IBM Power5 Legacy Decision Authority
Still Running IBM Power5?
Here's What to Do Next
IBM POWER5 shipped in 2004 as the eServer i5 and eServer p5 lines, the last Power generation before System i and System p unified into Power Systems at Power6. If you're still running a Power5 machine in 2026, it has been outside IBM's standard hardware support for years. This site is built around one question: what do you actually do about it?
Four Questions, In Order
Every Power5 shop is somewhere on this path. Start wherever you actually are.
1. Identify What You Have
Match your machine type to its exact Power5 model before you decide anything else.
2. Understand the Risk
What running unsupported Power5 hardware actually exposes you to, in plain terms.
3. Maintain It, For Now
Third-party maintenance and used parts sourcing if you need more runway before migrating.
4. Choose the Migration
Real replacement paths forward through every current Power generation, Power6 through Power11.
Every IBM Power5 Model Still In Production
Structured, machine-readable profiles for every IBM Power5 server model still referenced in the installed base, each mapped to its end-of-support date and migration path.
IBM eServer i5 520 (9406-520)
You have an i5 520 9406-520. Here's what that means in 2026: IBM's entry-level Power5 workhorse, outside IBM's standard support since staged 2019-2020 withdrawals.
9406-550IBM eServer i5 550 (9406-550)
You have an i5 550 9406-550. Here's what that means in 2026: IBM's step-up Power5 server, outside IBM's standard support since staged 2019-2020 withdrawals.
9406-570IBM eServer i5 570 (9406-570)
You have an i5 570 9406-570. Here's what that means in 2026: one of the most widely deployed Power5 midrange models, outside IBM's standard support since staged 2019-2020 withdrawals.
9406-595IBM eServer i5 595 (9406-595)
You have an i5 595 9406-595. Here's what that means in 2026: IBM's flagship enterprise Power5 system, outside IBM's standard support since staged 2019-2020 withdrawals.
Maintenance & Sourcing Vendors
Verified third-party maintenance and hardware sourcing partners for shops keeping Power5 running past IBM's own support window.
Service Express
Independent third-party maintenance provider covering IBM Power hardware, including out-of-support Power5 systems.
Park Place Technologies
Global third-party maintenance provider supporting legacy IBM Power hardware, including Power5 systems out of standard IBM support.
Global TPM
Third-party maintenance provider offering hardware support contracts for legacy IBM Power systems including Power5.
BigTechReseller.com
Vendor discovery hub for sourcing current-generation IBM Power hardware and connecting with verified resellers.
From the Library
What IBM Power5 End of Support Actually Means
End of support is not a shutdown switch. Here is exactly what changes, and what doesn't, when Power5 hardware passes IBM's staged 2019-2020 end-of-service withdrawals.
Why Most Power5 Shops Should Skip Straight to Current Generation
Migrating off Power5 to another aging intermediate generation just relocates the same risk. Here's the case for landing on current hardware in one project.
Common Questions
How do I find out exactly which Power5 model I have?
Check the machine type/model label on the physical unit, or run WRKHDWRSC / DSPSYSVAL in IBM i, or lscfg -vp | grep -i model in AIX. It reads as a 4-digit machine type, a dash, then a 3-character model code, for example 9406-570 for an i5 570. See our Identify Your Power5 page for the full model-to-machine-type table.
I'm still running Power5. How serious is that?
More serious than it feels day to day. Power5 hardware has been outside IBM's standard support for years, on parts sourced only from decommissioned units, running an IBM i release that is itself years past its own end of program support. It's the oldest generation with any meaningful installed base left, which usually means the replacement decision has been deferred multiple times already.
When exactly did IBM end support for Power5?
In stages, by machine type, between January 2019 and October 2020, roughly 15 years after the line launched in 2004. There was no single shared date the way there was for Power6; check your exact machine type and feature code against IBM's own withdrawal documentation for the precise figure.
Should I migrate to Power6 or Power7 first, or go straight to current hardware?
Go straight to current generation. Power6, Power7, and Power8 are all themselves out of, or close to, IBM's standard support, so landing on one of them just relocates the same risk this site exists to help you avoid, for the cost of a second migration project later. See our migration paths page.
Glossary
- Capacity on Demand (CoD) ... IBM's licensing model that lets a Power server ship with more processor or memory capacity installed than activated, with additional capacity unlocked temporarily or permanently as needed.
- CPW ... IBM's relative performance benchmark for IBM i systems, used to compare processing capacity across different Power hardware generations and models.
- End of Service (EOS / EOSL) ... The date IBM stops offering standard hardware maintenance for a given system, after which factory parts, contracted field service, and firmware updates are no longer available through IBM directly.
- eServer i5 ... IBM's POWER5-based product line for IBM i (then i5/OS) workloads, the direct descendant of the AS/400, later renamed System i.
- eServer p5 ... IBM's POWER5-based product line for AIX and Linux workloads, sharing processor silicon with the eServer i5 but sold as a separate brand, later renamed System p.
- i5/OS ... The name used for the AS/400 lineage's operating system from 2004 to 2008, between OS/400 and IBM i, tied to the POWER5 processor generation it launched alongside.
- IBM i ... The current name of the operating system that ran the AS/400 as OS/400 and later i5/OS. Renamed to IBM i in April 2008, alongside the Power Systems brand unification.
- LPAR ... A logical partition: an independent, virtualized instance of an operating system running on a shared physical Power server.