IBM Virtual Machine OS on intel x86 and x64? IBM AIX OS on IBM Virtual Machine?

UNIX AIX
1

Hi There,

I have zero information and zero knowledge for IBM virtual machine except Amazon cloud and VMware ESXi (Only Linux OS available).

Anyone could provide me the following answer -

  1. Can IBM VM been deploy on X86 and X64 (Intel Chip)?
  2. If answer is yes any chance to deploy AIX OS on IBM Virtual Machine (running on X86/ X64).

Please advice.

Thank you.

Regards,

Wang Chen Yung

2

Do you mean the wonderful VM that runs on mainframes class servers? I think that will require IBM hardware, probably badged as zSeries.

I started on VM/XA in 1990 eventually migrating to VM/ESA but then we dropped mainframes for unix, specifically AIX first.

AIX will also not run on x86 hardware. It requires IBM pSeries or (less usually) iSeries however all current IBM hardware can be partitioned to share the overall hardware between many running operating systems.

I hope that this helps, but if I've missed the point, please write back.

Robin

3

Here is a short overview which IBM hardware can run which OS:

pSeries (POWER-based Platform, currently P8): AIX (=IBMs UNIX), Linux (SuSe, Ubuntu), iOS (formerly known as AS/400)

zSeries (mainframes): z/OS (replaced MVS, OS/390 and VM), z/Linux

xSeries (=Intel-compatible): Linux and everything else running on Intel-systems.

pSeries systems can use either the IBM hypervisor which runs iOS-, AIX- and Linux-LPARs or (only Power8) the Power-KVM (=Linux' KVM adapted for pSeries) with Linux-Systems as LPARs. Notice, however, that Power-KVM has a slightly smaller throughput than IBMs hypervisor.

zSeries can run z/OS and z/Linux

For xSeries the same as for any Intel-compatible PC applies.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

4

Hi Bakunin,

 Your information is very sufficient.
 I had played @\(Xserver\) series even IBM OEM for CISCO server before mainly for Intel Chips before.

 By the way not sure IBM Virtual Machine could be load on normal Intel Chip \(Desktop and Notebook\) than install IBM AIX OS as guest server - most probably answer should be no.

Thank you,

Regards,

Wang Chen Yung
5

I do not know what you mean by "IBM Virtual Machine" - this is no software product i know. AIX only runs on pSeries hardware, therefore - whatever IBM Virtual Machine might be - the answer is indeed no.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

6

Hi,

As mention before had zero knowledge and zero information anyway had done researched for pseries.

Thank you.

Regards,

Wang Chen Yung
7

IBM VM is a wonderful operating system, both as a hypervisor (creating guest environments) or as an operational environment. We had both. VM/ESA on the machine, then an operational VM/XA for business users and MVS/ESA sharing the same physical mainframe. We switched it off in the early hours of 1/1/2000, although it still worked just fine.

There are lots of links easy to find about it:- Let me google that for you

Kind regards (and with fond memories)

Robin

8

Hi Robin,

 Can IBM VM run on Intel Chip also support IBM AIX as guest operating system ?

I had tried VMware/ AMAZON Cloud and Oracle VM.

Please advice.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Wang Chen Yung
9

As i have already stated above: AIX can only operate on pSeries hardware. The answer is no, therefore.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

10

Hi Bakunin,

 May I know guest operating system could be deploy IBM VM ?

 Regards,

 Wang Chen Yung
11

You need to use a RISC based system which is a P-Series system. For something cheaper you may want to look into a RS/6000.

You can not use AIX/VIOS on a Intel based system.

Just in case, also to clear up, There are no visualization software out there that I know of that allows you to install AIX as a guest.

  • VMware
  • virtual box
    etc.

I remember a long time ago someone had mentioned they got this working on PearPC but not VIOS only AIX 5.3. I wouldn't get my hopes up about this though because I have not seen any updates recently.

PearPC - PowerPC Architecture Emulator

12

Hi,

IBM z\\VM should be mainframe. What is the guest operating System \(VMware term\) could be run on this platform.

Please advice.

Regards,

Wang Chen Yung
13

Did you try my link above? There are lots of articles about the options. Try the Redbooks, but ignore anything about Java or Tivoli.

These might be useful:-

Robin

14

On P-series, you'd VIOS for "virtualization". That more like Sun "domains". AIX supports the idea of "containers" as well for a softer form of virtualization. z/VM is for the zSeries mainframes.

Apart from "in the lab", AIX doesn't run on x86... Could it? I'll let you decipher "in the lab". As for VIOS, probably not (today).

So, right now, if you want/need AIX, you really need to get a p-Series host. Or you can pursue a cloud offering if you want something cheaper (talking about just playing around or learning AIX). Most people don't want AIX experience, but the whole shebang... that is, they will want VIOS experience. Getting into p-Series, VIOS and AIX isn't going to be cheap. Just the way IBM made that.