PowerLinux
| Industry | Computer software, Linux distributions |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Parent | IBM |
PowerLinux denotes a Linux operating system designed to operate on IBM machines utilizing PowerPC or Power ISA architectures, often linked with Linux on Power and various Linux-exclusive IBM Power Systems.
IBM and Linux
During the late 1990s, IBM initiated its engagement with Linux, officially endorsing it by 2000. By 2001, the company allocated $1 billion to accelerate Linux integration within its server and software ecosystems. Over the following decade, Linux became a fundamental element of IBM’s global hardware, software, and service offerings.
A 2012 survey conducted by the Linux Foundation identified IBM as the fifth-largest commercial contributor to Linux development, involving over 600 developers participating in upwards of 100 open-source initiatives.
IBM established the Linux Technology Center (LTC) in 1999 to consolidate its Linux and open-source development efforts. The LTC collaborates extensively with the Linux community to enhance Linux performance on PowerPC, x86, and the Cell Broadband Engine platforms, contributing to projects that enable Linux to exploit advanced hardware features on IBM systems.
Since 2001, Linux has been supported on IBM POWER systems following the creation of a 64-bit Linux kernel port for PowerPC processors. The initial compatible hardware was IBM's POWER5 in 2004, succeeded by POWER6 in 2007 and POWER7-based servers in 2010.
PowerLinux Servers
The Linux port to POWER architecture occurred in June 2000. Since then, PowerLinux has powered supercomputers such as MareNostrum in 2004 and Roadrunner in 2008.
In April 2012, IBM introduced three Linux-exclusive systems built on POWER7 processors aimed at big data analytics, industry-specific workloads, and open-source infrastructure services including web hosting, email, and social media collaboration. These servers are dedicated to Linux and do not support IBM's alternate Power operating systems like AIX or IBM i.
The IBM PowerLinux 7R1 and 7R2 are rack-mounted servers featuring one or two sockets with either 8 or 16 POWER7 cores running at 3.55 GHz (7R1) or at 3.55/3.3 GHz (7R2). Memory capacities reach up to 128 GB (7R1) or 256 GB (7R2), utilizing DIMMs of sizes 8, 16, or 32 GB. Both models operate on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and incorporate an integrated PowerVM hypervisor supporting up to ten virtual machines per core and a total of 160 VMs per server.
The PowerLinux 7R4 employs POWER7+ processors housed within a 5U chassis featuring two or four sockets with either 16 or 32 cores. It accommodates up to one terabyte of DDR3 memory at 1066 MHz with Active Memory Sharing technology and includes PowerVM for Linux, which allows dynamic allocation of resources across as many as 640 virtual machines per server.
IBM Research showcased that a ten-node Hadoop cluster composed of PowerLinux 7R2 units equipped with POWER7+ CPUs running InfoSphere BigInsights can sort one terabyte of data in less than eight minutes.
Additionally, IBM released the Flex System p24L Compute Node—a two-socket node tailored for Linux within the PureFlex System—offering configurations with twelve or sixteen POWER7 cores, memory up to 256 GB, choices between Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and integrated PowerVM for PowerLinux environments.
Apart from these specific models, Linux is compatible with any hardware from the Power series.
PowerLinux versus Linux/x86
IBM's PowerLinux offerings from April 2012 focus on deploying the Linux kernel on systems powered by POWER7 technology. In contrast to Intel Xeon CPUs, which provide two threads per core, POWER7 processors deliver four threads per core. POWER-based servers typically reach utilization rates between 60% and 80% through virtualization, whereas x86 processors generally achieve around 40%. The PowerVM virtualization solution boasts a Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance (CC) rating of 4+, reports no known security flaws, and allows for unrestricted memory capacity.
About PowerVM virtualization
Virtualization on IBM Power systems stems from mainframe innovations. On System p hardware, this technology is marketed as PowerVM and includes features such as micro-partitioning, dynamic memory sharing with de-duplication capabilities, a virtual I/O server managing network and storage resources, and live partition mobility.
Systems
PowerLinux is compatible with the following platforms:
- AmigaOne and AmigaOne X1000
- Mercury Computer Systems’ Cell blade servers
- IBM Power Systems
- BladeCenter models: JS43, JS23, JS20, JS21, QS20, QS21, QS22
- Linux running on PlayStation 3
- Genesi Pegasos
- Sam440ep and Sam460ex