Concepts for partitioning the server

Before you start creating logical partitions, it is essential that you understand the concepts behind this type of system configuration.

The purpose of this information is to familiarize you with the hardware and software required for logical partitions and to prepare you to plan for and create logical partitions on your server.

• Logical partition overview
  This topic summarizes the purpose, process, and tools available to create and manage logical partitions on IBM^® Systems and eServer™ hardware.
• Partitioning tools
  You must use tools to partition your servers. The tool that you use to partition each server depends upon the server model and the operating systems and features that you want to use on the server.
• Logical partition functional differences
  IBM Systems and eServer hardware provides several technical enhancements in logical partition functionality compared to previous hardware models and between different partition management tools.
• Types of logical partition configurations
  This topic provides an overview of the types of logical partition configurations including the manufacturing default configuration, the service partition, the Virtual I/O Server partition, and i5/OS^® partitions on IBM eServer p5 servers.
• Minimum hardware configuration requirements for logical partitions
  This topic provides an overview of minimum hardware configuration requirements for AIX^®, i5/OS, and Linux^® logical partitions.
• Physical and virtual hardware resources
  This topic provides an overview of the physical and virtual hardware resources used for AIX, i5/OS, and Linux logical partitions including virtual adapters, processors, memory, expansion units, console options, I/O devices, 5250 CPW, and how each operating system implements virtual resources.
• Communications options for logical partitions
  The types of communications options that you use depend on your business needs and the operating system you are running. You can establish interpartition communication using virtual Ethernet. For IBM System i5™ and eServer i5 server models, you can also use the HSL OptiConnect for high-speed system-to-system communication or the virtual OptiConnect to emulate external OptiConnect hardware providing a virtual bus between logical partitions.
• Logical partition utilities
  This topic provides an overview of the utilities available to manage logical partitions including the LPAR Validation Tool and the Partition Load Manager for AIX.