Migration planning tool

Power5 to Power11 Sizing Planner

Turn what you know about the current Power5 into a sensible Power11 starting model and a short list of proof the quote still needs.

Where should the Power11 quote start?

Answer seven questions about the system doing the work today. You will get a starting model family plus the missing evidence that can still change the answer.

Use a real peak percentage from a representative busy period.
Use active workload memory, not only installed capacity.
Enter a percent.
Use this result as: a planning brief, not a supported IBM configuration or performance guarantee. Final sizing needs measured CPW or rPerf, partition data, software levels, growth, storage, I/O, and recovery requirements.

Four numbers beat one model name

1. Work

Use measured CPW or rPerf and peak activity. Power5 core count alone does not size Power11.

2. Memory

Record memory used by each active partition and add realistic growth, not a round guess.

3. Data movement

Count storage, I/O, tape, network, replication, and batch windows because the processor is only one part of the move.

4. Recovery

Size the second system, replication, testing, cutover, and rollback when the business cannot wait through a rebuild.

Why this is not a core-for-core comparison

Power5 and Power11 are separated by more than twenty years of processor, memory, I/O, virtualization, firmware, and operating system changes. A smaller current system may do far more work, but the right feature code still depends on the workload and the software tier attached to it.

Carry the tool result into a quote as a starting point. Then make the seller show the CPW or rPerf basis, software tier, memory, storage, adapters, HMC, migration services, and recovery design line by line.