IBM has also been offering the HMC as a virtual HMC machine image for several years. The customer can then use his own hardware for such a virtual HMC (vHCM). Both PowerVM and x86 are supported as platforms. However, the virtual HMC is not a way to operate an HMC free of charge. To operate a vHMC, the customer must purchase the corresponding product.

The following describes how to set up a VM or an LPAR for a vHMC.