IBM VM Recovery Manager and PowerHA SystemMirror

IBM VM Recovery Manager and IBM PowerHA SystemMirror deliver new subscriptions and enhanced functionality

IBM VM Recovery Manager 1.7

• VM Recovery Manager enables to deploy a VM restart-based HA solution across a group of servers to help achieve better business continuity without the requirement for one-to-one backup hardware.
• VM Recovery Manager 1.7 delivers the following enhancements:
  • Support for multi-tenant hosting.
  • Support for maintaining Independent Software Vendor (ISV) compliance with logical partition (LPAR) shared processor pools management between the source and target to preserve processor pool configuration upon restart at DR host.
• Enhanced security with multifactor authentication (MFA) for the VM Recovery Manager GUI.
• VM Recovery Manager redundant orchestrator capability – controller system (KSYS):
  • The redundant orchestrator enables multiple instances of KSYS to be incorporated into an HA and DR cluster configuration. If the primary KSYS goes offline, a secondary KSYS node becomes master automatically.
• VM Recovery Manager DR workgroup mapping support:
  • Virtual local area network (VLAN) or virtual switch mapping between the source and target at the workgroup level is enabled. VMs in a workgroup no longer require custom scripts to map connections between sites, making deployment and management easier.
• Reduced VM Recovery Manager DR infrastructure:
  • DR host and target configurations can now have reduced paths to the target, allowing for fewer Fibre Channel (FC) adapters on the target side.
• VM Recovery Manager DR provides more detailed messages:
  • More detailed messaging and enhanced documentation helps enable client installation with minimal outside assistance.

IBM PowerHA SystemMirror
It is IBM Power’s strategic HA solution for mission-critical environments. It enables to deploy an HA solution that addresses both storage and HA requirements with one integrated configuration, which offers robust performance along with a simplified user interface.

PowerHA SystemMirror is enhanced as follows:

• Resource Optimized High Availability (ROHA) for cloud:
  • HA and DR cloud cost-effectiveness is increased by minimizing active processors, memory, and licensing on DR VMs.
  • PowerHA Enterprise Edition ROHA in PowerHA automates control of resource activation at the DR location.
• Automated backup and recovery to and from public cloud:
  • Offsite backup and recovery to the IBM cloud is provided as an alternative to physical media.
  • Hybrid cloud automated backup and recovery through PowerHA for IBM AIX and FlashSystem storage eliminates the need for on-premises backup and recovery to on-premises physical media.
• Active node halt policy for public cloud:
  • This function prevents partitioned cluster scenarios, which can cause data corruption.
• Geographic Logical Volume Manager (GLVM) sizing tool.
• Power Hypervisor Watchdog timer support:
  • Watchdog timer enables the hypervisor to turn off nonresponsive VMs.
• PowerHA Enterprise Edition supports three-site clustering with DS8000 storage:
  • PowerHA Enterprise Edition and DS8000 enable HA and DR operations between 3 sites.
• Fix Central support:
  • Fix Central shows the latest available service packs to users from the
  • PowerHA SystemMirror GUI menu.
• Email and Short Message Service (SMS) notification support.
• Automatic expiration of on-screen notifications.
• National Language Support (NLS) – French translation support.

PowerHA SystemMirror 7.1 and VM Recovery Manager 7.1 subscription offerings
An increasing number of enterprises run within a mixed hybrid environment of on-premises and off-premises. Now, PowerHA SystemMirror and VM Recovery Manager are available with a new subscription pricing option that can help you take advantage of hybrid cloud use cases while providing more flexibility for license mobility at a lower cost. These subscription options provide all the same technical capabilities as the existing one-time license charge version.

The PowerHA SystemMirror and VM Recovery Manager subscriptions are available in 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 4-year, and 5-year terms. Subscriptions can be ordered from IBM Advanced Administration System (AAS) ordering systems. Perpetual one-time charge license options remain unchanged through AAS.

Key requirements:
An IBM Power10, IBM Power9, IBM Power8, or higher, technology-based server is required.

Planned availability dates:

• December 2, 2022: VM Recovery Manager (5765-VRM, 5765-DRG, 5765-RH2, and 5765-RD2)
• December 9, 2022: PowerHA SystemMirror (5765-H39, 5765-H37, 5765-H43, and 5765-H44)