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1. IBM i virtualization solutions
IBM i 6.1 introduces three significant virtualization capabilities that allow faster deployment of IBM
i workloads within a larger heterogeneous IT environment. This section will introduce and
differentiate these new technologies.
1.1. IBM i logical partition (LPAR) hosting another IBM i partition
An IBM i 6.1 LPAR can host one or more additional IBM i LPARs, known as virtual client LPARs.
Virtual client partitions can have no physical I/O hardware assigned and instead leverage virtual
I/O resources from the host IBM i partition. The types of hardware resources that can be
virtualized by the host LPAR are disk, optical and networking. The capability of IBM i to provide
virtual I/O resources has been used successfully for several years to integrate AIX®, Linux® and
Windows® workloads on the same platform. The same virtualization technology, which is part of
the IBM i operating system, can now be used to host IBM i LPARs. IBM i hosting IBM i is the
focus of the first half of this document.
1.2. IBM i using open storage as a client of the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS)
IBM i virtual client partitions can also be hosted by VIOS. VIOS is virtualization software that runs
in a separate partition whose purpose is to provide virtual storage, optical, tape and networking
resources to one or more client partitions. The most immediate benefit VIOS brings to an IBM i
client partition is the ability to expand its storage portfolio to use 512-byte/sector open storage.
Open storage volumes (or logical units, LUNs) are physically attached to VIOS via a Fibre
Channel or Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) connection and then made available to IBM i. While IBM
i does not directly attach to the SAN in this case, once open storage LUNs become available
through VIOS, they are managed the same way as integrated disks or LUNs from a directly
attached storage system. IBM i using open storage through VIOS is the focus of the second half
of this read-me first guide.
1.3. IBM i on a Power blade
The third major virtualization enhancement with IBM i 6.1 is the ability to run an IBM i LPAR and
its applications on a Power blade server, such as IBM BladeCenter JS12 or JS22. Running IBM i
on a Power blade is beyond the scope of this document. See the IBM i on a Power Blade Read-
me First for a complete technical overview and implementation instructions:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/blades/ibmi.html.
2. IBM i hosting IBM i supported configurations
2.1. Hardware
One of the most significant benefits of this solution is the broad hardware support. Any storage,
network and optical adapters and devices supported by the host IBM i partition on a POWER6
processor-based server can be virtualized to the client IBM i partition. Virtualization of tape
devices from an IBM i host to an IBM i client is not supported. The following table lists the
supported hardware:
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