Partition workload groups

Partition workload groups identify sets of logical partitions that workload management tools can manage. For example, Enterprise Workload Manager (EWLM) can automatically distribute processing capacity within a partition workload group in response to workload performance goals.

A partition workload group identifies a set of logical partitions that reside on the same physical system. Workload management tools use partition workload groups to identify which logical partitions they can manage. For example, Enterprise Workload Manager (EWLM) can dynamically and automatically distribute processing capacity within a partition workload group to satisfy workload performance goals. EWLM adjusts processing capacity based on calculations that compare the actual performance of work processed by the partition workload group to the business goals that are defined for the work.

Systems managed by the Hardware Management Console (HMC) or the Integrated Virtualization Manager can assign logical partitions to partition workload groups. For HMC-managed systems, the maximum number of partition workload groups allowed per physical server is equal to the maximum number of logical partitions allowed on the physical server. You cannot assign a logical partition to more than one partition workload group at a time. Systems managed by the Integrated Virtualization Manager can have only one partition workload group per physical server.

It is not required that all logical partitions on a system participate in a partition workload group. Workload management tools manage the resources of only those logical partitions assigned to a partition workload group. Workload management tools can monitor the work of a logical partition that is not assigned to a partition workload group, but they cannot manage the logical partition's resources.

Some workload management tools require that additional software be installed on the logical partitions to monitor its workload, manage its resources, or both. For example, EWLM requires that an EWLM managed server be installed on each logical partition that EWLM is to monitor and manage, and that partition management be enabled within EWLM.