There are many reasons why you would want to optimize your servers through virtualization using Linux on IBM® System z®: Too many distributed physical servers with low utilization A lengthy provisioning process that delays the implementation of new applications Limitations in data center power and floor space High total cost of ownership (TCO) Difficulty allocating processing power for a dynamic environment Next, we describe total cost of ownership analyses and we guide you in understanding how to analyze your environment before beginning a migration project. We also assist you in determining the expected consolidation ratio for a given workload type. We also describe virtualization concepts along with describing the benefits of migrating from the x86 environment to guests residing on an IBM z/VM® single system image with live guest relocation. This IBM Redbooks publication walks you through a migration approach, includes planning worksheets, as well as a chapter to assist you in analyzing your own systems. We also discuss post migration considerations such as acceptance testing of functionality and performance measurements.