Edit: This is still a great tool
Originally posted November 26, 2019 on AIXchange
The IBM Interactive Product Tour Catalog allows you virtually preview 3D representations of new hardware.
Are you familiar with the IBM Interactive Product Tour Catalog?
Just go here, select Systems and Servers, and then click on IBM Power Systems.
From there, choose Enterprise or Scale-out, and IBM POWER9 or POWER8.
Finally, choose an actual system.
It may take a few seconds for the page to load, but it’s worth the wait. For your system of choice you can see different views of the system and get some basic information.
Of course there’s important and useful information in standard IBM presentations (like this one), but the way the catalog allows you to visualize the new hardware makes a much stronger impression in my opinion. There’s just something about being able to look at the 3D image. It’s like being there on the raised floor, ready to open the box and install it in the rack. You can (virtually) take the lid off and see where the parts go, where the I/O cards go, etc. If you’re ordering a new system sight unseen, this sneak peek provides a unique perspective.