The Data Centre

SVA’s z Hosting system is housed a state-of-the-art computing centre, which is equipped with all of today’s operating and safety standards components. In addition, we have access control for authorized persons only, environmental controls and an uninterrupted power supply, with emergency power generators for a fail-safe enterprise.

SVA’s z Hosting system consists of modern, efficient and fail-safe components:

  • A high performance IBM system z server with two processors for the execution of IBM’s latest operating systems, such as z/OS, z/VM and z/VSE.
  • A special processor for support of zLinux systems such as Novell SUSE and Red Hat.
  • FICON and ESCON channel adapters for connecting peripheral units and LAN network connection by OSA-Express-Adapters.
  • Data storage on IBM’s DS Disk System with 10 TB (Terabyte) capacity, with fail-safe capability with two controllers and RAID 5 architecture. Connection to the Mainframe is over four FICON channels, which provide for a high data-rate.
  • An IBM 3490E magnetic tape unit with two drives, plus a robot and archives system – the IBM 3494 ATL (Automated Tape LIBRARY) with two 3590-tape units and many tape cartridges for tape processing. The ATL system, among other things, administers the backup of customer volumes. Connection of these systems is over ESCON to the Mainframe.
  • A local area network, consisting of a 1000Base-T Ethernet LAN with 1000 Mbit/s data transfer rate, with fail-safe capability over OSA express adapters attached to the system. Remote connection to the respective customer systems is over a 4 Mbit/s SDSL line with security protection by VPN and Firewall servers.
  • Speciality engines (zAAp/zIIp) to efficiently utilise Linux, DB2 and Java Workloads

SVA’s z Hosting system is based on a z/VM solution, utilizing RACF’s security system, which controls access of the individual users and access to appropriate hardware resources in the system. Under z/VM, the individual customer’s systems are installed. Each of these systems is a fully functional operating system, which can be started and stopped independently at any time by the customer. The customer access is via 3270 terminal-emulation over a secured VPN connection with Telnet3270.