Hardware Management Console

What Does Hardware Management Console Mean?

Hardware management console (HMC) is technology created by IBM to provide the interface required to configure and operate partitioned and SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) systems. Examples of such server systems include IBM System p, IBM System i or IBM Power Systems.

Techopedia Explains Hardware Management Console

Using an HMC, a system administrator can inexpensively manage software configuration and operation of partitions in a complex and expensive server system. Additionally, the administrator can monitor the system for hardware issues and errors.

Additionally, the HMC performs DLPAR (dynamic logical partitioning) fuctions, allowing hard drive logical petitions to be configured without shutting down the operating system (OS). It also activates and manages capacity on demand resources, which provide processing power, system memory or other system storage space when needed.

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Margaret Rouse

Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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