IBM upgrades zEnterprise mainframe server

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM on Tuesday announced the launch of a new version of its zEnterprise System to extend the mainframe's qualities to more organizations, especially companies and governments in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

The new server, which allows mid-sized organizations to enjoy the benefits of a mainframe as the foundation for their data centers, costs 25 per cent less and offers up to 25 per cent more performance than its predecessor System z10 BC, claimed the company in a press release.

Clients can consolidate workloads from 40 Oracle server cores on to a new z114 with just three processors running Linux. Compared to the Oracle servers the new z114 costs 80 per cent less with similar dramatic savings on floor space and energy.

The zEnterprise 114 server is an option for emerging markets experiencing rapid growth in new services for banking, retail, mobile devices, government services and other areas. These organizations are faced with ever-increasing torrents of data and want smarter computing systems that help them operate efficiently, better understand customer behavior and needs, optimize decisions in real time and reduce risk.

With the z114, clients can start with smaller configurations and access additional capacity built into the server as needed without increasing the data center footprint or systems management complexity and cost. It can also consolidate more than 300 HP Proliant servers running Oracle workloads.

The z114 offers up to an 18 per cent improvement on processing traditional z/OS workloads and a 25 per cent improvement on microprocessor intensive workloads compared to the z10 BC, added the press release.

The z114 runs all the latest zEnterprise operating systems including the new z/OS V 1.13 announced today. This new version adds new software deployment and disk management capabilities. It also offers enhanced autonomics and early error detection features as well as the latest encryption and compliance features extending the mainframe's industry leading security capabilities.