BIOS: Technology Means Business

IBM's latest computing super power, the z9 series, is designed to be one of the most reliable and secure computing systems and provides nearly twice the total system capacity and available memory of its predecessor, the eServer zSeries z990.

Representing a three-year, $1.2 billion development effort and destined to act as the hub in a new era of collaborative computing, System z9 is designed to process 1 billion transactions per day, enable businesses to safely transport encrypted data to partners, suppliers, and remote or archive sites, and run five operating systems - including Linux and the mainframe's new flagship z/OS version 1.7.

IBM claims that it is possible to run Java- and Linux-based applications at the same time via the System z9 Application Assist Processor (zAAP) and Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL). It can also process up to 6000 secure online handshakes-per-second (approximately three times as many as before), which should better serve e-commerce customers and process more sales quicker.

'The System z9 delivers virtualisation and collaborative capabilities on a level never before seen in the computer industry. A single System z9 is designed to optimise hardware, networking and software so that businesses can manage and secure workloads equivalent to hundreds of distributed servers in a fraction of the space,' said Bill Zeitler, senior vice-president and group executive, IBM Systems and Technology. 'This is the beginning of a new era - in which businesses can gain control of information technology by managing it from the inside out.'

System z9 allows customers to create hundreds of virtual servers on a single system with up to 60 logical hardware partitions - twice as many LPARs as the z990. Clients can run Java- and Linux-based applications on the same platform as heritage applications and core business databases, through the speciality engines System z9 Application Assist Processor (zAAP) and Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL), respectively.

The System z9 contains master encryption keys stored in a 'tamper-resistant' package that is designed to zero-out data to prevent physical capture by an intruder. The System z9 has the capabilities to allow consistent security policies across server, data and now the network, all according to business goals through centralised key management in z/OS and other built-in security features.

'The new security and encryption offerings in the System z9 are designed to provide an enterprise-wide solution to help companies secure their customers' data, both within company walls as well as when it leaves their direct control,' said Erich Clementi, general manager, IBM Systems and Technology Group.

'Centralised key management helps simplify our customers' security solutions, and is designed to provide a long-term capability for protecting data. We are working closely with technology partners and a group of leading customers in the financial world to extend our security strategy to cover all aspects of our system environment, with a goal of providing the most comprehensive solutions in the industry.'

The heart of the z9 is the IBM multichip module (MCM). The newly designed 95x95x8.5mm module, which fits in the palm of your hand, contains 16 chips mounted on 102 layers of ceramic glass connected to over 5184 I/Os pins by 540 meters of wire. The module uses IBM's 90nm copper and Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technology and contains over 3.5 billion transistors.

There are five models in the System z9 109 (z9-109) range with between one and 54 configurable processor units. IBM says that the first four models, with one to 38 processor units, are planned to be available in September 2005, and the high-capacity model S54 is planned to be available November 2005.