IBM System z customers can enjoy the benefits of running Linux in virtual machines on IBM System z.

z/VM supports one of the world's leading Open Source operating systems, Linux, on the mainframe. Within the VM environment, Linux images benefit from the ability to share hardware and software resources and use internal high-speed communications. While benefiting from the reliability, availability and serviceability of IBM System z servers, z/VM V5.4 and z/VM V6.1 offer ideal platforms for consolidating select UNIX™, Windows™, and Linux workloads on a single physical server which allows you to run hundreds to thousands of Linux images. z/VM V5 and V6 use an engine-based Value Unit pricing which is designed to provide a decreasing price curve as hardware capacities and workload grow, which may help improve price/performance.

With 38-plus years of guest support enhancements, z/VM offers customers a functionally-rich environment for running Linux on IBM System z. Learn more about IBM Enterprise Linux Server - Consolidation for Everyone .

These flyers describe System z, z/VM and the benefits of virtualization for infrastructure simplification.

z/VM virtualization and Linux on IBM zEnterprise System
    (07-2010)
Linux on IBM System z with z/VM V6.1 (10-2009)
Linux on IBM System z with z/VM V5.4 (10-2009)

Instead of building their own Linux system (see IBM developerWorks) , most people obtain a pre-built commercial distribution of Linux. See also the IBM tested Linux environments for System z.

z/VM: Getting Started with Linux on System z 05-2007

Article:
10 Years of Enterprise Linux on IBM System z
by Klaus-Dieter Wacker (Mainframezone - July 6, 2010)

Spotlight

• July 22, 2010: z/VM V6.1 - Enhancements for IBM zEnterprise System Virtualization
• May 17, 2010: 10th anniversary of Linux on the Mainframe
• Oct. 2009: z/VM V6.1 general availability
• July 2009: z/VM V6.1 preview
• Aug. 2008: z/VM V5.4 announced
• Feb. 2008: New IBM System z10^™ EC
• April 2006: z/VM V5.2 Required service to run Linux Kernel 2.6.16 in a virtual machine
• If you will be supporting Linux on z/VM, consider attending one of the course offerings from IBM Learning Services.

Getting started

• z/VM: Getting Started with Linux on System z 05-2007
• Installing, Configuring and Servicing z/VM for Linux Guests Linux (ZV062)
• Linux Implementation for S/390 (Course ZL100)
• Advanced Solutions for Linux on zSeries (Course ZL150)
• VM Education resources, including LVC's
• One-hour teleconferences - Live Virtual Classes (LVCs)
• Events and usergroups are an excellent source of technical presentations and product updates.
• IBMers: please visit Global Campus on IBM intranet for additional IBM-only offerings.

z/VM and Linux documents and publications

• VM resources:
  z/VM V6.2
  z/VM V6.1
  z/VM V5.4
  
• z/VM Performance report
• z/VM General Information manual
  z/VM V6.1: GC24-6193-01 07-2010
  z/VM V5.4: GC24-6095-08 08-2008
  z/VM V5.3: GC24-6095-07 02-2008
  z/VM V5.2: GC24-6095-04

• Tips for Linux performance when running as a guest of VM
• Example of Cloning Linux Images in z/VM
• Example of generating your Linux kernel as a shareable named saved system (NSS).
• White Papers/Technical Papers
  • IBM Enterprise Linux Server – ( 02-2011)
  • Consolidation of Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes to Linux on System z (12-2010)
  • Sharing and Maintaining SLES 11 Linux under z/VM using DCSSs and an NSS (03-2010)
  • Large Scale Web Serving Consolidation with zSeries servers running Linux and z/VM
• z/VM and Linux on System z Redbooks, drafts & Redpapers:
  
  - Virtualization Cookbook for RHEL 6.0 on z/VM - New!
  - Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 11 SP1 - New!
  - Sharing and maintaining RHEL 5.3 Linux under z/VM
  - z/VSE Using DB2 on Linux for System z
  - Leveraging IBM Cognos 8 BI for Linux on IBM System z
  - Practical Migration to Linux on System z
  - Implementing Application Servers on Linux on System z
  - Linux on System z High Availability with
      Linux-HA Release 2
  - Use Linux-HA to Create a HA J2EE Environment
  - z/VM and Linux Operations for z/OS System
      Programmers
  - The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 10 SP2
  - Problem Determination for Linux on System z
  - Linux on z/VM: Performance Measurement and Tuning
  - Sharing and maintaining Linux under z/VM
  - Introduction to the New Mainframe: z/VM Basics
  - IBM CCL for Linux on System z V1.2.1 Implementation
  - WebSphere Portal Server Cloning on Linux on System z
  - The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES9:
  - Best Practices for Lotus Domino on System z
  - Linux for zSeries and System z9
  - From LPAR to Virtual Servers in Two Days
  - Cloning FCP-attached SCSI Disks on SLES9 Linux for zSeries
  - Networking Overview for Linux on zSeries
  - Implementing Fibre Channel Protocol
  - Accounting and Monitoring for z/VM Linux guest machines
  - Linux for S/390 Redbook
  - Building Linux Systems Under VM
  - Cloning Linux Images in z/VM
  - Large Scale Linux Deployment
  - Linux for zSeries and S/390: ISP/ASP Solutions
  - Linux for zSeries and S/390: Distributions
  - Data Mart Solutions with DB2 for Linux on zSeries
  - Linux on zSeries: Application Dev.
  - Linux on zSeries: Systems Mgmt.
  - High Availability for z/VM and Linux
  - Getting Started with zSeries Fibre Channel Protocol
  - Experiences with Oracle for Linux on zSeries
  - Linux on IBM zSeries and S/390: Porting LEAF
  - Managing a Samba Server from z/VM
  - Performance Measurement and Tuning
  - IBM Lotus Domino 6.5 for Linux on zSeries Implementation
  - z/VM Configuration for WebSphere Deployments
  - Linux with zSeries and ESS: Essentials
  - Format/Label a DASD Volume for Linux Guests Under z/VM
  - Partitioning DASD for Linux Guests
  - Building SuSE SLES8 Systems under z/VM