Rserver IBM: Planning For Partitioned-System Operations

pSeries
Planning for Partitioned-System Operations

SA38-0626-00
ERserver
pSeries
SA38-0626-00
ERserver
First Edition (October 2002)

Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in Appendix A, Notices on page 41
and product warranties included with your system.
A readers comment form is provided at the back of this publication. If the form has been removed, address
comments to Information Development, Department H6DS-905-6C006, 11501 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas
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information that you supply may be used without incurring any obligation to you.
International Business Machines Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved. Note to U.S. Government Users --
Documentation related to restricted rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth is GSA
ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
Contents
About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
ISO 9000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Online Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Related Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Chapter 1. Reference Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Documentation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2. Partitioning Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Operating in a Partitioned Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Logical Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dynamic Logical Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Affinity Logical Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Full System Partition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Benefits of Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Processor on Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 3. Planning for Logical Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Initial Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Final Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Basic LPAR Planning Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Detailed LPAR Planning Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Instructions for LPAR Planning Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using the LPAR Planning Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Instructions for Partition Properties Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Instructions for I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Instructions for System Profile Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 4. Planning for Dynamic Logical Partitioning Updates . . . . . . 23
Adding a Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Moving a Processor Between Partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Removing a Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Adding Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Moving Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Adding an Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Moving an Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Removing a PCI Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Managing Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 5. Processor on Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Processor on Demand Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Processor on Demand Activation Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Capacity Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Processor on Demand Ordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Electronic Service Agent and Processor on Demand . . . . . . . . . . 38
Dynamic Processor Sparing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Software Licenses and Processor on Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Activating Process for Processor on Demand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Appendix A. Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
iii
Appendix B. Worksheets for Partition Configuration Planning . . . . . . 43
Partition Properties Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
System Profile Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
iv pSeries: Planning for Partitioned-System Operations
About This Book
This book provides information to planners, system administrators, and operators about how to plan for
installing and using a partitioned server. It also discusses some issues associated with the planning and
implementing of partitioning.
A discussion of permanent capacity on demand helps you understand how to order additional hardware for
your system, and have this hardware available whenever you need it to supplement your server.
ISO 9000
ISO 9000 registered quality systems were used in the development and manufacturing of this product.
Online Publications
IBM Eserver pSeries and AIX publications are available online. This documentation is available at the
following Web address: http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/en_US/infocenter/base.
Related Publications
The following publications contain related information:
v The documentation shipped with your managed system contains detailed planning, installation, and
option information.
v The managed systems users guide contains user information for the managed system that might be
partitioned.
v The AIX 5L Version 5.2 AIX Installation in a Partitioned Environment guide, order number SC23-4382,
contains information about installing, managing, and maintaining the AIX 5L operating system in a
partitioned environment.
v The Site and Hardware Planning Information, order number SA38-0508, contains information to help
you plan the installation of your machine.
v The IBM Hardware Management Console for pSeries Installation and Operations Guide, order number
SA38-0590, contains information to help you plan the installation of your machine.
v The Electronic Service Agent for eServer pSeries Users Guide, order number LCD4-1060, provides
detailed information about the Service Agent application.
v The PCI Adapter Placement Reference, order number SA38-0538, provides information about the slots
in which to place adapters in your managed system.
v
Trademarks
The following terms are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation in the United
States, other countries, or both:
v AIX
v AIX 5L
v DB2
v Eserver
v IBM
v pSeries
Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or
both.
Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
vi pSeries: Planning for Partitioned-System Operations
Chapter 1. Reference Materials
This chapter helps you get started with installing and configuring the Eserver pSeries environment. The
following information is included in the chapter:
v Eserver pSeries Roadmap
v Documentation Overview - Brief description of the printed and softcopy documentation shipped including
targeted audience
The Eserver pSeries Roadmap helps you locate marketing, service, and customer task information. The
roadmap guides you through the tasks and the publications that document those tasks.
1
Hardware Installation Guide
Hardware Management Console
Installation and Operations Guide
AIX Installation in a Partitioned Environment
Application Documentation
Application Documentation
AIX Documentation Library
AIX Documentation Library
Hardware Users Guide
AIX Installation in a
Partitioned Environment
AIX Installation Guide
and Reference
Operating System Installation:
Getting Started
Installing/Configuring
Applications
the Operating System
the Operating System
Configuring Full
System Partition
Is System
Using
Partitions
?
Configuring
Partitions
Customer Tasks
Service Personnel Tasks
Marketing and Customer Tasks
Using the System
Planning
Managed
by HMC
?
Begin
Site and Hardware Planning Information
Hardware Management Console
Installation and Operations Guide
Site and Hardware Planning Information
Hardware
Installation
Hardware
Installation
Planning
Yes
Yes
No
No
Planning for
Partitioned-System Operations
The publications listed in this section are available online. To access the online books, visit our IBM
Eserver pSeries Information Center at http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/en_US/infocenter/base.
2 pSeries: Planning for Partitioned-System Operations
Documentation Overview
This section provides descriptions and target audience information for the Eserver pSeries and AIX 5L
documentation libraries. Some of the documentation may only be available in printed form or in softcopy
form. Based on the documentation content, the books are divided into the following categories: Planning,
Installing and Configuring, and Using the System.
Table 1. Planning
Documentation Title Description Audience Type
Site and Hardware Planning
Information
Contains information to help plan for site
preparation tasks, such as floor-planning,
electrical needs, air conditioning, and other
site-planning considerations.
Marketing, system
administrators
softcopy
Planning for Partitioned-System
Operations
Describes planning considerations for
partitioned systems, including information on
dynamic partitioning and Capacity Upgrade on
Demand.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
Hardware Management
Console for pSeries Installation
and Operations Guide
Provides information on how to install,
configure, and use a Hardware Management
Console (HMC). Logical partition (LPAR) tasks,
such as configuring and managing partitions on
multiple host servers, are included.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
Chapter 1. Reference Materials 3
Table 2. Installing and Configuring
Hardware Installation Guide Provides information on how to install system
hardware, cable the system, and verify
operations.
Service personnel printed and
softcopy
Planning for Partitioned-System
Operations
Describes planning considerations for
partitioned systems, including information on
dynamic partitioning and Capacity Upgrade on
Demand.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
Hardware Management
Provides information on how to install,
configure, and use a Hardware Management
Console (HMC). Logical partition (LPAR) tasks,
such as configuring and managing partitions on
multiple host servers, are included.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
AIX Installation in a Partitioned
Environment
Provides information on how to install the AIX
operating system in an LPAR environment.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
AIX Operating System
Installation: Getting Started
Provides information on how to install and
configure the AIX operating system on a
standalone system using a CD-ROM device.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
AIX 5L Installation Guide and
Reference
Provides information on installing the AIX 5L
operating system on standalone systems, as
well as on client systems using the Network
Installation Management (NIM) interface.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
PCI Adapter Placement
Reference
Outlines system-specific PCI adapter slot
placement and adapter support configurations.
