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hmc-mcp

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hmc-mcp

MCP server and CLI for the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) REST API (/rest/api/uom/...). It lets you — or an AI agent over MCP — inventory Power systems, inspect LPARs/VIOS, and submit jobs such as power on/off.

Stack

  • Python ≥3.12, managed with uv

  • MCP server: FastMCP (stdio or streamable HTTP)

  • CLI: Typer + Rich tables

  • REST transport: httpx (async), XML parsed with defusedxml

  • CLI passthrough: asyncssh — tools that shell out to HMC CLI commands (lssyscfg, lshwres, chsyscfg, ...) over SSH

Related MCP server: quads-mcp

Install

cd ~/src/hmc-mcp
uv sync

Configure

Credentials come from a .env file, environment variables, or CLI flags (priority: flags > env > .env). Copy the example:

cp .env.example .env   # then edit

Setting

Env var

CLI flag

Default

HMC host / IP

HMC_HOST

--host

—

REST port

HMC_PORT

—

12443

User

HMC_USER

--user, -u

—

Password

HMC_PASSWORD

--password, -p

—

Verify TLS

HMC_VERIFY_SSL

--verify-ssl

false

HTTP timeout (s)

HMC_TIMEOUT

—

60.0

SSH timeout (s)

HMC_SSH_TIMEOUT

—

300.0

SSH key file

HMC_SSH_KEY_FILE

—

—

Audit memento

HMC_AUDIT_MEMENTO

—

hmc-mcp

Schema version

HMC_SCHEMA_VERSION

—

—

See docs/environment-variables.md for the full reference, including descriptions and usage notes.

HMCs ship self-signed certificates, so TLS verification is off by default and hmc-mcp warns on every logon while it stays off. To verify the HMC certificate, install its CA locally and set HMC_VERIFY_SSL=true (--verify-ssl) — otherwise the HMC credentials are at risk of man-in-the-middle interception.

HMC version and schema compatibility

hmc-mcp targets HMC V8 through V11 and all the POWER generations they manage. All uom XML documents are written with schemaVersion="V1_0" — the floor every supported HMC understands — so create/modify operations succeed regardless of firmware age.

HMC version

POWER generations managed

uom schema floor

HMC V8

POWER6, POWER7, POWER8

V1_0

HMC V9

POWER7, POWER8, POWER9

V1_0

HMC V10

POWER8, POWER9, POWER10

V1_0

HMC V11

POWER9, POWER10, POWER11

V1_0

The HMC_SCHEMA_VERSION environment variable (or schema_version in .env) optionally pins the X-HMC-Schema-Version request header. Leave it unset for the default behaviour (let the HMC negotiate via the document's schemaVersion attribute). See docs/environment-variables.md for all supported variables.

CLI usage

hmc-mcp console info                 # connectivity check / HMC version
hmc-mcp systems list                 # table of managed systems
hmc-mcp systems show <uuid>
hmc-mcp systems summary <uuid>       # one-call summary: state, MTMS, firmware, LPARs, free resources
hmc-mcp lpars list                   # all LPARs
hmc-mcp lpars list --system <uuid>   # LPARs of one system
hmc-mcp lpars show mylpar            # by name or UUID (JSON)
hmc-mcp lpars state mylpar           # just "running", "not activated", ...
hmc-mcp lpars summary mylpar         # one-call summary: state, RMC, memory, CPU, OS, adapters
hmc-mcp lpars create web01 --system <uuid> --mem 8192 --vcpus 2
hmc-mcp lpars modify web01 --mem 16384 --procs 2.0   # assign resources
hmc-mcp lpars delete web01           # destroy (must be powered off)
hmc-mcp lpars power-on mylpar        # submits a PowerOn job (asks first)
hmc-mcp lpars power-off mylpar --immediate
hmc-mcp adapters list mylpar                    # network adapters (default type)
hmc-mcp adapters list mylpar --type VirtualSCSIClientAdapter
hmc-mcp adapters add-network mylpar --vlan 100  # add a NIC on VLAN 100
hmc-mcp adapters add-vscsi mylpar --vios-id 1 --vios-slot 5
hmc-mcp adapters add-vfc mylpar --vios-id 1 --vios-slot 6
hmc-mcp adapters delete mylpar --type ClientNetworkAdapter --uuid <adapter-uuid>
hmc-mcp vios list
hmc-mcp jobs list                    # recent jobs (default 20)
hmc-mcp jobs list -n 5               # last 5 jobs
hmc-mcp jobs show <job-uuid>
hmc-mcp raw get /rest/api/uom/VirtualSwitch   # escape hatch, prints XML

