Learn how PHYSnet has maximized the cost savings and efficiency of its new solution by taking advantage of the advanced virtualization features of IBM PowerVM, which provides market-leading virtualization for PowerLinux servers. FFor more information on IBM Systems, visit http://ibm.co/RKEeMO. Visit http://bit.ly/KWh5Dx to 'Follow' the official Twitter handle of IBM India Smarter Computing.

1. Case Study
IBM Systems and Technology Group Education
PHYSnet is responsible for providing IT services to the University
of Hamburg Physics Department. It runs a large datacenter, whose
systems deliver basic IT services and also the high levels of computing
power needed by physics researchers at the university.
Bodo Krause-Kyora, Head of Systems and Deputy Director at
PHYSnet, explains: “Our researchers do a lot of number crunching,
which generates huge volumes of data. To give an example, with
the most complex computations, you can have something like half a
terabyte of data being produced by a single calculation. We need to
make sure that all of this information is readily and rapidly available.”
Like many other scientific research institutions, the University of
Hamburg uses OpenAFS, a distributed, open source and highly scalable
network file system that enables easy and fast access to documents. This
is useful for researchers, who frequently collaborate and share resources
on different projects.
PHYSnet doubles its file
serving performance
With a powerful, highly virtualized IBM solution
Overview
The need
PHYSnet’s existing servers were
not delivering the required levels of
performance. The university wanted to
improve file serving throughput without
investing in large numbers of physical
servers.
The solution
PHYSnet implemented a virtual
distributed configuration for its
OpenAFS file system using two IBM®
PowerLinux™
7R2 servers running 10
virtual Linux servers using IBM PowerVM®
virtualization.
The benefit
The IBM PowerLinux Open Source
Infrastructure Services solution has
improved file system performance by 50
percent. The PowerLinux servers deliver
improved economics with 30 percent less
cost and five times less cooling than the
competing option.
Main Building, University of Hamburg
Source: UHH/Schell

2. Case Study
IBM Systems and Technology Group Education
Lack of computing power
A scaled-out environment works best for OpenAFS, as it enables the
system to provide the high bandwidth required by users. PHYSnet
found that its OpenAFS servers were not performing well on its Intel
processor-based environment. “With the Intel-based machines, we
weren’t seeing the high levels of throughput that we needed,” says
Krause-Kyora.
PHYSnet realized that it needed to increase file server performance,
and evaluated its options. Analysis showed that it would take ten new
Intel-based servers to meet the throughput requirements – representing
a significant capital cost and also requiring additional investment in
cooling systems. As Krause-Kyora states, “Cooling is a big constraint
for us. Our datacenter was already limited on cooling capacity, and it
simply wasn’t feasible for us to add ten more physical servers.”
Additionally, using VMware virtualization on new Intel-based systems
would have required additional investment in costly licenses for each
server.
These issues meant that it was not cost-effective for PHYSnet to
purchase more Intel-based servers, so it looked for a solution that
would allow it to obtain the high levels of throughput it needed on
fewer systems, at a lower total cost of operation.
Developing a virtualized solution
PHYSnet had been using IBM®
hardware for many years, and trusted
IBM Power Systems™
machines for mission-critical IT services.
The PHYSnet team approached IBM Business Partner pro-com
DATENSYSTEME GmbH for advice on finding a solution that could
meet its needs.
In response, pro-com designed a distributed configuration for
OpenAFS that was based on just two IBM PowerLinux™
7R2 servers.
To provide the system architecture needed to run OpenAFS effectively
without the need for additional physical servers, pro-com proposed
a virtual scale-out environment, using IBM PowerVM®
to set up five
virtual machines on each IBM PowerLinux server.
Solution Components
Solution
• IBM®
PowerLinux™
Open Source
Infrastructure Services solution
Software
• IBM PowerVM®
for IBM PowerLinux
• OpenAFS1
Hardware
• IBM PowerLinux 7R2
• IBM System Storage®
DS3512
Operating Systems
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 62
IBM Business Partner
• pro-com DATENSYSTEME GmbH
1. OpenAFS is open source software and is
not owned by IBM.
2. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a product of
Red Hat, Inc.

3. Case Study
IBM Systems and Technology Group Education
“The IBM solution appealed to us for a number of reasons,” notes
Krause-Kyora. “We only had to invest in two physical servers as
opposed to ten, and IBM PowerVM allowed us to scale out our
architecture virtually instead of physically, which meant that we
wouldn’t have to drastically increase our cooling capacity. Finally, as we
were already running other IBM Power Systems servers, this solution
allows us to take advantage of our existing knowledge without the need
for additional training.”
Higher performance at a lower price
The new IBM PowerLinux Open Source Infrastructure Services
solution allows PHYSnet to deliver services faster, with higher quality
and at lower cost. File serving performance has improved by over 50
percent.
As Krause-Kyora explains, “IBM PowerLinux is the best option for
running OpenAFS as it can handle the high I/O requirements of the
system and delivers the throughput needed to quickly access files. We
would have needed to purchase significantly more Intel-based systems
to achieve the same levels of file serving performance that we do with
just two IBM PowerLinux servers.”
The impressive throughput of the IBM PowerLinux Open Source
Infrastructure Services solution also enables the organization to fully
exploit the capabilities of its IBM SAN solution with IBM System
Storage®
DS3512 devices. PHYSnet’s storage systems are a perfect
complement to the IBM PowerLinux Open Source Infrastructure
solution, as they match its high throughput to prevent bottlenecks from
forming. This is of particular importance to PHYSnet, as it manages a
total of 600 TB of active data, with half of this being produced by the
OpenAFS system.
“IBM PowerLinux
is the best option for
running OpenAFS as
it can handle the high
I/O requirements of the
system and delivers the
throughput needed to
quickly access files.”
— Bodo Krause-Kyora, Head of Systems and
Deputy Director at PHYSnet

