IBM today announced the zEnterprise EC12 mainframe server,
the most powerful version of an IBM system released so far.
The new zEC12 offers security and robust support for
operational analytics that can help enterprises
sift through large volumes of raw data and transform it to
gain knowledge that can be used for competitive advantage.
zEC12 includes a tamper-resistant cryptographic
co-processor called Crypto Express4S that provides privacy
for transactions and sensitive data. Crypto Express4S
includes new hardware and software developed with IBM
Research to help meet the security requirements of
different industries and geographies.
zEC12 also advances performance for analytics, increasing
performance of analytic workloads by 30% compared to its
IBM predecessor. In addition, support for the IBM DB2
Analytics Accelerator that incorporates the Netezza data
warehouse appliance into zEC12 enables IBM's clients to
run complex business analytics and operational analytics on
the same platform.
The new mainframe also offers IT systems analytics
capabilities based on technology from IBM Research. It
analyzes internal system messages to provide a near
real-time view of the system's health, including any
potential problems. Called IBM zAware, the technology
learns from the messages to recognize patterns and quickly
pinpoint any deviations, using the information to identify
unusual system behavior and minimize its impact. IBM STG
Lab Services will offer services to help with planning,
configuration and implementation of IBM zAware.
The mainframe's virtualization capabilities also make it
well suited to support private cloud environments.
The zEC12 is also the first IBM mainframe to include
internal solid state technology with Flash Express, a new
memory technology that can help improve the performance of
data intensive applications or workloads.
IBM's clients can also opt to run zEC12 without a raised
datacenter floor -- a first for high-end IBM mainframes.
With new overhead power and cabling support, clients have
more flexibility on where zEC12 is deployed.
zEC12 is the first general purpose IBM server to
incorporate transactional memory technology, first used
commercially to help make the IBM Blue Gene/Q-based
"Sequoia" system at Lawrence Livermore National Lab the
fastest supercomputer in the world. In zEC12, IBM adapted
this technology to enable software to better support
concurrent operations that use a shared set of data such as
financial institutions processing transactions against the
same set of accounts.