Add --json to list commands for machine-readable output. Every entry is the parsed uom resource: {UUID, title, link, ResourceType, Resource} where Resource is the flattened XML (namespace-stripped, HMC bookkeeping attributes removed).

MCP server

hmc-mcp serve            # stdio — what MCP clients/agents expect
hmc-mcp serve --http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

Security: the streamable-HTTP transport is unauthenticated. It exposes the full tool surface — including arbitrary HMC CLI execution (hmc_run_command) and user administration — to anyone who can reach the port. Keep the default loopback bind. serve --http refuses a non-loopback --host unless --allow-remote is passed; if you need remote access, put an authenticated reverse proxy (MCP gateway or HTTPS proxy with bearer-token auth) in front and never expose the port directly.

Exposed tools:

Read-only / inventory

Tool

Description

hmc_console_info

HMC version/network info; cheap connectivity check

hmc_systems

All managed systems, or one by UUID

hmc_lpars

All LPARs, one by UUID, find by name, or quick state

hmc_lpar_summary

One-call summary: state, RMC, memory/CPU, OS, adapter count, description

hmc_system_summary

One-call system summary: state, MTMS, firmware, LPAR counts by state, free memory/CPU, VIOS count

hmc_vios

Virtual I/O Servers, or storage-detail mappings for one

hmc_list_resources

Any uom resource type (VirtualSwitch, SharedMemoryPool, ...)

hmc_get_job

Job status/result

hmc_recent_jobs

Recent HMC jobs list (limit=20)

hmc_capacity_report

Per-system: total/assigned/free memory (MiB) and CPU, LPAR counts

hmc_find_placement

Systems with enough free memory + CPU to host a new LPAR

hmc_find_system

Find a managed system by SystemName (exact match)

hmc_wait_for_job

Poll a job until COMPLETED / FAILED / EXCEPTION (or timeout)

Mutating / lifecycle

Tool

Description

hmc_provision_lpar

End-to-end LPAR provisioning workflow: create + network adapter + vSCSI adapter + storage mapping + power on in one call; validates name/VLAN/VG preconditions; dry_run=True checks preconditions only; per-step results with partial-failure reporting

hmc_create_lpar

Create an LPAR on a system (memory, shared/dedicated CPU, type); refuses if a partition with the same name already exists

hmc_modify_lpar

Change an LPAR's name / memory / CPU (DLPAR when running)

hmc_dlpar_proc

DLPAR processor hot-plug on a running LPAR

hmc_dlpar_mem

DLPAR memory hot-plug on a running LPAR

hmc_delete_lpar

Destroy an LPAR (must be powered off; irreversible)

hmc_power_on_lpar

Submit PowerOn job; returns already_running if partition is running (force=True to override)

hmc_power_off_lpar

Submit PowerOff job (immediate flag)

hmc_install_lpar_os

Submit a NIM-based LPAR OS installation job (lparnetboot) — job

Virtual adapters (network / storage)

Tool

Description

hmc_list_adapters

List an LPAR's adapters by type (network / vSCSI / vFC / vNIC)

hmc_add_network_adapter

Add a Virtual Ethernet NIC (VLAN PVID, vswitch, tagged, MAC)

hmc_add_vscsi_adapter

Add a Virtual SCSI client adapter paired to a VIOS

hmc_add_vfc_adapter

Add a Virtual Fibre Channel (NPIV) adapter paired to a VIOS

hmc_delete_adapter

Remove an adapter from an LPAR by UUID

Virtual storage (Volume Groups / Virtual Disks / mappings)

