the hardware management console for pseries installation and operations guide(hmc) provides the tools that are needed to manage the configuration and operation of partitions in a system, as well as add and remove hardware without interrupting system operation.

    in this book, a system that is managed by the hmc is referred to as the managed system. the hmc uses its serial connection to the managed system to perform various functions. the hmc’s main functions include the following:

    1 creating and maintaining a multiple partition environment

    2 detecting, reporting, and storing changes in hardware conditions

    3 acting as a service focal point for service representatives to determine an appropriate service strategy.

    partitioning the system is similar to partitioning a hard drive. when you partition a hard drive, you divide a single hard drive so that the operating system recognizes it as a number of separate hard drives. the same holds true for the hmc’s partitioning capabilities, except the hmc allows you to divide the system’s processors, memory, and i/o. on each of these divisions, you can load an operating system and use each partition as you would a separate physical machine. this division of system resources is called a logical partition or lpar.

    the objective of partitioning is to provide users with the ability to split a single system into several independent systems, each capable of running applications in multiple, independent environments simultaneously. for example, partitioning makes it possible for a user to run a single application using different sets of data on separate partitions, as if it were running independently on separate physical systems.

    service representatives use service focal point (sfp), an application that runs on the hmc, to start and end their service calls. sfp provides service representatives with serviceable event, vital product data (vpd), and diagnostic information.

    the hmc is a closed system. additional applications cannot be loaded on the hmc. all the tasks needed to maintain the platform, the underlying operating system, and the hmc application code are available by using the hmc’s management applications.