IBM Power Systems
Encyclopedia
Power Systems is the name of IBM
's Power Architecture
-based server line.
Before the Power Systems line was announced on April 2, 2008, IBM had two distinct Power-based lines: the System i running IBM i (formerly i5/OS and OS/400
) - and the System p series running AIX or Linux
.
in the AS/400 (later iSeries, then System i) family running OS/400
(later i5/OS) and the POWER
and PowerPC
based servers and workstations in RS/6000
(later pSeries, then System p) running AIX and Linux.
They merged to use essentially the same hardware platform in 2001/2002 with the introduction of the POWER4
processor. After that, there was little difference between both the "p" and the "i" hardware; the only differences were in the software and services offerings. With the introduction of the POWER5
processor in 2004, even the product numbering was synchronized. The System i5 570 was virtually identical to the System p5 570.
In April 2008, IBM officially merged the two lines of servers and workstations under the same name, Power Systems, with identical hardware and a choice of operating systems, software, and service contracts. In February 2010, IBM announced new models with the new POWER7
microprocessor.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's Power Architecture
Power Architecture
Power Architecture is a broad term to describe similar RISC instruction sets for microprocessors developed and manufactured by such companies as IBM, Freescale, AMCC, Tundra and P.A. Semi...
-based server line.
Before the Power Systems line was announced on April 2, 2008, IBM had two distinct Power-based lines: the System i running IBM i (formerly i5/OS and OS/400
OS/400
IBM i is an EBCDIC based operating system that runs on IBM Power Systems. It is the current evolution of the operating system named i5/OS which was originally named OS/400 when it was introduced with the AS/400 computer system in 1988....
) - and the System p series running AIX or Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
.
History
IBM had two discrete Power Architecture based hardware lines since the early 1990s. Servers running processors based on the PowerPC-ASIBM RS64
The IBM RS64 is a family of microprocessors that were used in the late 1990s in IBM's RS/6000 and AS/400 servers.These microprocessors implement the "Amazon", or "PowerPC-AS", instruction set architecture...
in the AS/400 (later iSeries, then System i) family running OS/400
OS/400
IBM i is an EBCDIC based operating system that runs on IBM Power Systems. It is the current evolution of the operating system named i5/OS which was originally named OS/400 when it was introduced with the AS/400 computer system in 1988....
(later i5/OS) and the POWER
IBM POWER
POWER is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by IBM. The name is an acronym for Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC....
and PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
based servers and workstations in RS/6000
RS/6000
RISC System/6000, or RS/6000 for short, is a family of RISC and UNIX based servers, workstations and supercomputers made by IBM in the 1990s. The RS/6000 family replaced the IBM RT computer platform in February 1990 and was the first computer line to see the use of IBM's POWER and PowerPC based...
(later pSeries, then System p) running AIX and Linux.
They merged to use essentially the same hardware platform in 2001/2002 with the introduction of the POWER4
POWER4
The POWER4 is a microprocessor developed by International Business Machines that implemented the 64-bit PowerPC and PowerPC AS instruction set architectures. Released in 2001, the POWER4 succeeded the POWER3 and RS64 microprocessors, and was used in RS/6000 and AS/400 computers, ending a separate...
processor. After that, there was little difference between both the "p" and the "i" hardware; the only differences were in the software and services offerings. With the introduction of the POWER5
POWER5
The POWER5 is a microprocessor developed and fabricated by IBM. It is an improved version of the highly successful POWER4. The principal improvements are support for simultaneous multithreading and an on-die memory controller...
processor in 2004, even the product numbering was synchronized. The System i5 570 was virtually identical to the System p5 570.
In April 2008, IBM officially merged the two lines of servers and workstations under the same name, Power Systems, with identical hardware and a choice of operating systems, software, and service contracts. In February 2010, IBM announced new models with the new POWER7
POWER7
POWER7 is a Power Architecture microprocessor released in 2010 that succeeded the POWER6. POWER7 was developed by IBM at several sites including IBM's Rochester, MN; Austin, TX; Essex Junction, Vermont; T. J. Watson Research Center, NY; Bromont, QC and Böblingen, Germany laboratories...
microprocessor.
Systems
IBM Power Systems models:- 2008/2009
- BladeCenter JS12 Express
- BladeCenter JS22 Express
- BladeCenter JS23 Express
- BladeCenter JS43 Express
- Power 520 Express
- Power 550 Express
- Power 560 Express
- Power 570
- Power 575
- Power 595
- 2010
- BladeCenter PS700 Express
- BladeCenter PS701 Express
- BladeCenter PS702 Express
- Power 710 Express
- Power 720 Express
- Power 730 Express
- Power 740 Express
- Power 750 Express
- Power 755 - for High-performance computingHigh-performance computingHigh-performance computing uses supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computation problems. Today, computer systems approaching the teraflops-region are counted as HPC-computers.-Overview:...
- Power 770
- Power 780
- Power 795
- 2011
- Power 775 - also known as PERCSPERCSPERCS , officially known as the Power 775, is IBM's answer to DARPA's High Productivity Computing Systems initiative....
- Power 775 - also known as PERCS
See also
- IBM System iIBM System iThe IBM System i is IBM's previous generation of midrange computer systems for IBM i users, and was subsequently replaced by the IBM Power Systems in April 2008....
- IBM System pIBM System pThe System p, formerly known as RS/6000, was IBM's RISC/UNIX-based server and workstation product line.In April 2008, IBM announced a rebranding of the System p and its unification with the System i platform. The resulting product line is called IBM Power Systems.-History:It was originally a line...
- IBM BladeCenterIBM BladeCenterThe IBM BladeCenter is IBM's blade server architecture.-History:Originally introduced in 2002, based on engineering work started in 1999, the IBM BladeCenter was a relative late comer to the blade market. But, it differed from prior offerings in that it supported the full range of high powered x86...
- IBM i
- AIX
- Linux on PowerLinux on PowerLinux on Power is the combination of any Linux-based operating system running on Power Architecture technology, a microprocessor architecture.-Introduction:...
- Power ArchitecturePower ArchitecturePower Architecture is a broad term to describe similar RISC instruction sets for microprocessors developed and manufactured by such companies as IBM, Freescale, AMCC, Tundra and P.A. Semi...