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IBM OpenPower

From Alfawiki
IBM System p
Company typeProduct line
IndustryComputer servers
PredecessorRS/6000
Founded2000
SuccessorIBM Power Systems
Headquarters
Armonk
,
United States
ProductsRISC servers based on Power architecture running UNIX and Linux
ParentIBM

The IBM System p series represents a premium class of RISC servers based on Power architecture and UNIX operating systems. This lineup succeeded the RS/6000 family and was eventually followed by the IBM Power Systems range.

History

Initially integrated within the RS/6000 workstation and server collection, the debut of System p servers occurred in 2000 under the name eServer pSeries, as part of IBM’s e-Server portfolio.

With the arrival of the POWER5 processor in 2004, IBM rebranded the series as eServer p5.

A year later, IBM consolidated its server branding, renaming the product line to System p5, which also incorporated offerings from the IBM OpenPower lineup.

After launching systems powered by POWER6 processors in 2007, IBM simplified the brand by removing numeric identifiers, adopting the name System p exclusively.

In April 2008, IBM merged System p with its midrange System i platform, introducing the unified IBM Power Systems product family.

Processors

The RS/6000 initially utilized early versions of POWER and PowerPC processors; by the time of the pSeries introduction, it incorporated RS64-III alongside POWER3 chips, balancing floating-point and integer processing capabilities.

The 2001 launch of the POWER4 processor unified these processor lines. Subsequent System p models adopted POWER5, while entry-level and blade configurations featured the PowerPC 970 processor.

Later System p models were equipped with POWER6 processors, including systems like the System p 570 and JS22 blade server. At SuperComputing 2007, IBM revealed the POWER6-based System p 575 boasting 32 cores running at 4.7 GHz, supporting up to 256 GB of RAM with advanced water cooling.

Features

All variants under IBM System p5 and eServer p5 are compatible with DLPAR, Virtual I/O technologies, and Micro-partitioning capabilities.

The System p platform primarily operates on the AIX operating system, with growing compatibility for 64-bit distributions of Linux.

BladeCenter

eServer pSeries

  • IBM eServer pSeries 610 (7028-6C1 & 6E1)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 615 (7029-6C3, 7029-6E3) (1–2-core POWER4+ CPU)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 620 (7025-F80, 6F0 & 6F1) (1–3 dual-core RS64-IV CPUs)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 630 (7028-6C4, 7028-6E4) (single-core POWER4 CPU or up to two dual-core POWER4 CPUs)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 640 (7026-B80) featuring one to four POWER3-II CPUs
  • IBM eServer pSeries 650 (7038-6M2) equipped with two to eight POWER4 CPUs
  • IBM eServer pSeries 655 (7039-651) supporting four to eight POWER4 CPUs
  • IBM eServer pSeries 660 (7026-H80, 6H0, 6H1, M80 & 6M1)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 670 (7040-671) configured with four to sixteen POWER4 CPUs
  • IBM eServer pSeries 680 (7017 series)
  • IBM eServer pSeries 690 (7040-681) supporting eight to thirty-two POWER4 CPUs

Introduced at the end of 2001, the IBM p690 stood as the flagship Unix server during the era dominated by POWER4 processors. Primarily designed for deployment with the IBM AIX operating system, it also had limited support for Linux tailored to POWER4 architecture. The system could accommodate up to thirty-two POWER4+ processors operating at frequencies of 1.5, 1.7, or 1.9 GHz and supported memory capacity up to one terabyte. Weighing more than a metric ton, it found use in high-performance computing settings such as the Forschungszentrum Jülich supercomputer cluster in 2004 before being phased out by late 2005.

eServer p5

Introduced in 2004, the IBM eServer p5 series incorporated POWER5 processors across multiple models designed to address various market needs:

