Introduction to IBM Cloud Infrastructure Center setup on IBM z/VM

This guide explains the steps required to set up IBM Cloud Infrastructure Center (ICIC) in the IBM z/VM hypervisor environment.

ICIC provides a cloud management platform for virtualized infrastructure on IBM Z and LinuxONE, enabling efficient provisioning, management, and automation of virtual machines (VMs) and resources.

Overview

ICIC Architecture Diagram

IBM Cloud Infrastructure Center (ICIC) is designed to simplify and automate the management of virtualized resources on IBM Z systems running z/VM. It provides a unified interface for administrators to deploy, monitor, and manage VMs, storage, and networking, supporting hybrid cloud integration and DevOps workflows.

Prerequisites

Pre-Requirements: Before starting the management and control node installation, ensure your z/VM hypervisor environment meets the following requirements:

  • DirMaint: Directory Maintenance Facility for managing user directories and resources.

  • SMAPI: System Management API, required for programmatic management of z/VM resources.

  • VSWITCH: Virtual Switch, enables network connectivity for VMs.

  • DISKPOOL: Used for storage allocation to virtual machines.

  • RACF (Optional): Resource Access Control Facility for security and access management.

  • 2 nodes with RHEL v8.10:

    • 1 Management Node: 4 CPU, 16 GB RAM, 120 GB disk space. Hosts the ICIC management services.

    • 1 Compute Node: 4 CPU, 16 GB RAM, 120 GB disk space. Used for VM workloads.

  • 1 Node with mini-idisk attached for image creation. This node is used to create and manage VM images for deployment.

  • Reserved IP range as needed for VM creation and network configuration.

For detailed instructions on configuring your z/VM environment, refer to the official IBM documentation: Setting up z/VM.

Tip: You can verify that SMAPI, DirMaint, and RACF are enabled in your system by using the q names or query names command from z/VM. Ensure the following names are available: SMAPI: VSMWORK1, VSMREQI6, VSMREQIN, VSMEVSRV, VSMREQIU, VSMGUARD. DirMaint: DIRMAINT, DATAMOVE. RACF: RACFVM. query names

Architecture and Workflow

The ICIC architecture consists of management and compute nodes connected via a virtual network. The management node orchestrates VM lifecycle operations, while compute nodes provide resources for running workloads. Storage is provisioned through disk pools, and network connectivity is managed using VSWITCH. Optional integration with RACF enhances security and access control.