Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview
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Linux operating system licenses are ordered separately from the hardware. You can
acquire Linux operating system licenses from IBM to be included with the
processor-based servers, or from other Linux distributors.
For information about features and external devices that are supported by Linux, go to:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/p/os/linux/index.html
For information about SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, go to:
http://www.novell.com/products/server
For information about Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server, go to:
http://www.redhat.com/rhel/features
2.12.5 Java versions that are supported
Java is supported on POWER8 servers. For best exploitation of the performance capabilities
and most recent improvements of POWER8 technology, upgrade Java-based applications to
Java 7 or Java 6. For more information, visit:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/aix/service.html
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/linux/download.html
2.12.6 Boosting performance and productivity with IBM compilers
IBM XL C, XL C/C++ and XL Fortran compilers for AIX and for Linux exploit the latest
POWER8 processor architecture. Release after release, these compilers continue to deliver
application performance improvements and additional capability, exploiting architectural
enhancements made available through the advancement of the POWER technology.
IBM compilers are designed to optimize and tune your applications for execution on IBM
POWER platforms. Compilers help you unleash the full power of your IT investment. With the
XL compilers you can create and maintain critical business and scientific applications, while
maximizing application performance and improving developer productivity. The performance
gain from years of compiler optimization experience is seen in the continuous
release-to-release compiler improvements that support the POWER and POWERPC families
of processors. XL compilers support POWER4, , POWER5, ,
POWER6, POWER7, and processors, and now add support for the new POWER8
processors. With the support of the latest POWER8 processor chip, IBM advances a more
than 20-year investment in the XL compilers for POWER series and PowerPC series
architectures.
XL C, XL C/C++ and XL Fortran features introduced to exploit the latest POWER8 processor
include vector unit and vector scalar extension (VSX) instruction set to efficiently manipulate
vector operations in your application, vector functions within the Mathematical Acceleration
Subsystem (MASS) libraries for improved application performance, built-in functions or
intrinsics and directives for direct control of POWER instructions at the application level, and
architecture and tune compiler options to optimize and tune your applications.
XL compilers support application development on big endian distributions. XL C/C++ for
Linux, V13.1.1 and XL Fortran for Linux, V15.1.1 deliver new compilers that support
application development on the IBM POWER8 servers that run the little endian Linux
distributions. With these two releases, compiler support on the Linux distributions Ubuntu
14.04 for IBM POWER8, Ubuntu 14.10 for IBM POWER8, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
12 for Power, includes exploitation of the little endian architecture on the POWER8 processor.
