On Thursday, 09/24/2015 at 10:38 EDT, Rick Troth <r...@casita.net> wrote:
> In the broader Linux market, z is alien; z/VM more-so. But now there's
> zKVM. But "we" know the value of z/VM. Perhaps zKVM beats xKVM (does
> it), but z/VM beats zKVM with one arm tied and one leg hamstrung. How
> the [expletive deleted] are we supposed to communicate the strengths of
> z/VM now that (some) customers have zKVM?
>

Sometimes it's not about how many or how fast, but whether you have enough
and they are fast enough to make it financially worthwhile.  (This is all
about money, right?)

For those who find z/VM too alien, but who want what z can bring to the
table, zKVM is there.  Dislike or fear of z/VM is no longer an inhibitor
to those who want Linux on z using a hypervisor that they already know.

Now, once they have what they want, it becomes the usual case of
run-evaluate-run-evaluate-repeat.  Nothing new here in that respect.  If
they find that there are things z/VM can do that zKVM cannot, then there
are decisions to be made.  Emotional and technical.  Is what you give up
from zKVM going to be worth what you get with z/VM?

Conversely, that same is question might be asked by existing z/VM
customers who are near that line between the two.  If you manage your
system via QUERY, INDICATE, and DIRECTXA, and the Linux people won't sit
with you at lunch or slash your tires, then maybe, just maybe, zKVM should
be on your radar.

> What is it about z that makes virtualization work better?

50 years of work on it?

> * zKVM obviously means "KVM for IBM z Systems" and is presumed not a
> brand IBM blesses in any way.

zKVM is the product "short name" IBM uses for KVM for IBM z Systems.

Alan Altmark

Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant
Lab Services System z Delivery Practice
IBM Systems & Technology Group
ibm.com/systems/services/labservices
office: 607.429.3323
mobile; 607.321.7556
alan_altm...@us.ibm.com
IBM Endicott

----------------------------------------------------------------------
For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit
http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information on Linux on System z, visit
http://wiki.linuxvm.org/

Reply via email to