Host Ethernet Adapter

Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA) which is a physical Ethernet adapter that is integrated directly into the system (GX+ bus) on a managed system. HEAs are also known as Integrated Virtual Ethernet adapters (IVE adapters).

HEAs offer high throughput, low latency, and virtualization support for Ethernet connections. HEAs have the same uses as other types of physical Ethernet adapters. For example, you can use an HEA to establish a console connection to a logical partition.

Unlike most other types of I/O devices, you can not assign the HEA to a logical partition. Instead, multiple logical partitions can connect directly to the HEA and use the HEA resources. This allows the logical partitions to access external networks through the HEA without having to go through an Ethernet bridge on another logical partition.