Logical partitioning provides POWER processor-based servers with the capability to do server consolidation and optimize system resources. Dynamic logical partitioning enhances this capability by providing control of the allocation of the resources without impacting the logical partitions availability. Linux on POWER supports dynamic LPAR for changes to physical/virtual I/O and proc. resources.
Is this the first step in IBM getting rid of AIX or are they just simply adding functionality to support certain hardware?
IBM does not want to be in the software development business, they can merely leverage linux and provide some proprietary drivers for the OS and then charge mucho bucks for the hardware. It is actually quite a good business model. While AIX wanes, the linux on power will rise.
Believe me you would much rather run your mission critical software on linux on power than linux on x86. POWER machines are very very capable and high quality machines. Most x86 boxes (with the exception of the new Sun boxes) are pieces of crap that have an inordinate amount of failures.
In a previous job I spent about 14 months working in a mixed AIX/Solaris/Linux/Windows environment I got to learn some of the benefits (and quirks) of AIX (4.3 and 5L 5.2) and IBM POWER hardware. It would be a shame if IBM was to dump AIX for Linux and not port some of the cooler features like smitty.
No doubt I would much rather run on POWER than x86, but I would wait for the jury to weigh in on the Opteron boxes from Sun. We have 10 V20z’s and so far there not too bad, but they aren’t getting hit that hard (yet). And hopefully we will be getting evaluation units of the “Becky boxes” and see how they shake out.
“Is this the first step in IBM getting rid of AIX or are they just simply adding functionality to support certain hardware?”
Nope, this functionality was in AIX 5.2:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247039.pdf