Designating the service logical partition for your managed system

The service logical partition is the IBM® i logical partition on a server that you can configure to apply server firmware updates to the service processor or to the hypervisor. You can also use the service logical partition to communicate server common hardware errors to IBM. These abilities are useful if the Hardware Management Console (HMC) is undergoing maintenance or is otherwise unable to perform these functions.

The preferred method for applying server firmware updates and communicating server common hardware errors to IBM is by using the HMC.

Servers that do not have IBM i logical partitions also do not have a service logical partition. If these servers are managed by an HMC, then you must use the HMC to update the server firmware, and the servers can contact service and support only through the HMC. Use a backup HMC to ensure that the servers have redundant methods for contacting service and support and for applying fixes.

You can designate only one logical partition at a time as the service logical partition for your managed system. The service logical partition for your server must be an IBM i logical partition.

Before you can designate a logical partition as the service logical partition for your managed system, you must shut down the logical partition. You must also shut down the logical partition before you remove the service logical partition designation from the logical partition. If you want to change the service logical partition from one logical partition to another logical partition, you must shut down both logical partitions before using this procedure.

Note: You must designate a service logical partition on a server only after you use the HMC to create, change, delete, copy, or activate any logical partitions on the managed system. You can set up the operating system on an unpartitioned server to contact service and support, and you can use the operating system on an unpartitioned server to apply server firmware updates.
To designate one of your logical partitions as the service logical partition for your managed system using the HMC, follow these steps:
  1. In the navigation pane, open Systems Management and click Servers.
  2. In the work pane, select the managed system whose service logical partition you want to designate, click the Tasks button, and select Properties.
  3. In the Service partition field, select the logical partition that you want to designate as the service logical partition. If you do not want to designate another logical partition as the service logical partition, select None.

    The HMC Classic interface is not supported in Hardware Management Console (HMC) Version 8.7.0, or later. The functions that were previously available in the HMC Classic interface are now available in the HMC Enhanced+ interface.

    When the HMC is at version 8.7.0, or later, complete the following steps designate one of your logical partitions as the service logical partition:
    1. In the navigation pane, click the Resources icon The icon represents the Resources function of the HMC.
    2. Click All Systems. The All Systems page is displayed.
    3. In the work pane, select the system and click Actions > View System Properties. The Properties page is displayed.
    4. In the General Settings area, select the logical partition that you want to designate as the service logical partition.
  4. Click OK.
Parent topic: Creating logical partitions
Related tasks:
Shutting down and restarting logical partitions
Deleting a logical partition


Last updated: Fri, July 05, 2019