David Anderson is the IBM System z green evangelist. In the greenest blog on the planet, well at least on developerWorks, he points you to resources you can use to help your IT go green. He also shares his ideas for using the mainframe to save energy today and tomorrow with the coolest technology on Earth.

LOTS of new resources for Green z and just z

Quickly--check these out:

--On the IBM System z Energy Efficiency - Green z "official" web site, make sure you have a look at the new materials to help you save energy, save money, and save the planet. Notably, look under the "Featured Green z resources" area for a very useful presentation called "Energy Efficiency for Green Data Centers System z9 Typical KW". You'll see other new information there to help you go green with the IBM mainframe.

--Also, our friends at Rational just posted a really cool tool called the IBM Enterprise Modernization Sandbox. It gives you a great way to evaluate the IBM Enterprise Modernization solutions for System z a hands-on experience, all completely downloadable over the web. Check it out if you are even thinking of trying to migrate old code to a more current architecture.

That's it for now. Let us know what else we do to help, ok?

Greener than ever--System z10 Enterprise Class, the newest IBM mainframe

On February 26, IBM launched the latest in the System z family of mainframe systems--the System z10 Enterprise Class, or System z10 EC. It is not only the highest-capacity mainframe yet, it also provides huge boosts in energy efficiency for those looking for high-end, high-performance, high-capacity systems. You can read all about it at the IBM System z10 EC web page. Or, more like it, SEE all about it: the page features short animations and videos to help you understand the benefits of the new platform. Look for the Energy Efficiency video while you are there, but check out all the other new resources, as well. Maybe your future will run on System z.

IBM STG Lab Services Library has a green section

Just came across an extremely useful corner of the IBM web "library," if you can think of our web site that way. It's the IBM Lab Services Library -- a library of very interesting technical material from IBM Systems and Technology Group (STG) Lab Services. STG Lab Services works in collaboration with IBM Global Services and IBM Business Partner consultants to provide services to help make IBM clients succesful with their hardware systems implementations.

You should look around the library, but since you're interested in energy efficiency, you may want to go to two resources in particular. One is the IBM IT Systems Energy Efficiency Assessment , which can help you use proven IT optimization methods to improve the ability of your data center to deliver workload and performance while using less power, cooling resources, and data center space. The other is IT Systems Performance and Power Evaluation , which is designed to help you maximize the value of your current IT infrastructure investment.

Lots more soon. Keep checking back!

Going Green to Save Green and Optimize IT

IBM is holding a webcast next week to talk about how it has consolidated its own data center using System z. You can register for it and attend live, or go to the same location afterward and hear a recording. This is a great chance to hear how one huge consumer of electronic data pared down its IT infrastructure to save money, save energy, and simplify work for the IT management team. The Webcast -- called Going Green to Save Green: IBM Data Center Consolidation -- will be held December 20, 2007, at 1 PM Eastern Standard Time.

While I'm on the subject of webcasts, you can find a variety of very interesting IBM webcasts on the subject of optimizing your IT system at the main IBM Optimize IT webcast page. Check it out. And, while I am on the general subject of optimizing IT, you will find a lot of innovative ideas for saving money and getting more out of your IT at the IBM Optimize IT web site.

The greening of IBM Systems Magazine Mainframe Editition

You don't want to miss the latest issue of IBM Systems Magazine Mainframe Edition . It includes a great article on going green that spells out how the mainframe can help solve power and heat challenges while reducing run costs.

While you're there, check out the TechVISION column in which seven industry execs share their thoughts on IT trends. It's led off by IBM VP Florence Hudson talking about, among other things, the increased relevance of the mainframe in today's IT world and its bright outlook for the future.

System z on Facebook*

This is a bit of a departure from energy efficiency, but you should check out and join a new community that is coalescing around System z skills. It's on that wonderful virtual community, Facebook, that until now was the exclusive domain of college students but was recently opened up to all web users. Maybe you've read about being "poked" on Facebook or maybe your kids have talked about writing on someone's Facebook wall. Now's your chance to do that, too.

The IBM System z on Campus Facebook group is a meeting point for computer engineers of all stripes who are interested in the mainframe. Students are joining to learn more about System z, IBMers are joining to figure out what the college kids are up to and to offer up their expertise, and ISVs, resellers, and consultants are joining to see if they can figure out new ways to apply new technology and expand their business.

A few ideas for how you can use this group:

--Universities can make their mainframe-oriented programs/curricula/courses known to students.
--IBM customer and business partners can look for potential internship or employment candidates.
--Students can promote themselves and their System z knowledge and maybe even look for jobs.

But the beauty in communities like this is that it can and will be used in ways that cannot be foreseen and is only controlled by its members, and that could be YOU. So join up -- if you are not a Facebook member already, it is really easy and non-invasive -- and help drive this new community. If Green z is your thing, you can join up and make sure that IBM System z on Campus discusses energy efficiency. At the very least, you'll be able to see what's going on in this incredibly vibrant web community and check out the academic scene.

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* Note on the title: I wish that we could put that the other way around: Facebook on System z has a nice ring to it, and wouldn't it be cool (not to mention Green) if one of the preeminent online communities used the mainframe for its hardware platform. Oh well, no such luck.