Service personnel printed
AIX 5L Release Notes Provides late-breaking information for a
specific AIX release.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
AIX 5L Documentation CD AIX documentation library (system
management guides, user guides, application
programmer guides, commands and files
references, AIX man pages, and so on).
System
administrators
softcopy
Table 3. Using the System
Hardware Management
Provides information on how to install, configure,
and use a Hardware Management Console
(HMC). Logical partition (LPAR) tasks, such as
configuring and managing partitions on multiple
host servers, are included.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
Hardware Users Guide Provides using, problem determination, and
service processor information.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
Diagnostic Information for
Multiple Bus Systems
Combines operating instructions for hardware
diagnostic programs with common MAPs and
SRNs (Service Request Numbers).
softcopy
PCI Adapter Placement
Reference
Outlines system-specific PCI adapter slot
placement and adapter support configurations.
Service personnel printed
Hardware Management
Console for pSeries
Maintenance Guide
Contains MAPs, removal and replacement, error
code, and parts information to help diagnose and
repair the system.
softcopy
Adapters, Devices, and Cable
Information for Multiple Bus
Systems
Provides information about adapters, devices,
and cables that are attached to or used within the
system.
System
administrators
printed and
softcopy
System Unit Safety Information Contains the English version of safety notices, as
well as translations of those safety notices into
other languages.
System
administrators,
service personnel
printed and
softcopy
AIX 5L Documentation CD AIX documentation library (system management
guides, user guides, application programmer
guides, commands and files references, AIX man
pages, and so on).
System
administrators
softcopy
Chapter 1. Reference Materials 5
Chapter 2. Partitioning Overview
This chapter provides an overview of partitioning and some of the features that allow you to change
partitions dynamically. Your planning needs will vary depending on your individual requirements. As your
requirements change, careful planning helps you to be ready to change your system configuration.
Operating in a Partitioned Environment
Before partitioning, each system operated independently. The following figure represents three systems
that could support three separate tasks and three sets of users.
A B X
Partitioning enables system administrators to configure a single computer into several independent
systems. Each of these independent systems, also referred to as partitions, can run applications in its own
independent environment. This independent environment contains its own operating system, its own set of
system processors, its own memory, and its own I/O adapters and devices. Even though it runs on the
same physical hardware with other operating systems, after it is configured, a partition is booted and used
as an independent system. The following figure represents a server that is divided into three partitions.
A
B
X
You can choose to operate your managed system as a single server, or you can choose to run multiple
partitions. Partition management is performed using the hardware management console (HMC). Each
system that is running partitions and managed by the HMC is referred to as a managed system. A
managed system is capable of being configured to use logical partitions (LPARs) or a full system partition.
If your computing needs are considered to be technical, real-time, or high-performance computing, a
special type of partitioning called affinity logical partitioning is recommended.
A system that is configured to use logical partitions can run the following:
v Multiple logical partitions (LPAR or affinity logical partitions)
v A full system partition
7
The HMC (shown attached to three partitions in the following illustration) provides the interface that allows
you to choose the partition environment that best fits your needs.
A
B X
B
A
X
Logical Partitioning
Logical partitioning (LPAR) does not limit the number of hardware resources that are contained in a
partition. A partition could have any number of the available processors assigned to it, limited only by the
total number of processors. Similarly, a partition could have any amount of memory, limited only by the
total amount of memory available. An I/O adapter is physically installed in one of many slots in the system.
However, with LPAR, any I/O adapter in any I/O drawer can be assigned to any partition. Each partition on
a server is defined by a profile. Profiles for logical partitions are created and managed using the HMC.
The operating system that is running in a partition is completely independent of any other operating
system that is running in another partition. Operating system levels in each partition do not need to be the
same, nor do the application levels. For example, you can install the Linux operating system in one
partition and the AIX operating system in another partition.
By using partitions, you can test new programs in one partition, while developing the same program on
another partition, all at the same time and using the same system. This same system partitioning method
is more cost-effective than using all of the system resources on one large partition. Using partitions
eliminates the need for dedicated systems for test or other purposes.
Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR) allows you to implement changes to your partitions at any time
without affecting a partitions operation. LPAR should be used when the tasks you are performing are other
than technical computing, real-time computing, or high-performance computing (see Affinity Logical
Partitioning on page 9).
Dynamic Logical Partitioning
Dynamically changing a partition enables a partitions resources to be changed while the partition is up
and running. The operating system that is running in the partition can configure and use additional
hardware without being rebooted. In a DLPAR environment, the processors, memory, or input/output
adapters can be added, moved, or removed after the partition is up and running.
Systems that are capable of performing dynamic logical partitioning can support the following tasks:
v Processor Tasks
Adding processors to a partition
Moving processors from one partition to another
Removing processors from a partition
v Memory Tasks
Adding memory to a partition
Moving memory from one partition to another
Removing memory from a partition
v Input/Output Tasks
Adding a PCI adapter
Moving a PCI adapter
Removing a PCI adapter
Affinity Logical Partitioning
An affinity logical partition is a special type of logical partition that has its processors and memory
resources located physically close to one another. Processors needed for a partition can be grouped to
use the closest physical memory available. Hardware resources for affinity partitioning are defined using
the HMC. When creating an affinity partition, the HMC automatically determines which processors and
memory are grouped and allows you to choose which type of grouping you want. The HMC then creates a
profile for each affinity partition and a system profile that contains the affinity partitions for the managed
system.
Affinity partitioning is best suited for use in technical computing, real-time computing, and
high-performance computing. A system that is set up to use affinity logical partitions can dynamically move
I/O devices. To change the quantity of processors or memory assigned to an affinity logical partition, the
partition must be rebooted. A more detailed description of these tasks is found in Chapter 4, Planning for
Dynamic Logical Partitioning Updates on page 23.
Note: If your system is enabled for capacity upgrade on demand, affinity logical partitioning is not
available.
Full System Partition
A special partition called the full system partition assigns all of your managed systems resources to one
large partition. The full system partition is similar to the traditional, nonpartitioned method of operating a
system. Because all resources are assigned to this partition, no other partitions can be started when the
full system partition is running. Likewise, the full system partition cannot be started while other partitions
are running.
The HMC allows you to switch from the full system partition to logical partitions. The actual setup of the
operating system in a partition might require some careful planning to ensure that no conflicts exist
between the two environments.