  • IBM eServer p5 510 Express (9111-510) – equipped with a 1.5 GHz POWER5 CPU featuring 1 to 2 cores
  • IBM eServer p5 510 (9111-510) – powered by a 1.65 GHz POWER5 CPU with 1 to 2 cores
  • IBM eServer p5 520 Express (9111-520) – includes a 1.5 GHz POWER5 CPU supporting 1 to 2 cores
  • IBM eServer p5 520 (9111-520) – utilizes a dual-core POWER5 CPU clocked at 1.65 GHz
  • IBM eServer p5 550 Express (9113-550) – supports up to two CPUs, each with 1 or 2 cores at 1.5 GHz POWER5
  • IBM eServer p5 550 (9113-550) – accommodates up to two dual-core POWER5 CPUs running at 1.65 GHz
  • IBM eServer p5 570 Express (9117-570) – capable of housing up to eight dual-core POWER5 CPUs at 1.5 GHz
  • IBM eServer p5 570 (9117-570) – supports up to eight dual-core POWER5 CPUs operating at either 1.65 or 1.9 GHz
  • IBM eServer p5 590 (9119-590) – features up to four multi-chip modules, each with eight cores running at 1.65 GHz POWER5
  • IBM eServer p5 595 (9119-595) – available with configurations of two, four, six, or eight eight-core POWER5 MCMs at frequencies of 1.65 or 1.9 GHz

This range delivered scalable enterprise-grade server solutions from entry-level to top-tier performance, catering to diverse business workloads with improved reliability and processing power.

System p5

  • IBM System p5 185 (7037-A50) – powered by a PowerPC 970 CPU with one or two cores
  • IBM System p5 505 (9115-505) – equipped with one or two cores of either POWER5 or POWER5+ processors
  • IBM System p5 505Q (9115-505) – featuring a quad-core POWER5+ CPU
  • IBM System p5 510 (9110-51A) – includes one or two CPUs, each with one or two cores of POWER5 or POWER5+
  • IBM System p5 510Q (9110-51A) – supports one or two quad-core POWER5+ CPUs
  • IBM System p5 520 (9131-52A) – contains one or two cores of the POWER5+ CPU
  • IBM System p5 520Q (9131-52A) – offers a quad-core POWER5+ processor configuration
  • IBM System p5 550 (9133-55A) – supports one or two dual-core POWER5+ CPUs
  • IBM System p5 550Q (9133-55A) – available with one or two quad-core POWER5+ CPUs
  • IBM System p5 560Q (9116-561) – configured with one, two, or four quad-core POWER5+ processors
  • IBM System p5 570 (9117-570) – supports between one and eight dual-core POWER5+ CPUs
  • IBM System p5 575 (9118-575) – equipped with eight single or dual-core POWER5+ CPUs
  • IBM System p5 590 (9119-590) – features one or two processor books, each containing sixteen cores of either POWER5 or POWER5+
  • IBM System p5 595 (9119-595) – configurable with one to four sixteen-core processor books based on POWER5 or POWER5+

System p

  • IBM System p 520 Express – powered by a single, dual, or quad-core POWER6 CPU
  • IBM System p 550 Express – incorporates from one up to four dual-core POWER6 processors
  • IBM System p 560 Express – utilizes the POWER6 architecture
  • IBM System p 570 – built on the POWER6 platform
  • IBM System p 575 – employs the POWER6 processor technology
  • IBM System p 595 (9119-FHA) – supports from one to eight processor books, each containing eight cores of the POWER6 CPU

In 2008, the System p brand was renamed and integrated into the Power Systems family.

OpenPower

The OpenPower series represented a subset within IBM's System p lineup, featuring servers equipped exclusively with IBM's POWER5 processors and running solely on the fully 64-bit Linux operating system. Due to licensing constraints, these machines did not support the AIX OS.

Two principal models were available in multiple configurations:

  • IBM eServer OpenPower 710 (9123-710) – offered with single or dual-core POWER5 processors
  • IBM eServer OpenPower 720 (9124-720) – configurable with one to four POWER5 CPUs

Before its transition into the Power Systems portfolio in 2005, OpenPower was part of the broader eServer product category.

IntelliStation POWER

BladeCenter

See also


eServer pSeriesTemplate:Br2000 eServer p5Template:Br2004 System p5Template:Br2005 System pTemplate:Br2007


eServer iSeriesTemplate:Br2000 eServer i5Template:Br2004 System i5Template:Br2005 System iTemplate:Br2006


External links

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