Limitations and restrictions for IBM i client logical partitions

With Virtual I/O Server version 1.5 and later, you can install IBM® i in a client logical partition. IBM i client logical partitions have unique system and storage requirements and considerations.

The following limitations and restrictions apply to IBM i client logical partitions of the Virtual I/O Server that are running on HMC-managed systems. IBM i client logical partitions that run on systems that are managed by the Integrated Virtualization Manager have additional limitations and restrictions. For details, see Limitations and restrictions for IBM i client partitions on systems managed by the Integrated Virtualization Manager.

Hardware and software prerequisites

The managed system must be one of the following servers:
- 9117-MMA
- 9119-FHA
- 9125-F2A
- 9406-MMA
- 9407-M15
- 9408-M25
- 9409-M50
The Virtual I/O Server must be at version 1.5 or later.
IBM i must be at 6.1 or later.

I/O, storage, and networking limitations

The IBM i client logical partition can have up to 32 virtual SCSI devices under a single virtual adapter. It can have up to 16 disk units (logical volumes, physical volumes, or files) and up to 16 optical units.
The maximum virtual disk size is 2 TB. If you are limited to 1 adapter and you have a storage requirement of 32 TB, for example, you might need to make your virtual disks the maximum size of 2 TB. However, in general, consider spreading the storage over multiple virtual disks with smaller capacities. This can help improve concurrency.
Mirroring is the redundancy option for IBM i client logical partitions. However, you can use mutipathing and RAID for Virtual I/O Server redundancy.
It is recommended that you assign the tape device to its own Virtual I/O Server adapter, as tape devices often send large amounts of data, which might affect the performance of any other device on the adapter.