IBM Power 770 and 780 (9117-MMC, 9179-MHC) Technical Overview and Introduction

Book excerpt: This IBM® RedpaperTM publication is a comprehensive guide covering the IBM Power 770 (9117-MMC) and Power 780 (9179-MHC) servers supporting IBM AIX®, IBM i, and Linux operating systems. The goal of this paper is to introduce the major innovative Power 770 and 780 offerings and their prominent functions, including: The IBM POWER7TM processor available at frequencies of 3.3 GHz, 3.44 GHz, 3.72 GHz, and 3.92 GHz, and 4.14 GHz The specialized IBM POWER7TM Level 3 cache that provides greater bandwidth, capacity, and reliability The 1 Gb or 10 Gb Integrated Multifunction Card provides two USB ports, one serial port, and four Ethernet connectors for a processor enclosure and does not require a PCI slot The new Active MemoryTM Mirroring (AMM) for Hypervisor feature that mirrors the main memory used by the firmware IBM PowerVMTM virtualization including PowerVM Live Partition Mobility and PowerVM Active MemoryTM Sharing Active Memory Expansion that provides more usable memory than what is physically installed on the system IBM EnergyScaleTM technology that provides features such as power trending, power-saving, capping of power, and thermal measurement Enterprise-ready reliability, serviceability, and availability Professionals who want to acquire a better understanding of IBM Power SystemsTM products should read this paper. This paper expands the current set of IBM Power Systems documentation by providing a desktop reference that offers a detailed technical description of the 770 and 780 systems. This paper does not replace the latest marketing materials and configuration tools. It is intended as an additional source of information that, together with existing sources, can be used to enhance your knowledge of IBM server solutions.