Other mainframe communities, discussions

Seems like green IT in general, and the green mainframe, are on the tip of lots of people's tongues lately. Have a look at these online communities, and join in:

Green IT for growing businesses

The Green Business forum is a new IBM-hosted community where small-to-medium businesses can talk about their issues with IT and energy efficiency.

zJournal discussions

zJournal is an independent (non-IBM) source of information about the mainframe. The journal plays host to a variety of discussion forums for System z clients -- including specific forums for z/OS, z/VM, Linux on System z, Security and other mainframe-related topics. Some of the contributions have to do with issues of energy efficiency and cost savings.

Have a look at these two online communities, and add your voice.

Some new green mainframe resources

A few new resources on the mainframe that you should have a look at.

Energy Efficiency Certificate program

First, IBM just announced an energy efficiency certificate program. In its press release, IBM says the following:

It's "...the industry's first corporate-led initiative to enable clients to earn energy efficiency certificates for reducing the energy needed to run their data centers. For the first time, this provides a way for businesses to attain a certified measurement of their energy use reduction, a key, emerging business metric. The certificates can be traded for cash on the growing energy efficiency certificate market or otherwise retained to demonstrate reductions in energy use and associated CO2 emissions."

See the press release for more information.

Mainframe New Realities: Linux Delivery that Weds the Best of Both Worlds

The first in what looks to be an excellent series of articles from IBM about the mainframe. Great stuff for those of you who are new to the mainframe. Not necessarily on the subject of energy efficiency, but really worth a look--and show your boss, too. This will help you understand and/or communicate why the IBM mainframe is worth consideration for your next hardware platform, both because it can deliver energy efficiency and provide general goodness for your IT solution.

A quick read, guaranteed. Take a look.

Bloggers comment on green and the mainframe

And another developer-focussed blog discusses the greening of the mainframe this week. Have a look at certifications  |  compliance  |  efficiency  ]

Nov 05 2007, 04:43:07 PM EST Permalink

Check out the Green Mainframe space

We just opened up the new developerWorks Green Mainframe "space" dedicated to helping you understand how you can "go green" with the mainframe and connecting you with resources to help you do that. Check it out and let us know what else you need. You can find it at http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/spaces/greenmainframe.

Dave Anderson's top-ten best practices to make your servers green

If you're interested in using the mainframe hardware platform to save energy and take your IT infrastructure in a greener direction, here are a few best practices to keep in mind. You can find more about going green with the mainframe at the IBM System z Energy Efficiency -- Green Z web page and at Destination z, the one stop shop for everything mainframe.

1. Begin with an Enterprise goal in mind. Create lasting greenness. Small scale will yield small results. Large scale will yield bigger results. Often every project looks good and green by itself, but when added up a sub optimal data center and complex infrastructure has been created.

2. Exploit virtualization to reduce the number of servers. Reducing the number of power drawing components to a minimum directly slashes the amount of energy consumed as well as reduces the cooling requirement. LPAR technology and z/VM are proven industry leaders in security and the number of images or instances.

3. Exploit virtualization to reduce the amount of networking equipment. This includes using HiperSockets, Virtual Ethernet for Systems p and i, and OSA integrated layer 2 and 3 switching.

4. Use integrated approach to server consolidation to optimize savings. More than a single methodology needs to be applied to get the fewest number of servers. IBM’s Enterprise Computing Model for reducing thousands to 30 servers used the following approach to consolidation:

--Migrate servers delivering largest savings first (i.e., stranded infrastructure)

--Eliminate assets with lowest utilization first

--Identify assets with an upcoming compelling event to mitigate expense (upgrade, move, asset refresh)

--Aggregate by customer work portfolio to leverage strong customer buy-in

--Start with oldest technology first

--Focus on freeing up contiguous raised floor space

--Provision new applications to the mainframe or another large centralized server

5. Drive to high utilization rates. Virtualization and management of workloads is key. The Operating System must manage W/L to business priorities and dispatch in an automated manner.

6. Consolidate on large servers. Fewer larger servers will convert AC to DC more efficiently than many smaller servers with smaller and less efficient power systems. Power supplies of large servers are capable of operating at very high efficiencies (+90%).

7. Eliminate redundancy but keep high availability and Disaster Recovery capability. Have the ability to non disruptively add (and reduce) capacity for production or disaster recovery without having idle or underutilized servers. On/Off Capacity on Demand (add engines by the day) and Capacity Backup Upgrade, CBU, for Disaster Recovery increases capacity without adding server infrastructure.

8. Measure and put the costs of energy where they are incurred. Automated measuring and billing of energy makes usage part of cost and green decisions. Without energy and cooling knowledge requirements are unknown, inaccurate and often over planned leading to inefficiencies. Linkage to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) ensures green is part of every decision. Benchmark the entire Data Center as well as local areas for continuous improvement. Use commonly accepted methodologies such as the Energy Efficiency Ratio from Green Grid Consortium.

9. Use the concept of hierarchical storage. Picking the right media and format for storing data is like picking the right vehicle for a trip. Tape, a green storage equipment star, uses the least amount of energy and should be part of the storage constellation. Disk storage should be for demanding applications that require frequent updates. The Virtual Tape Server can mask latency with many applications and is another green star in the storage constellation. Larger and slower disks use less energy and if their latency can be masked the energy efficiencies gained by their use is worth it.

10. Use the latest equipment. Newer generations of IT equipment are more energy efficient and give better performance than older IT equipment. Replace the oldest most inefficient equipment first.

For lots more about saving energy and going green with the mainframe, be sure to see the IBM System z Energy Efficiency -- Green Z web page.