Enhanced SMT Controls for POWER7

Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) allows sharing of processor facilities to run two or more threads of execution at the same time on a single processing core. On POWER7, each processing core supports up to 4 threads of execution. SMT generally increases the performance capacity of a system and can improve the responsiveness of multithreaded applications. Running multiple instruction streams at the same time does not, however, improve the performance of any given task. POWER8 and POWER9 support up to 8 threads per processor core.

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A Low-Cost External Storage Configuration With IBM i

I want to tell you about a recently announced enhancement to IBM i 7.1 that allows you to natively attach entry-level external storage even to a Power Systems Express Model 710 or 720. Some of the supported configurations do not require a switch. This gives you a low-cost entry point into an external storage configuration that is a building block for some of the newer Power Systems and IBM i technologies, and gives an option for adding additional storage to the Power Systems Express systems that cannot attach an additional I/O drawer.

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Service Automation = Amazing Service

For many years, IBM i has provided a means for the system to detect and report problems. What started as hardware problem detection and reporting via a product called Service Director (SD), has grown to include software problem reporting, with inventory and performance data sent using Electronic Service Agent (ESA), which is integrated into the operating system. 

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