IA: Detaching PCI Adapter Cards

A PCI adapter card hosting non-vital system resources can be removed if the device driver supports hot-plugging. A PCI adapter card is not detachable if it is a vital system resource. For a PCI adapter card to be detachable:

• The device driver must support hot-plugging.

• Critical resources must be accessible through an alternate pathway.

For example, if a system has only one ethernet card installed in it, the ethernet card cannot be detached without losing network connection. This replacement requires additional layered software support to keep the network connection active.

IA: Attaching PCI Adapter Cards

A PCI adapter card can be added to the system as long as:

• There are slots available.

• The device driver supports hot-plugging for this adapter card.

See "IA: PCI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" for step-by-step instructions on adding or removing a PCI adapter card.