KVM Modernization Guide

KVM on System z is a hypervisor that allows running multiple virtual machines (guests) on a single System z mainframe. It leverages the hardware virtualization capabilities of the System z architecture to provide isolation and resource management for the guests.

KVM on System z supports z/Linux guests. It does not support other mainframe operating systems such as z/OS.

KVM on System z was initially released by IBM in 2015. IBM support ended in 2018.

The core component is the KVM hypervisor itself, which runs as part of the Linux kernel on System z. It manages the virtual machines and provides the virtualization layer. Other components include QEMU for device emulation and libvirt for management.

KVM on System z leverages the hardware virtualization extensions of the System z architecture. It uses QEMU for device emulation, providing virtualized hardware to the guest operating systems. Libvirt provides a management API for controlling the virtual machines.

KVM on System z uses standard Linux tools and interfaces for administration. This includes command-line tools like `virsh` (from libvirt) and configuration files in `/etc`.

KVM on System z allowed for consolidation of z/Linux workloads onto a single System z mainframe, potentially reducing hardware costs and improving resource utilization. However, given its end of support, these benefits are no longer relevant.

KVM on System z leverages the security features of the System z architecture, including isolation between virtual machines. Standard Linux security mechanisms are also applicable within the guest operating systems.

KVM on System z used standard Linux tools for monitoring and logging. This includes tools like `top`, `vmstat`, and system logs.