What is Red Hat OpenShift and how does it differ from Kubernetes?

OpenShift es una plataforma empresarial que se construye sobre Kubernetes añadiendo operaciones, seguridad y herramientas de desarrollo: registro de imágenes integrado, pipelines CI/CD con Tekton, gestión de operadores, monitorización con Prometheus/Grafana y controles de seguridad reforzados (SCCs, RBAC). Kubernetes puro requiere configurar todo esto manualmente.

Does OpenShift officially support IBM Power (ppc64le)?

Yes. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform has officially supported ppc64le since version 4.3 on both bare metal and PowerVM. IBM and Red Hat jointly maintain images, operators and documentation for Power.

Can I run OpenShift alongside AIX and IBM i on the same server?

Sí. Con PowerVM puedes ejecutar LPARs de AIX, IBM i y Linux (RHEL CoreOS para OpenShift) en el mismo servidor físico Power10 o Power11, consolidando cargas legacy y contenedorizadas sin duplicar hardware.

What persistent storage can be used with OpenShift on Power?

The most common options are IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS), Ceph (via OpenShift Data Foundation or standalone), NFS over Spectrum Scale, and IBM FlashSystem with CSI driver.

Do all four service phases need to be contracted?

No. Each phase (audit, deployment, support, training) can be contracted separately. Most clients start with the audit and then decide what else they need.

OpenShift on IBM Power

We deploy, audit and maintain your Red Hat OpenShift platform on IBM Power servers. From initial assessment to ongoing support.

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Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is the leading enterprise distribution of Kubernetes deployed in mission-critical environments. Running it on IBM Power (ppc64le architecture) leverages the virtualisation capabilities, per-core performance and reliability of Power10 and Power11 for containerised workloads.

SIXE, IBM Business Partner with over 15 years of experience in IBM Power infrastructure, delivers a comprehensive OpenShift on Power service covering four phases: audit of the existing environment, deployment or remediation of the platform, ongoing technical support and training for your team.

Last updated: May 2026

years with IBM Power

ppc64le

native architecture

OCP 4.x

supported versions

support available

What does SIXE's OpenShift on IBM Power service include?

Four phases, available separately or as a complete package.

Audit and assessment

We review your OpenShift cluster — or your Power infrastructure if you don't have OCP yet — and deliver a technical report covering versions, networking, storage, security and best-practice compliance.

›Inventory of nodes, operators and versions

›PowerVM / bare metal configuration analysis

›Security validation: RBAC, SCCs, certificates

›Executive report with prioritised action plan

Deployment and optimisation

We deploy OpenShift from scratch or fix an existing cluster. We configure storage, networking and ppc64le-specific operators.

›UPI / IPI installation on PowerVM or bare metal

›PowerVC integration for automated provisioning

›Persistent storage: Ceph, Spectrum Scale, FlashSystem

›Version upgrades with rollback plan

Ongoing technical support

We keep your platform stable with reactive and proactive support. Our team masters both OpenShift and PowerVM — no bouncing between support desks.

›OpenShift + PowerVM incident resolution

›Proactive monitoring: Prometheus, Alertmanager

›Patch management and security updates

›Flexible SLA: business hours or 24/7

Training for your team

If your team needs autonomy, we offer official courses and private training tailored to OpenShift on Power.

›Red Hat OpenShift 4 Course — administration

›Advanced OpenShift — Tekton, ArgoCD, GitOps

›Custom private training for operations teams

›Hands-on labs on real Power environments

Why run OpenShift on IBM Power instead of x86?

If you already have Power infrastructure, adding containers doesn't require buying x86 hardware. But there are strong technical reasons beyond consolidation.

Aspect IBM Power x86

Performance/coreSMT8 · up to 8 threads per coreSMT2 · more cores, lower throughput

VirtualisationPowerVM built into firmware, zero overheadExternal hypervisor (VMware, KVM)

SecurityTransparent Memory Encryption in the processorAdditional manual encryption required

ConsolidationAIX + IBM i + Linux + OCP on one serverSeparate hardware for legacy

Live MigrationLive Partition Mobility nativevMotion with external dependencies

Source: IBM Power Systems · See IBM Power11

What's your situation?

You have Power but no containers

We assess, size and deploy OpenShift on your existing infrastructure.

Your OpenShift on Power isn't working

Technical audit, bug fixes, pending updates, stabilisation.

You need support across both layers

One team that resolves from hypervisor to pod. No bouncing.

Related services

Frequently asked questions

OpenShift is an enterprise platform built on Kubernetes that adds an integrated image registry, CI/CD pipelines with Tekton, operator management, Prometheus/Grafana monitoring and hardened security controls (SCCs, RBAC). Plain Kubernetes requires configuring all of this manually.

Yes. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform has supported the ppc64le architecture since version 4.3, on both bare metal and PowerVM deployments. IBM and Red Hat jointly maintain images and operators for Power.

Yes. With PowerVM you can run AIX, IBM i and Linux (RHEL CoreOS for OpenShift) LPARs on the same Power10 or Power11 server. Consolidate legacy and containerised workloads without duplicating hardware.

IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS), Ceph via OpenShift Data Foundation, NFS, e IBM FlashSystem con CSI driver. SIXE helps you choose and integrate the right option.

No. Each phase is independent. Most clients start with the audit and then decide. If you already have a running cluster, you can contract support only.

Let's talk about your OpenShift on Power

Whether you have a production cluster or are evaluating the platform. No commitment.

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