Chapter 2. Partitioning Overview 9
Benefits of Partitioning
Partitioning provides greater flexibility when deploying multiple workloads on a server, providing better
management, improved availability, and more efficient use of resources. Some systems allow you to
purchase and install hardware, and then to dynamically configure that hardware to meet your operating
needs. The following are some examples of how partitioning can benefit your computer operations:
v Consolidate servers: A server with sufficient processing capacity that is capable of being partitioned
can address the need for server consolidation by logically subdividing the server into a number of
separate, smaller systems. In this way, application-isolation needs can be met in a consolidated
environment, with the additional benefits of reduced floor space, a single point of management, and
easier redistribution of resources as workloads change.
v Merge production and test environments: Partitioning enables separate partitions to be allocated for
production and test systems, eliminating the need to purchase additional hardware and software. When
testing has been completed, the resources allocated to the test partition can be returned to the
production partition or elsewhere as required. As new projects are developed, they can be built and
tested on the same hardware on which they will eventually be deployed.
v Consolidate multiple versions of the same operating system: A single system can have different
versions of the operating system installed to accommodate multiple application requirements.
Furthermore, a partition can be created to test applications under new versions of the operating system
prior to upgrading the production environments. Instead of having a separate server for this function, a
minimum set of resources can be temporarily used to create a new partition where the tests are
performed. When the partition is no longer needed, its resources can be incorporated back into the
other partitions.
v Scalability balancing: Partitioning allows you to create resource configurations appropriate to the
scaling characteristics of a particular application, without hardware-upgrade restrictions.
v Consolidate applications requiring different time zone settings: Partitioning enables multiple
regional workloads to be consolidated onto a single server. The different workloads can run in different
partitions, with different operating systems, as well as with different time and date settings. For example,
workloads for operations based in San Francisco and New York can run in different partitions on a
single server. The evening batch workload, maintenance, or upgrade for the New York operation does
not affect those of the San Francisco operation.
v Flexible configuration: Partitioning gives you the ability to change configurations easily to adapt to
changing workload patterns and fluctuating computing-capacity requirements.
Processor on Demand
The processor on demand feature can help you manage a partitioned system. A processor on demand
feature is ordered and installed as additional hardware that is not part of the system until you want to add
it. The cost of using a processor on demand feature is deferred until you activate the hardware. After
processor on demand hardware is activated on a system, it can then be added to logical partitions, as
needed, to handle additional requirements.
Chapter 3. Planning for Logical Partitioning
Planning for logical partitioning requires the consideration of numerous factors and may take some time. If
possible, planning for partitioning of a system should be performed prior to having the system installed in
your location. If the planning work is careful and complete, the installation and configuration of the system
will take less time.
Planning for installing partitions on a system is a two-phase process:
v Initial Phase
Perform this planning phase when you are considering how much system capacity is required, in the
form of processors, memory, and I/O, that you need for all your partitions. During this phase you begin
your system design by identifying your requirements and completing worksheets to record your
requirements. If, for example, the new system will duplicate the function of several existing systems, you
probably will need a partition for each system. Each partition requires processors, memory, and I/O that
is close to the capacity of the existing systems. When this phase is completed, you have your
requirements documented on worksheets that you can use as a record of your requirements.
v Final phase
Perform this planning phase after you have determined the general partition requirements. In this phase,
details for each partition are developed and recorded. Information needed to set up and run partitions
on your system when it is installed is finalized during this phase. Various worksheets are completed
during this phase. After this phase is complete and the system is installed, you can then use your
worksheets and the hardware management console to implement your system design.
Initial Phase
During this phase, you use a partition profile to identify fundamental requirements for each partition that
you will implement on your system. The following list summarizes the steps for the initial phase:
1. Complete the Basic LPAR Planning Checklist on page 12.
2. Complete part of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44.
Final Phase
In the final phase of partition planning, you complete worksheets with the details for each of your planned
partitions. When the following worksheet tasks are completed, you are ready to configure your systems
partitions:
1. Complete the Detailed LPAR Planning Checklist on page 14.
2. Complete the the remainder of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44.
3. Complete the I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet on page 46 (optional).
4. Complete the System Profile Worksheet on page 47.
11
Basic LPAR Planning Checklist
Use this checklist during system design, before the hardware is ordered. These activities help ensure that
you have a good understanding of LPAR, to perform high-level system design and planning, and to ensure
adequate machine resources are available to meet your needs. Begin the planning process with the steps
outlined in the following table.
When you have completed this checklist, you can compare the requirements you have recorded, to your
system order, to ensure that your requirements are being met:
Completed? Your Expectations
Determine your goals for partitioning your workloads. If you are planning to install a
partitioned system to divide workloads, analyze how your workloads can be divided so that
your partitions can be configured to have adequate capacity for the workload. For example,
if you are planning to consolidate a number of systems, each system represents a workload.
If you are setting up a test environment and a production environment, consider each
environment as a separate workload. You can then analyze your own workload and plan for
a logical partition for each workload. As you define each workload for a partition, name the
partition, and record its name on your copy of the Partition Properties Worksheet on
page 44.
If you want to isolate compatible workloads within a partition, you can use the Workload
Manager (WLM) tool. For more information about the AIX Workload Manager, see AIX
System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices.
Completed? Hardware Configuration
Logical partition (LPAR) requirements have been determined for each workload that is
desired for development, test, production, or failover environments. Record the partition
requirements in your copy of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44.
When performing this activity, carefully calculate the minimum resource requirements for
each partition to ensure that the partition provides adequate performance.
Processor, memory, and I/O adapter requirements have been determined for each partition
and recorded on your copies of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44. Be sure to
order all of the hardware in the partition properties worksheet. Consider processors,
memory, internal disks, network, and other I/O adapters.
A minimum of one network adapter has been included on the partition properties worksheet
for each partition for administrative and user access. These adapters also can be used when
configuring the HMC to be able to monitor each partitions status. Consider availability
requirements when deciding how many network adapters to configure in a partitioned
system. Update the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44 as you define network
adapters for each partition.
Disk capacity and performance requirements have been determined for each partition for
operating system and application purposes and has been included on the Partition
Properties Worksheet on page 44. This should include redundant disks and disk adapters
for availability as needed.
Note: A disk 4-pack that is connected to a single controller can be owned and accessed by
a single partition.
If you want a redundant HMC for availability, ensure that planning is done for this
requirement and that the order includes the additional HMC.
If you are installing the new system in an environment that already has an HMC, decide
whether to use the existing one, or to order an additional HMC. The HMC can be set up to
be dedicated to the new system, shared by multiple systems, or connected in a redundant
configuration so that two HMCs mirror each other.
