Planning for the Integrated Virtualization Manager

You need to develop a plan for setting up your IBM® Power Systems™ server or IBM BladeCenter® blade server that is managed by the Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM).

Proper planning is essential for the successful setup and use of your server. When you install the Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM), it automatically creates a logical partition for itself on the server. This logical partition is called the management partition. The IVM automatically assigns a fraction of the memory and processors on the server to the management partition. You can change the default amount of memory and processor resources that are assigned to the management partition.

You need to develop a plan that includes information such as the following:

System resource requirements for the management partition. The system resource requirements for the management partition can depend on many factors. These factors can include the server model, the number of logical partitions that you create on the managed system, and the number of virtual devices used by those logical partitions.
Storage needs of each logical partition that you are to create on your managed system. Calculate how much storage space each logical partition requires for its operating system, applications, and data. For more information about the storage requirements for each operating system, consult the operating system documentation.

The following table provides information resources to help you create a system plan depending on your hardware model.

Table 1. Planning information resources for IBM Power Systems servers and IBM BladeCenter blade servers that are managed by the IVM
Hardware model	Planning information resources
POWER6® processor-based servers	Planning for IBM Power Systems server that is managed by the IVM by using system plans Installing the Virtual I/O Server and client logical partitions. Note: Although this information is focused on planning for the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) on a system that is managed by a Hardware Management Console (HMC), most of the information also applies to planning for the VIOS on a system that is managed by the IVM. Limitations and restrictions for IBM i client partitions on systems managed by the IVM
IBM BladeCenter blade server	Planning for IBM Power Systems server that is managed by the IVM by using system plans Installing the Virtual I/O Server and client logical partitions. Note: Although this information is focused on planning for the VIOS on an IBM System p® server that is managed by an HMC, most of the information also applies to planning for the VIOS on an IBM BladeCenter blade server that is managed by the IVM. Limitations and restrictions for IBM i client partitions on systems managed by the IVM The Virtual I/O Server and Integrated Virtualization Manager commands contains a detailed description of the IVM mksysplan command. After you have set up and configured a system, you can use the mksysplan command to create a system plan based on the existing system configuration. Then, you can export the system plan and import it into another system managed by the Integrated Virtualization Manager. Finally, you can use the Deploy System Plan wizard on the IVM to deploy the system plan to the new system.