IBM i Platform Support Details

March 2018 - IBM PowerVM 2.2.6

IBM PowerVM 2.2.6

IBM PowerVM 2.2.6 provides the foundation for cloud computing on IBM Power Systems.  The Enterprise Edition is included with the IBM Scale-out Servers with POWER9 technology.  This new release will allow ready access to leverage advanced functions, such as Live Partition Mobility and Remote Restart.

See announce letter IBM PowerVM 2.2.6 for more information about this and other new functions included in this new release of PowerVM.

March 2018 - HMC Virtual Appliance Version 9

HMC Virtual Appliance Version 9
The IBM Power Systems Hardware Management Console now includes functions that may be of interest to IBM i clients, including support for POWER9 systems.
For more information about new HMC functions included with Version 9, see the February 13, 2018, Announcement:  IBM Power Systems HMC Virtual Appliance Version 9. 

Sep 2017 - New HMC Releases

IBM HMC virtual appliance
IBM Power Systems Hardware Management Console virtual appliance for POWER-based systems offers an option to deploy an HMC on an IBM Power server to manage other Power Systems servers.  For more information, see Announcement Letter IBM Power Systems HMC virtual appliance.

IBM POWER technology-based HMC
IBM Power Systems offers a new IBM POWER technology-based Hardware Management Console for managing other Power Systems servers. For more information, see Announcement Letter IBM POWER technology-based HMC.

March 2017 - IBM i 7.3 Technology Refresh 2 and IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 6

IBM Power S812 model 8284-21A

IBM i support is extended to include a new entry-priced model S812 with IBM i 7.3 TR2 or IBM i 7.2 TR6.  System firmware 860.20, or later, is required. The S812 is a simplified, low-cost offering aimed at those who want a basic system with IBM i and native I/O support, and do not have large hardware growth expectations.  It is a one-partition server and uses only native I/O.  For specifics about this offering, see announcement letter IBM Power System S812 server.

November 2016 - IBM i 7.3 Technology Refresh 1 and IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 5

IBM Power S822 model 8284-22A increases max cores

Both IBM i 7.3 base and IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 4 now allow up to four processor cores per IBM i partition on the IBM Power S822 model 8284-22A.  System firmware 860, or later, is required.  With earlier firmware levels, the maximum is two cores per IBM i partition.  Because IBM i support on Power S822 requires a Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) configuration, this increase in processor cores may be of most interest to service providers with external storage and knowledge of VIOS.  For more information, see the announcement letter Power Systems enhances I/O and server options.

February 23, 2017 update: 

The Power S822 model 8284-22A has been supported by these levels of firmware:

• Minimum FW level 840 or later for IBM i support (2 cores max per LPAR)
• Minimum FW level 860 or later for IBM i support (4 cores max per LPAR)

A problem was discovered in the setting of the "IBM i capable" value for install.  If an IBM i partition is already up and running successfully, then a Firmware update is not needed.  However, for new installations, it is recommended to use these newer levels of firmware to avoid this problem:

• Minimum FW level 840.50 or later for IBM i support (2 cores max per LPAR)
• Minimum FW level 860.20 or later for IBM i support (4 cores max per LPAR)

To check the HMC capability bits on an existing S822, use the HMC display for the server, click "Properties", click the "Capabilities" tab, and look for the "IBM i capable" setting. 

If "IBM i Capable" is True, you can install IBM i.  If it is False, load the recommended firmware level.

November 2016 - New NovaLink Release

NovaLink support for SR-IOV configurations

PowerVM NovaLink, which provides a scalable direct OpenStack cloud management connection for OpenStack solutions like PowerVC, has been enhanced with support for SR-IOV configurations.  For more information, see announcement letter IBM PowerVM and IBM PowerVC enhancements.

