Synergistic LPAR hosting provides unique AS/400 hosting solutions designed to reduce client hardware expenses dramatically. Multiple AS/400's (iSeries and i5's) are running 24/7 from our multiple data centers across the country, each one running in dedicated partitions which maximize our client's hardware costs by defraying them across our firm and other clients, thus achieving economies of scale. The new i5 generation processors leverage LPAR further, for additional power and ease of use. Many firms have a bad taste in their mouths when hearing the words "outsourcing" or "outsource", many times with good reason. Synergistic solutions, however, are designed to work with your existing resources to create a superior and greater value than existed previously, not just moving resources from your firm to ours.

The origins go back to 1999. IBM's logical partitioning (LPAR) on the iSeries and on the latest generation, the eServer i5 grabbed much attention as of late. Many IT directors and management teams have taken a second look at server consolidation and found effective strategies resulting in IT cost optimization in the wake of the latest technological advance. Recently, many clients have successfully deployed LPAR to achieve quick consolidation of multiple workload environments, time zones, and footprints within a single or fewer iSeries or eServer i5 systems. These clients have taken advantage of LPAR to benefit from the growing industry trend and the desire to optimize IT investments and resource virtualization through consolidation of hardware, software, networks, data centers, and more importantly skills.

The innovations on virtualization of hardware resources continues to benefit iSeries/i5 clients (as well as pSeries). 2005 marks the ninth generation of the 64-bit processor. Since IBM first introduced LPAR technologies to the AS/400 world back in 1999, many enhancements have developed as technology races ahead. Uncapped processor partitioning, increased capacity, wider platform integration, and ease of use are just a few of the enhancements. and further exploits virtual I/O capabilities. Additionally, the previous limit of up to 32 partitions has been significantly increased to a maximum of 254 partitions.

IBM LPAR FAQ SHEET The new generation i5's, V5R3, and LPAR (PDF format)


Whether your needs are simply data storage, or you have the need to have an entire database, application, or platform hosted Synergistic can meet your needs efficiently, professionally, and economically.

If you have additional platforms such as Microsoft or Linux, those can be hosted as separate peripheral applications on separate hardware, or integrated into an i5/iSeries platform. The Integrated xSeries Server is an Intel processor-based server on a PCI-based interface card that plugs into an iSeries server. It delivers a powerful Intel Xeon™ 2.0 GHz processor. It has a built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Adapter. The Integrated xSeries Server leverages the system management, communication and storage resources of an iSeries server, but otherwise operates as if it were a standalone Intel server. As many as 48 discrete Integrated xSeries Servers can be installed inside a single IBM i5 creating an entire server farm in a single, easily managed platform—capitalizing on the reliability, manageability and flexibility of the iSeries family of servers.

xSeries server options are designed for local consolidation of Intel servers and storage. IBM i5 consolidation solutions allow you the flexibility to configure a consolidated infrastructure that is tailored to meet the specific requirements of your enterprise. If you need to efficiently deploy a large number of smaller Windows servers, choose a single i5/iSeries server and install several Integrated xSeries Servers in it. Or, if you need mission-critical processing power and scalability, you might connect powerful 2-way, 4-way or 8-way xSeries servers to an iSeries server via Integrated xSeries Adapters. Regardless of which you choose, you achieve real integration that gives you the freedom to run the optimum combination of applications for your enterprise and at the same time operating the entire implementation as a single infrastructure with minimum complexity and centralized management.


Application Issues

For the most part an application is not aware that it is running in a LPAR. There are some slight differences that you are aware of, but these are masked from the application. Apart from these considerations, AIX runs inside a partition the same way it runs on a standalone server. No differences are observed either from the application or your point of view. LPAR is transparent to AIX applications and most AIX performance tools. Third party applications only need to be certified for a level of AIX.

Final Thoughts

The Synergistic Advantage revolves around providing solutions utilizing the maximum return on investment for our managed hosting and disaster recovery clients. This means finding creative ways to utilize technology in terms of hardware, software programming, and staffing. LPAR allows you to share the investment of a much larger AS/400 with other clients in a "condominium" processor. Your data is secure and totally independant, yet you don't have to absorb the full cost of the system. That's working smarter, working together with Synergistic. For further information on AS/400 hosting solutions, or AS/400 integration solutions, please contact a Synergistic consultant at 1-888-349-2982.