HMC
The Hardware Management Console: the workstation used to control the mainframe hardware, its LPARs and IPLs.
Also written Hardware Management Console, SE, Support Element
The HMC, or Hardware Management Console, is how people control the mainframe as a machine, below the level of any operating system. Each machine also has Support Elements inside it, and the HMC talks to them.
From the HMC, staff activate and deactivate LPARs, start an IPL by naming the load device and load parameter, watch for hardware messages, and apply firmware updates. It can also act as an emergency console for an operating system when no other console is working.
Access to it is tightly controlled. One wrong action on the HMC, such as deactivating the wrong LPAR, can stop a production system, so only trained operators and system programmers use it, usually following a runbook.
Most mainframe staff never touch the HMC. You may still hear it mentioned during an IPL, a hardware change or a disaster recovery test, when someone says "it's being done from the HMC".
Where can I learn this hands-on?
Right here, at ZedBank. You take a junior job at a simulated bank and learn each part of the work by doing it, with Zed beside you. There's nothing to install.
Start at ZedBankRelated
- IPLInitial program load: starting z/OS on a system, the mainframe word for booting.
- LPARA logical partition: one physical mainframe carved into several independent virtual machines, each running its own operating system.
- IBM ZIBM's current family of mainframe hardware, and the brand name you will see on most modern mainframe job adverts.
- OperatorThe person who watches the running systems, responds to messages, and starts, stops and recovers work.
- System programmerThe person who installs, configures, tunes and upgrades the operating system and its subsystems.
- System consoleThe screen where z/OS shows its messages to operators and accepts system commands.