IBM Power Systems

Power Systems is the name of IBM's unified Power Architecture-based server line, merging both System i and System p server platforms, and running either IBM i (formerly i5/OS and OS/400), AIX or Linux operating systems. Power Systems was announced April 2, 2008^[1].

History

IBM had two discrete Power Architecture based hardware lines since the early 1990's. Servers running processors based on the PowerPC-AS in the AS/400 (later iSeries, then System i) family running OS/400 (later i5/OS) and the POWER and PowerPC based servers and workstations in RS/6000 (later pSeries, then System p) running AIX and Linux. They merged to use essentially the same hardware platform in 2001/2002 with the introduction of the POWER4 processor. After that, there was little difference between both the "p" and the "i" hardware; the only differences were in the software and services offerings. With the introduction of the POWER5 processor in 2004, even the product numbering was synchronized. The System i5 570 was virtually identical to the System p5 570. In April of 2008, IBM officially merged the two lines of servers and workstations under the same name, Power Systems, with identical hardware and a choice of operating systems, software and service contracts.

Systems

Currently, not all Power Architecture based systems are branded Power Systems, but these are:

• Blade Center JS12 Express
• Power 520 Express
• Power 550 Express
• Power 560 Express
• Power 570
• Power 575
• Power 595

See also

• IBM System i
• IBM System p
• IBM BladeCenter
• IBM i
• AIX
• Linux on Power
• Power Architecture

References

1. ^ IBM Power Systems: What is the new Power Equation

• Power Systems (Power Systems for UNIX, and Linux Clients) – IBM.com
• It's Official: Now We're Power Systems and i for Business – ITjungle.com
• IBM: i + p = Power – Cnet.com
• Hardware, OS Get New Names--And That's a Good Thing – IBM Systems Magazine.com
• Performance Monitoring and Management Tools for Power Systems running IBM i