Introduction

IBM® Power Systems™ for Google Cloud is an infrastructure as a service solution from IBM that you can use to deploy, manage, and consume PowerVM based virtual machines (LPARs) that are connected to the Google Cloud Platform.

The IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service is designed to deliver a public cloud-based experience with the same infrastructure capabilities that you run on premises. You can quickly deploy Power Systems VMs to meet your specific business needs. You can create a hybrid cloud environment that combines IBM Power Systems benefits and services on the Google Cloud Platform for a hybrid cloud solution.

You can use the IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service to host virtual machines that are running the AIX operating system.

Subscribing to the service

After you select the IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud tile, review the available cloud instance plans and subscribe to the desired plan. Follow the workflow to register for the service and proceed to the initial configuration steps.

Please go to Google cloud Marketplace and look for IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud

Now Select the plan that suits you.

During the subscribing process, you must supply the information about your project, VPC, and the CIDR range for VMs created in your instance plan. This information is the basis of a series of gcloud commands that you run against your Google project to establish a connection to the service. This connection is a VPC Peering between your VPC and an IBM-managed tenant project over the Google network fabric. 

After the initial configuration is complete, access to the VM management GUI is enabled and your selected project is connected to your cloud instance. Next, you can create an LPAR and verify that you can connect to the LPAR.

You can change cloud instance plans to different size plans if capacity demands change over time.

AIX license and support entitlement

The IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service includes a license to run the AIX operating system with support entitlement for supported AIX versions. This service offers a few stock AIX images that you can deploy. You can also bring your own custom AIX images based on OVA exports from IBM Cloud PowerVC Manager. You can also use AIX mksysb images along with a NIM server or AIX alt disk installation to create customized LPARs within cloud instances.

Enterprise IBM Power Systems infrastructure compatible with on-premises deployments and workloads

The IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service is composed of IBM PowerVM based Power Systems, including the latest POWER9 technology. The infrastructure includes the following attributes:

• 16-gigabit Fibre Channel connected storage
• 25-gigabit networking for all servers
• 100-gigabit network across server racks
• HDD and SDD storage options for data volumes
• Shared and dedicated processor options when you create guest VMs
• Dynamic LPAR support for live add and remote of compute and memory to guest VMs
• PowerVM NPIV-based storage virtualization for guest VMs (LPARs)
• Dual VIOS
• Redundant SAN and network fabrics
• Redundant PDUs
• Connectivity to GCP over dual interconnect zones, each with multiple aggregated links
• PowerVC remote restart technology for improved guest VM availability with host failures
• PowerVM LPM technology to sustain guest VM availability during disruptive infrastructure maintenance events

Engaging support

The support process for IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud starts with Google Support. 

Opening support cases with Google Cloud

To open a Google Cloud support case, follow the instructions in Case management. When you are completing the required files, select Group Partner Support and select IBM Power Systems For Google Cloud for the Component field.

Google engages IBM on behalf of the client as needed for investigating possible issues with the IBM Power Systems infrastructure. If the issue requires IBM input for a resolution, Google enables IBM to directly contact the client.

For cloud instance plans that include a license to run the AIX operating system, clients can choose to directly engage the IBM support team. In these cases, the problem should be with the AIX operating system, and not a problem with Google Cloud, the infrastructure, or the related VM lifecycle management services. Support is available for versions of the AIX operating system that are currently in standard support. AIX versions that are in extended support are not supported for the IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service.

Opening support case with IBM

To directly engage IBM support, go to the IBM Support portal. Click Open a case and for the Product field, enter AIX on Cloud. You must use the IBM customer number that was provided during the subscription process for the IBM Power Systems for Google Cloud service. Complete all of the required information, and click Submit Case.

Happy Learning !!!