Completed? Software Configuration
On your copy of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44, for each partition, record
the application software to be run, the level of AIX, and whether it is running the 32-bit or
64-bit kernel (if known). The 32-bit and 64-bit multi-processor kernels are automatically
installed. The uniprocessor kernel is not supported on LPAR enabled systems.
If you want to use the AIX Workload Manager and learn more about its features, see AIX
System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices.
Chapter 3. Planning for Logical Partitioning 13
Detailed LPAR Planning Checklist
Complete these activities after the system is ordered, and before partition deployment. The following table
can be used as a checklist so that you can track your progress.
Completed? Documentation and Information
Obtain documentation relevant to partitioned systems, including IBM Hardware Management
Console for pSeries Installation and Operations Guide, order number SA38-0590, and AIX
Installation in a Partitioned Environment, order number SC23-4382.
Completed? Hardware Configuration
Complete detailed I/O planning for each LPAR by completing a copy of the I/O Drawer
Resource Worksheet on page 46 for each I/O drawer (if the system unit drawer has I/O
slots, complete a worksheet for the system unit drawer also). On the worksheet, record the
drawer and slot assignments for each LPAR. Be sure to consider application availability
requirements when planning your adapter usage. You may want to dynamically move some
adapters to different LPARs as your requirements change.
More information about considerations for adapter placement can be found in the section
Configuring the LPAR Environment for High Availability in the IBM pSeries 690 Availability
Best Practices white paper, available at
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/hardware/whitepapers/p690_avail.html and in the
PCI Adapter Placement Reference, order number SA38-0538.
Completed? Software Configuration
Perform detailed software-configuration planning for each partition, and record the
information on your copy of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44. For planning
requirements, refer to operating system and application documentation.
Plan for availability requirements for each partition, and record the information on your copy
of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44. At this point you can plan your maximum
and minimum resource requirements for each partition. Be sure to set the maximum values
for resources in a partition higher than the desired value so that if you need to add
resources dynamcially, the partition will allow the added resources. Also, be sure to set the
minimum values for each partition so that resources are available from partitions if a
dynamic move is required.
Verify that all software licensing terms for all software are understood and implemented. See
the terms and conditions of your application license agreements.
Plan for any use of system profiles and record the information on your copy of the System
Profile Worksheet on page 47.
Completed? Installation and Update
Understand AIX installation choices and implications for ongoing maintenance (NIM versus
CD). NIM (Network Installation Management) is the recommended method. See AIX
Installation in a Partitioned Environment, order number SC23-4382.
Define and record your system profile using a copy of the System Profile Worksheet on
page 47. Define profiles for booting into SMS menus, and with media (CD) as required.
When you are defining your system profile, ensure that you identify the minimum set of
partitions that must be activated to handle the workload and still provide adequate
performance.
When your system is installed and available, install each partition using the selected
method. For instructions to help you set up your partitions and system profiles, refer to the
IBM Hardware Management Console for pSeries Installation and Operations Guide, order
number SA38-0590.
To enable integrated management, Service Focal Point, and inventory collection, ensure that
the network path is available between the HMC and each partition.
Completed? System Management
Ensure that remote management alternatives are understood (Web-based System Manager
and command line from Microsoft Windows or AIX) and appropriate equipment is in place.
Create a plan for backing up rootvg (root volume group) and non-rootvg in a partitioned
environment.
Understand how to handle AIX dump devices in partitioned environment.
Define authorized users, with roles, for HMC and partition management.
Instructions for LPAR Planning Worksheet
This section contains samples of worksheets that have been completed for a typical managed system. Use
these examples when completing worksheets for your system configuration planning. These worksheets
are necessary when your system is installed and you are configuring your partitions for the first time.
Using the LPAR Planning Worksheets
The LPAR planning process proceeds through several phases, and the planning worksheets can be used
to record design and implementation choices through those phases.
During the initial LPAR design phase, high-level choices about LPAR resource usage should be made to
ensure an adequate machine configuration. Determine the number of desired LPARs, along with the usage
of each. For each LPAR, record the number of processors, the amount of memory, and the I/O
requirements to configure. To ensure adequate hardware redundancy, consider and record availability
requirements. Total system memory size must leave adequate memory for operating system use.
Use the following table to determine the total number of partitions you can operate at one time,
considering the total amount of memory available on your server.
Ensure that the total minimum resources for all partitions that you intend to run simultaneously does not
exceed the total available system resources. You can also use the following table to verify that adequate
operating system memory is available.
Total Memory
(in GB)
Approximate
Memory
Overhead
(memory
required by
firmware (in GB)
Approximate
Usable
Partition
Memory (in
GB)
Maximum
Number of
Partitions:
AIX or Linux,
any version
Partitions
16GB and
Partitions >
16GB (see
Notes 1 and 2)
Maximum
Number of
Partitions:
AIX 5.1
Partitions
16GB and
Partitions >
16GB (see
Notes 1 and 3)
Maximum Number of
Partitions:
AIX 5.2 (or higher) or
Linux
All partition sizes
(see Notes 1, 4, and
5)
4GB .75 to 1GB 3 to 3.25 3 and 0 13 and 0 13
8GB .75 to 1GB 7 to 7.25 6 and 0 16 and 0 16
16GB .75 to 1GB 15 to 15.25GB 14 and 0 16 and 0 16
24GB 1 to 1.25GB 22.75 to 23GB 16 and 0 16 and 0 16
48GB 1.25 to 1.75GB 46.25 to
46.75GB
16 and 1 16 and 1 16
64GB 1.5 to 2GB 62 to 62.5GB 16 and 2 16 and 2 16
128GB 2.5 to 3.5GB 124.5 to
125.5GB
16 and 6 16 and 6 16
192GB 3.5 to 4.5GB 187.5 to
188.5GB
16 and 10 16 and 10 16
256GB 5 to 6GB 250 to 251GB 16 and 14 16 and 14 16
Notes:
1. All partition maximum numbers are subject to availability of sufficient processor, memory, and I/O
resources to support that number of partitions. For example, a system with only 8 processors can
support a maximum of 8 partitions.
2. These rules apply to systems running partitions with any version of AIX or Linux, if the firmware and
HMC release levels are earlier than the 10/2002 release level.
3. These rules apply to systems running partitions with AIX Version 5.1, if the firmware and HMC release
levels are at the 10/2002 release level (or later). Do not select the HMC partition profile option for
Small Real Mode Address Region for AIX 5.1 partitions. These numbers reflect the maximum when
running only AIX 5.1 partitions, but AIX 5.1 and AIX 5.2 partitions can be mixed, and can allow for
additional partitions to be run (up to the maximum of 16).
