AIX is the IBM version of Unix operating system. AIX 5L V5.3, the latest release of AIX, is a 64-bit UNIX© operating system for enterprise computing. AIX 5L is designed to exploit the 64-bit IBM POWER processor-based systems and software architectures which include uniprocessor low-end servers; high-density, rack-mounted Web servers; clustered highly-available and scalable servers; symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs) for high-performance; and highly scalable parallel processors. AIX 5L V5.2 supports the new POWER5© ~ p5 and ~ i5 systems further enhancing AIX 5L scalability and performance.

The AIX 5L OS is based upon on demand computing and provides support for large-scale SMPs, cluster and parallel processing, dynamic logical partitioning and autonomic computing. AIX 5L offers clients a wide range of availability, scalability, connectivity and security features to fully leverage their investment in POWER processor-based systems.

AIX 5L Version 5.3 key features are:

Flexible Resource Management

• Supports Micro-Partitioning with Advanced POWER Virtualization so that a single processor can be shared by up to 10 partitions
• Supports virtual Ethernet and Ethernet sharing
• Supports virtual SCSI disk
• Supports Partition Load Manager to balance processor and memory allocation
• Adds Advanced Accounting for accurate billing and comprehensive, usagebased charge-back

Enterprise Scalability

• Supports POWER5 microprocessor- based systems
• Designed to support 64-way SMP configurations
• Adds support for simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) to utilize two logical processors per physical core
• Adds dynamic large page pool size
• Enhances support for large device configurations

Reliability, Availability, Serviceability

• Better handling of spurious Fibre Channel device interrupts
• Improves trace capabilities C single process trace, SNAP interface to capture application data, increased configurable trace buffer size
• Enhances data dump C DVD support for system dumps, core file compression
• Enhances First Failure Data Capture (FFDC)
• Improves power management scripts
• Adds error log hardening
• Adds concurrent microcode update support for POWER5 systems
• Adds I/O drawer dynamic configuration support for POWER5 systems

Security

• Adds Network File System v4 support with new access control list functionality
• Removes eight character user ID limit
• Improves initial login license limit
• Enhances server-based LDAP authentication
• Supports passwd.adjunct NIS map
• Adds Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) exploitation by network applications
• Includes rewrite of libs.a and libcs.a for scalability and performance
• Adds optional Tivoli Software security management agents and clients when AIX 5L V5.3 is pre-installed

Networking

• Supports Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP)
• Adds Service Location Protocol (SLP) client support
• Enhances IPv6 support
• Enhances multipath IP routing
• Improves path MTU discovery

System Management

• Adds System Update Management Assistant (SUMA) for policy based, automated download of fixes and maintenance levels
• Improves functionality of Network Install Manager (NIM) C communications security, migration scripts support
• Adds Web-based system management support for virtualization and advanced accounting
• Adds security scrubbing with wipe out of a drive prior to install

Enterprise Storage

• Adds JFS2 Filesystem shrink
• Logical Volume Manager support for 1024 disk volume group
• Increases I/O throughput for large block operations
• Adds quotas for JFS2 C can limit classes for quotas, new support for quotas greater than 2GB
• Enhances scalability for fsck and logredo

Development Environment

• Adds POSIX Realtime application programming interfaces
• Enhances Linker/Loader compatibility
• Adds new "procmon" performance monitoring tool and trace graphical user interface
• Provides Java 3D support for Java 1.4
• Enhances debug malloc for thread debugging
• Enhances dbx to disable/enable watchpoints
• Adds new molloc algorithm "Watson" for multithreaded applications

Related Terms: Unix, Linux, Operating System

Reference Links: http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/aix/whitepapers/aix_ondemand.pdf: IBM AIX 5L Version 5.2 for POWER, the On Demand Unix Operating System