z/VM 7.2 Preview Announcement

Last Updated: 17 June 2020


z/VM 7.2 will provide IBM clients with the premier hypervisor for hosting enterprise-class virtual servers to exploit the IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE advantages in scalability, performance, high availability, and security.

IBM continues to deliver product enhancements to z/VM using the z/VM continuous delivery strategy. This strategy for new functions offers clients timely support for new technology throughout the life of a z/VM release using a delivery mechanism that is familiar to clients and time tested. Because the z/VM continuous delivery strategy is not centered around a release date, it allows schedule flexibility as IBM partners with the z/VM community in the design, development, and delivery of new functions.

In addition to the function delivered as part of z/VM continuous delivery, new function is delivered in the z/VM base, and z/VM 7.2 delivers two major functional enhancements:

  • Centralized Service Management for non-SSI environments
    This function provides support to deploy service to multiple systems, regardless of geographic location, from a centralized primary location that manages distinct levels of service for a select group of traditional z/VM systems. One system will be designated as a principal system and will use the z/VM Shared File System (SFS) to manage service levels for a set of defined-managed systems, regardless of their geographic location. This centralized service process will keep track of available service levels and manage whatever files are needed to supply a customer defined service level to a managed system.
  • Multiple Subchannel Set (MSS) Multi-Target Peer-To-Peer Remote Copy (MT PPRC) support for the GDPS environment
    This function enables a disk device to be the primary for up to three secondary devices in each of up to three alternate subchannel sets. MSS MT PPRC requires support for multiple subchannel sets that reflect the actual hardware configuration, specifically, subchannel sets 0, 1, 2, and 3. The devices currently in use by z/VM will be referred to as the ACTIVE configuration. Devices not in the ACTIVE configuration will be referred to as being in the STANDBY configuration.

Because virtualization is the entry point to cloud and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), the hypervisor choice you make heavily influences your implementations of IaaS and cloud throughout the stack. IBM continues to offer IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE servers as the core of trusted digital experiences, and z/VM as the foundation for cloud computing and large-scale Linux deployments. IBM will continue to make changes and improvements to z/VM that provide competitive advantages and benefits to clients.

z/VM 7.2 is planned to support the following IBM Z servers:

  • z15 Models T01 and T02
  • LinuxONE III Models LT1 and LT2
  • z14 Models M01, M02, M03, M04, M05, and ZR1
  • LinuxONE Emperor II, LinuxONE Rockhopper II
  • z13, z13s
  • LinuxONE Emperor, LinuxONE Rockhopper

For more details on z/VM 7.2, refer to the preview announcement letter below.


Announcements and News


Service and Support


Reference information