AIX - A Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA)

A Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA) allows multiple logical partitions to share a single physical Ethernet adapter. Unlike most other types of I/O devices, you can never assign the HEA itself to a logical partition. Instead, multiple logical partitions can connect directly to the HEA and use the HEA resources. This allows these logical partitions to access external networks through the HEA without having to go through an Ethernet bridge on another logical partition.