A method of controlling access to adapters in a computing environment, said method comprising: configuring the computing environment at initialization, the configuring characterized by creating for an adapter of the computing environment a function table entry comprising, in part, a zone number indicating which logical partition(s) of the computing environment has access to the adapter and a status indicator to indicate a status of the adapter; executing, by a processor coupled to the adapter, an instruction directed to the adapter the instruction comprising a request by an operating system of a logical partition to access the adapter, the adapter identified by a function handle provided with the request, the executing comprising: using the function handle to select from a function table the function table entry particular to the adapter specified by the function handle, the function table entry stored in memory associated with the processor and including information associated with the adapter including information to determine whether the operating system is authorized to access the adapter; determining, by the processor, based on information in the function table entry whether the operating system is permitted access to the adapter, wherein the determining comprises comparing a zone number of the logical partition in which the operating system resides with a zone number in the function table entry to determine whether the operating system has permission to access the adapter, and based on the zone number in which the operating system resides being equal to the zone number in the function table entry, determining further with reference to the status indicator of the function table entry whether access to the adapter is to be blocked for a different reason, and if so, blocking access. configuring the computing environment at initialization, the configuring characterized by creating for an adapter of the computing environment a function table entry comprising, in part, a zone number indicating which logical partition(s) of the computing environment has access to the adapter and a status indicator to indicate a status of the adapter; executing, by a processor coupled to the adapter, an instruction directed to the adapter the instruction comprising a request by an operating system of a logical partition to access the adapter, the adapter identified by a function handle provided with the request, the executing comprising: using the function handle to select from a function table the function table entry particular to the adapter specified by the function handle, the function table entry stored in memory associated with the processor and including information associated with the adapter including information to determine whether the operating system is authorized to access the adapter; determining, by the processor, based on information in the function table entry whether the operating system is permitted access to the adapter, wherein the determining comprises comparing a zone number of the logical partition in which the operating system resides with a zone number in the function table entry to determine whether the operating system has permission to access the adapter, and based on the zone number in which the operating system resides being equal to the zone number in the function table entry, determining further with reference to the status indicator of the function table entry whether access to the adapter is to be blocked for a different reason, and if so, blocking access. using the function handle to select from a function table the function table entry particular to the adapter specified by the function handle, the function table entry stored in memory associated with the processor and including information associated with the adapter including information to determine whether the operating system is authorized to access the adapter; determining, by the processor, based on information in the function table entry whether the operating system is permitted access to the adapter, wherein the determining comprises comparing a zone number of the logical partition in which the operating system resides with a zone number in the function table entry to determine whether the operating system has permission to access the adapter, and based on the zone number in which the operating system resides being equal to the zone number in the function table entry, determining further with reference to the status indicator of the function table entry whether access to the adapter is to be blocked for a different reason, and if so, blocking access.