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Getting started with IBM Power Virtual Servers

Getting started with IBM Power Virtual Servers

IBM® Power® Virtual Server is a Power Systems offering. Power Virtual Servers are located in the IBM data centers, distinct from the IBM Cloud servers with separate networks and direct-attached storage. You can use the Power Virtual Servers to deploy a virtual server, also known as a logical partition (LPAR), in a matter of minutes. IBM Power Systems clients who have typically relied upon on-premises-only infrastructure can now quickly and economically extend their Power IT resources off-premises. Avoid the large capital expense or added risk when migrating your essential workloads and get started with Power Virtual Servers today!

In the data centers, the Power Virtual Servers are separated from the rest of the IBM Cloud servers with separate networks and direct-attached storage. The internal networks are fenced but offer connectivity options to IBM Cloud infrastructure or on-premises environments. This infrastructure design enables Power Virtual Servers to maintain key enterprise software certification and support as the Power Virtual Server architecture is identical to certified on-premises infrastructure.

Power Virtual Servers integrates your AIX, IBM i, or Linux® capabilities in an off-premises environment distinct from the IBM Cloud. You get fast, self-service provisioning, flexible management both on-premises and off-premises, and similar to on-premises it can be connected to access a stack of enterprise services from IBM – all with pay-as-you-use billing that lets you easily scale up and out. You can quickly deploy a Power Virtual Server to meet your specific business needs and easily control workload demands. For frequently asked questions about the Power Virtual Server, see FAQs.

If you are creating or configuring a Power Virtual Server instance to support an SAP NetWeaver or SAP HANA workload, see Planning your deployment and Deploying your infrastructure.

If you are creating or configuring a Red Hat OpenShift Cluster on Power Virtual Server, see Cloud native development and application modernization by using Red Hat OpenShift on Power Virtual Server.

Terminology

Before you create a virtual server, you must understand the difference in terminology between a Power Virtual Server workspace and a Power Virtual Server instance. Think of the Power Virtual Server workspace as a container for all Power Virtual Server instances at a specific geographic region. The Power Virtual Server workspace is available from the Resource list in the Power Virtual Server user interface. The workspace can contain multiple Power Virtual Server instances. For example, you can have two Power Virtual Server workspaces, one in Dallas, Texas, and another in Washington, D.C. Each workspace can contain multiple Power Virtual Server instances.

Before you begin

Before you create your first Power Virtual Server instance, review the following prerequisites:

  1. Create an IBM Cloud account. To create an IBM Cloud account, see Signing up for the IBM Cloud.

  2. Review the Identity and Access Management (IAM) information at Managing Power Virtual Servers (IAM).

  3. Create a public and private SSH key that you can use to securely connect to your Power Virtual Server. To create a public and private SSH key, see Adding an SSH key.

  4. Create a public and private SSH key that you can use to securely connect to your Power Virtual Server. To create a public and private SSH key, see Adding an SSH key.

  5. (Optional) If you want to use a custom AIX or IBM i image, you must create an IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS) and upload it there. For more information, see Deploying a custom image within a Power Virtual Server.

  6. (Optional) If you want to use a private network to connect to a Power Virtual Server instance, you must either create cloud connections, see Managing Cloud connections, or order the Direct Link Connect service. You cannot create a private network during the VM provisioning process. You must first use the Power Virtual Server user interface, command line interface (CLI), or application programming interfaced (API) to create one

Next steps

With a new IBM Cloud account and a private and public SSH key, you're ready to Create a Power Virtual Server!