Installation guide

E.4 AlphaServer GS140 Logical Partitions
A single AlphaServer GS140 system can be divided into a maximum of
three logical partitions. Each partition is allocated its own dedicated set of
hardware resources. A partition is viewed by the operating system and
applications software as a single AlphaServer GS140 system.
Logical partitions employ a share nothing model. That is, all hardware
resources (processors, memory, and I/O) allocated to a partition are isolated
to that partition. A partition’s hardware resources can only be accessed by
the operating system instance running on that partition.
You can use logical partitions to reduce floor space requirements, power
consumption, or improve heat dissipation (by reducing computer room
cooling requirements). For example, two departments in an enterprise may
have completely different computing requirements. They may need to run
completely different applications and require different configuration and
tuning of the operating system. Logical partitioning allows you to configure
a single AlphaServer GS140 computer to meet the computing needs of both
departments.
E.4.1 Hardware Requirements
The minimum hardware requirements for a partition are:
• An AlphaServer GS140 with a minimum of six center plane slots
At the time this manual was published, only the AlphaServer GS140
6–525 is supported. Refer to the Systems and Options Catalog for
information on newly-supported systems.
• A console device
This console device can be a character cell video terminal or serial line
connection to another system or terminal concentrator. Supported
graphics devices can be used by the operating system’s windowing
software, but not as the console device.
The AlphaServer GS140 includes one console serial port. This port
becomes the console for the first partition (partition 0). Each additional
partition requires the installation of a KFE72 option. This option
includes two serial ports (port 0 is the console port). Refer to the
hardware documentation for the KFE72 option information and
installation instructions.
• One dual processor CPU module
• One IOP (IO Port) module
• One memory module
E–10 Administering Specific Hardware