z/VM Center

Use z/VM Center to provision Linux systems on virtual hardware that is based on real IBM IBM System z9 and eServer zSeries hardware and the z/VM hypervisor.

z/VM Center provides the following tasks:
Virtual Server Deployment
helps you to maintain templates for z/VM virtual servers and operating systems. With the templates, you can create and decommission Linux guest systems. Linux guest systems are z/VM guest virtual machines that have Linux installed.

Use the Virtual Server Deployment task to manage individual z/VM virtual servers and operating system instances and to set up templates and Linux guest systems to be used by Server Complexes.

Server Complexes
helps you to configure Linux guest systems and to set up groups of Linux guest systems that can support multi-tier applications. The Server Complexes task builds on Virtual Server Deployment.

Use Server Complexes to manage multiple Linux guest systems with similar configurations and to clone Linux guest systems that have been set up by Virtual Server Deployment.

Icon z/VM
Center icon (z/VM Center), Virtual Server Deployment icon (Virtual Server Deployment), Server Complexes icon (Server Complexes)
Supported IBM Director objects Level-0, Level-1, and Level-2 managed systems

The z/VM Manageability Access Point must be a Level-2 managed system.

Supported operating systems
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9, for IBM System z9, zSeries and S/390
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, version 4.0, for IBM System z9, zSeries and S/390

For detailed operating-system support information, see the IBM Director information center on the Web at publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2/topic/diricinfo/fqm0_main.html.

Availability z/VM Center is available as an optional feature of IBM Director included in:
  • Virtualization Engine Systems Edition for Linux on System z9 and zSeries
  • Virtualization Engine Systems Edition for iSeries
z/VM Center is available as a Web-based extension of IBM Director as delivered with:
  • Virtualization Engine Systems Edition for eServer p5
  • Virtualization Engine Systems Edition for xSeries and BladeCenter

You can download the extension from the IBM Support Web site atwww.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/systems_management/ibm_director/

To be able to use z/VM Center, you must purchase and install a license key. For more details see the z/VM Center setup information in the IBM Director information center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2/topic/diricinfo/vsd0_t_prepare.html.

Required hardware or hardware limitations IBM System z9 or eServer zSeries
Required software
  • z/VM 5.2 or z/VM 5.1
  • The IBM Enterprise Storage Server FlashCopy2 is recommended to enhance performance
  • A z/VM Directory Maintenance Product, at the time of writing: DirMaint FL510 with APARs VM63700 and VM63733
  • CPINT
    • The CPINT RPM is shipped with SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9.
    • For Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, you can download the RPM from: http://linuxvm.org/Patches. For details refer to the z/VM Center extension description in the IBM Director information center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2/topic/diricinfo/vsd0_r_zvmctr_task.html.
      Note: Be aware that installing the RPM on Red Hat Linux AS might affect any support contract you may have for the distribution.

For the latest information see the IBM Director 5.10 information center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2/topic/diricinfo/fqm0_main.html.

Required protocols None
Required device drivers None
Mass Configuration support No
Scheduler support No
Files associated with this task z/VM Center includes a file, zVMPersonalizationversion.rpm, that you must install in a Linux to create a master Linux. A master Linux is the starting point for cloning Linux instances. version represents a file version specification.
Events generated by this task None

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