Managing configurations of input/output system images of an input/output subsystem, wherein a configuration is modified without restarting the input/output subsystem to effect a modification

A system of providing management within a computing environment, said system comprising:

• an input/output subsystem of the computing environment, the input/output subsystem comprising a plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein an input/output subsystem image appears to a program as an independent input/output subsystem;
• and
• means for managing one or more input/output subsystem images of the plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein said means for managing comprises means for determining whether an operating system is authorized to access a particular input/output subsystem image of the plurality of input/output subsystem images.

A system of providing management within a computing environment, said system comprising:

• an input/output subsystem of the computing environment, the input/output subsystem comprising a plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein an input/output subsystem image appears to a program as an independent input/output subsystem;
• and
• a manager to manage one or more input/output subsystem images of the plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein the manager is a manager program having one or more configuration capabilities, wherein other programs not having configuration capabilities are isolated from the managing, and wherein the manager program is located within a logical partition of a central processing complex of the computing environment, and wherein the other programs are located in at least one of the logical partitions and one or more other logical partitions of the central processing complex.

At least one program storage device readable by a machine embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of providing management within a computing environment, said method comprising:

• obtaining an input/output subsystem of the computing environment, the input/output subsystem comprising a plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein an input/output subsystem image appears to a program as an independent input/output subsystem;
• and
• managing one or more input/output subsystem images of the plurality of input/output subsystem images, wherein said managing comprises determining whether an operating system is authorized to access a particular input/output subsystem image of the plurality of input/output subsystem images.