Virtualization and hypervisors

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RHOCP on IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE is deployed in a virtualized environment and offers different configuration options:

  • Using z/VM as hypervisor

    The most common virtualization of RHOCP on IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE takes advantage of the z/VM hypervisor. This virtualization offers the security certification EAL 4+, which is the highest level of certification and represents the highest level of isolation in virtualized environments. As z/VM is a well-established hypervisor for the mainframe, it is a proven technology and commonly used by many customers.

  • Using a KVM-based deployment

    An alternative approach for virtualization is a KVM-based deployment that uses Red Hat Enterprise Linux KVM 8.3 or later. KVM is based on open source technology, which implements components that turn a Linux system into a hypervisor.

Using z/VM

For more details on installing the z/VM hypervisor in an IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE environment refer to the VM documentation.

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (RHOCP) can be installed in a single Logical Partition (LPAR) or on multiple LPARs. A virtualization deployment with z/VM in those LPARs requires planning from a capacity, security, and Service Level Agreement (SLA) perspective, regarding the estimated workload that runs in each LPAR.

You can install z/VM in a cluster, called a Single System Image (SSI) cluster, or in stand-alone mode. In an SSI cluster, the nodes can be in one or multiple hardware machines. The advantage in SSI is that you can manage the hypervisor from each node and can use Life Guest Relocation (LGR) for planned outages or maintenance in some nodes.

The z/VM deployment consists of two parts, the firs one is about installing z/VM in the LPAR. The second one is defining the z/VM guest entries by creating z/VM directory entries, which act as RHOCP Node configurations.

The installation of z/VM is documented in IBM Redbooks and contains a series of books that is called The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM Z. The books cover the practical steps from planning, installation, and customization of the z/VM hypervisor.

It is recommended that you use Volume 1 of this series because IBM z/VM is the base "layer" when you install Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE. Volume 1 starts with an introduction, discusses planning, then describes z/VM installation, configuration, hardening, automation, and servicing. The cookbook format provides a concise and repeatable set of procedures for installing and configuring z/VM by also using the Single System Image (SSI) clustering feature .

Volume 2 can be of use if you want to install and customize your own Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) virtual servers on IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE hardware that is virtualized with IBM z/VM. The cookbook format describes the steps for installing and customizing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. RHEL servers can run side by side with RHOCP on the same machine.

You can find IBM Redbooks here.

The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM Z Volume 1 here.

Using RHEL KVM

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (RHOCP) can be installed in a single Logical Partition (LPAR) or on multiple LPARs. The Virtualization with KVM in those LPARs requires planning from a capacity, security, and Service Level Agreement (SLA) perspective, in consideration of the estimated workload that runs in each LPAR.

You can install KVM as a cluster deployment or in stand-alone mode. In a KVM cluster, the nodes can be in one or multiple hardware machines. The advantage in a cluster is that you can manage the hypervisor from each node and can use live migration capabilities for planned outages or maintenance in some nodes.

The KVM-based deployment also consists of two parts. The first one is about installing KVM in the LPAR and the second one is defining the KVM guest entries, which act as RHOCP node configurations.

The installation of RHEL KVM is well documented in IBM Redbooks and contains a series of books called The Virtualization Cookbooks for IBM Z. These volumes cover the practical steps from planning, installation, and customization of the RHEL KVM hypervisor.

It is recommended that you use Volume 5 of this series for a KVM-based virtualization for building a Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on IBM Z and IBM® LinuxONE.

Volume 5 covers introduction, planning, KVM installation, configuration, networking, and life cycle. It adopts a cookbook format that provides a concise, repeatable set of procedures for installing and configuring KVM.

You can find the Virtualization Cookbook for IBM Z Volume 5: KVM here.