4. These rules apply to systems running partitions with AIX Version 5.2 (or later) or Linux, if the firmware
and HMC release levels are at the 10/2002 release level (or later). Select the HMC partition profile
option Small Real Mode Address Region for these partitions.
5. AIX 5.2, when run with the Small Real Mode Address Region profile option, requires that the
maximum memory setting is no greater than 64 times the minimum memory setting. For example, if
the minimum memory setting is 256 MB, then the maximum memory setting cannot be greater than 16
GB. Otherwise, AIX does not start.
To ensure that the system and partition profiles are created correctly as you complete the detailed partition
planning checklist, carefully complete the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44. Additional dedicated
partition profiles for special use (for example, to boot to SMS menus, or to boot with and without a
CD-ROM drive) should be identified.
For example, if you know that a specific resource, such as a CD-ROM or a data disk is required to
perform a set of user defined tasks, a dedicated partition profile can be created with these resources
explicitly listed as required for the partition to boot. This technique can help you to avoid booting a
partition only to find that specific resources are not available. Dedicated partition profiles are useful for ISA
devices that cannot be dynamically reconfigured.
Complete details about operating-system levels and application-software levels should be recorded in this
phase.
Advanced considerations, such as using multiple system profiles, should also be considered during the
detailed planning phase.
Instructions for Partition Properties Worksheet
On your copy of the Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44, complete the following fields. See the
Example of Partition Properties Worksheet on page 19 for help when completing your worksheet. Using
the following table as a guide, work through the entries to complete the worksheet for each partition you
have planned to set up on your system:
Worksheet Field Description
Partition Number Arbitrary, used as link to the same partition on the I/O properties worksheet.
Partition Name Unique name for this partition (up to 31 characters).
Processor Count Record the minimum number of processors required for this partition.
Memory Size Record the minimum amount of memory required for this partition. Memory allocation
total should leave enough room for the various system overheads in memory usage.
Network Adapter Each partition should have a network adapter. Initially record the type (for example,
Ethernet). As planning progresses, record the adapter part number.
Disk Drives Record the partition disk requirements including rootvg, data, use of internal 4-pack,
mirroring, and so on.
Comment If you are migrating from an existing system into a partition, indicate the type of system
and general configuration (such as processors or memory).
Partition Host Name Record host name for partition. This name must be resolvable by some method (such as
DNS, /etc/hosts, NIS).
Networking Configuration For each adapter, record the IP address, netmask information, and so on.
Application Stack
Software Levels
Record levels of all applications to run in the partition. You can use this information to
ensure application availability, and any operating system or application prerequisites.
Application License
Requirements
Record license requirements from application license agreements. Use this information to
define a partition profile that complies with the license agreements for your applications.
If an application has specific licensing issues, such as the maxumum number of
processors allowed in a multiprocessor environment, the maximum resource can be set
in the partition profile keep the partition within the license terms.
Availability Requirements Record desired availability requirements for this partition. This information can be used to
plan for appropriate hardware and software redundancy to ensure availability. You might
need redundant I/O for communication availability or you might decide to configure your
partitions in a high-availability configuration (HA).
Example of Partition Properties Worksheet
Duplicate the worksheets from Partition Properties Worksheet on page 44, and complete a worksheet for
each partition. Examples of completed partition-properties worksheets follow:
Partition
Number
Partition
Name
Processor
Minimum/
Desired/
Maximum
Count
Memory Size
Minimum/
Desired/
Maximum (in
GB)
Required
Network
Adapter
Disk
Drives
Comments
1 WebServer 4/6/6 1/2/4 2x 10/100
Ethernet
2x36
2 AppServer1 4/8/10 1/4/6 10/100
Ethernet
2x36
3 AppServer2 4/6/8 4/4/4 10/100
Ethernet
2x36
4 Database 2/2/2 2/4/6 10/100
Ethernet
2x36
5 Development 2/4/4 1/1/2 10/100
Ethernet
2x36
...
16
Totals 16/26/30 9/15/22
Total Installed 24 16
When the partitions in the previous example are activated, there are not enough processors for each
partition to use the desired value. Depending on the order in which the partitions are activated, one
partition might have to be activated with fewer than the desired number of processors.
The memory values for Minimum/Desired/Maximum should leave enough room for the various system
overheads of memory usage. See the memory requirements table on page 16.
Partition
Number
Partition Host
Name
Networking
Configuration
Application
Stack
Software
Levels
Availability
Requirements
Application
License
Requirements
Comments
(New
deployment or
migration
environment?)
1 ws1.dot.com 108.25.25.2 Networking
Configuration
Redundant
SCSI
Up to 6
processors
Second system
will be added for
HACMP
2 ap1.dot.com 108.25.25.5 4GB Redundant
SCSI
HACMP
3 AppServ2.dot.com 108.25.25.11 4GB HA HACMP
4 db1.dot.com 108.25.25.13 4GB HA 2 processors
max.
HACMP
5 dev1.dot.com 108.25.25.15 1GB
...
16
Instructions for I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet
Duplicate the worksheet from the I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet on page 46 for each installed I/O
drawer (if the system unit has I/O slots or integrated I/O, complete a separate worksheet for the system
unit as well). Record the drawer location code, adapter type for each slot, and also the partition
assignment. Remember that full disk 4-packs that are connected to a single controller cannot be shared
between partitions. Also, it is important for each partition to have a network adapter.
Example of I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet
I/O Drawer Location
and Serial Number
Adapter Slot
Physical Location
Adapter Type Partition
Assignment
Comments
U1.9 P1/Z1 Integrated SCSI 1 Hdisk0, hdisk1
P1/Z2 Integrated SCSI 1 Hdisk2, hdisk3
P1-I1 Fibre Channel 1
P1-I2 Ethernet 1 ent0
P1-I3
P1-I4
P1-I5 Fibre Channel 1
P1-I6
P1-I7
P1-I8 SCSI 1
P1-I9
P1-I10 SCSI 1, 2, 3, 4 CD-ROM
Px/Z1 Integrated SCSI 2 Hdisk0, hdisk1
Px/Z2 Integrated SCSI 2 Hdisk2, hdisk3
Px-I1 Fibre Channel 2
Px-I2
Px-I3
Px-I4
Px-I5 Fibre Channel 2
Px-I6
Px-I7
Px-I8 Ethernet 2 ent0
Px-I9
Px-I10
Instructions for System Profile Worksheet
Duplicate the System Profile Worksheet on page 47 to record information about any system profiles you
want to create. A system profile allows you to activate or deactivate a set of partitions as needed. You can
setup your system with system profiles that you might want to activate at different times of the day. For
example, system profiles can be used to allocate different resources to your partitions based on workload
peaks. If you want to deactivate a set of partitions and activate a different set of partitions, you would
define your system profiles to match your requirements.
