Linux on IBM Z mainframe
Bring security and resiliency to your business applications and hybrid cloud with the Linux operating system on an open, enterprise platform
Overview
The enterprise Linux® operating system offers a solid foundation for your hybrid cloud IT infrastructure. Workloads running on Linux on IBM Z inherit the reliability, scalability and security of the IBM zSystems™ platform. Consolidate your workloads onto Linux on IBM Z to share resources, reduce costs and improve performance and efficiency.
Benefits
Sustainability
A single IBM z16™ multi frame can do the work of up to 2000 x86 cores.¹
Security
Run up to 19 billion fully encrypted transactions per day and manage data privacy by policy.
Performance
Reduce latency by 4.7x and improve throughput with co-location of Linux and other workloads.
Linux server platforms
Enterprise server with Linux
Gain new insights plus speed, resilience and compliance with IBM z16 for Linux workloads, benefitting your hybrid cloud approach.
Linux-optimized server platform
Sustainability, scalability, security and superior performance for your data-serving needs.
Linux server virtualization
LPAR virtualization
Partition a physical server into logical partitions (LPARs) with protection certified to EAL5+.
IBM hypervisor
Host thousands of virtual machines on a single system with scalability, system management and performance.
Open hypervisor
Create and manage virtual machines using familiar tools with the open source KVM hypervisor.
Linux operating system software
Linux-certified tested platforms
Get information on certified and IBM-tested Linux platforms from our distribution partners.
Product documentation
See the latest technical information and guidance for Linux on IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE.
Validated open-source software
Keep up-to-date on open-source packages that have been ported and/or validated by IBM.
Hybrid cloud software
Containers and Kubernetes
Build and modernize applications and deploy them anywhere – aligned to the needs of your customers.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service
Simplify workload management and integrate seamlessly with hybrid cloud via OpenStack-compatible APIs.
Experience hybrid cloud
Deliver the hybrid cloud experience by building and modernizing faster across any environment.
z/OS Dev and Test on Linux
Build mainframe applications, test code and environment changes before implementing them in production.
Cyber resiliency software
Clustering technologies for resiliency
Support replication, high availability and disaster recovery at any distance with unified control.
Storage software for resiliency
Manage data at scale and perform archive and analytics in place without bottlenecks.
Server relocation for availability
Move a Linux guest from one z/VM system to another within a Single System Image cluster.
Resources
Linux distributions
IBM zSystems enterprise servers can run a variety of Linux distributions with a common experience.
Dedicated Linux processor
Learn about the dedicated processor for Linux workloads on IBM zSystems.
IBM training for Linux
Find out about the latest Linux and open source training courses from IBM.
Infrastructure and software services
Our technical consultants can help you design and implement your solutions.
What is open source software?
Discover the advantages, history and latest trends for open source software.
Next steps
Footnotes
¹ IBM internal tests show that when running WebSphere and Db2 workloads, IBM z16 multi frame requires 16 times fewer cores than the compared x86 servers. If you scale this up to a complete IT solution this means when running this workload, the IBM z16 Max 125 would be doing the work of about 2000 cores of the compared x86 servers.
DISCLAIMER: This is an IBM internal study designed to replicate a typical IBM customer workload usage in the marketplace. Results may vary. The core consolidation study targeted comparison of the following servers: IBM Machine Type 3931 Max 125 system consists of three CPC drawers containing 125 configurable processor units (IFLs) and two I/O drawers to support both network and external storage. Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 (2U) with two 2nd Gen Intel® Xeon® Platinum processors 2.1 GHz, 16 cores per CPU. Both solutions had access to the same storage array. The workloads consisted of a transactional application running on WebSphere Application Server and IBM Db2 simulating core online banking functions. The actual test results were extrapolated to the stated above x86 servers using IDC QPI metrics and IBM sizing methodology using the following assumptions on a typical IT environment of a banking client using x86 servers. The production IT environment has 16 x86 servers running at 50% average utilization. There are 48 x86 servers in the non-production IT environments: development (4 environments with 2 servers each, 8 servers total), development test environment (4 servers), system integration test environment (8 servers), performance test environment (16 servers), user acceptance test environment (4 servers), production fix test environment (8 servers). A typical average CPU utilization is 7% across all non-production environments. An equivalent IBM Machine Type 3931 solution requires a single Max 125 server running at 85% average utilization across all IT environments separated using LPAR technology.