Running IBM System z at High CPU Utilization

Overview

One of the strengths of the System z platform is the ability to run processors at high utilization. By design, many System z customers consistently run their processors at 90+% busy for extended periods, and some will literally run at 100%. Several questions have been asked about this unique trait and strength of System z including "Can any single workload be run at 100% CPU busy?" and "Is there a growth in CPU time per transaction at higher utilization?" This paper will discuss running System z at high utilization and address these questions.