September 2016 - IBM i 7.3 Base and IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 4

New Power Systems models IBM Power E880C and E870C for cloud deployment.
The IBM Power E880C and E870C servers provide a rich, flexible environment for cloud (private and hybrid) and traditional IT.  Both IBM i 7.3 base and IBM IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 4 are supported.  For more information, see these announcement letters:

• IBM Power E880C Enterprise server
• IBM Power E870C Enterprise server  

November 2015 - IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 3, IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 11

IBM Power S822 model 8284-22A (with and without PurePower)

Both IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 3 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 11 have the necessary Licensed Internal Code to support the IBM Power S822 model of Power Systems servers with POWER8 technology.  IBM i supports this model both with and without the PurePower System Solution.  There are special terms and conditions for the S822 model:

• Maximum of 2 cores per IBM i partition
• Software tier is P10 (rather than the P20 software tier used on the 2-socket S824)
• Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) is required for all the I/O that IBM i accesses. There is no "native" IBM i support for I/O.

Minimum code levels required:

• FW 840
• VIOS 2.23.52
• If using an HMC to manage the S822, the latest code level for HMC is also required.

For more information about these new offerings and the available features, see the October 5, 2015 announce documents at the following links:

• IBM Power S822 model 8284-22A
• IBM PurePower Enhancements

Enhanced RAS for PCIe Gen3 I/O Drawer (#EMX0)
IBM i 7.2 TR 3 and IBM i 7.1 TR11 now support expanded reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) capabilities for the PCIe Gen3 I/O Drawer.  These new capabilities make it easier to add more I/O and handle repair actions.  Capabilities include:

• Concurrent Maintenance of Fan-out Modules - concurrently service a Fan-out Module in a PCIe3 I/O Drawer without taking the server down or taking down a Fan-out Module located in the same PCIe Gen3 I/O Drawer
• Redundant cables - disconnect either of the cables attaching a Fan-out Module to a system PCIe3 Optical Cable adapter
• Concurrent Add of PCIe3 I/O Drawer to a Power E870/E880 server - concurrently add one or more PCIe3 Optical Cable adapters (feature #EJ07) or one or more PCIe Gen3 I/O Drawers (feature #EMX0) while the system is running

For more information, see the October 5, 2015 announce document:  Multiple enhancements for IBM Power Systems I/O and servers

May 2015 - IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 2, IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 10

Power Systems with POWER8 Technology attach more drawers

Both IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 2 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 10 allow expanded options for attachment of more drawers to Power Systems with POWER8 technology.

More #EPBB 32-core System Node drawers, or the new #EPBD with 48 cores, can be attached to the IBM Power E880 Server, up to a maximum of 4 System Node drawers per server.  A greater number of #EMX0 PCIe Gen3 I/O drawers can be attached to both the IBM Power E880 and E870 enterprise servers, up to a maximum of 4 I/O drawers per System Node drawer.

The IBM Power S814 and S824 Scale Out servers can now attach the #EMX0 PCIe Gen3 I/O Drawer, increasing their maximum number of PCIe Gen3 slots per system.

For more specifics, see the April 28th 2015 IBM Power Systems:  Server and  I/O Enhancements RFA.

November 2014 - IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 1 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 9

Enterprise Power Systems with POWER8 Technology

Both IBM i 7.2 Technology Refresh 1 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 9 have the necessary Licensed Internal Code to support the new Enterprise models of Power Systems servers with POWER8 technology. With more throughput and performance improvements, these new servers provide more options for IBM i clients who have computing requirements larger than the S814 and S824 models announced in April 2014.

Customers who have adopted the Live Partition Mobility function can even "permanently" migrate a partition from a POWER7 to a POWER8 system with no downtime.  The partition must be at code level IBM i 7.2 TR 1 or IBM i 7.1 TR9, and the proper licenses and activations must be set up on the POWER8 system.

