IBM eServer pSeries Hardware Management Console Security

Overview

The pSeries Hardware Management Console (HMC) was introduced in 2001 at the same time as the POWER4 family of AIX 5L servers. It consists of a 32-bit Intel processor-based computer running a modified Linux operating system. The primary function of the HMC is to run a graphical user interface based on Java that provides management tools for controlling one or more POWER4 servers and associated Logical PARtitions (LPARs). This white paper describes what IBM has done to protect the HMC from unauthorized access or exploitation in a networked environment.