4. Case Study
IBM Systems and Technology Group Education
Additionally, PHYSnet was able to make a 30 percent savings by
investing in just two IBM PowerLinux 7R2 servers, as opposed to ten
Intel-based x86 systems. Implementing fewer servers has introduced
additional savings around power and cooling costs, as the new IBM
PowerLinux servers use five times less cooling and electricity compared
to the equivalent Intel-based servers.
Bodo Krause-Kyora describes the advantages of investing in an
IBM Open Source Infrastructure solution: “As we are a university
organization, it is particularly important for us to spend our money
wisely. IBM PowerLinux with PowerVM provides us with a solid base
and gives us the flexibility to take on new projects without having to
invest more money in new hardware or virtualization software.”
Virtual scale out with IBM PowerVM
PHYSnet has maximized the cost savings and efficiency of its new
solution by taking advantage of the advanced virtualization features
of IBM PowerVM, which provides market-leading virtualization for
PowerLinux servers. IBM invested heavily in optimizing its PowerVM
technology for IBM PowerLinux, and the solution has helped PHYSnet
to maximize its IT investment while reducing cost and complexity.
By virtually scaling out its server architecture with ten virtual machines,
PHYSnet gained the increased throughput it needed without costly
investment in a large amount of physical servers. Equally, the IT team
has avoided the need to manage an additional eight physical servers,
leaving staff free to focus on other tasks and turn operational cost into
investment.
The IBM PowerLinux solution with built-in IBM PowerVM is also
significantly less expensive than the competing Intel and VMware
solution initially considered by the organization. As Krause-Kyora
states, “IBM PowerLinux offers a virtualization technology with easy
and effective manageability for virtual server environments. It allows us
to increase our server utilization and reduce our total cost of operation,
at a much lower price than with VMware.”
“With the IBM
PowerLinux Open Source
Infrastructure Services
solution, we can operate
our OpenAFS system
reliably, and there is
still room to put other
infrastructure services
on additional virtual
machines.”
— Bodo Krause-Kyora, Head of Systems and
Deputy Director at PHYSnet

5. Case Study
IBM Systems and Technology Group Education
Even though PHYSnet deployed just two IBM PowerLinux servers, the
new virtualized configuration meets the need for increased file serving
performance, and still has the capacity to run additional workloads.
“With the IBM PowerLinux Open Source Infrastructure Services
solution, we can operate our OpenAFS system reliably, and there is
still room to put other infrastructure services on additional virtual
machines,” says Krause-Kyora. “We are currently taking advantage
of this additional capacity to support 4,500 users on our central
email servers, and we have plans to migrate our IBM Tivoli®
Storage
Manager application to the new PowerLinux servers. IBM PowerVM
lets us easily balance the server workload from a single point of
management. In this way we are able to get optimal response times
from each application.”
Looking ahead, the organization plans to exploit other advanced
virtualization features of the system, such as PowerVM Live Partition
Mobility, which allows running virtual machines to be moved from one
physical server to another with no impact to end users. This optional
feature is offered as part of IBM PowerVM for IBM PowerLinux,
and will further enhance the flexibility and availability of PHYSnet’s
PowerLinux Open Source Infrastructure Services solution.
About pro-com DATENSYSTEME
pro-com DATENSYSTEME GmbH offers an IT solution portfolio
based on security, virtualization and storage products. Headquartered
in Eislignen, Germany, pro-com is one of the country’s leading IBM
Premier Business Partners, and specializes in solutions for the Research
and Education fields as well as corporate clients.
To learn more about products, services and solutions from pro-com
DATENSYSTEME, visit: www.pro-com.org
For more information
To learn more about IBM PowerLinux solutions, contact your
IBM sales representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit us at:
ibm.com/power/powerlinux

6. © Copyright IBM Corporation 2012
IBM Corporation
Systems and Technology Group
Route 100
Somers, NY 10589
Produced in the United States of America
April 2012
IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, PowerLinux, PowerVM, Power Systems,
System Storage and Tivoli are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service
names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM
trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright and trademark information” at
www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml
PowerLinux™ uses the registered trademark Linux® pursuant to a sublicense from
LMI, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the Linux® mark on a world-
wide basis.
IBM and pro-com DATENSYSTEME GmbH are separate companies and each is
responsible for its own products. Neither IBM nor pro-com DATENSYSTEME
GmbH makes any warranties, express or implied, concerning the other’s products.
This document is current as of the initial date of publication and may be changed
by IBM at any time. Not all offerings are available in every country in which IBM
operates.
The client examples cited are presented for illustrative purposes only. Actual
performance results may vary depending on specific configurations and operating
conditions. THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED “AS
IS” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF
NON-INFRINGEMENT. IBM products are warranted according to the terms and
conditions of the agreements under which they are provided.
The client is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations applicable
to it. IBM does not provide legal advice or represent or warrant that its services
or products will ensure that the client is in compliance with any law or regulation.
Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or
withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only. Actual available
storage capacity may be reported for both uncompressed and compressed data and
will vary and may be less than stated.
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