For more information about these new models and all the available features, see the October 6, 2014 announce documents at the following links:

- IBM Power System E870 model 9119-MME server RFA
- IBM Power System E880 model 9119-MHE server RFA

A developerWorks article describes some of the capabilities and features in IBM i 7.2 designed or optimized specifically for POWER8, presented from the perspective of a veteran IBM i Licensed Internal Code (LIC) developer.  See IBM i 7.2 and POWER8 Technology.

November 2014 - New HMC Release

New HMC V8.2 Release

IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) V8.2 enhancements improve the usability of IBM PowerVM and support the new Power Enterprise Systems. Functionality improvements:

• Improved virtualization user experience with HMC V8.2
• Enhanced and simplified HMC management of PowerVM virtualization enables automation and helps simply the setup and operation of PowerVM
• Improved no-touch VIOS virtualization management enables complete virtualization administration from HMC
• Delivers one-touch VIOS deployment that enables VIOS images to be deployed from HMC to help simplify the setup of I/O virtualization and PowerVM
• Has system and partition templates that enable site-specific virtual machine configurations to be consistently deployed and can be used to enforce virtualization best practices for various configurations
• Includes simplified Remote Restart, removing need for storage area network (SAN) LUNs
• Contains operating system-level shutdown for IBM i partitions, providing parity with existing support for VIOS, IBM AIX®, and Linux
• Has technology preview of the concurrent activation and network install graphical user interface for partition operating system
• Has technology preview for new UI capabilities such as quick search, gallery views, graphical topology, and improved resource views
• Delivers enhanced manual and automatic First Failure Data Capture (FFDC) on Live Partition Mobility (LPM) abort
• Includes, with HMC V8.2, IBM POWER8 Enterprise hardware support

For more information about these enhancements see the Power virtualization enhancements RFA.

June 2014 - IBM i 7.2 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 8

Both IBM i 7.2 and IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 8 have the necessary Licensed Internal Code to support the new models of Power Systems servers with POWER8 technology, taking advantage of the improved resiliency, availability, and scalability characteristics. With more throughput, these new servers will provide IBM i clients with significant benefits when moving to these new servers. The operating system and most applications for IBM i are built on a Technology Independent Machine Interface (TIMI) that isolates programs from differences in processor architectures, and allows the system to automatically capitalize on many new POWER® architecture features without changes to existing programs.

For more information about these new systems and all the available features, see the April 28, 2014 announce documents at the following links:

• IBM Power S814 model 8286-41A
• IBM Power S824 model 8286-42A

For entry clients, a special 4-core offering of the IBM Power S814 allows for P05 Software Tier pricing.  See the June announcement for more information:

• IBM Power 4-core S814 model 8286-41A (#EPXK)

June 2014 - New HMC Release and Model

New HMC Version 8 Release 8.1.0 and hardware model 7042-CR8

The Hardware Management Console (HMC) version 8 release 8.1.0 is designed to deliver support for:

• Power Systems with POWER8 technology
• RAID 1, enabling data redundancy
• Up to 16 concurrent Live Partition Mobility (LPM) activities with IBM® PowerVM®
• Latest web browsers

Also, the underlying appliance hardware of the Hardware Management Console (HMC) is updated to stay current with updates in hardware technology. The 7042-CR7 system is being replaced with the 7042-CR8.

For more information see the April 28, 2014 announcement:  IBM 7042-CR8 Rack-mounted HMC.

April 2014 - System Firmware Update

Latest Firmware Level 7.8 for POWER7+ 770 and 780

There is a new level of system firmware for the POWER7+ 770 and 780 models that includes support for Power Enterprise Pools, which establish a new level of flexibility and value for systems that operate together as a pool of resources, and more.  For more information, see the April 8 2014 RFA:  IBM Power Systems POWER7/POWER7+ Enhancements.

