Advancing reliability, availability, and serviceability with the IBM z13

Each new system family brings changes from its predecessor as technologies shrink, as system structure evolves, and as requirements grow. A remap of an exceptional reliability, availability, serviceability (RAS) design from generation to generation would soon lead RAS characteristics to be inadequate. In this paper, we provide an introduction to some of changes in the IBM z13® and discuss the RAS improvements associated with these changes. We discuss the processor drawer, the memory and cache hierarchy, the I/O firmware stack, the power and thermal systems, the power and service control network, and enhancements to sparing.