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IBM’s All-Purpose Tool for Power Servers and Blades

New console expands options for hardware, service and virtualization management tools

IBM recently introduced the Systems Director Management Console (SDMC) as an alternative to the Hardware Management Console (HMC). Unlike HMC, which is only offered as a hardware appliance, SDMC is available in both hardware and software appliance configurations. The new software appliance provides greater flexibility for customers, while still delivering similar capacity to the HMC for the management of POWER6 and POWER7 processor-based servers and blades.

Similar to HMC, the SDMC hardware appliance provides a fully integrated hardware and software solution. However, customers can also purchase the SDMC software appliance and install it on any IBM System x x86-based server.

Both SDMC versions provide identical management capabilities. The hardware appliance can manage all POWER6 and POWER7 processor-based servers and blades. The software appliance, which is intended to replace the Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM), can be used to manage express servers (models 550/750 and lower) and blades. The support for blade management from a remote console is a new feature, allowing customers to manage servers and blades from a single console.

The SDMC software appliance can help reduce implementation costs by eliminating the need to purchase and install dedicated hardware. It is also able to reduce the maintenance workload associated with the implementation of IVM on each server or blade. With the SDMC software appliance, users can take advantage of s86 hypervisor features such as snapshot backups, fast restores, and application mobility for the virtual machine where the appliance is running.

System requirements

When the software appliance is ordered, a fully operational SDMC virtual appliance image will be provided to the customer. This image is supported on any IBM System x x86-based server or blade configuration that meets the following requirements:

Hypervisor

• VMware VSphere V4
• VMware ESX/i V4
• RHEL 5.5 with KVM

Virtual Machine

• 2.53 GHz Intel Xeon E5630, Quad Core processor or better
• 500 MB storage
• 6 GB memory

Managed Servers

• Configured with Systems Director client software (any edition)

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