In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing, businesses are continuously seeking robust, secure, and flexible solutions to meet their IT infrastructure demands. This article explores how to connect IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) and IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to support diverse workloads.

What is IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a highly scalable and secure cloud networking service that allows businesses to create isolated virtual network environments within the IBM Cloud infrastructure. With VPC, users can deploy and manage cloud resources like virtual servers, storage, and networking components in a logically isolated environment, ensuring enhanced security and control over their cloud-based assets.

VPC provides the flexibility to define custom IP address ranges, subnets, and route tables, enabling users to build complex network topologies to mirror their on-premises setups. Additionally, VPC allows seamless integration with other IBM Cloud services, creating a unified ecosystem to host various applications and workloads.

What are IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS)?

IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) are a cutting-edge Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering designed specifically for businesses looking to harness the power of IBM Power Systems architecture. Built on IBM’s decades of experience in enterprise-class computing, PowerVS empowers organizations to deploy virtualized AIX, IBM i, and Linux workloads on IBM Power Systems servers.

PowerVS combines the performance and reliability of IBM Power processors, advanced virtualization capabilities, and the scalability of cloud computing. This combination enables businesses to run mission-critical applications and data-intensive workloads with optimal performance, high availability, and robust security.

Advantages of using VPC and PowerVS on IBM Cloud

• Scalability and Flexibility: By using IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), organizations can create and manage virtual networks that scale seamlessly as their cloud requirements grow. IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) complement this scalability by offering virtual servers with dynamic compute and memory allocation, enabling businesses to adjust resources on the fly based on workload demands.
• Isolation and Security: VPC provides a private, isolated network environment, ensuring enhanced security and data protection. PowerVS builds upon this by offering secure and dedicated virtual servers, keeping critical workloads separate from others in the cloud and mitigating the risk of data breaches.
• Compatibility and Integration: The combination of VPC and PowerVS brings a unique advantage to businesses already leveraging IBM Power Systems on-premises. They can easily extend their existing infrastructure to the cloud, creating a hybrid cloud environment with seamless integration between on-premises and cloud-based workloads.
• Performance and Reliability: PowerVS leverages IBM Power Systems architecture, known for its outstanding performance and reliability. This makes it an ideal platform for running resource-intensive applications—such as AI, big data analytics, and database workloads— while maintaining high availability and fault tolerance.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Both VPC and PowerVS follow a pay-as-you-go pricing model, allowing businesses to optimize costs by scaling resources based on actual usage. This flexibility minimizes upfront capital expenditures and offers predictable billing for better financial planning.

Architecture overview

An architecture overview image is provided to give a visual representation of the setup.

Set up the IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) environment

The article provides step-by-step instructions on setting up the VPC environment, including creating a VPC, VPN Gateway, VPN Connection, and configuring CIDR settings.

Set up the IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) environment

The article provides step-by-step instructions on setting up the PowerVS environment, including creating a PowerVS workspace, SSH key, PowerVS subnet, and virtual server instances.

Set up connectivity

The article provides step-by-step instructions on setting up connectivity between VPC and PowerVS. This includes creating an ingress routing table in VPC, creating a cloud connection in PowerVS, and creating a Transit Gateway.

Add IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS)

The article explains the importance of adding IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS) to the infrastructure and provides step-by-step instructions on creating a COS service, creating a COS storage bucket, and creating a Virtual Private Endpoint.

Get started

The article concludes by mentioning that now that the infrastructure is set up, users can access IBM Cloud Object Storage from within the IBM Power Virtual Servers environment. It also provides additional resources for further guidance on provisioning this environment.

Summary

This article explains how to connect IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) and IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to create a robust and versatile cloud computing environment. It discusses the advantages of using VPC and PowerVS on IBM Cloud, provides an architecture overview, and gives step-by-step instructions for setting up the VPC and PowerVS environments, establishing connectivity, and adding IBM Cloud Object Storage. By following the instructions in this article, businesses can leverage the power of IBM Cloud to meet their IT infrastructure demands.

FAQ

What is IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a highly scalable and secure cloud networking service that allows businesses to create isolated virtual network environments within the IBM Cloud infrastructure.

What are IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS)?

IBM Power Virtual Servers (PowerVS) are an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering designed to run virtualized AIX, IBM i, and Linux workloads on IBM Power Systems servers.

What are the advantages of using VPC and PowerVS on IBM Cloud?

The advantages of using VPC and PowerVS on IBM Cloud include scalability and flexibility, isolation and security, compatibility and integration, performance and reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

How do I set up the VPC environment?

To set up the VPC environment, you need to create a VPC, VPN Gateway, VPN Connection, and configure CIDR settings. The article provides step-by-step instructions on this process.

How do I set up the PowerVS environment?

To set up the PowerVS environment, you need to create a PowerVS workspace, SSH key, PowerVS subnet, and virtual server instances. The article provides detailed instructions on this process.

How do I connect VPC to PowerVS?

The article provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up connectivity between VPC and PowerVS, including creating an ingress routing table, a cloud connection in PowerVS, and a Transit Gateway.

How do I add IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS)?

The article provides detailed instructions on how to add IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS), including creating a COS service, a COS storage bucket, and a Virtual Private Endpoint.

How do I access IBM Cloud Object Storage from within PowerVS?

Once the infrastructure is set up, users can access IBM Cloud Object Storage from within the IBM Power Virtual Servers environment. The article does not provide detailed instructions on this process but mentions that the environment supports Linux, AIX, and IBM i hosts.