Remember that the memory allocation totals in the third column should leave enough room for the various
system overheads of memory usage. For more information about system memory overheads, see the
memory requirements table on page 16.
Example of I/O a System Profile Worksheet
System Profile Name: Morning
Activation Times: 8:00 AM
Partition Name Number of Desired Processors Desired Memory Size
Partition 1 4 2GB
Partition 2 4 4GB
Partition 3 4 4GB
Partition 4 2 4GB
Partition 5 2 1GB
...
Partition 16
Totals: 16 15GB
Total Installed: 16 16GB
Chapter 4. Planning for Dynamic Logical Partitioning Updates
The dynamic LPAR (DLPAR) feature allows partitions to be changed while they are up and running. This
chapter provides an overview of procedures related to DLPAR operations and outlines planning steps that
you should consider before performing a DLPAR operation.
This chapter describes the considerations for adding resources to a partition, moving resources between
partitions, and removing resources from partitions. Flowcharts are used to show the general process for
each action. The gray highlighting in the flowcharts indicates planning considerations. The black
highlighting indicates tasks that are performed using the HMC.
23
Adding a Processor
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to add processors to a partition that is already
operational. Before adding processors to a partition, review the following planning considerations and the
flowchart.
There are some considerations for each step of this process. Generally, the following questions correlate
to a decision step in the flowchart:
v Are additional processors needed for a partition? Before adding a processor, ensure that it is
necessary. A new application in a partition might require more processors, or there may be performance
benefits with additional processors. Refer to your application documentation for recommendations, and
also see the Performance Management Guide in the AIX documentation library.
v Are extra processors available? To answer this question, use the HMC to check the system for
available processors. If there are no available processors in your system, you can move a processor
from another partition, see Moving a Processor Between Partitions on page 26.
v Are processors available in other partitions? If other partitions are not busy when you need to move
a processor to supplement a partition, you can move the processor from one partition to another. If this
is an option you want to use now, go to Moving a Processor Between Partitions on page 26. If there
are no available processors in your system, you can either use a processor from another partition or
add hardware to your system. If your system has Processors on Demand (POD) features installed, you
might decide to enable additional processors now, and then add them to partitions as needed.
v Are POD features available? If your system has inactive POD features installed, you can activate
additional processors, and then add them to partitions as needed. To learn more about POD features,
see Chapter 5, Processor on Demand on page 37.
v Does the new number exceed the maximum number of processors in the profile? When moving
processors into a partition, the system allows only as many processors to be added to a partition as are
allowed by the maximum set in the partition profile. If you plan to add processors to a partition and the
partition is already at its maximum, you must change the partition profile to increase the maximum and
then reboot the partition.
v Do you have more processors to add to another partition? If you are in the process of moving
processors, repeat the process for any additional processor moves you may need to do.
v Are there any licensing requirements you need to consider? Check your partition profile worksheets
to see if you have noted any licensing requirements when you performed the procedures in Using the
LPAR Planning Worksheets on page 16.
Start
Go to
Move
Processor
End
Additional processors
are needed for
a partition
HMC:
Select partition to
add processors
Reduce the
number of
processors,
or update the
partition profile,
reboot and
try again
Return to Start
Are extra
processors
available?
Are processors
available in other
partitions?
Are CUoD
processors
available?
Purchase and install
processors and
return to Start
Activate
CUoD
processors
Select menus:
Dynamic configuration
of processors
DLPAR dialog:
Enter number of
processors to add
to partition
Greater
than the
maximum number
of processors in
the profile?
More
processors
to add to another
partition?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Chapter 4. Planning for Dynamic Logical Partitioning Updates 25
Moving a Processor Between Partitions
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to move processors from one operational partition
to another operational partition. Before moving a processor from one partition to another, make sure that
the partition from which you are moving the processor does not need that processor for performance
requirements. Use the Performance Tuning Guide in the AIX documentation to help identify a partition that
can spare processors.
Consider the following point for each step of the process before performing the task of moving a
processor:
v Do you have more processors to move to another partition? You can move processors into or out
of partitions as long as you do not exceed the minimum or maximum values for the partition. Ensure
that you can add processors to the target partition (maximum value not exceeded) and that the moving
of a processor into a partition does not violate any software license requirements. If you need to move
more processors, repeat the process.
Start
HMC:
Select partition
containing processors
you want to move
Select menu for
dynamic reconfiguration
of processors
Enter the
quantity of processors
to move
No
More processors
to move to
other partitions? Yes
End
Removing a Processor
Removing a processor from a partition allows you to make processors available to be used by another
partition. Before you remove a processor from a partition, prioritize your partitions and try to remove the
processor from your lowest-priority partition that has available processors. Prioritizing your partitions helps
you minimize the impact to the source partition.
If all of the processors have bound applications, then it might not be possible to remove a processor.
Whenever you perform dynamic remove operations, remember that it might be easier to remove a
processor from another partition than to reconfigure applications.
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to remove processors from an operational partition.
Before performing the operation to remove processors, see the following flowchart and planning
considerations. Use the Performance Tuning Guide in the AIX documentation to help identify a partition
that can spare a processor.
v Is the processor count less than the partition profile minimum? If you attempt to remove
processors from a partition, and the total number of processors that would remain is fewer than the
minimum number specified in the partitions profile, the operation will not complete. If this occurs, you
must remove a processor from a different partition or reset the partitions minimum value for processors.
Start
HMC:
Select partition
containing processors
you want to remove
Select processors
Type number of
processors to remove
No
Edit profile properties
or remove fewer
processors
Yes
Does
processor count
drop below
minimum profile
amounts?
End
Adding Memory
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to add memory to a partition that is already
operational. Before adding memory to a partition, review the flowchart and the planning considerations.
