Database Consolidation on SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for System z

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Database Consolidation on SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for System z

Table of Contents page An Oracle Use Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Limits of Virtualization on Commodity    Hardware for Certain Use Cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Solution: IBM System z with SUSE Linux    Enterprise for System z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Benefits of Oracle Consolidation with    IBM System z and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. . . . . . . . . 5 The Proof: Customer Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Conclusion / Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Server Business White Paper Database Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z

An Oracle Use Case

To reduce IT costs and complexity, many companies have used virtualization to consolidate x86 servers in their data centers—only to discover problems inherent in their virtualized, distributed UNIX, Linux, and/or Windows environments. Executive Summary Certainly, x86 systems are both “good enough” and cost-effective for virtualizing servers and applications in many circumstances. But as virtualization grows, the result is often virtual server sprawl—creating a new kind of IT complexity and adding costs. Databases have been particularly challenging to consolidate. Many leading databases are not certified (and, therefore, aren’t supported) for virtualization. Most run on bare metal—which adds database licensing costs as well as increasing hardware costs as the physical environment grows. What’s more, running databases on separate servers often reduces processing performance. As a result, many companies with databases running in a distributed environment still suffer from IT complexity and continually escalating database licensing, hardware and other IT-related costs as they grow. What can they do? One virtualization solution overcomes these challenges: IBM System z hardware (the mainframe) running SUSE® Linux Enter­ prise Server for System z on IBM z/VM virtualization technology. It offers: One of the very few virtualization solutions certified for and supported by Oracle Well-known, industry-leading performance and security, as well as reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS)—­ better than any x86 environment

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Opportunity for significant growth within a single physical system—minimizing the need for additional database licenses (required per-core) and additional hardware Lower total cost of ownership compared to virtualization on x86, including reduced database licensing costs and lower costs in obtaining or training skilled mainframe resources than is generally thought Here’s a closer look, including company examples that illustrate these advantages.

The Limits of Virtualization on Commodity Hardware for Certain Use Cases Frequently, a company replaces an aged x86 or UNIX server or virtualizes workloads with a new commodity x86 machine because they offer greater performance per watt at a low cost. However, in mid-to-large size data centers often issues arise in using x86s for virtualization that undermine the cost cutting and IT simplification goals of virtualization.

Virtual Server Sprawl What happens as virtualization on x86 systems keeps growing— as is forecast?1 Typically, virtual server sprawl. As more missioncritical workloads are virtualized on one physical machine, the risks, if that machine fails, increase. To ensure robust fail-over __________ 1 Edison Group, “IBM Enterprise Linux Server: Superior Virtualization Eliminates x86 Server Sprawl,” New York, 2012.

requires adding equivalent hardware as well as two disk storage adapters and networks interface cards. Now the redundant server is underutilized. Also, costs have doubled, as have RAM, processor core count and physical cabling, and more switches, floor space, and cooling are required. New servers, backup servers, monitoring infrastructure, etc. can multiply quickly-- bringing greater complexity with less visibility and spiraling costs. And with more external “connections” required to complete processing, computing slows and the incidence of disruption and security risks rise.

Lack of Certification—and Support—for Databases in Virtualized Environments Even with small virtualization projects, there is one looming issue. First and foremost, most databases aren’t certified or supported on virtualization software. For example, Oracle products are not certified or supported to run on any non-Oracle x86 virtualization technology such as KVM, Xen, Hyper-V or VMWare.2 Other issues that arise with databases in distributed x86 environments lead to increasing costs. For example: Most DBMS (database management system) vendors require recreating the DBMS on bare metal for support, adding to the hardware count and costs. If a database is large or growing, as is likely, all the data won’t fit into main memory on an x86. Therefore, database administrators often host their DBs on bare metal and, for improved response times (page cache hits), they add a lot more main memory to the setup—again adding cost and complexity. When developing and testing applications, it’s best NOT to use the production data sets. Developers must make copies of the database—thus needing another physical machine. Multiple development projects can, therefore, lead to adding more hardware, thus increasing the need for cabling and cooling—and data center costs. Finally, databases are usually licensed per number of processor cores per machine (not just the cores in use). So as the number of database servers grows, so do the number of software licenses—for increasing costs. Fortunately, there is a solution designed to circumvent or handle these problems.

