1 each partition must have a minimum of one processor.
2 each partition must be assigned a minimum of 0.25 gb (256 mb) memory.
3 to run the partition with an operating system, one network adapter is required for error reporting to the service focal point (sfp) function on the hmc and dynamic lpar interface.
4 the partition must have one device on which the operating system resides.
to run dynamic lpar, the operating system must be dynamic lpar-capable.
aix 5.2 and later versions of aix are dymanic lpar-capable. at the time of publication, linux is not dynamic lpar-capable.
a single partition can utilize all available processors. all of the available memory can be allocated to a single partition with the following considerations:
1. the system must have more than 32gb of memory installed to run an aix 5.1 partition with more than 16gb of memory allocated to it.
2. the system must have more than 48gb of memory installed to run two aix 5.1 partitions with more than 16gb of memory allocated to them.
3. maximum available memory must allow for firmware overhead.
aix 5.2 and linux do not have the special memory requirements listed above if the small real mode option is chosen on the hmc.
special consideration for determining memory allocation for logical partitions
the system firmware requires a portion of real memory to function. the amount of memory overhead for firmware varies depending on the total memory installed in the system, the number of i/o expansion drawers attached, and the firmware level on the system. use the following table to determine firmware overhead:
the appropriate memory overhead must be subtracted from the system memory before calculating the memory that is available for partitions.
memory placement considerations for lpar environment
if the system is running aix 5.1 in lpar mode and partitions with more than 16 gb of memory are desired, special consideration must be given to dimm placement.
there are two requirements for allocating a partition with more than 16gb of memory:
1. the system must have more than 33 gb of memory to run one aix 5.1 partition with 16 gb or more of memory allocated to it, and the first processor card must have a minimum of 16 gb of memory.
2. the system must have more than 49 gb of memory to run two aix 5.1 partitions with 16 gb or more assigned to them, and the first and second processor card must both have a minimum of 16 gb of memory.
memory configurations of new systems have balanced memory across all processors for optimum performance. memory quads may have to be reconfigured to allow aix 5.1 partitions to function with more than 16 gb of memory allocated to them when.
if the system is running aix 5.2 or linux, selecting small real mode when setting the memory profile in a partition allows a partition with more than 16gb of memory to be created regardless of the memory configuration.
the following table details the number of logical partitions that can be created based on the amount of memory installed in the system, the amount of memory allocated to the partitions, the version of the operating system, and the vesion of the system firmware.
1. all partition maximum numbers are subject to availability of sufficient processor, memory, and i/o resources to support that number of partitions. for example, a system with only 8 processors can support a maximum of 8 partitions.
2. these rules apply to systems running partitions with aix version 5.1, if the firmware and hmc release levels are at the 10/2002 release level (or later). do not select the hmc partition profile option for small real mode address region for aix 5.1 partitions. these numbers reflect the maximum when running only aix 5.1 partitions, but aix 5.1 and aix 5.2 partitions can be mixed, and can allow for additional partitions to be run (up to the maximum of 8).
3. these rules apply to systems running partitions with aix version 5.2 (or later) or linux, if the firmware and hmc release levels are at the 10/2002 release level (or later). select the hmc partition profile option small real mode address region for these partitions.
4. aix 5.2, when run with the small real mode address region profile option, requires that the maximum memory setting is no greater than 64 times the minimum memory setting. for example, if the minimum memory setting is 256 mb, then the maximum memory setting cannot be greater than 16 gb. otherwise, aix does not start.