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