"Linux on POWER (LoP) was introduced in 2005 with the introduction of Advanced Power Virtualization (APV) and IBM System p5. Its introduction allowed users of the IBM System p architecture to install Linux natively on top of IBM's logical partitioning (LPAR) technology. In doing so, it provided users with the ability to use virtualization features on System p, similar to what they could do with IBM's brand of UNIX: AIX. These features included micro-partitioning, Virtual IO Servers (VIOS) and supported advanced-level features, such as Capacity on Demand (CoD). It even is supported by newer innovations available on the Power6, such as Live Partition Mobility, which allows workloads to be dynamically moved from one System p server to another with no downtime; and shared dedicated capacity, which optimizes the use of spare processor cycles.
"Finally, we should note that users of LoP should be aware of a new innovation brought in by PowerVM. Formerly referred to as System p AVE, it has since been renamed PowerVM Lx86. PowerVM Lx86 supports the installation and running of most 32-bit x86 Linux applications on any System p or BladeCenter model with POWER6, POWER5+, or POWER5 processors, without a native installation of the application. It works by creating an x86 Linux application environment running on POWER processor-based systems by dynamically translating x86 instructions to Power Architecture instructions and caching them to enhance performance. It also maps x86 Linux system calls to Linux on POWER system calls. What is unique about this solution is that no native porting or application upgrade is required for running most x86 Linux applications. This is supported by both SLES and RHEL."