Tool

Description

hmc_list_volume_groups

List VIOS Volume Groups (free space, PVs, virtual disks)

hmc_create_volume_group

Create a Volume Group from physical volumes

hmc_create_virtual_disk

Carve a Virtual Disk (logical volume) out of a VG

hmc_map_storage_to_lpar

Map a VirtualDisk/PhysicalVolume to an LPAR (vSCSI mapping)

Virtual media (ISO library)

Tool

Description

hmc_create_media_repository

Create the Virtual Media Repository (VMLibrary) on a VG

hmc_create_optical_media

Create a blank optical media (ISO container)

hmc_delete_media_repository

Delete the Virtual Media Repository from a VG

Virtual networking (switches / networks / bridges)

Tool

Description

hmc_list_virtual_switches

List VirtualSwitches (names, SwitchIDs, mode)

hmc_list_virtual_networks

List Virtual Networks (VLANs) on a system

hmc_create_virtual_network

Create a Virtual Network (VLAN)

hmc_delete_virtual_network

Delete a Virtual Network

hmc_list_network_bridges

List NetworkBridges (Shared Ethernet Adapters)

SSH/CLI tools — the (SSH/CLI) tools run HMC CLI commands over SSH. Their system/LPAR arguments (system_name_or_uuid / lpar_name_or_uuid) accept either a CLI name or a UUID. Names are used as-is; UUIDs are resolved to their CLI names via the REST API first, falling back to an lssyscfg name lookup over SSH when the REST API is unreachable. Resolution happens before the command runs, so a UUID that cannot be resolved surfaces as an error rather than being passed through to the CLI. hmc_run_command is the exception — it runs whatever command you give it verbatim.

VIOS administration

Tool

Description

hmc_create_vios

Create a VIOS partition on a managed system

hmc_delete_vios

Delete (destroy) a VIOS partition (must be powered off)

hmc_install_vios

Submit a NIM-based VIOS installation job — job

hmc_list_vios_backups

List existing VIOS backups (SSH/CLI)

hmc_backup_vios

Create a VIOS backup (SSH/CLI)

hmc_restore_vios

Restore a VIOS from a named backup (SSH/CLI)

SR-IOV / vNIC & physical I/O (SSH/CLI)

Tool

Description

hmc_list_vnics

List vNICs (SR-IOV-backed Virtual NICs) on an LPAR

hmc_add_vnic

Add a vNIC to an LPAR

hmc_remove_vnic

Remove a vNIC from an LPAR

hmc_list_fc_ports

List Virtual Fibre Channel (NPIV) adapters for a system

hmc_list_sea_adapters

List Shared Ethernet Adapters for a system

hmc_set_sriov_adapter_mode

Toggle a physical SR-IOV adapter between SR-IOV and dedicated mode

Template library

Tool

Description

hmc_partition_templates

All partition templates, or one by UUID

hmc_deploy_partition_template

Deploy a partition from a draft template — job

Live Partition Mobility (LPM)

Tool

Description

hmc_migrate_lpar

Migrate an LPAR to another system — job

hmc_migrate_validate_lpar

Pre-check a migration — job

hmc_migrate_abort_lpar

Abort an in-progress migration — job

hmc_migrate_recover_lpar

Recover after a failed migration — job

hmc_remote_restart_lpar

Remote-restart a failed LPAR — job

System / VIOS power

Tool

Description

hmc_modify_system

Change a managed system's configuration (only passed fields)

hmc_power_on_system

Power on a managed system — job

hmc_power_off_system

Power off a managed system — job

hmc_power_on_vios

Power on a VIOS — job

hmc_power_off_vios

Power off a VIOS — job

Cluster / Shared Storage Pool (SSP)

Tool

Description

hmc_list_clusters

List Clusters (VIOS node sets sharing a pool)

hmc_shared_storage_pools

All SSPs, or one by UUID (capacity, free space, logical units)

hmc_create_logical_unit

Create a Logical Unit (file-backed disk) — job

hmc_delete_logical_unit

Delete a Logical Unit by UDID — job

Performance & Capacity Monitoring (PCM)

