Patent ID: 7793298
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system of facilitating access to input/output (I/O) resources of a partitioned environment comprising multiple logical partitions, said system comprising: a computer system comprising an I/O logical partition, the I/O logical partition comprising one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions of the partitioned environment, the multiple logical partitions running above a hypervisor of the partitioned environment, and interfaced via the hypervisor to one or more consumer logical partitions of the partitioned environment and providing access for the one or more consumer logical partitions to one or more I/O resources assigned to the logical I/O partition; wherein the computer system further comprises logic for employing, by at least one consumer logical partition of the one or more consumer logical partitions, the I/O partition to access at least one I/O resource of the one or more I/O resources assigned to the I/O logical partition; wherein the logic for providing the I/O logical partition utilizes a partition management tool in providing the I/O logical partition; and wherein the partition management tool facilitates at least one of managing the I/O logical partition, specifying one or more resources to be allocated to the I/O logical partition, and specifying one or more consumer logical partitions allowed to share at least one I/O resourced of the one or more I/O resources.