IBM i Power 11 Migration
A practical checklist for moving an existing IBM i workload onto Power 11 hardware: HMC, software levels, licensing tier, and storage planning.
Moving an existing IBM i workload to Power 11 is a hardware refresh, not an in-place upgrade -- there is no direct Power10-to-Power 11 upgrade path. Planning the migration well means checking software levels, management console requirements, and licensing tier changes before hardware arrives, not after.
Pre-migration checklist
1. Confirm your HMC
Power11 requires HMC v11 on the 7063-CR2 hardware appliance or vHMC. A 7063-CR1 console must be replaced or migrated to vHMC before cutover.
2. Check your IBM i release
Power 11 supports IBM i 7.6, 7.5 TR6+, and 7.4 TR12+. Older releases need a TR/PTF update or a full release upgrade before or during migration.
3. Re-check your software tier
Your new processor feature code sets a software tier (P05-P30) that may differ from your current system. Re-price IBM i software against the new tier before finalizing budget.
4. Plan VIOS and PowerVM
VIOS 4.1.1.30 or later is the minimum supported level. Existing partition definitions do not carry over automatically -- plan to recreate LPARs on the new HMC.
5. Validate storage and adapters
Confirm any PCIe adapters, SAN, or tape hardware you intend to carry forward are supported and compatible with the new Power 11 chassis and I/O drawers.
6. Size against real CPW
Compare your current system's CPW against the target Power 11 feature code's CPW rating, not core count alone -- see our CPW and rPerf explainer.
Use our Power 11 quote checklist as the next step once you have confirmed these six items -- it turns this planning list into an actual configuration request for a sourcing vendor.