System information

Chapter 13. Virtual Partition Manager 381
13.2.4 Design and validate your partition configuration
Use the Logical Partition Validation Tool (LVT) to help you design a partitioned system. You
can download a copy from the following Web address:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2s/en_US/index.htm?info/iphat/iphatlvt.
htm
The LVT provides you with a validation report that reflects your system requirements while
not exceeding logical partition recommendations. Keep in mind that you can only define
hosted Linux partitions using the Virtual Partition Manager. It is also important to understand
and plan for the Hypervisor Memory requirements.
13.2.5 Understand use of virtual resources for Linux partitions
To learn how your Linux logical partitions can communicate with other devices through virtual
I/O, see the Virtual I/O devices topic in the Information Center at the following Web address:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2s/en_US/index.htm?info/iphbi/iphbivirt
ualnative.htm
13.2.6 Ordering your eServer i5 system
To simplify the implementation of your eServer System i5 system, we recommend that you
order the Novell or Red Hat Linux distribution with your eServer System i5 system, order
feature code #0142 Linux specify, and order feature code #0496 Force i5/OS Preload.
Beginning May 2005, the IBM configuration tool (eConfig) is enhanced to support the preload
of i5/OS on your eServer System i5 system, even when you elect to configure Linux
partitions. Prior to this, when you ordered your eServer i5 and specified a Linux partition, the
IBM manufacturing plant did not preload i5/OS and only installed i5/OS microcode on the load
source disk unit. The remaining disk configuration and i5/OS installation tasks were then
performed at the client location after the partitions were defined.
The #0496 FORCE i5/OS PRELOAD feature code preloads i5/OS on a new server across all
disk units, even though logical partitioning has been specified. This feature code cannot be
used if the Linux partition has dedicated disk controllers and drives included in the ordered
configuration.
We recommend that you include this new feature code to preload i5/OS when you order the
Linux distributions from Red Hat or Novell with the eServer System i5 system and virtual
storage.
In the case of Virtual Partition Manager, since all of the Linux partitions will use virtual I/O, it is
important that you take advantage of this IBM configuration support enhancement so that
your new eServer i5 system comes fully loaded with i5/OS, ready for you to start deploying
your Linux partitions.
13.3 Getting started with Virtual Partition Manager
In this section, we review the pre-requisites that you need to plan for and implement before
defining your Linux partitions using Virtual Partition Manager. We recommend that you study
the concepts for Partitioning for Linux for eServer i5 systems, documented in the eServer
Information at the following Web address:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r2s/en_US/index.htm?info/iphbi/iphbikick
off.htm