POWER8 hardware outperforms x86, particularly when coupled with a LAMP stack. POWER8 now runs Linux natively, rather than just AIX. Ideal for intensive data processing applications and Big Data analytics, POWER8 hardware can reduce data centre footprint and power usage while providing more processing power than x86 alternatives. See http://isi.com.au/power8-linux for more

1. OPEN-SOURCE LAMP
STACKS FLY WITH
IBM POWER8.

2. It’s not exactly news, but it is way past time to act on
it. The data deluge is on. And x86 is in over its head.
More powerful, scalable and reliable systems are
needed to retrieve data from systems like ERP, SCM
and HRM and deliver faster user experiences and
broader opportunities for new products and tools.
WEBSITES ARE
GROANING UNDER
AND MOBILE ENGAGEMENT.
BIG DATATHE WEIGHT OF

3. Linux almost always supports
website and web applications
for businesses of all sizes: small,
medium and enterprise.
Everyone knows that Linux was
originally built to run on x86 servers.
But did you know Linux can perform
a lot better if it is supported by
faster hardware? That’s often the
one component of the LAMP stack
that is overlooked when it is time
to optimize.
OPTIMIZATION OF THE LAMP STACK
IS THE TYPICAL WAY IT ARCHITECTS
APPROACH INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS IN SITE PERFORMANCE.
PHP
Linux
Hardware
ORIGINALLAMPSTACKonx86
MySQLApache Web Server

4. HOW COMMONLY
USED SOFTWARE
IS AFFECTED
Built on LAMP, Magento is loved by
mobile commerce customers—until
they are overwhelmed by mobile data.
Simply by rehosting Magento from
Intel® to POWER8™, Magento would
run much faster, providing a better
online experience for millions of
customers and driving more revenue
and profit for the businesses that
support them.
And Magento is not alone. Power
Systems™ is lighting a fire under LAMP
across industries.

5. POWER8 cores have eight threads per core, four times the threads of x86
processors. This helps an optimized LAMP stack on Power Systems run
the database fast enough to support twice the number of website users.
POWER8 versus x86 Performance:
The Speed Advantage

6. POWER8 cores have 16 execution pipelines, larger
internal bandwidth and larger caches—to efficiently
handle massive data volumes.
This results in a data packet that used to take one
second from client to server taking only 140 ms.
The Big Data Advantage
POWER8 versus x86 Performance:

7. IBM helped to establish the OpenPOWER Foundation, a technical
community that supports open infrastructures based on Power
Architecture. With 80+ members, including Mellanox and Ubuntu,
the foundation has resulted in new optimization solutions in all
areas of the infrastructure ecosystem.
THE OPEN ADVANTAGE
POWER8 versus x86:

8. THE VALUE ADVANTAGE
POWER8 VERSUS x86:
The term “commodity hardware” is thrown around so often
in relation to x86 servers that it is taken for granted that a
server can be both cheap and basic in its performance.
Even factoring in a wide variety of workloads and stacks, a
POWER8 server will out price perform x86 by doing the work
of nine standard servers.
Performance
Opportunity with
Full System Stack
Innovation
Commodity x86 Servers
Moore’s Law
2004
Price/Performance
1
10
100
2006 2008 2010 2014 2016

9. POWER8 VERSUS x86:
THE RELIABILITY ADVANTAGE
POWER8 servers include the following functionalities
to ensure their reliability.
- Redundant bits in the cache area
- Innovative ECC memory algorithm
- Redundant hot-swap cooling
- Self-diagnosis and self-correcting of errors during
run time
- Automatic reconfiguration to mitigate potential
problems from suspected hardware
Power Systems has a proven legacy of providing
reliable infrastructures to run demanding
applications.

10. THE SECURITY ADVANTAGE
The superior security of the POWER8 server
results in a reduced number of intrusions
and lower security-related costs compared
to the x86.
POWER8 VERSUS x86:

11. IBM has introduced a line of Linux-only scale-out servers
that include the POWER8 processors, for example, the
Power Systems S822l, which is optimized for Linux. What
that means is nearly seamless swapping of POWER8 into
any infrastructure built on Linux. Specifically:
- Hardware-agnostic applications written in scripting or
interpretive languages (Java, Perl, Python, PHP) run as is
on Power Systems but not on x86.
- Most x86/Linux applications written in C or C++ require
only a recompile. No source code change is needed if
moved to Power Systems from x86.
BUILT FOR
LINUX

12. *Based on a POWER8 S824 with 24 cores, 256GB Memory, 3.52 GHz, RHEL 7.0, WAS 8.5.5.2, DB2
9.7, JDK 7.0 FP1 compared to an Ivy Bridge EP 24 cores, 256GB Memory, 2.7 GHz, RHEL 6.5, WAS
8.5.5.1, DB2 9.7, JDK 7.0 FP1.
Building on the collaboration with the OpenPOWER Foundation,
IBM is uniquely positioned to deliver a higher-performing stack
by working with key component providers while still allowing
interchangeability of the components.
Here are the indisputable facts of POWER8 versus x86:
• Over TWICE the throughput compared to commodity servers
built on Intel for 47% lower system costs*
• 7x reduction in latency for faster application response
• CAPI, SMT and Nvidia GPU accelerators for unlimited memory
and performance
• OpenPOWER Foundation to drive open innovation
THE POWER8
DIFFERENCE

13. When is it time to move beyond
incremental optimizations?
Power Systems is teaming up with
OpenPOWER Foundation members
Mellanox and Ubuntu and
open-source middleware leaders
MariaDB and Zend to produce a
high-performance stack that renders
everything else obsolete.
A MODEL FOR FULLY
OPTIMIZED LAMP STACK
TURBOLAMPSTACKonPowerwithPartners
PHP
Linux
High Speed Data Transfer
Orchestration-
PowerKVM
Apache Web Server

14. READ THE FULL PAPER ON
OPTIMIZING YOUR LAMP STACK
WITH POWER SYSTEMS.
SEE HOW POWER SYSTEMS
CAN TURBOCHARGE YOUR
WEB APPLICATIONS.