Linux on the IBM i platform

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IBM i has been enhanced with support for virtual partition management to enable the creation and management of Linux partitions without the requirement for a Hardware Management Console (HMC). With the virtual partition manager, a System i5 offering can support one IBM i partition and up to four Linux partitions. The Linux partitions must use virtual I/O resources that are owned by the IBM i partition. With the virtual partition manager, uncapped processor partitions can be created and up to four virtual Ethernet connections can be defined. Dynamic resource movement to/from the Linux partitions is not supported. The virtual partition manager support is included with IBM i V5R3 and V5R4 for no additional charge.

Small and medium sized customers can utilize the virtual partition manager to create Linux partitions for their infrastructure applications. Customers that want to create multiple IBM i, Linux, and AIX 5L dynamic partitions, use direct I/O resources, and use advanced partition management tools will continue to use the Hardware Management Console for partition management.
The key differences between the Virtual Partition Manager and the HMC are highlighted in this table.

• A minimum of an System i5 product with IBM i V5R3, and PTF MF34753 (or its supersede) applied to enable Virtual Partition Manager.
• Install the latest firmware level downloaded for the System i5 server.
• A maximum of 4 Linux partitions are supported.
• I/O for all Linux partitions must be managed by a single IBM i instance.
• Linux uses virtual I/O to access disk, tape, DVD, and Ethernet resources owned by the IBM i partition.
• Up to a maximum of 4 Virtual Ethernet connections may be configured for each Linux partition or for the IBM i partition.
• Direct attach I/O cannot be installed in any Linux partition, including any additional Ethernet Adapters for a Firewall gateway.
• Only a single IBM i instance can exist on System i5.
• Linux partition creation and management can only be performed through DST or SST tasks. iSeries Navigator does not support Virtual Partition Manager.
• Automatic processor balancing between Linux and IBM i partitions is supported through uncapped processor pool. Dynamic movement of resources such as processor, memory, and I/O is not supported. The Linux partition must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
• HMC functionality, such as Capacity Upgrade on Demand (On/Off CoD, and Reserve CoD) is not enabled through DST or SST tasks. Only permanently activated processors may be allocated to any of the partitions.
• Partition configuration data cannot be saved through DST or SST tasks. You will need to ensure that hardcopy prints are kept with configuration screens should you need to recreate the partitions.
• Migration of partition configuration data to HMC is not available. If HMC is deployed at a future stage, you will need to recreate the Linux partitions. The data stored through virtual I/O on IBM i will remain unaffected.
• Initially, the Virtual Partition Manager configuration screens are only available in upper-case English and are not translated.
• Virtual Partition Manager cannot be managed through services offerings such as LPAR Toolkit or similar LPAR management tools provided by various IBM business partners. Likewise, there are no APIs or SSH capabilities enabled for such management tools.
• Virtual Partition Manager can not be used on a System i5 product that is configured using an HMC.

Implementation guides

ITSO Redpaper: Virtual Partition Manager Implementation Guide