s-Par
Unisys Secure Partitioning (s-Par®) is firmware that provides the capability to run multiple operating environments concurrently on the same computer hardware: for example, Linux and Windows operating environments. Unlike virtualization technologies and virtual machines, each s-Par operating environment has dedicated hardware resources—instruction processor cores, memory, and input/output components. Each s-Par operating environment is referred to as a secure partition (or just “partition,” for short). A secure partition is sometimes referred to as a hard partition.
Secure partitions have great advantages. Because a secure partition has its own dedicated hardware resources
You can consolidate numerous Windows and Linux servers on a single enterprise partition platform, while still ensuring that each server has its own dedicated hardware resources.
Operating system licensing costs are typically significantly lower than for virtualization technologies, because many virtualization technology vendors charge based on all the instruction processor cores on the platform. This is not the case with hard partition technology.
The performance of Windows and Linux operating environments is dependable and predictable, unlike with virtualized servers. This provides the following benefits:
The dependable, predictable performance of Secure Partitions helps meet the service level agreements (SLAs) that you have guaranteed to your customers.
Since virtualization technologies do not result in predictable performance, there is a tendency to provide more resources than necessary to virtual machines for safety, undercutting one of the benefits of virtualization.
One operating environment is isolated from another. A failure in one operating environment cannot affect another.
A security breach or intrusion in one operating environment cannot affect another operating environment.
The operating environment has a much smaller attack surface than those of traditional virtual machine technology.
If s-Par firmware is needed on your enterprise partition platform, it will be preinstalled. You do not need to do anything to obtain or install it.
Partitions
A partition is a portion of a computer system that is supported by its own dedicated hardware resources (such as instruction processor cores, memory, and input/output components) and runs its own operating environment (that is, has its own operating system running its own software stack).
Enterprise partition platforms with s-Par firmware have a maximum of from 8 to 30 enabled partitions, depending on whether they have one, two, or four processor sockets. Enterprise partition platforms without s-Par firmware have a single partition.
There is a maximum of 192 partitions in a given fabric.
Service Partitions
A service partition is a pre-populated, pre-configured partition whose only role is to provide a service to other partitions. For example, s-Par firmware uses service partitions to perform its work. Service partitions and the services they perform are for the most part invisible to users.