The Hardware Management Console (HMC) is a system management
appliance. For the purposes of stability and security, the HMC is
a closed system; that is, no other software can be loaded on it. When powered
on and connected to the server through its dedicated Ethernet port, the graphical
user interface gives the administrator control over all hardware resources,
including all partitions and capacity settings.
The Ethernet port connects the HMC to
the service processor, which enables you to perform various service functions.
The primary functions of the
HMC include:
- Remote power management that enables you to power on and off your server
remotely through the HMC user
interface.
- Logical partition (LPAR) configuration which allows you to manage partition
resources as your business changes.
- Service focal point which provides error routing, error analysis, and
error reporting to IBM®.
- Capacity on Demand that enables you
to activate additional unused resources as your business changes.
- Virtual terminal support which allows you to manage your systems by using
the virtual ASCII terminal.
- 5250 console support which allows you to manage your iSeries® systems
with or without other consoles.
- Concurrent maintenance that enables you to perform concurrent maintenance
tasks on models that allow for feature upgrades without server downtime.
See Implementations
of HMCs for more information about what you can do with
the HMC.