Consider the following points for each step of the process before performing the task of dynamically
adding memory to a partition:
v Is additional unused memory available? To answer this question, use the HMC to check the system
for available memory. Determine if memory is available for use in an existing partition. A new application
on a partition might require more memory, or there might be performance benefits to increasing the
amount of memory that is available to a partition. Refer to your application documentation for
recommendations. Refer to the Performance Tuning Guide in the AIX documentation to help determine
if the partition is doing excessive paging.
v Does the new memory amount exceed the maximum amount of memory in the profile? Plan
ahead to add memory as needed. When moving memory into a partition, the system allows only as
much memory to be added to a partition as is allowed by the profile maximum. If you plan to add
memory to a partition and the partition is already at or near its maximum, change the partition profile to
increase the maximum and then reboot.
v Does the new memory size require larger paging space? Check the applications for paging-space
requirements. If necessary, use the operating system to change the paging-space parameters. When
planning the memory values for the partition, plan the paging space using the following formula. The
maximum amount of paging space that is required in the worst case, assuming that the partition is
configured with the maximum amount of memory that is allowed by the partition profile. To this amount,
add the difference between the maximum and the minimum. To avoid rebooting the partition to change
the maximum memory amount, determine the maximum amount of memory needed during your
planning for the partition.
v Is memory available from other partitions? If you find that there is not enough available memory for
the target partition, you may be able to get memory from other partitions. If a partition is not being used
or if a partition has more memory than is needed, make the memory available to other partitions as
required.
v Does the system have room for more physical memory? If you cannot locate enough memory on
your system to fulfill all your partition requirements, contact your sales representative to order additional
memory.
v Do you have more memory to add to another partition? You can move memory into or out of
partitions at any time. If you are in the process of moving memory, repeat the process for any additional
memory moves you might need to perform.
Start
Go to
Move
Memory
End
Additional memory
is needed for
a partition
HMC:
Select partition
to add memory
Does the system
have room for
more
physical memory?
Review your partition
requirements, if
possible, schedule
partition loads to allow
memory to be moved,
go to Move Memory
Purchase
and install
memory,
return to
Start
Select menus:
Dynamic configuration
of memory
DLPAR dialog:
Enter amount
of memory to add
to partition
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Greater
than the
maximum amount
of memory in
the profile?
Is
memory
available from
other
partitions?
Is additional
unused memory
available?
Reduce the
amount of
memory, or
update the
partition profile,
reboot and
try again
Moving Memory
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to move memory from one operational partition to
another operational partition. Before performing the operation to move memory, review the following
planning considerations and flowchart.
v Is memory available in the source partition? Use the HMC to check other partitions to determine if
there is enough memory available in those partitions for use in the partition where you need the extra
memory. A new application on a partition might require more memory, or there may be performance
benefits to increasing the memory that is available to a partition. Refer to your application
documentation for recommendations.
v Are minimum or maximum profile amounts exceeded? Plan ahead to move memory as needed. Do
not allow the moved memory to cause the target partition to exceed the profile maximum for memory. In
addition, the source partitions minimum memory amount cannot fall below the minimum memory
amount that is assigned.
v Does the new memory size require larger paging space? Check your applications for paging-space
requirements. If necessary, use the operating system to change the paging-space parameters. For more
information about paging space, see Adding Memory on page 28.
Start
End
Select menus:
Dynamic Configuration
of memory
DLPAR dialog:
Enter amount
of memory to add
to the target partition
Yes
HMC:
Select partition
containing memory
you want to move
Are
profile amounts
exceeded?
Calculate
memory needs
Edit profile
properties,
reboot.
Removing Memory
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to remove memory from an operational partition.
Removing memory from partitions is a convenient way to have the memory needed to start new partitions.
Before performing the operation to remove memory, consider the impacts to the partitions from which you
remove memory.
v Is memory available from a partition? Use the HMC to check other partitions to determine if there is
enough memory available in those partitions for use in the partition where you need the extra memory.
A new application on a partition might require more memory, or there may be performance benefits to
increasing the memory that is available to another partition. Refer to your application documentation for
recommendations.
v Is the memory amount less than the partition profile minimum? Plan ahead to move memory as
needed. The remove memory operation will fail if the source partitions memory amount falls below the
minimum memory amount that is assigned.
Start
End
Select menus:
Dynamic
Reconfiguration
of memory
Yes
No
Edit profile
properties,
reboot
HMC:
Select partition
containing memory
to be removed
Type the amount of
memory you want
to remove
Determine need
to reduce memory
Has
the source
partition memory
dropped
below the
minimum?
Adding an Adapter
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to dynamically add an adapter to a partition that is
already operational. If the adapter is a hot-plug capable adapter, the adapter can be installed in the system
and then added to a partition. Before adding an adapter to a partition, review the flowchart and the
planning considerations.
v Is the adapter already installed? If the adapter is not installed in the system, install the adapter
hardware now and then perform the steps to add it to a partition.
v Do you want to permanently add the adapter to the partition profile? If the adapter is to be
permanently used by a partition, update the partition profile to include the new adapter.
Start
End
OS: Run hot-plug
procedures to identify
slot, verify slot location
OS: Use hot-plug
procedures to power off
slot, install adapter
OS: Use hot-plug
procedures to power on
slot
HMC:
Select target LPAR,
then from menu
select Dynamic
Config/IO Slots
Select adapter
to add to LPAR
HMC: Add to profile
as required
Use OS tools or
commands to make
the device available,
mount, etc.
HMC: Update Service
Focal Point with
new LPAR
configuration
Yes
Yes
No
No
Additional PCI
adapter is needed
for a partition
Is the adapter
installed and
available?
Add
permanently
to LPAR
profile?
Moving an Adapter
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to move an adapter from one operational partition to
another operational partition. Before performing the operation to move an adapter, review the flowchart
and the planning considerations.
v Is the adapter in use? Before moving an I/O adapter from one partition to another, ensure that the
adapter is available in the source partition from which you are moving the adapter. Use the operating
system tools to make the adapters available.
v Must the adapter be physically moved? As adapters are assigned to different partitions, you might
want to move an adapter to a different I/O slot. If you decide to physically move a hot-plug adapter, the
PCI adapter hot-plug procedures that are available in the installation or users documentation for your
system, allow this to be done without rebooting partitions.
v Are you trying to move a required adapter? Some of the adapters installed for use in a partition are
required to be in the partition. Before deciding to move an adapter that is required by a partition, check
to ensure that the adapter can be moved.
v Do you want to permanently add the adapter to a partition profile? If the adapter is to be
permanently used by a partition, update the partition profile to include the new adapter.
Start
End
Plan to move a PCI
adapter between
partitions
OS: Use OS tools or
commands to put
the adapter into the
defined state
HMC:
Select source
LPAR then from menu,
select Dynamic
Configuration of
Adapters
Select LPAR to move
adapter to; select
adapter to move
HMC:
Add adapter to
profile as required
Use OS tools or
commands to make
mount, etc.
Choose a different
adapter to move
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Is the
adapter in use?
Are you
trying to move
a required
adapter?
Add
permanently
to partition
Profile?
Use OS tools or
commands to make
mount, etc.
Removing a PCI Adapter
The following flowchart shows the basic steps needed to remove a PCI adapter from an operational
partition. You might want to remove an adapter from a partition because:
v You are preparing to start a partition that needs a certain adapter.
v You are upgrading your system.
