Preview: IBM Cluster Model 1600 and PSSP Cluster Support of IBM pSeries 690

At a Glance

IBM expands PSSP clustering by offering:

• Support for the new IBM pSeries 690
• Additional connectivity options with new SP Switch2 attachment adapters
• Added IBM pSeries support
  • RS/6000 Model H80
  • pSeries 660 Models 6H0 and 6H1
  • RS/6000 Model M80
  • pSeries 660 Model 6M1
• Support for the AIX 5L for POWER Version 5.1 operating system
• Improved switch options
• PSSP enhancements to system management in support of additional adapters, switches, and servers
• Improved PSSP clustering software

IBM High-Availability Cluster Multiprocessor (HACMP) software provides a high-availability operating environment for the pSeries 690 implementation environment.

Overview

IBM Cluster Model 1600 extends and enhances IBM's innovative and proven AIX^® and RS/6000^® SP™ clustering technologies.

Using the new machine type 9078 model 160, the Cluster 1600 includes both the legacy SP system and new clusters made up of IBM pSeries servers, including the powerful new pSeries 690.

Expand your RS/6000 SP systems with improved software, new SP Switch2 adapters, and the ability to attach the new pSeries 690 server when running AIX 5L for POWER V5.1.

Benefits help you:

• Manage and reduce costs and administrative overhead
• Integrate information management
• Reduce complexity in Web Serving
• Ease implementation and use
• Meet growth demands with continued scalability

You can buy a cluster of mid-range servers, high-end servers, or a mix of the two. All Cluster 1600 servers are managed by a new release of Parallel System Support Programs for AIX (PSSP), the same single-point-of-control software used on the RS/6000 SP.

PSSP cluster configurations continue to expand and evolve present SP capabilities of high performance server-to-server interconnect and processor performance to clusters, with the following improvements:

• SP Switch2 PCI Attachment Adapter attaches legacy and new PCI-based servers to the SP Switch2. More pSeries servers can take advantage of high-performance, high-bandwidth server-to-server communications.
• Switch configurations that support two-planes of SP Switch2s are designed to improve performance and RAS characteristics.
• A PSSP cluster configuration is supported whether the cluster includes the SP Switch, the SP Switch2, or no switch.
• Additional configuration and expansion options are supported with the new software that also runs on the AIX 5L for POWER Version 5.1 operating system.
• Rack-mount multiple SP Switch2s in an SP or expansion frame to improve efficiencies when more than one SP Switch2 is required for the cluster.
• SP customers can expand connectivity options (refer to Description section.)

Key Prerequisites

RS/6000 SP or stand-alone pSeries servers running AIX V4.3 or AIX 5L for POWER V5.1.

pSeries 690 requires AIX 5L, and PSSP 3.4 is required on the Control Workstation (CWS) and specific nodes.

Previews provide insight into IBM plans and direction. Availability, prices, ordering information, and terms and conditions will be provided when the product is announced.

All statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objective only.

Planned Availability Dates

Description

Support for the Powerful New pSeries 690

• The basic approach is to extend the SP-attached server to support an attached system as a "logical frame" with each LPAR AIX image represented as a "logical node."
• PSSP 3.4's support of the POWER4 servers includes support for the LPAR facility of pSeries 690.
• PSSP 3.4 supports a maximum of 16 LPARs per server. Additionally only 16 SP Switch2 PCI Attachment Adapters are supported on a single pSeries 690 CEC.
• Each LPAR can have a PCI switch adapter for switch connectivity. If the system is configured as a two-plane system, each LPAR can have 2 PCI switch adapters for switch connectivity. In this case, there is still a limit of 16 PCI adapters, meaning only 8 of the LPARs can have connectivity to the switch network.
• Each LPAR AIX image runs a complete copy of PSSP, and all PSSP services are available.
• This support is planned for first half 2002.

Expanded Connectivity Options

• With this announcement, you gain the infrastructure necessary to connect RS/6000 servers (pSeries 680 model S85, RS/6000 model H80, RS/6000 model M80, pSeries 660 models 6H0 and 6H1, pSeries 660 model 6M1) as SP attached servers using the SP Switch2 PCI Attachment Adapter into the SP Switch2.
• You can mix switched and non-switched nodes or servers in an SP Switch2 system.
• Also supported is the attachment of POWER3 SMP Thin and Wide Nodes, 375 MHz POWER3 SMP Thin and Wide Nodes, and 332 MHz SMP Thin and Wide Nodes with a new adapter connection to the SP Switch2 fabric by first quarter 2002.

AIX 5L for POWER Version 5.1 Support on PSSP Clusters

Improved Clustering Software

• PSSP is a comprehensive suite of applications for the installation, operation, management, and administration of the RS/6000 SP, attached servers, and PSSP cluster configurations from a single point of control. PSSP 3.4 is enhanced to enable the additional switches, adapters, and servers.
• Parallel Environment for AIX is a high-function development and execution environment for parallel applications on RS/6000 servers widely used for Fortran and C/C++ parallel application development and execution. Parallel Environment for AIX 5L, 3.2 enhances performance, usability, scaling, and new function for standards compliance. User applications may run in a 64-bit address space with support for 64-bit MPI and 64-bit LAPI.
• LoadLeveler schedules applications to RS/6000 SP nodes or clusters of pSeries servers. LoadLeveler supports load balancing for interactive Parallel Operating Environment sessions, and focuses on parallel job scheduling and scalability. With LoadLeveler for AIX 5L V3, you benefit from more control in scheduling and managing jobs.