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The Solution: IBM System z with SUSE Linux Enterprise for System z Why IBM System z IBM System z machines offer many advantages for virtualization: CERTIFIED FOR VIRTUALIZING ORACLE DATABASES

One mainframe advantage is crucial in reducing IT complexity. On most hardware architectures and operating systems, Oracle only certifies and supports its own virtualization solutions. This is different for IBM System z running Linux. Oracle software stacks are certified and supported on certified distributions of Linux running natively in LPARs or as a guest OS in z/VM Virtual Machines deployed on IBM System z 64-bit servers.”2 As a result, Oracle databases are supported on mainframe partitions, reducing risks and eliminating the cost of adding physical machines just for the databases. There are other virtualization and cost benefits as well. HIGH PERFORMANCE, LARGE MEMORY CAPACITY

From the top of the line (IBM z196 /EC12) to the entry point (IBM z114/zBC12) systems, mainframes excel in performance and capacity. The IBM zEC12 can often meet the capacity requirements of an entire multi-platform data center in a single system. It offers 101 configurable cores, has up to 3 TB of main memory, uses the world’s most powerful microprocessors running at 5.5 GHz and is capable of executing more than 78,000 millions of instructions per second (MIPS).3 The newest entry point system, the zBC12, offers up to 13 configurable microprocessors running at 4.2 GHz and 495 GB of available memory. BEST-IN-CLASS VIRTUALIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION WITHOUT VIRTUAL SERVER SPRAWL

From its earliest days, IBM designed the mainframe with two layers of available virtualization. The first layer allows partitioning of the physical machine, or general purpose processor, into several independent virtual systems (i.e., LPARs or logical partitions). The second layer is made up of IBM’s z/VM hypervisor, which can host hundreds of virtual machines within an LPAR or in an Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL). Operating systems running in an LPAR with __________ 2 See Oracle reference Doc ID: 417770.1, Oracle reference DocID 249212.1 3 “IBM Unveils zEnterprise EC12, A Highly Secure System for Cloud Computing and Enterprise Data,” www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/ pressrelease/38653.wss

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Server Business White Paper Database Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z

z/VM still experience hardware-supported acceleration to manage their virtual memory at very low cost to the z/VM and LPAR hypervisor, leaving more processing resources for the target workloads.

Note: Client results will vary based on each specific customer environment, including types of workloads, utilization levels, target consolidation hardware, and other implementation requirements. Source: IBM System z Technical University 2012 In short, mainframes often have 85 percent or more server utilization rates; leading performance, in part from a huge internal communications bus and off-loading of certain computing tasks to specialized engines; vast memory and exceptional security (e.g., IBM System z servers are the only commercial servers awarded Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 5+ security certification). Also, z/VM can support hundreds of individual Linux VMs for consolidating distributed x86 Linux server workloads.4 Additionally, having multiple workloads in a single system simplifies system management and maintenance while reducing the number of IT resources.

Figure 1. IBM System z Structure

z/VM is very fast and efficient and allows the system to overcommit main memory by two-to-five times, depending on the workload. Rates of 800.000 pages/sec (at 4KB) are not uncommon, and delays are usually unnoticed by the user. As a result of its performance and design, IBM System z machines offer massive consolidation potential with extreme virtual machine (VM) density. .  IBM Enterprise .  Distributed Linux Server  Core-to-Core .   Industry Cores Cores Ratio .  Public  292  5  58 to 1 .  Banking  111  4  27 to 1 .  Finance  442  16  27 to 1 .  Banking  131  5  26 to 1 .  Insurance  350  15  23 to 1 .  Insurance  500+  22   22 to 1 .  Banking  63  3  21 to 1 .  Finance  854  53  16 to 1 .  Healthcare  144  14  10 to 1 .  Transportation  84  9  9 to 1 .  Insurance  7  1  7 to 1 . Figure 2. High Core-to-Core Ratios for Consolidation—Real Customer Examples

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But when is this overkill and when is this an efficient way to reduce virtual server sprawl? An enterprise should start taking it in consideration when it has 10 or more virtual servers. According to IBM, the System z entry point zBC12 “can consolidate up to 40 virtual servers per core or up to 520 in a single footprint for as low as US$1.00 per day, per virtual server. A single zBC12 can save clients up to 55 percent over x86 distributed environments.”5 These statistics were derived from customer data on the zBC12’s predecessor, the z114, and depend on workload and customer configuration.

Why SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z Linux running on System z combines the advantages of the IBM mainframe with the flexibility and open standards of the Linux operating system. Linux can play a major role in simplifying the IT infrastructure—not only because it helps simplify business integration through the use of open and industry standards, but also because it supports quicker new-solution deployments and accelerates time to market. __________ 4 IDC white paper. Randy Perry, Jean Bozman, Nancy Selig, “The Business Value of IBM zEnteprise System Deployments.” Framingham, MA. July 2012. 5 IBM press release, “IBM Boosts zEnterprise Mainframe Portfolio to Help Clients Build Better Customer Experiences,” www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/41529.wss

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z is the Linux operating system from SUSE that is optimized for IBM mainframes. It includes features developed specifically for System z to take advantage of, and fully exploit, System z-specific hardware capabilities and IBM z/VM virtualization technology. Running under z/VM on a System z server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z offers an alternative to x86 platforms for virtualizing Linux, UNIX and Windows workloads. When you use SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z to consolidate servers, you are leveraging the resiliency of the mainframe, the power of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z and the hypervisor capabilities of z/VM to create a virtual environment that lowers TCO, reduces data center complexity, increases flexibility and decreases downtime. As the market-share leader in Linux for mainframes, SUSE ensures that you have access to the largest number of open source and proprietary applications for IBM System z, and receive the best support in the industry. Today, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z is the overwhelming choice of organizations that run enterprise-class software on Linux for System z.

