Adding virtual adapters dynamically using the HMC

You can dynamically add a virtual adapter to a running logical partition using the Hardware Management Console (HMC).

A Linux® logical partition supports the dynamic addition of virtual adapters only if the DynamicRM tool package is installed on the Linux logical partition. To download the DynamicRM tool package, see the Service and productivity tools for Linux on POWER® systems Web site.

To dynamically add a virtual adapter to a running logical partition using the HMC, you must be a super administrator, service representative, product engineer, or operator of the HMC.

If you plan to add a virtual adapter to a logical partition that uses shared memory (hereafter referred to as a shared memory partition), you might need to adjust the amount of I/O entitled memory assigned to the shared memory partition before you add the adapter.

If the I/O entitled memory mode of the shared memory partition is set to the auto mode, then you do not need to take action. When you add the new virtual adapter, the HMC automatically increases the I/O entitled memory of the shared memory partition to accommodate the new virtual adapter.
If the I/O entitled memory mode of the shared memory partition is set to the manual mode, then you must increase the I/O entitled memory that is assigned to the shared memory partition to accommodate the new adapter. For instructions, see Adding and removing I/O entitled memory dynamically to and from a shared memory partition.

To dynamically add a virtual adapter to a running logical partition, follow these steps:

In the navigation pane, expand Systems Management > Servers.
Click the server on which the logical partition is located.
In the work pane, select the logical partition to which you want to add a virtual adapter.
From the Tasks menu, click Dynamic Logical Partitioning > Virtual Adapters. The Virtual Adapters window is displayed.
Click Actions > Create and click the type of virtual adapter that you want to create. The Create Virtual Adapter window is displayed.
Specify the configuration information for the new adapter and click OK.
Click OK. If you create a virtual fibre channel adapter on a client logical partition (that uses virtual resources provided by a Virtual I/O Server logical partition), the HMC generates a pair of worldwide port names (WWPNs) for the virtual fibre channel adapter. If all of the WWPNs on the server are used, you can reset the WWPN prefix to add WWPNs to the server. For instructions, see Obtaining additional WWPNs for the server. After you reset the WWPN prefix, repeat this procedure to dynamically add a virtual fibre channel adapter to a client logical partition.

If you created a virtual fibre channel adapter on a Virtual I/O Server logical partition, configure the virtual fibre channel adapter to a physical port on the physical fibre channel adapter that is connected to the physical storage that you want the associated client logical partition to access. For instructions, see Assigning the virtual fibre channel adapter to a physical fibre channel adapter.