Hardware Management Console

HMC is the Hardware Management Console; it is a system used to perform a variety of system management tasks on p5, i5 or OpenPower systems. In particular, it may be used to create or change logical partitions, including dynamically assigning hardware to a partition.

The HMC is an ordinary PC or 1U Intel Server together with a special serial card controller (for Power4) or network card connected to the service processors (on Power5) and the HMC software. The software is written in Java. One HMC can control multiple (up to 32) POWER systems. HMC is based on Linux but should be considered as an appliance system. Root access is disabled by default. HMC is used for defining and changing partitioning it is not required to run systems and can be disattatched or exchanged easily.

Partitioning data is kept on both HMC and the Machine. It can be restored from HMC to the Frame, if the server is replaced, it can also be reread by exchanged HMC.

Beside being an interface to the logical partitioning HMC also has some other tasks: it works as a central hardware control point, as a service focal point gathering and forwarding hardware errors (calling home) and also as a central administration point, providing virtual terminal acces to all partitions on all servers connected. KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switches or serial switches are not needed if you have an HMC.

Management can be performed either through the HMC GUI or through the command-line interface (after ssh'ing into the HMC).

More HMC Pages in this WIKI

• HMC hints
• HMC reliable communication, sluggish performance, & doing without
• HMC remote client
• HMC and system setup
• LinuxP:ASMI Access
• LinuxP:Firmware Update Control
• LinuxP:Command Line Reboot
• LinuxP:Create LPAR using command line
• LinuxP:Network boot from Open Firmware
• LinuxP:Network boot from HMC - lpar_netboot
• LinuxP:HMC command line

Key sites for more information

For information regarding an HMC running V7 machine code, see the Hardware Management Console Version 7 web page in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center. For information on using the HMC, follow the link to the Operations Guide for the Hardware Management Console and Managed Systems.

Notes In order to manage servers with POWER6 processors, an HMC must be running V7 machine code. That is, an HMC running V6 machine code and below can manage servers with POWER5 and POWER5+ processors, but can not manage servers with POWER6 processors. HMC hardware with machine type 7042 can only run V7 machine code. That is, HMC V6 machine code and below can not be installed on HMCs with machine type 7042.

For information regarding an HMC running V6 and V5 machine code, see the Hardware Management Console Version 6 and Version 5 web page in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center. For information on using the HMC, follow links to Managing the HMC, to Managing your server using the HMC, and to HMC commands (command line commands).

For information regarding an HMC running V4 machine code, see the Model 7048 Hardware Management Console for pSeries web page in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center. For information on using the HMC, follow the link to the eServer Hardware Management Console for pSeries Installation and Operations Guide .

See the Hardware Management Console Support and downloads web page and the Hardware Management Console Support for HMC for UNIX servers and Midrange servers web page.

See the Effective System Management Using the IBM Hardware Management Console for pSeries Redbook. From 2003, so somewhat dated.

See the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) Best Practices Whitepaper.

See the Hardware Management Console External Connectivity Security for IBM POWER Processor-based Systems Whitepaper.

See the Hardware Management Console V7 Handbook Redbook.

See the Hardware Management Console (HMC) V7 Technical Update by Ron Barker.