Benefits of Oracle Consolidation with IBM System z and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server A Winning Combination with Superior Performance, Security, and RAS SUSE, IBM and Marist College began collaborating in 1999 to port the Linux operating system to the mainframe. Since then, SUSE and IBM have focused on optimizing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z to run seamlessly with System z hardware and the z/VM hypervisor. SUSE has worked with IBM on Linux for System z more closely—and for much longer—than any other company. Our longstanding joint development of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z with IBM means businesses have been running the SUSE platform for the IBM mainframe in data centers for about 15 years. As a result, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z delivers the reliability, availability and serviceability that enterprises in general—but above all mainframe owners—demand. System z hardware is celebrated throughout the IT world for its ability to manage mission-critical workloads such as databases, protect the integrity of sensitive data and preserve business

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continuity. IBM’s mainframes have been known to run for years without interruption. Your internal policies and customers’ service level agreements, however, may require even higher levels of protection for your data and workloads. You can implement these with the SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z is the only operating system for mainframes that provides these advanced high availability services with every subscription. The SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension includes the only clustered file system available for Linux on System z, and delivers essential monitoring, messaging and cluster resource management features in an integrated suite of open source technologies. In addition, SUSE is renowned for its enterprise-class security ap­ plications. As an example, AppArmor®, an open source offering. included with SUSE Linux Enterprise, is an effective, easy-to-use application security framework for Linux. It proactively protects the operating system and applications from external and internal threats and zero-day attacks. AppArmor comes with default policies out of the box and lets you secure even the most complex applications with minimal time and resources. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z also integrates with other security products and connects with standard mainframe security through the Identity Manager Integration Module for Mainframes.

Low TCO THE COST OF MAINFRAME SKILLS

One persistent myth that keeps many IT departments from evaluating mainframes is that it’s time-consuming and expensive to hire, train, and maintain people with mainframe skills. Some SUSE customers that purchased their first mainframe for new projects also had this fear—and later discovered it was unfounded. The staff at Allone IT Co., Ltd. had very limited experience with the mainframe platform. But according to Marco Mak, Allone’s Regional Director, “Getting started on Linux on the mainframe was a very smooth process. By choosing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z, we were able to take advantage of the mainframe while using an operating system that we are relatively familiar with. This helped us to leverage the existing skills of our staff.” For their staff—as for many others with Linux skills—this knowledge is easily transferable to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z.

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Server Business White Paper Database Consolidation on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE COSTS

Several factors result in affordable total cost of acquisition (TCA) and, in most cases, reduce the TCO of IBM System z servers running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z: The supported database workloads can be virtualized and consolidated, reducing core counts and resulting in significant savings on software licenses. (See below on pricing.) Consolidation on a single server avoids additional room, rack space, cable and cooling costs while increasing resource sharing and utilization and reducing latency. Additionally, the network traffic of multi-tiered applications stays in the same box, which increases security and performance. Development environments can be created as virtual ­machines on the same machine. With System z these can be strictly isolated from access to and resource requirements of production workloads. During guest idle times, resources can be reallocated instantly to other tasks, while workload peaks can be supported and confined. Within IBM System z, the Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) is a specialized processor that handles Linux workloads ­exclusively and is supported by the z/VM virtualization ­ technology. On one IFL you can run a large number of Linux virtual machines in parallel (theoretically an unlimited ­number, but practically limited by the ­specific workload you run on the virtual machines). Thanks to special ­pricing of most software on IFLs, you can buy a single software license and share it across many Linux virtual machines. For example, Oracle uses “cores” for the purpose of pricing. One license for an Oracle database costs thousands of dollars per core or processor. From an Oracle licensing perspective, one IFL equals one core. Because you are charged for only one ­processor license, running Oracle database workloads

on an IFL keeps the costs of software licenses down. You simply buy a single-core license for an Oracle database for use by several virtual Linux servers and just one SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z subscription per IFL. Compare that to a multi-core x86 machine with four ­processors: software license costs quadruple. Then with four quad-core x86 machines, the cost of software licenses increases 16 times (without even considering the added staff and management software costs for handling multiple x86 servers versus one System z machine). This is major cost ­savings—only available by running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z running on an IBM mainframe IFL. The graphic below, based on calculations using the z114, sums up this advantage:

Figure 3. Consolidation and Cost Reduction on Linux

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The Proof: Customer Examples

Sparda DV

While this may sound too good to be true, the experience of customers worldwide of varying sizes and different industries validate the cost-effectiveness of this platform.

