capacity credit balance.
The HMC must be at a Version 9.2.950, or later. Additionally, there must be an active RMC connection from the HMC to each logical partition that is running SLES.
If you do not purchase the SLES subscription offerings (5639-15S and 5639-12S , or 5639-SAP), the Linux license entitlement must be procured separately as required to support the appropriate cores or sockets that are activated and available for use by Power Enterprise Pools 2.0.
| System | Minimum firmware level | Minimum HMC version 1 | LPARs per pool | LPARs per HMC | Systems per pool | Minimum base cores | Minimum base memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E980 / 9080-M9S | FW930.02 | 930 + PTF MH01825 / MH01826 | 500 | 500 | 16 | 25% of installed cores | 50% of installed memory |
| FW940 | 940 | 1500 | 500 | 48 | 25% of installed cores | 50% of installed memory | |
| 950 + PTF MH01883 /MH01884 | 2000 | 1000 | |||||
| FW940.10 | 940 SP1 | 1500 | 500 | 48 | 1 | 256 GB | |
| 950 + PTF MH01883 / MH01884 | 2000 | 1000 | |||||
| E950 / 9040-MR9 | FW940.10 | 940 SP1 | 1500 | 500 | 48 | 1 | 256 GB |
| 950 + PTF MH01883 / MH018842 | 2000 | 1000 | |||||
| S922 / 9009-22G S924 / 9009-42G |
FW941 | 940 SP1 | 1500 | 500 | 48 | 1 | N/A |
| 950 + PTF MH01883 / MH01884 | 2000 | 1000 | |||||
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Notes:
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| Additional support | Minimum firmware level | Minimum HMC version * |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated LPAR | FW950 | 950 |
| Ability to identify Linux logical partition that is
running RHEL or SLES, and meter eligible SLES logical partitions. Requires an active RMC connection from HMCs to Linux logical partitions. |
-- | 950 |
|
Notes:
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CMC can support up to 750 logical partitions per system.
Getting started with Power Enterprise Pools 2.0
- Purchase one or more Power E950 systems or Power E980 systems with the Base Processor Activation features and the Base Memory Activation features and corresponding software license entitlements. Otherwise, purchase one or more Power S922 (9009-22G) systems or Power S924 (9009-42G) systems with Base Processor Activation features and corresponding software license entitlements.
- Purchase an initial quantity of capacity credits from an IBM Business Partner, directly from IBM Sales, or on the IBM Entitled Systems Support (ESS) website (where available) to pay for potential metered capacity consumption.
- Use the IBM Entitled Systems Support website to start a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 by entering the serial number of a Power E950, Power E980, Power S922, or Power S924 system with associated capacity credits.
- Access the IBM Cloud Management Console and create a Power Enterprise Pool 2.0 using the pool ID received on the IBM ESS website when the pool was started and assign other Power systems to it.
- All processor and memory resources are then activated on all Power systems in the pool, and CMC begins monitoring the pool.
- Metered resource minutes consumed above the pool's aggregated base for that resource are debited against the pool's capacity credits by CMC on a real-time basis and updated in ESS daily.
For more information about the IBM Cloud Management Console, see https://ibmcmc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/207305647-FAQ.
For more information about the CMC Enterprise Pool 2.0 application, see https://ibmcmc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021928094-Enterprise-Pools-2-0.