Web site: www.ibm.com/products/aix
Origin: USA
Category: Server
Desktop environment: CLI
Architecture: Power ISA
Based on: Unix
Wikipedia: IBM AIX
Media: Install
The last version | Released: active
AIX (Advanced Interactive Executive) – a version of the Unix system created by IBM based on both SysV and BSD. The system also implements technologies from mainframe systems that increase its reliability and availability.
The AIX operating system is designed for IBM servers with Power family processors (RS/6000, pSeries, Power System). Early versions of the AIX system were also installed on Apple Macintosh computers equipped with POWER processors.
Currently, a very wide range of server systems equipped with Power processors is available, from the largest Power System 795 (up to 256 POWER7 systems) to blade servers (the smallest available JS12 server equipped with 2 POWER6 systems). Although the possibility of native installation (directly on the server) is still available, it is used relatively rarely, and virtualized environments using the PowerVM hypervisor are preferred. In the case of large machines (e.g. p590), this is the default solution.
The minimum hardware requirement for version 6 is a Power4+ processor or newer. This means that the system runs on POWER4, PowerPC970, POWER5, POWER6 and POWER7 processors.
Version 7 of the AIX system is designed for machines with POWER7 processors, but in accordance with IBM’s policy, it maintains backward compatibility for two generations.
AIX is intended primarily for customers who require high performance and reliability. It is an excellent platform for database systems (mainly DB2, Informix and Oracle) or application servers (e.g. WebSphere or SAP ABAP). Thanks to components such as PowerHA (formerly HACMP) and PowerVM, AIX can provide a very high level of reliability and flexibility of IT environments based on it.
