Practical Migration from x86 to Linux on IBM System z

Practical Migration from x86 to Linux on IBM System z

Released September 2014
Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
ISBN: None

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Book description

There are many reasons why you would want to optimize your servers through virtualization using Linux on IBM® System z®:

  • Too many distributed physical servers with low utilization

  • A lengthy provisioning process that delays the implementation of new applications

  • Limitations in data center power and floor space

  • High total cost of ownership (TCO)

  • Difficulty allocating processing power for a dynamic environment


    • This IBM Redbooks® publication provides a technical planning guide and example for IT organizations to migrate from their x86 environment to Linux on System z. It begins by examining the benefits of migrating workloads to Linux on System z. Here, we describe the workload centric method of information technology and then discuss the benefits of migrating workloads to Linux on System z.

    Next, we describe total cost of ownership analyses and we guide you in understanding how to analyze your environment before beginning a migration project. We also assist you in determining the expected consolidation ratio for a given workload type.

    We also describe virtualization concepts along with describing the benefits of migrating from the x86 environment to guests residing on an IBM z/VM® single system image with live guest relocation.

    This IBM Redbooks publication walks you through a migration approach, includes planning worksheets, as well as a chapter to assist you in analyzing your own systems. We also discuss post migration considerations such as acceptance testing of functionality and performance measurements.

