POWER7 information

Processor compatibility modes

Processor compatibility modes enable you to move logical partitions between servers that have different processor types without upgrading the operating environments installed in the logical partitions.

You can run several versions of the AIX®, IBM® i, Linux, and Virtual I/O Server operating environments in logical partitions on POWER5, POWER6®, POWER6+™, and POWER7® processor-based servers. Sometimes older versions of these operating environments do not support the capabilities that are available with new processors, thus limiting your flexibility to move logical partitions between servers that have different processor types.

Restriction: IBM i logical partitions can only be moved with Hardware Management Console (HMC) Version 7 Release 7.5.0, or later and POWER7 processor-based servers that have firmware at level 7.3, or later.

A processor compatibility mode is a value assigned to a logical partition by the hypervisor that specifies the processor environment in which the logical partition can successfully operate. When you move a logical partition to a destination server that has a different processor type from the source server, the processor compatibility mode enables that logical partition to run in a processor environment on the destination server in which it can successfully operate. In other words, the processor compatibility mode enables the destination server to provide the logical partition with a subset of processor capabilities that are supported by the operating environment that is installed in the logical partition.

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Last updated: Sat, March 17, 2018