Integrating Solutions as Appliances into IBM z Systems with Secure Service Container

Project and Program: MVS, MVS Core Technologies

Tags: Proceedings , 2017 , SHARE San Jose 2017

The Secure Service Container infrastructure for IBM z Systems allows appliances, which may have been separately housed and maintained in discrete boxes in a data center network or offered as virtual software appliances, to be integrated into IBM z Systems in a secure, reliable and high performance container.
An appliance, in this case, is defined as a collection of operating system, middleware and software components that work autonomously and provide core services and infrastructure. Appliances can serve as part of a data center infrastructure (such as a firewall), or they can serve as an addition to a service or solution stack on an IBM z System (such as a data base accelerator).
Appliances that are integrated into an IBM z System with Secure Service Container are encrypted and signed for security and inherit the core reliability and performance of IBM z System hardware. These appliances are tamper proof and only the appliance administrator has access to the appliance software, not even the system administrator can access the appliance software unless specifically authorized.  As well, the system administration of appliances hosted in a Secure Service Container is homogeneous and consistent, significantly improving ease of use over distinct and separate appliance administration.
In this presentation we talk about the design, capabilities and attributes of Secure Service Container as well as System Z firmware that supports it. We will also give examples of both current and future appliances that are taking advantage of this new capability of IBM z Systems.
 
The Secure Service Container Infrastructure enables solutions in a variety of Initiative areas (e.g. Blockchain for Security, Database Acceleration for Big Data)-John Lee-IBM

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