Tool

Description

hmc_get_pcm_preferences

Read monitoring flags (LTM/aggregation/STM/energy)

hmc_set_pcm_preferences

Enable/disable PCM collection for a resource

hmc_processed_metrics

List (mode=links) or download (mode=fetch, default) processed metrics (30s, ~2h retention)

hmc_aggregated_metrics

List (mode=links) or download (mode=fetch, default) aggregated metrics (trend rollup)

PCM notes: metrics are stored as JSON, reached via an Atom feed of links. Pass mode="links" to get the link list; mode="fetch" (default) downloads the most recent document (or {} when none are in range). The CLI metrics show accepts --fetch to do both in one step. Long-term monitoring + aggregation must be enabled via hmc_set_pcm_preferences before processed/aggregated metrics accumulate. Categories include ManagementConsole, ManagedSystem, LogicalPartition, VirtualIOServer, SharedStoragePool, Cluster.

Users & access (HMC user administration)

Tool

Description

hmc_users

All HMC user accounts, or one by username

hmc_create_user

Create a new HMC local user account

hmc_modify_user

Modify an HMC user account (only supplied fields)

hmc_delete_user

Delete an HMC user account (irreversible)

hmc_list_password_policies

List HMC password policies

hmc_create_password_policy

Create a password policy (max age, rules)

hmc_modify_password_policy

Modify a password policy (only supplied fields)

hmc_delete_password_policy

Delete a password policy (irreversible)

hmc_get_ldap_config

Get the current HMC LDAP server configuration

hmc_configure_ldap

Configure the HMC LDAP server integration

hmc_remove_ldap_config

Remove a component of the LDAP configuration

Software updates (HMC / VIOS / firmware)

Tool

Description

hmc_hmc_update

Submit an HMC software update (kind=update, PTF install) or upgrade (kind=upgrade, full version) job

hmc_get_available_hmc_ptfs

Get available PTFs for the HMC software

hmc_vios_update

Submit a VIOS software update (kind=update) or upgrade (kind=upgrade) job

hmc_update_firmware

Submit a managed-system firmware update job

LPAR profiles (backup / restore)

Tool

Description

hmc_backup_lpar_profiles

Backup all LPAR profiles on a system (bkprofdata)

hmc_restore_lpar_profiles

Restore LPAR profiles from a backup file (rstprofdata)

hmc_sync_lpar_profile

Sync an LPAR's running config back to its current profile

hmc_assign_profile_io_slot

Add a physical I/O slot DRC index to an LPAR's profile

LPAR / system properties (SSH/CLI)

Tool

Description

hmc_get_lpar_description

Get an LPAR's description field

hmc_set_lpar_description

Set an LPAR's description field

hmc_get_lpar_msp

Get the Migratable Service Partition flag

hmc_set_lpar_msp

Set the MSP flag

hmc_get_proc_compat_modes

List processor compatibility modes a system supports

hmc_get_lpar_proc_compat

Get an LPAR's current/pending proc-compat mode

hmc_set_lpar_proc_compat

Set an LPAR's processor compatibility mode

hmc_list_io_slots

List physical I/O slots on a system

hmc_list_memory_pools

List shared memory pools on a system

hmc_remove_memory_pool

Remove a shared memory pool from a system

Escape hatch

Tool

Description

hmc_run_command

Run an arbitrary HMC CLI command (documented escape hatch)

End-to-end: give an LPAR a bootable disk

# 1. create the partition
hmc-mcp lpars create web01 --system <sys-uuid> --mem 8192 --vcpus 2

# 2. give it a vSCSI adapter paired to the VIOS (find IDs via `vios list`)
hmc-mcp adapters add-vscsi web01 --vios-id 1 --vios-slot 5

# 3. carve a virtual disk out of a VIOS volume group
hmc-mcp storage list-vgs <vios-uuid>                       # find the VG + free space
hmc-mcp storage create-disk <vios-uuid> --vg <vg-uuid> --name web01_root --size 51200

