Although there are many
benefits to using logical partitioning,
you should consider whether it is a good option for your enterprise.
Processor and memory failures
might result in the failure of the
entire server with all of its logical partitions.
The failure of
a single I/O device affects only the logical partition to which the
I/O device belongs.
There are many concepts that you must
understand to implement
logical partitions successfully on your server. IBM® is working to make virtualization more simple.
The Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) console is a good example
of a simplified interface for implementing virtualization. Online
demos and tutorials, Redbooks®,
and other documentation exist to help you learn about virtualization.
Case studies and best practices offer real-life examples of how companies
are using virtualization to save IT costs and operate more efficiently.
Administering a consolidated system might be more difficult in
some ways than administering multiple smaller systems, particularly
if the resources in the consolidated system are used at a level close
to their capacity. If you anticipate that you will use your server
at a level close to its capacity, you might be better off using a
dedicated processor partition.