Changing advanced partition settings

You can view and change advanced settings of a partition by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC).

Before you begin

The advanced settings for a partition include the following options:

KVM capable: Enables the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) capability to run in a PowerVM logical partition (LPAR). KVM is a virtualization technology from Linux® operating system. This option is available only if you are using HMC version 10.3.1060.1, or later.

Enable connection monitoring: Monitors the connection between the partition and the HMC.

Enable redundant error path information: If you enable the redundant error-path reporting, the partition reports common server hardware errors and partition hardware errors to the HMC. If you disable redundant error-path reporting, the partition reports only partition hardware errors to the HMC. If you want to move a partition, disable the redundant error-path reporting.

Enable time reference: Synchronize the PowerVM® Hypervisor and Service Processors time-of-day based on the time-of-day setting of the concerned partition and other Time Reference partitions.
Note:
On eBMC-based managed systems, the enterprise baseboard management controller (eBMC) time-of-day clock cannot be synced with the TRP time-of-day clock. It is recommended that you enable NTP by using the same NTP server on both the TRP and the eBMC to keep the time-of-day clocks in the TRP, the hypervisor, and the eBMC in sync.

Disable migration: You can disable the Live Partition Mobility feature for an AIX®, Linux, IBM® i partition.

Service partition: Indicates whether the partition is the service partition for the managed system. The service partition is the IBM i logical partition on an IBM System i managed system that you can configure to apply server firmware updates to the service processor or Hypervisor to communicate server common hardware errors to IBM. These abilities are useful if the HMC is undergoing maintenance or is unable to perform these functions. The service partition on the managed system must be changed through the managed system properties.

Tagged I/O Settings: You can view, configure, and specify the exact I/O devices that you want to use for a logical partition to perform specific functions.
Note: You cannot activate a logical partition if the SR-IOV logical ports are configured as a primary load source or an alternative load source in the Tagged I/O Settings.

Enable performance information collection: Enable the operating system on a partition to collect performance information.

Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable

When the HMC is at version 9.1.940, or later, the firmware is at level FW940, or later, and the partition is running the latest version of IBM i, the HMC supports assignment of SR-IOV logical ports to IBM i partitions that are in the Restricted I/O Partitionmode. In the Advanced settings area, the Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field is displayed.

The Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field displays the following values:

Supported: When this value is displayed in the Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field, it indicates that the server allows the SR-IOV logical ports to be assigned to the IBM i partitions that are in the Restricted I/O Partition mode.
Unsupported: When this value is displayed in the Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field, it indicates that the server does not allow the SR-IOV logical port to be assigned to the IBM i partitions, which are in the Restricted I/O Partition mode.
Unavailable: When this value is displayed in the Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field, it indicates that no information is available because the IBM i partition has never been activated.

Note: The Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field is displayed only for the IBM i partitions. The IBM i partition must be activated at least one time to know the exact value in the Restricted I/O Mode SR-IOV Logical Port Assignment Capable field.

Restricted I/O partition: Determines whether an IBM i partition can be migrated by using the Live Partition Mobility (LPM) feature. You can migrate the IBM i partition only if you select the Restricted I/O Partitionoption. On servers that do not support the IBM i partitions with native I/O capability, you must always enable this option. The IBM i native I/O capability of the server is available on the Licensed Capabilitiespage. This option can be enabled only when the partition is stopped.
Note: The Restricted I/O partition setting is applicable only to IBM i partitions.

OptiConnect: A feature of the IBM i operating system that allows a user to connect multiple System i systems by using SPD bus, high-speed link (HSL) loop, or virtual interpartition technologies. This option can be enabled only when the partition is stopped.

Enable Electronically report errors that cause partition termination or require attention: Select this option to set the HMC to send an electronic report to service and support whenever this IBM i logical partition stops abnormally or encounters an error that requires service. The HMC does not report errors that require user intervention. Use this feature to enable automatic service calls for IBM i logical partitions that run mission-critical applications. This field shows up only for IBM i logical partitions.

Platform KeyStore

When you are using HMC version 9.2.950, or later, and when the firmware is at level FW950, you can view and manage the platform keystore size that is used to save the partition key data. When the managed system is in stand-by or operating state, you can view and specify the platform keystore size. You cannot decrease the platform keystore size for a logical partition. If the platform keystore does not contain any data, you can specify the value 0 in the Platform KeyStore Size field to disable the platform keystore feature. You can enable or increase the platform keystore size only when the logical partition is in the Not activated state.

Notes:

When the logical partition is enabled with the platform keystore and simplified remote restart (SRR) features, and if you want to change the system key from a user-defined key to a default system key, then you must manually disable either the platform keystore or the SRR feature on the logical partition.
If the system key for encrypting the platform keystore data is not a user-defined key, then you cannot create a logical partition with both platform keystore and simplified remote restart capabilities enabled.

Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties

The Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties are used for managing the Linux dynamic key secure boot. To use these properties, you must enable the Platform KeyStore attribute for this partition with sufficient space for storage of the dynamic OS secure boot verification keys. For more information about dynamic key secure boot, see the operating system documentation.