    Table of contents

    1. Front cover
    2. Notices
      1. Trademarks
    3. Preface
      1. Authors
      2. Now you can become a published author, too!
      3. Comments welcome
      4. Stay connected to IBM Redbooks
    4. Chapter 1. Benefits of migrating workloads to Linux on System z
      1. 1.1 Benefits
      2. 1.2 Reasons to select Linux on System z
        1. 1.2.1 System z strengths
      3. 1.3 A new type of information technology: Workload centric
      4. 1.4 Workload-centric cloud
      5. 1.5 Enterprise cloud computing blueprint for System z
        1. 1.5.1 Empowered virtualization management: IBM Wave for z/VM
    5. Chapter 2. Analyze and understand
      1. 2.1 Total cost of ownership analysis
      2. 2.2 Choosing workloads to migrate
      3. 2.3 Analysis of how to size workloads for migration
      4. 2.4 Financial benefits of a migration
    6. Chapter 3. Virtualization concepts
      1. 3.1 The demand for virtualization
      2. 3.2 IBM System z virtualization
      3. 3.3 Typical x86 virtualization
      4. 3.4 Linux on z/VM
      5. 3.5 Single system image and live guest relocation
      6. 3.6 z/VM operating system components
      7. 3.7 Virtualized resources
        1. 3.7.1 Virtualized CPU
        2. 3.7.2 Virtualized disk
        3. 3.7.3 Virtualized memory
        4. 3.7.4 Virtualized Network
    7. Chapter 4. Migration process
      1. 4.1 Stakeholder definitions
        1. 4.1.1 Business stakeholders
        2. 4.1.2 Operational stakeholders
        3. 4.1.3 Security stakeholders
      2. 4.2 Identify the stakeholders
      3. 4.3 Assembling the stakeholders
      4. 4.4 Migration methodology
        1. 4.4.1 Pre-assessment
        2. 4.4.2 Define success criteria
        3. 4.4.3 Finalize the new environment
        4. 4.4.4 Pilot proof of concept
        5. 4.4.5 Decision to migrate
        6. 4.4.6 Resource estimation
        7. 4.4.7 Actual migration
        8. 4.4.8 Verification testing
        9. 4.4.9 Check against success criteria
    8. Chapter 5. Migration planning
      1. 5.1 Migration project time commitments
      2. 5.2 Project definition
      3. 5.3 Planning checklists
        1. 5.3.1 Product and tools checklist
        2. 5.3.2 Application implementation checklist
        3. 5.3.3 Application environment checklist
        4. 5.3.4 Training checklist
        5. 5.3.5 Hardware planning checklist
    9. Chapter 6. Migration analysis
      1. 6.1 Network analysis
        1. 6.1.1 Network facilities available on System z and z/VM
        2. 6.1.2 Network migration overview
        3. 6.1.3 Helpful steps for a network migration
      2. 6.2 Storage analysis
        1. 6.2.1 Data migration
        2. 6.2.2 Linux on System z: pre-installation considerations
      3. 6.3 Application analysis
        1. 6.3.1 Why migrate applications
        2. 6.3.2 Which applications can be migrated
        3. 6.3.3 Selecting an application for migration to Linux on System z
        4. 6.3.4 Applications best suited for migration
        5. 6.3.5 Other software
        6. 6.3.6 Selecting an application for a proof of concept
        7. 6.3.7 Applications not supported on Linux on System z
        8. 6.3.8 Application interdependencies
        9. 6.3.9 Successful application migration
        10. 6.3.10 Special considerations for migrating a Java application
        11. 6.3.11 Special considerations for migrating C++ applications
        12. 6.3.12 Middleware, libraries, and databases
        13. 6.3.13 Helpful steps for an application migration
      4. 6.4 Database analysis
        1. 6.4.1 Before database migration
        2. 6.4.2 Migrating a single instance
        3. 6.4.3 Migrating multiple instances
        4. 6.4.4 Technical considerations
        5. 6.4.5 Migrating DB2 and Oracle from x86 to IBM System z
        6. 6.4.6 Tips for successful migration
      5. 6.5 Backup analysis
        1. 6.5.1 Introduction to backup and archival concepts
        2. 6.5.2 z/VM backup
        3. 6.5.3 Linux backup
        4. 6.5.4 Migrating backed-up and archived data
        5. 6.5.5 General archival migration considerations
        6. 6.5.6 Migrating to new backup software
      6. 6.6 Security analysis
        1. 6.6.1 Security migration overview
        2. 6.6.2 Understanding the z/VM foundation
        3. 6.6.3 Hardening the base Linux on System z
        4. 6.6.4 Code and application analysis
        5. 6.6.5 Security issues
        6. 6.6.6 Dependencies
        7. 6.6.7 Checking user input
        8. 6.6.8 Planning for updates when migrating code
        9. 6.6.9 Networking
        10. 6.6.10 Logging and recording events
        11. 6.6.11 Escalations of authority
        12. 6.6.12 Security test plan and peer review
        13. 6.6.13 Availability and accountability
        14. 6.6.14 Accountability analysis
        15. 6.6.15 Data integrity and confidentiality
        16. 6.6.16 Confidentiality analysis
        17. 6.6.17 Security change management
        18. 6.6.18 Enterprise authentication options
        19. 6.6.19 Integrated Cryptographic Service Facility
      7. 6.7 Operational analysis
        1. 6.7.1 The operational environment
        2. 6.7.2 Operational migration tasks
        3. 6.7.3 Single system image and live guest relocation
        4. 6.7.4 IBM Wave for z/VM
      8. 6.8 Disaster recovery and availability analysis
        1. 6.8.1 Availability analysis
        2. 6.8.2 Single points of failure
        3. 6.8.3 System z features for High Availability
        4. 6.8.4 Availability scenarios
        5. 6.8.5 Linux-HA Project
        6. 6.8.6 High Availability add-ons provided by SUSE and Red Hat
        7. 6.8.7 Understanding the availability requirements of your applications
        8. 6.8.8 Service level agreements
        9. 6.8.9 The cost of availability
    10. Chapter 7. Deployment of workloads
      1. 7.1 Deploying High Availability clustering
      2. 7.2 Deploying MediaWiki and MySQL
        1. 7.2.1 Analysis and planning
        2. 7.2.2 Installing the LAMP stack
        3. 7.2.3 Starting and testing LAMP components
        4. 7.2.4 Migrating iSCSI disks containing MySQL and MediaWiki
      3. 7.3 Deploying OpenLDAP
        1. 7.3.1 Analysis and planning
        2. 7.3.2 Installing LDAP software
        3. 7.3.3 Configuring the OpenLDAP service
        4. 7.3.4 Export OpenLDAP data from x86 server
        5. 7.3.5 Import OpenLDAP data to Linux on System z
        6. 7.3.6 Verify OpenLDAP is working
      4. 7.4 Deploying central log server
        1. 7.4.1 Analysis and planning
        2. 7.4.2 Initial configuration
        3. 7.4.3 Server configuration
        4. 7.4.4 Client configuration
        5. 7.4.5 Testing syslog-ng
        6. 7.4.6 Migrating using syslog-ng
      5. 7.5 Deploying Samba
        1. 7.5.1 Installing Samba software
        2. 7.5.2 Configuring SAMBA
    11. Chapter 8. Hands-on migration
      1. 8.1 Setting up the system
        1. 8.1.1 Software products and tools checklist
        2. 8.1.2 Hardware checklist
      2. 8.2 Migrating DB2 and its data
      3. 8.3 Migrating the WebSphere Application Server
      4. 8.4 Migrating Fibre Channel devices
        1. 8.4.1 Zoning for FCP
        2. 8.4.2 FCP and multipath
        3. 8.4.3 FCP migration setup tasks
    12. Chapter 9. Post migration consideration
      1. 9.1 Gaining acceptance
      2. 9.2 Performance measurement
        1. 9.2.1 What is performance
        2. 9.2.2 Choosing what to measure
      3. 9.3 Performance tuning
    13. Appendix A. Additional use case scenarios
      1. Telecom industry consolidation and cloud
      2. Healthcare industry: Mobile and Internet solution
      3. Energy and utilities industry: SAP Cloud and Automation solution on System z
    14. Related publications
      1. IBM Redbooks
      2. Online resources
      3. Help from IBM
    15. Back cover
    16. IBM System x Reference Architecture for Hadoop: IBM InfoSphere BigInsights Reference Architecture
      1. Introduction
      2. Business problem and business value
      3. Reference architecture use
      4. Requirements
      5. InfoSphere BigInsights predefined configuration
      6. InfoSphere BigInsights HBase predefined configuration
      7. Deployment considerations
      8. Customizing the predefined configurations
      9. Predefined configuration bill of materials
      10. References
      11. The team who wrote this paper
      12. Now you can become a published author, too!
      13. Stay connected to IBM Redbooks
    17. Notices
      1. Trademarks

    Product information

    • Title: Practical Migration from x86 to Linux on IBM System z
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: September 2014
    • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
    • ISBN: None