New in Version 3

• System- or user-initiated Parallel Checkpoint/Restart enhances the checkpoint and restart facility in LoadLeveler and Parallel Environment. Both LoadLeveler and Parallel Environment exploit the new kernel level checkpoint function in AIX 5L.
• Gang scheduling is a parallel job scheduling algorithm that supports multiple tightly synchronized parallel applications running and sharing resources on a same set of nodes.
• AIX WorkLoad Manager (WLM) integration provides consistent resource management across all nodes with the use of the WLM API.
• General Parallel File System for AIX (GPFS) provides file system services to parallel and serial applications running in the AIX Operating Environment. GPFS provides a single global file system for PSSP clusters and is ideal for high-performance parallel file transfer and parallel I/O to single or multiple files into and out of the SP. GPFS 1.5 supports Fibre Channel attached disks; SANs extend the support to attach FC disks with switches. The maximum supported file system size is increased to 100 TB.
• Engineering and Scientific Subroutine Library (ESSL) is a collection of mathematical subroutines useful for many different scientific and technical computing applications. ESSL provides a thread-safe serial library and an SMP library that support 32-bit and 64-bit applications. ESSL for AIX 5L, 3.3 includes POWER4 tuning, new LAPACK subroutines, and support for the AIX 5L 32-bit and 64-bit kernels.
• Parallel ESSL is a collection of mathematical subroutines useful for many different scientific and technical computing message-passing applications. Parallel ESSL provides a serial library for use with the PE MPI Signals Library and an SMP library for use with the PE MPI threaded library. Parallel ESSL for AIX 5L, 2.3 provides 64-bit application support in the SMP library and new ScaLAPACK subroutines.
• HACMP is designed to give you application availability by detecting system or network failures and managing fallover to a recovery processor with a minimal loss of end-user time. HACMP makes use of redundant hardware in the cluster to keep your application running, restarting it on a backup processor if necessary. HACMP clusters can be configured to meet complicated application availability and recovery needs, maximizing application throughput and investments in hardware and software. HACMP 4.4.1 adds support for pSeries 690 and support of the AIX 5L 64-bit kernel.

Note: Parallel Environment, LoadLeveler, ESSL, and Parallel ESSL support AIX 5L only. AIX 4.3 support is not provided in the new levels of these licensed products.

Refer to Hardware Announcement 101-285 , dated October 4, 2001.

Customer Financing

IBM Global Financing offers attractive financing to credit-qualified commercial and government customers and Business Partners in more than 40 countries. IBM Global Financing is provided by the IBM Credit Corporation in the United States. Offerings, rates, terms, and availability may vary by country. Contact your local IBM Global Financing organization. Country organizations are listed on the Web at:

http://www.financing.ibm.com

Planned Availability Dates

• Software Support for AIX 5L: Year-end 2001
• New SP Switch2 PCI Attachment Adapter: Year-end 2001
• Support for up to 2 SP Switch2 PCI Attachment Adapters in a server: Year-end 2001
• New Switch Packaging Options and Configurations: Year-end 2001
• HACMP 4.4.1 Support on pSeries 690: First quarter 2002
• HACMP 4.4.1 Support of 64-bit Kernel: First quarter 2002
• LoadLeveler^® Checkpoint/Restart: First half 2002
• PSSP Cluster Support for pSeries 690: First half 2002

Product Positioning

The RS/6000 SP and PSSP clusters are designed for large enterprises in financial services, manufacturing, government, telecommunications, retail or wholesale distributors, transportation, and healthcare. Through clustering of AIX servers, these customers are able to improve the availability of data and applications, lower the cost and improve the efficiency of multi-systems management, and ensure that applications, users or transactions can be scaled easily to meet the dynamic requirements of today's e-businesses.

PSSP clusters are also designed for the world's most demanding applications in high-performance computing. Clusters of the new POWER4-based IBM pSeries 690 will provide the extreme floating-point performance and I/O bandwidth needed by these MPI-based parallel applications.

These pSeries cluster offerings include the legacy RS/6000 SP System and clusters comprised of RS/6000 M80 or pSeries 6H0, 6H1, 6M1, 680, or 690 servers. Benefits include cost effective management of your IT infrastructure; anytime, anywhere access to business critical data and applications; IT infrastructure adaptability to meet the ever changing demands of your business; extreme scalability (terabytes of data, billions of Web transactions, trillions of floating point operations); and investment protection through the coexistence of old and new technology.

Trademarks

 

pSeries is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

 

The e-business logo and SP are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

 

AIX, RS/6000, and LoadLeveler are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

 

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

Marketing Information

Customized Offerings

Most product media is shipped only via Customized Offerings (for example, CBPDO, ServerPac, Systempac^®). Non-customized items (CDs, diskettes, source media, media kits) will continue to be shipped via the stand-alone product.

Trademarks

 

Systempac is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

 

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.