Creating logical partitions using version 7 or later of the HMC

You can use the Create Logical Partition wizard on the Hardware Management Console (HMC) to create a new logical partition. When you create a logical partition, you also create a partition profile that contains the resource allocations and settings for the logical partition.

Use this procedure only if you are creating logical partitions on a managed system that has already been partitioned. If you are creating logical partitions on a new or nonpartitioned managed system, you must test the hardware on your managed system to ensure that the hardware is in working order. Testing the hardware helps you detect potential problems with your managed system and makes such problems easier to correct. After you test the hardware, you can create logical partitions on a new or nonpartitioned managed system by deploying a system plan to the managed system. For more information about how to create logical partitions on new and nonpartitioned managed systems, see Partitioning a new or nonpartitioned IBM® System p5®, eServer™ p5 or IntelliStation® POWER® 285 managed system using version 7 or later of the HMC or Partitioning a new or nonpartitioned IBM System i5® or eServer i5 managed system using version 7 or later of the HMC.

You can also create logical partitions on a managed system by deploying a system plan to the managed system. A system plan automates the process of creating logical partitions and ensures that each logical partition gets the resources that are specified within the system plan. For more information about system plans, see System plan overview.

Before you create a logical partition, have the System Planning Tool (SPT) output available. Use the output from this tool as a guide as you start to create partition profiles on your server.

To create a partition profile, you must be a super administrator or an operator. For more information about the role of a super administrator and operator, refer to Tasks and roles.

To create a logical partition and a partition profile on your server using the HMC, follow these steps:

In the navigation pane, open Systems Management and click Servers.
In the contents pane, select the managed system, click the Tasks button, and choose Configuration > Create Logical Partitions.
Follow the steps in the Create Logical Partition wizard to create a logical partition and a partition profile.

After creating your logical partition and partition profile, you must install an operating system. For installation procedures for the AIX®, i5/OS®, and Linux® operating systems, refer to Installing operating systems.