# 4. map the disk to the partition
hmc-mcp storage map <vios-uuid> --lpar web01 --disk web01_root

# 5. (optionally) network + power on
hmc-mcp adapters add-network web01 --vlan 100
hmc-mcp lpars power-on web01

Note on the storage model: an LPAR's vSCSI/vFC adapter (added with adapters add-vscsi / add-vfc) is just plumbing — it pairs the partition with a VIOS server slot. The actual disk lives on the VIOS or in a Shared Storage Pool: carve it out of a Volume Group (storage create-disk) or a Cluster/SSP (cluster create-lu), then connect it with a mapping (storage map). Both the VIOS Volume Group / Virtual Disk model and the Cluster / SSP Logical Unit model are wrapped. Once a disk is mapped, partitioning it into filesystems is the guest OS's job (NIM, cloud-init, mkfs), not the HMC's.

Use with Hermes Agent

hermes mcp add hmc -- uv run --directory ~/src/hmc-mcp hmc-mcp serve

(or point your MCP client's env at HMC_HOST/HMC_USER/HMC_PASSWORD).

Testing

1. Unit tests (no HMC needed)

The client and XML parser are tested against an HMC mocked with respx — no real hardware required:

uv run pytest -q
# ...............                    [100%]
# 15 passed in 0.10s

2. MCP protocol smoke test (no HMC needed)

Verifies the server actually speaks MCP over stdio and lists every tool. It connects with a real FastMCP client and prints the tools:

uv run python scripts/smoke_mcp.py
# Connected. <N> tools exposed:
#   - hmc_console_info
#   - hmc_systems
#   ...

3. Live check against a real HMC

With credentials configured (.env or flags), the cheapest end-to-end check is console info — one Logon + one ManagementConsole GET:

hmc-mcp console info
hmc-mcp systems list      # should print a table of your Power servers

If console info prints the HMC version, auth, TLS and the session lifecycle all work; everything else uses the same path.

Layout

src/hmc_mcp/
  config.py      # pydantic-settings config (env/.env/flags)
  xmlutil.py     # defusedxml Atom-feed -> dict parsing
  errors.py      # HMCError (shared by client and its mixins)
  client.py      # async HMCClient: session, transport, uom helpers, jobs
  client_*.py    # per-domain mixins (users, systems, lpars, storage, pcm, ...)
  client_parse.py# defusedxml wrappers tagging failures with the HMC call
  common.py      # shared HMCClient/config helpers for tool definitions
  ssh.py         # asyncssh helpers running HMC CLI commands over SSH
  documents.py   # XML request-document builders (LPAR, adapters, storage, users, ...)
  jobs.py        # JobRequest XML templates (PowerOn/PowerOff/...)
  pcm.py         # PCM metrics/preferences parsing + XML documents
  _app.py        # shared FastMCP instance, READ_ONLY/DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS sets, entry points
  server.py      # thin aggregator importing every server_*.py tool module
  server_*.py    # per-domain @mcp.tool definitions (power, storage, network, ...)
  cli.py         # thin aggregator importing every cli_*.py command module
  cli_app.py     # root Typer app, GlobalOpts/GLOBALS, shared CLI helpers
  cli_*.py       # per-domain CLI commands (systems, lpars, storage, ...)
tests/           # pytest + respx, no real HMC needed
scripts/         # smoke/manual harnesses

Notes on the HMC API

  • Auth: PUT /rest/api/web/Logon with a LogonRequest XML body returns an X-API-Session token, sent as a header on every subsequent call; DELETE /rest/api/web/Logon logs off.

  • Resources are Atom feeds of vendor media type application/vnd.ibm.powervm.uom+xml; type=<ResourceType>.

  • .../quick/<Property> returns a single property cheaply; .../search/(<Property>==<Value>) filters server-side.

  • State changes are asynchronous jobs: POST a JobRequest to /rest/api/uom/<Type>/<uuid>/do/<Operation>, then poll /rest/api/uom/Job/<job-uuid>.

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