The three Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties are as follows:

Enable Platform KeyStore Signed Update Infrastructure: This property must be selected for managing the Linux dynamic key secure boot for authenticated variable updates to be processed. This property can be selected only when the partition is in the Not activated state. When this property is selected, it cannot be disabled from the HMC. This property must be selected to enable the other two Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties.
Allow Platform Key Modification Without Verification: This property allows a new Platform Key (PK) to be provisioned without being authenticated by the previous PK. This property must be selected to install an initial PK or to take new ownership of the Linux secure boot key hierarchy. This property can be selected only when Enable Platform KeyStore Signed Update Infrastructure is selected.
Enable Linux Dynamic Key Secure Boot: This property must be selected to manage the Linux dynamic key secure boot. This property can be selected only when Enable Platform KeyStore Signed Update Infrastructure is selected and the partition is in the Not activated state. When this property is selected, it cannot be disabled from the HMC.
Note: The Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties are not displayed on the General Properties page if the managed system does not support dynamic key secure boot.

Partition Availability Priority

If you are using HMC version 10.3.1060.0, or later, you can change the partition-availability priority for the specific logical partitions in the partitions list. You can set any one of the following priority levels in the Partition Availability Priority field:

Minimum: Sets the partition priority to 0.
Low: Sets the partition priority to 63.
Default: Sets the partition priority to 127. This value is set by default.
High: Sets the partition priority to 191.
Maximum: Sets the partition priority to 255.

The managed system uses the partition-availability priority that is set in case a processor fails. If a processor fails on a logical partition, and no assigned processors are available on the managed system, the logical partition acquires a replacement processor from the logical partitions with a lower partition-availability priority. This action ensures that the logical partition with the higher partition-availability priority continues to run even after a processor failure.

Note:

A logical partition can acquire processors only from the logical partitions with lower partition-availability priorities. If all logical partitions on your managed system have the same partition-availability priority, then a logical partition can replace a failed processor only if the managed system has unassigned processors.

Remember:

Do not set the priority of the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) logical partitions to be lower than the priority of the logical partitions that use the resources on the VIOS logical partition. By default, the partition-availability priority of VIOS logical partitions is set to 191 and the other logical partitions is set to 127.
Set the priority of the IBM i logical partitions with virtual Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapters to be higher than the priority of any logical partition that uses the resources on the IBM i logical partition.

Supported hardware accelerator types

The Supported Hardware Accelerator Types table is displayed only if the managed system has a user-mode hardware accelerator for PowerVM. You can specify the GZIP Quality of Service (QoS) credits for a logical partition. The HMC sets the QoS when sufficient credits are available for the managed system. The logical partition uses these credits to access the shared hardware accelerators. With HMC version 10.1.1020, or later, you can enable the QoS credits for an IBM i logical partition. The following are the prerequisites for a logical partition to receive QoS credits.

The managed system supports hardware accelerator enablement.
The managed system supports the GZIP hardware accelerator type.
QoS enablement must be supported at the operating system level.
The managed system has sufficient hardware accelerator QoS credits to assign to the partition.

About this task

To view and change the advanced settings of the partition, complete the following steps:

Procedure

In the navigation pane, click System resources.
Click Systems. In the work pane, click a system of your choice. The system properties are displayed. In the navigation pane, click Partitions.
Alternatively, you can go to System resources > Partitions.
The Partitions page opens where you can view all the partitions that belong to the system.
In the work pane, click the partition for which you want to view or change the properties and capabilities. The Partition properties page is displayed. You can view and change the properties that are listed under the General area.
Click and expand the Advanced Settings section. The Advanced Settings options are displayed.
To enable the advanced settings in the selected partition, select the following options:
1. KVM Capable to enable KVM capability.
2. Enable Connection Monitoring to monitor the connection.
3. Enable Redundant Error Path Reporting to report common server hardware errors and partition hardware errors.
4. Enable Time Reference
5. Service Partition
6. Disable Migration to disable the Live Partition Mobility feature for an AIX, Linux, or IBM i partition.
7. Restricted I/O Partition
8. Specify a value in the Maximum Virtual Adapters field.
9. Tagged I/O Settings - In the Advance settings area, click the Tagged I/O Settings tab if you want to view or configure the I/O devices that you want to use for a logical partition. The Tagged I/O Device Details window is displayed.
  - Select the load source that must be used by the system to start the logical partition from the Load Source list.
  - Select an alternative device from the Alternative Restart Device list.
  - Select the console from the Console list.
  - Select an alternative console from the Alternate Console list.
  - Select the operations console from the Operations Console list.
  - Click OK to apply the changes. Alternatively, click Cancel to reject the changes and to close the window.
10. Enable Performance Information Collection
11. Enable electronically report errors that cause partition termination or require attention
From the Save configuration changes list, select one of the following options:
1. Enabled to apply and save the settings that you made on the partition.
2. Disabled to cancel the settings that you made on the partition.
3. Disabled until next activate or apply to temporarily disable the settings that you made and to apply the settings later when you activate the partition.
Specify a value in the Platform KeyStore Size field.
Select the Dynamic Key Secure Boot Properties checkboxes to apply the selected properties to the partition.
From the Secure Boot list, select an option. The options are Disabled, Enabled and Log only, or Enabled and Enforced.
Select an option from the Partition Availability Priority list.
In the Supported Hardware Accelerator Types table, specify a value in the QoS field.
Click Save to apply the changes. Alternatively, click Cancel to reject the changes and to close the page.