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Choose IBM Z network capacity from measured workload demand and the traffic’s destination—not from a single adapter speed. Measure throughput, latency, processor use and connection concurrency; separate traffic that can stay inside the machine from traffic that needs an external LAN; then design alternate paths across the failures your service must survive.
How much bandwidth does an IBM Z workload need?
There is no universal bandwidth figure or sizing formula for IBM Z workloads. IBM’s networking guidance identifies workload and performance dimensions to compare, but it does not establish a single target rate or utilization threshold for every installation. Size from observed demand and the requirements of the workload you are planning for.
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Measure the workload, not just the link
Collect data during representative busy periods and important workload schedules. Include sustained and peak traffic, latency sensitivity, processor consumption, and the number of concurrent connections. Consider workload types such as online transactions, database queries and file transfers: their traffic patterns and performance constraints can differ.
- Record normal peak and sustained throughput, not only averages.
- Track latency alongside throughput; a link that carries enough bytes may still miss an application’s response-time needs.
- Measure processor use and connection concurrency, since a network design can affect both.
- Identify bursts and estimate the demand that must be carried if a path fails.
- Separate traffic exchanged within the IBM Z environment from flows that leave the CPC for an external LAN.
Historical IBM performance material can help identify what to measure, but it is not a current benchmark for a particular machine or workload. Use measurements from the target environment to make capacity decisions.
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Which IBM Z network path fits the traffic?
First decide whether traffic needs to leave the machine. An internal path, a physical LAN connection and a virtual network serve different purposes; virtual topology does not, by itself, add physical uplink capacity.
| Path | When to consider it | What to validate |
|---|---|---|
| HiperSockets | Communication that can remain within IBM Z. IBM describes HiperSockets as internal networking that does not require network cards. | Confirm that the communicating systems and workload can use an internal path and that it meets their performance and availability needs. |
| OSA-Express or Network Express | Ethernet connectivity to an external LAN. IBM describes OSA as providing LAN connectivity and Network Express as extending OSA technology. | Check support for the target machine and software, adapter generation, physical link, and applicable QDIO or EQDIO behavior. |
| RoCE with SMC-R | Consider only when the workload, operating system and physical network support the RDMA path. | Verify generation and software support, the physical network configuration, and the applicable Network Express requirements. SMC-R also relies on traditional TCP/IP connectivity. |
| z/VM guest LANs and virtual switches | For guest-to-guest communication or guest connectivity through virtual switches and physical uplinks. | Map guest LANs, VSWITCHes, HiperSockets and uplinks as distinct topology elements; determine which traffic uses a physical external connection. |
Adapter families, supported generations and operating-system behavior vary by machine and release. A published adapter rate is a configuration constraint, not a workload recommendation. Validate the target system’s current IBM documentation before selecting a path.
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How should you make IBM Z connectivity redundant?
Start by naming the failures the service must withstand. Two configured paths are useful only if they do not share the failure point you are trying to avoid, and if routing and workload behavior can actually use the alternate path.
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- Adapter port or feature: Determine whether the alternate connection is independent of the component that can fail.
- Cable and switch: Trace each path physically. Two adapter connections that terminate on the same switch may not protect against a switch outage.
- Physical network: Where required, keep paths on independent networks rather than relying on separate links to the same network.
- Logical configuration: Confirm that VLANs, upstream routing and workload failover permit traffic to move to the surviving path.
IBM’s LinuxONE site-planning checklist states: “IBM recommends network connections are defined with redundancy.” Treat redundancy as a design requirement to apply to the actual service and failure domains, not as a guarantee that capacity or failover is correct automatically.
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- REGIONAL COMPATIBILITY: Made for use in U.S. & CA only
Check capacity after a path loss
Estimate the load the surviving path must carry during a failure, including bursts and traffic redirected from the failed path. Do not assume that two paths automatically double usable capacity or will balance traffic as intended. IBM warns against mixing different-speed OSA interfaces in the same multipath group, LAN group, or certain Sysplex Distributor arrangements, particularly under heavy workload. Check the exact supported configuration and validate the expected behavior under load; no standard oversubscription ratio is established in the cited guidance.
Apply protocol-specific redundancy requirements
In IBM’s documented z/OS 3.2 requirements for SMC-R using Network Express on IBM z17 or later, IBM says to provide two Network Express features per unique physical network. This is a context-specific requirement, not a universal rule for every machine, release or network design. Confirm the requirement in the documentation for the target system and software level.
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What physical-link details can affect the design?
Confirm compatibility across the adapter, optics, cable and switch port before procuring or commissioning a link. A nominal rate alone does not establish that the components can connect or operate as intended.
- 25 GbE OSA and RoCE: IBM states that Reed-Solomon FEC is required in the documented configurations. IBM’s site-planning checklist calls out the RS-IEEE FEC setting for Cisco connections; confirm the setting with the switch vendor and the documentation for the installed system.
- Optics and link rates: IBM cautions that the cited adapter optics operate at fixed speeds and do not auto-negotiate down to slower rates. Verify the exact adapter and optic behavior rather than assuming a link will adapt to a mismatched port.
- Mixed-speed paths: Check interface speeds across multipath groups, LAN groups and applicable Sysplex Distributor arrangements, particularly where heavy workload is expected.
A practical bandwidth and resilience planning sequence
- Inventory workloads and flows. List the services, workload schedules, communicating systems and whether each flow is internal or external.
- Measure representative demand. Gather sustained and peak throughput, latency, processor consumption and connection concurrency. Include bursts and failover demand rather than sizing from average utilization alone.
- Select the path class. Choose HiperSockets for traffic that can remain internal, physical Ethernet for external LAN access, and RoCE/SMC-R only when the software and physical network support it. Include z/VM virtual networking where guests or virtual switches are part of the topology.
- Check platform and protocol support. Verify adapter generation, machine, operating-system release and QDIO/EQDIO or RoCE/SMC-R requirements for the precise configuration.
- Draw independent paths. Trace adapter features, cables, switches and physical networks. Confirm that the alternate path avoids the failure domains the service is intended to survive.
- Evaluate normal and failed-path capacity. Check whether each surviving path can carry its expected redirected load and whether interface speeds are compatible with the configured groups.
- Validate the physical link. Confirm optics, cable, switch-port speed and FEC settings where applicable. Test routing and workload failover as well as link establishment.
The resulting plan should document measured demand, selected paths, required software and hardware support, shared failure points, and the load each path must handle both normally and after a failure. Recheck it when workloads, machine generations, network topology or software releases change.
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