Power Architecture Platform Reference

Power Architecture Platform Reference (PAPR) is an initiative from <a href="/facts/Power.org/xl9F7DPs">Power.org</a> to make a new open computing platform based on <a href="/facts/Power_ISA/GLy1WS0m">Power ISA</a> processors. It follows two previous attempts made in the 1990s, <a href="/facts/PowerPC_Reference_Platform/XUnqDKvv">PReP</a> and <a href="/facts/Common_Hardware_Reference_Platform/IrpyzHmo">CHRP</a>.
The PAPR specification provides the foundation for development of standard server computers. Various operating systems like <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a> and <a href="/facts/IBM_AIX/cRWERua2">IBM AIX</a> rely on the PAPR interface to run on Power-based hardware. PAPR is Power.org's move toward what IBM did originally with PReP, in that it defines a common hardware definition and software/firmware platform under a set of requirements. In practice, the PAPR is an extension to the <a href="/facts/Open_Firmware/M9e578XY">Open Firmware</a> specification.
Since 2013, extensions have been done by the <a href="/facts/OpenPOWER_Foundation/490VY6za">OpenPOWER Foundation</a>, which released a slightly reduced public version of the PAPR standard for running Linux on Power hardware (called LoPAPR) <a href="https://members.openpowerfoundation.org/document/dl/469">[1]</a>.
In 2020, LoPAPR was renamed to Linux on Power Architecture Reference (LoPAR) <a href="https://openpowerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/LoPAR-20200611.pdf">[2]</a> with the release of a new version.

Power Architecture Platform Reference open-in-new

Power Architecture Platform Reference