Adding dedicated memory dynamically

You can dynamically add physical memory to a running logical partition that uses dedicated memory using the Hardware Management Console (HMC). This allows you to increase the physical memory available to a logical partition that uses dedicated memory without having to shut down the logical partition.

A Linux logical partition supports the dynamic addition of memory resources only if the following conditions are met:

  • A Linux distribution that supports the dynamic addition of memory resources is installed on the Linux logical partition. Distributions that support the dynamic addition of memory resources include SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, and later.
  • 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 add memory to a Linux logical partition that uses an earlier version of these distributions, you must shut down the Linux logical partition and reactivate the logical partition using a partition profile that specifies a greater amount of memory.

The HMC Classic interface is not supported in Hardware Management Console (HMC) Version 8.7.0, or later. The functions that were previously available in the HMC Classic interface are now available in the HMC Enhanced+ interface.

For more information about changing the memory settings when the HMC is at version 8.7.0, or later, see Changing memory settings.

To add memory dynamically to a running logical partition using the HMC, follow these steps:
  1. In the navigation pane, open Systems Management > Servers, and click the managed system on which the logical partition is located.
  2. In the work pane, select the logical partition, click the Tasks button, and click Dynamic Partitioning > Memory > Add or Remove.
  3. In the Assigned Memory field, enter the total amount of physical memory that you want to assign to the logical partition. You can enter the size in a combination of gigabytes (GB) plus megabytes (MB).
  4. Adjust the settings in the Options area if necessary. You might need to increase the value in the Timeout (minutes) field to allow enough time for the HMC to complete the operation. (These settings relate to how the managed system adds memory dynamically. These settings are not retained after the addition is completed.)
  5. Click OK.
Parent topic: Managing dedicated memory dynamically


Last updated: Fri, July 05, 2019