November 2013 - HMC Update

HMC Update, including Power Enterprise Pools

Also, the HMC is updated to include the following new function with HMC V7.8:

• Enablement for IBM PowerVC Virtualization Center for Power Systems
• Automation for invoking DPO when a threshold is exceeded. This function includes DPO scoring of LPARs, which indicates whether a VM will benefit from DPO usage.
• More tracking of DLPAR activity within the current profile, which enables reactivation of an LPAR with all configuration changes intact since the last shutdown.
• Improved group-based access control for LDAP users, which enables limiting users to a subset of HMCs.

For more information, see Power Systems RFA.

June 2013 - IBM i 7.1 and 6.1

Power 795 Memory DIMMs

New Power 795 memory DIMMs using high-density 4 Gb DDR3 technology improve Power 795 price-to-performance ratios and save energy and cooling. Available sizes are 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB memory (#EM40, #EM41, #EM42, and #EM44).

For more information, see Power Systems RFA.

February and March 2013 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 6 and IBM i 6.1

POWER7+ rack systems

IBM i 7.1 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 support new models of IBM Power 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, and 760 rack servers. These new models use the new POWER7+ processor and include enhancements that can be particularly beneficial to clients running applications that drive very high I/O requirements.

To achieve best performance and the widest array of features, IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 6 PTF Group or later is highly recommended. Support of IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code is still accommodated via virtual client only, meaning that the partition must have all of its I/O served by either an IBM i 7.1 partition or by VIOS. See IBM i I/O Support Details for information about a hardware feature for native I/O attach with IBM i 6.1.

For more information about these new systems and all the available features, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM Power 710 Express Server Model 8231-E1D
• IBM Power 720 Express Server Model 8202-E4D
• IBM Power 730 Express Server Model 8231-E2D
• IBM Power 740 Express Server Model 8205-E6D
• IBM Power 750 Express Server Model 8408-E8D
• IBM Power 760 Enterprise Server Model 9109-RMD

February 2013 - HMC Hardware Appliance Update

HMC V7 R7.7.0

The Hardware Management Console (HMC) V7 R7.7.0 (SP1 or later) is enhanced to deliver support for:

• A new graphical user interface (GUI) for configuring a Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) partition - This new interface simplifies a VIOS partition's initial set-up steps and allows the user to automatically install the VIOS partition using the HMC console user interface.
• Enhancements to assist users who are transitioning from Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) to HMC management -  These enhancements simplify the HMC set-up process when a user is transitioning from IVM by allowing the HMC to discover the virtual client partition information from IVM and translate to HMC partition configuration data automatically.
• Support for 802.1 Qbg on virtual Ethernet adapters - This support provides standards-based virtual networking to automate network configuration. For network virtualization, VMready software on the switch helps reduce configuration complexity while significantly improving security levels in virtualized environments. The network configuration will be persisted across a Live Partition Mobility operation. Each partition's network policies are instantly reconfigured across VLANs to keep the network up and running without interrupting traffic or impacting performance.
• Ability to update the user's password in Kerberos from the HMC for clients using remote HMC.

November 2012 - HMC Hardware Appliance Update

HMC V7R760

The Hardware Management Console (HMC) V7R760 is designed to deliver support for:

• RAID 1, enabling data redundancy and high levels of performance
• Power servers and management of BladeCenter power blade servers
• Up to 16 concurrent live partition mobility (LPM) activities with PowerVM
• Latest web browsers

For more information, see the RFA: IBM 7042-CR7 Rack-Mount Hardware Management Console.

October and November 2012 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 5 and IBM i 6.1

POWER7+ rack systems

IBM i now supports new models of IBM Power 770 and 780 rack servers. These new models use the new POWER7+ processor and the next-generation I/O technology designed to deliver unprecedented performance, scalability, reliability, and manageability for demanding commercial workloads.

To achieve best performance and the widest array of features, IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 5 or later is highly recommended. Support of IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code is still accommodated via virtual client only, meaning that the partition must have all of its I/O served by either an IBM i 7.1 partition or by VIOS.

