If the answer is “yes,” then the following information is vital to your decision-making process as we will carefully consider migration, performance and cost benefits to IBM i on Power vs x86 servers.
If you are already using Power systems, IBM has ensured that Power systems upgrades are largely hassled free. Legacy applications can be migrated to newer boxes with little or no code changes or recompiles. This allows companies to retain their time-tested applications without additional costs while benefiting from the increased speeds and capabilities of newer processor technology.
Moving from Power systems servers to x86 servers, however, is much more complex. It requires new hardware and software purchases (the latter of which can alter business workflows and require steep learning curves), different skill sets, larger and more costly data centers, increased administrative overhead, and lengthy migration times, which may delay go-live expectations.
IBM i on Power Price and Performance
When bench-marking price/performance, some vendors of x86 compare 4-socket 60 core x86 servers to the Power S824 2 socket 24 core class systems to claim better performance. POWER8 S824 systems are scale-out solutions and should be compared to 2-socket x86 E5-26xx-class servers, with the focus on per-core performance. POWER8 cores have 2 times the performance of x86 cores across a wide range of public benchmarks and can support more workloads. This translates to running more workloads on fewer cores, resulting in lower per-core software-licensing fees.
Additionally, IBM PowerVM are designed to maximize utilization of Power systems resources to over 90%, compared to the peak 30% utilization on x86. Power systems are better in price performance with comparable workloads and are ideal for consolidating workloads from x86 server farms. When comparing Power systems servers and x86 server environments, IBM Power solutions offer the best TCO.
The Benefits of Staying with IBM i on POWER
Still interested in IBM i on Power?
For more information, review the whitepaper, Why IBM i on Power.
In this whitepaper, you will learn:
- How IBM is staying relevant to the emerging IT workforce.
- How IBM I reduces workload when upgrading systems.
- How TCA, TCO, and performance compare with x86.
- The skills and management tools required to run Power systems and where to find them.
Download Why IBM i on POWER to learn more!