THE CHALLENGE

Business Connexion THE CHALLENGE

Headquartered in South Africa, Business Connexion Pty Ltd. provisions information technology and communication services to the financial sector, government, the petrochemical and automotive industries and more. The company wanted to extend its BMC Remedy internal help desk solution running on Solaris and make it available as a hosted service to clients. The company needed a flexible but low-cost platform for hosting virtual client environments—one that also supported very high availability and performance. THE SOLUTION

Sparda-Datenverarbeitung eG (SDV) is the IT provider for the Sparda-Bank Group in Germany. SDV needed a reliable and wellsupported Linux distribution to run on its IBM mainframe, which supported its online banking and Oracle databases, to maximize stability. THE SOLUTION

“We considered Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but SUSE Linux Enter­ prise Server had the better driver support for our needs,” said Bernd Bohne, Department Head, Central Systems Technology, SDV. “The longstanding collaboration between SUSE and IBM convinced us that even over the long term SUSE Linux Enterprise Server will be the ideal platform for our IBM mainframe.” THE RESULT: ORACLE CONSOLIDATION AND VIRTUALIZATION, HIGH PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY

The company set up two IBM System z Enterprise Class servers in separate data centers, hosting around 50 virtual machines with a mix of databases, applications, and proxy servers for different hosted clients across them. It also switched from Red Hat to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z with the SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability extension. With SUSE, the company quickly clones new instances from an existing template and customizes them for their clients.

Bohne says: “The zEnterprise platform is perfect for consolidating Linux workloads because of the high I/O bandwidth and business continuity with capacity backup features. Oracle has been consolidated on this platform; we are using right now only Oracle on the z196 platform.” He adds, “Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on IBM System z really gives us peace of mind. We get the benefits of open systems technology with all its flexibility combined with high availability and high performance of the mainframe platform.”

THE RESULT: COST SAVINGS

Dundee City Council

According to Frans Labuschagne, Senior Manager for Open Systems Support Services at Business Connexion, “We calculated that our production environment equates to about 36 Intelbased servers. Running in a distributed environment would have pushed the Oracle licensing costs way beyond the point where we could offer a competitively based solution to our clients. With the System z IFLs, Oracle is priced as running on one CPU, and you can run as many virtual machines as you want with that one SUSE subscription. That means that cost is a very manageable component as we grow.”

THE CHALLENGE

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Dundee City Council needed to handle increasing demand for IT and eGovernment services while reducing costs. When the lease on its server and storage hardware needed to be renewed, it saw an opportunity to enhance its capabilities and increase value for money. THE SOLUTION

Dundee upgraded its mainframe environment with two powerful IBM System z servers, IBM storage and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for System z. It chose SUSE because it is the best-adapted Linux distribution for the mainframe and matched the release cycles for Oracle more closely.

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THE RESULT: IMPROVED PERFORMANCE, CAPACITY FOR LOW-COST GROWTH

The new platform improves performance by more than 50 percent while providing capacity for low-cost growth. Tim Simp­ son, IT Support Manager, Dundee City Council, says, “Our two mainframes host 100 virtual servers, replacing at least 50 underutilized x86 machines and all the associated power and cooling requirements as well as giving us a smaller and more efficient infrastructure. This ultimately means that we’re making better use of taxpayer money.” “Running Linux on the System z platform is a cost-efficient approach, especially for software like Oracle, which is licensed on a per-processor basis. We can run 60 virtual machines on just four System z processors here as an equivalent x86-based architecture might require several processors for each server! So the savings can be considerable.”

Conclusion / Summary As the previous customer examples—and the calculations—show, consolidating and virtualizing databases on IBM System z machines running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can reduce data center complexity

and costs, along with providing other operational benefits. In particular, if you’re currently running your Oracle environment on distributed systems and are confronted with the following questions, you should probably rethink your strategy: How many x86/UNIX servers are you deploying every month? How much data center space is still available, and will space become a problem? How fast is your energy consumption growing? How many additional people will be required to maintain your growing number of servers? How much are your software license costs growing, including virtualization software costs? How can you ensure IT’s availability, and what happens in the event of a disaster? Explore your options and evaluate the costs. Many companies have been doing this—and choosing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server running on IBM System z as the platform for their Oracle consolidation. Shouldn’t you be the next one?

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