For more information about these new systems and all the available features, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM Power 770 Enterprise Server Model 9117-MMD
• IBM Power 780 Enterprise Server Model 9179-MHD

New features for IBM Power 795 Model FHB

IBM i now supports new features on the IBM Power 795 rack servers, designed to deliver outstanding price/performance, mainframe-inspired reliability and availability features, flexible capacity upgrades, and innovative virtualization technologies. To achieve best performance and the widest array of features, IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 5 or later is highly recommended, but support is also available for IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code.

For more information about the available features, see the RFA document:  IBM Power 795 Enterprise Server Model 9119-MHB Features

May 2012 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 4 and IBM i 6.1

Flex Compute Nodes

IBM i now supports new models of the Flex Compute Nodes for the IBM PureFlex System with IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 4 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code.

IBM PureFlex System is the next generation of smarter computing. It integrates multiple server architectures, networking storage, and system management capability into a single system that is easy to deploy and manage. IBM i uses a PowerVM VIOS partition for access to PureFlex System resources and storage devices.

For more information about the Flex Compute Nodes, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM Flex System p260 Compute Node Model 7895-22X
• IBM Flex System p460 Compute Node Model 7895-42X

IBM i on a Flex Compute Node gives detailed information about prerequisites, supported configurations, preparation for install, hardware and software install, firmware updates and post-install tasks such as back-ups. It also contains links to more information sources.

October 2011 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 3 and IBM i 6.1

POWER7 rack systems

IBM i now supports new models of IBM Power 710, 720, 730, 740, 770, and 780 servers with IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 3 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code. These new models can be particularly beneficial to customers running applications driving very high I/O or memory requirements.

For more information about these new systems, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM Power 710 Express Server Model 8231-E1C
• IBM Power 720 Express Server Model 8202-E4C
• IBM Power 730 Express Server Model 8231-E2C
• IBM Power 740 Express Server Model 8205-E6C
• IBM Power 770 Enterprise Server Model 9117-MMC
• IBM Power 780 Enterprise Server Model 9179-MHC

May 2011 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 2 and IBM i 6.1

POWER7 BladeCenter systems

IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 2 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code are now supported on the following additional POWER7 BladeCenter systems, enabling more processing capacity for IBM i applications on blades:

• BladeCenter PS703 Express - up to 16 cores
• BladeCenter PS704 Express - up to 32 cores

The IBM BladeCenter family of products is a set of integrated platforms with a high degree of deployment flexibility, energy efficiency, scalability, and manageability. This platform allows workload consolidation on IBM BladeCenter Power Architecture® blades with POWER7 processors and application virtualization to better use resources and amplify the already significant advantages of BladeCenter efficiencies. BladeCenters offer elegantly simple scalability, easy expansion, and pay-as-you-grow flexibility for the utmost in investment protection, performance growth, and time to value.

For more information about these new systems, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM BladeCenter PS703 Express Model 7891-73X
• IBM BladeCenter PS704 Express Model 7891-74X

October 2010 - IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 1 and IBM i 6.1

POWER7 small and midsize systems

For small and midsize clients, IBM i 7.1 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code are now supported on the following additional POWER7 systems, enabling more processing capacity for IBM i applications:

• 4-core, 6-core, and 8-core Power 710
• 4-core, 6-core, and 8-core Power 720
• 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core Power 730
• 4-core, 6-core, 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core Power 740

For more information about these new systems, see the RFA documents at the following links:

• IBM Power 710 and 730 Express Server Model 8231-E1B
• IBM Power 720 Express Server Model 8202-E4B
• IBM Power 740 Express Server Model 8205-E6B

POWER7 enterprise system

For enterprise clients, IBM i 7.1 and IBM i 6.1 with 6.1.1 machine code are now supported on the 16-core through 256-core Power 795, enabling growth. IBM i supports up to 32 cores in a single partition. IBM Lab Services can be contacted for an offering to grow beyond 32 cores in a single partition.

For more information about this new system, see the RFA document: IBM Power 795 Enterprise Server Model 9119-FHB