IBM POWER6 partition mobility: Moving virtual servers seamlessly between physical systems

This paper presents the IBM Power Architecture™ extension for enhanced virtualization that is first implemented in the POWER6™ processor. Virtual partition memory enables all of the memory of a virtual server running in a logical partition to be made virtual by the POWER Hypervisor™ firmware. The Processor Compatibility register allows backward compatibility by providing a mode in which a POWER6 processor behaves like a POWER5™ processor. Enhancements to the timebase facility enable updates to the virtual timebase of a logical partition while maintaining consistency with other partitions in the system. These fundamental enhancements are explained and their role in implementing the new partition mobility junction is described. Partition mobility allows the seamless migration of virtual servers from one physical POWER6 microprocessor-based system to another.