Power 9 to Power 11 Migration

A structured Power 9 to Power 11 migration checklist for IBM i, AIX, Linux, VIOS, HMC, storage, and support planning.

A Power 9 to Power 11 move is not just a processor replacement. It is an inventory, release, partition, storage, console, licensing, testing, and cutover project.

Migration workstream checklist

Workstream	Power 9 Question	Power 11 Planning Item
IBM i release	Are you on 7.4 or 7.5, and do you need 7.6?	Power 11 supports current IBM i releases, but upgrade sequence matters.
LPAR and VIOS	Which partitions use virtual I/O or native I/O?	Rebuild profiles and validate VIOS/HMC requirements.
Storage	Which data lives on internal SAS, NVMe, SAN, or tape?	Plan migration tooling, bandwidth, and rollback.
Licensing	Which software tier and user entitlements exist today?	Quote by exact target feature code and IBM i model.
Cutover	How much downtime is acceptable?	Choose side-by-side migration, backup restore, HA replication, or staged move.