Processor compatibility modes

With PowerLinux™ processor compatibility modes, you can run operating system versions that use all the standard features of a previous generation of POWER® processor.

A processor compatibility mode is a value that is assigned to a logical partition by the hypervisor. It specifies the processor environment in which the logical partition can successfully operate.

You can run several versions of Power Systems™ 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. Support for new processors is typically added only to new Linux distribution releases.

You can move logical partitions between servers that have different processor types without upgrading the operating environments that are installed in the logical partitions. 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. 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.

You can determine processor compatibility mode in advance and at run time. In addition, you can optimize applications for performance and to benefit from processing features available only on some processors.