Before performing the task of removing an adapter, review the flowchart and the planning considerations.
v Is the adapter in use? Before removing I/O adapters, ensure that the adapter is available. If necessary,
use the operating system tools to change the adapter state to defined.
v Must the adapter be physically moved? As adapters are assigned to different partitions, you might
want to move an adapter to a different I/O slot. If you decide to physically move a hot-plug adapter, the
PCI adapter hot-plug procedures that are available in the installation or users documentation for your
system allow this to be done without rebooting partitions.
v Are you trying to move a required adapter? Some of the adapters installed for use in a partition are
required for that partition. Before deciding to remove an adapter that is required by a partition, verify
that the adapter can be removed.
Start
End
OS: on source partition
determine if the adapter
is in use.
OS: Run hotplug
procedures to identify
slot, verify slot location,
and deconfigure
adapter
Use hot-plug
procedures to power off
slot, remove adapter
OS: Use OS tools or
commands to put
the adapter into the
defined state
HMC:
Select source LPAR
then from menu,
select Dynamic
Configuration of
Adapters
Select adapter
to remove then
press enter.
HMC: Select a
different adapter
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Is the
adapter in use?
Must the
adapter be
physically
removed?
Are you
trying to remove
a required
adapter?
Choose an
adapter that
is not
required
Managing Devices
When you need to add, move, or remove a device such as a SCSI device, you will need to perform those
actions for these devices using the PCI slot that contains the adapter to which the devices are connected.
For example, to move the CD-ROM device that is attached to a SCSI adapter in a partition, you will need
to move the adapter slot for the SCSI adapter from one partition to another. If the CD-ROM is attached to
an integrated component (typically at least one SCSI adapter is integrated on a system board or I/O
board) the slot that represents the integrated adapter is likewise moved.
Chapter 5. Processor on Demand
The Processor On Demand (POD) feature of some IBM servers allows the server to be manufactured with
extra processor capacity built in, ready to be activated when you need it. If your system is ordered with
processor on demand features, you can activate the features and pay for the increased processing power
as your needs grow.
The processor on demand feature enables you to start small, and then increase your processing capacity
without disrupting any of your current operations.
For information about how to activate processor on demand features on your server, refer to Activating
Process for Processor on Demand on page 39, or refer to the IBM Hardware Management Console for
pSeries Installation and Operations Guide, order number SA38-0590 that was delivered with your
hardware management console.
The processor on demand feature offers the capability to non-disruptively activate two or more processors
on a server that was ordered and installed with inactive processor on demand features. The processor on
demand feature adds capacity in increments of two processors, up to the maximum number of standby
processors. The processor on demand feature adds significant value if you want to upgrade without
disruption, handle business peaks, or add new workloads. The processor on demand feature adds
permanent capacity growth with no requirement to reboot the server.
Processor on Demand Features
If your system was ordered with processor on demand features, your managed system has a set of
processors that are active and a set of standby processors that are not active. In the event that an
active processor fails, the inactive processors are then available to be used by the system until the failing
processor is replaced.
Processor on Demand Activation Features
Standby processors (two or more) can be permanently activated by ordering a quantity of permanent
processor on demand activation features. This order is filled when your service provider receives your
request, generates an activation code, and delivers it to you. Activation codes can be delivered to you
through postal mail and they are posted on the Web.
Capacity Planning
If you are doing capacity planning for models offering processor on demand, plan ahead for any potentially
disruptive actions that might inhibit your using fully the capacity of the activated processors. Some actions
you may want to take prior to activating any processor on demand features are as follows:
v Perform any I/O updates, such as adding adapters necessary to increase system capacity
v Perform memory upgrades
v Prepare LPAR partitions
By planning ahead, you can accommodate the growth of existing workloads, as well as handle new
workloads without requiring a server outage. Other components of a server such as memory and I/O affect
performance and overall throughput of workloads. By planning ahead and taking into account the complete
server configuration, you can help ensure that you get the full benefit of processor on demand activations.
Note: If you have questions about capacity-planning topics not covered here, contact your sales
representative for assistance.
37
Processor on Demand Ordering
Permanent processor-on-demand capacity can be activated in either of the following scenarios. The
description of each of the following scenarios highlights if and when it is necessary to send vital product
data (VPD) to IBM.
v New system order (new footprint): An order can contain a number of processor on demand activation
features. The manufacturing facility fills orders directly at the plant of manufacture, before the server is
delivered to the customer.
v Ordering activation features for an installed server: After you have determined that you want to
permanently activate some or all of your standby processors, contact your business partner or sales
representative to place an order.
When the order record and the VPD are both available to the manufacturing facility, a processor on
demand activation code unique to your server is generated. The activation code is mailed to you and
posted at a public Web site for quick access:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/cuod/index.html
As part of the order process, VPD collected from the installed server is combined with information from
the actual order records for processor on demand activation features. This combined information is used
to generate a processor on demand activation code specifically for your server, enabling the activation
of the desired number of standby processors. Allow some time for the order processing and posting of
the processor on demand activation code to take place. Then use the code to activate the processor on
demand features directly on your server.
Processor on demand activation features will not be fulfilled until you submit the VPD through the
Electronic Service Agent or manually to the following Web site:
When you enter a processor on demand activation code, standby processors will immediately become
activated for use. After their status changes from Standby to Active, the processors can be dynamically
moved to the partition where they are needed.
Electronic Service Agent and Processor on Demand
When Electronic Service Agent is used to electronically report VPD on a regular basis, you can eliminate
potential delays in the order process for processor on demand activation features (no manual reporting of
VPD is necessary prior to the fulfillment of a feature upgrade order). To best utilize Electronic Service
Agent and to be prepared to activate processor on demand features conveniently, make sure that
Electronic Service Agent and related communications requirements are up and running. If this is done
before the processor on demand activation features are ordered, the VPD for the system will already be
up to date, and the manual process of updating the VPD is not needed.
After Electronic Service Agent is installed, follow the procedures under Activating Process for Processor
on Demand on page 39 to enable the system to collect and transfer the required VPD for processor on
demand.
If a processor on demand activation feature is ordered and then canceled, an action by the service
representative is required to cancel the order. After the activation code is posted on the Web or mailed, the
order for processor on demand activation features is considered fulfilled, and the downstream billing
process is started.
Dynamic Processor Sparing
In environments with CUoD, Dynamic Processor Sparing allows inactive processors to act as dynamic
spares. An inactive processor is transparently activated if a failing processor reaches a predetermined
error threshold, thus helping to maintain performance and improve system availability. Starting with AIX 5L
V5.2, this capability is offered on pSeries servers with CUoD to help minimize the impact to server
performance caused by a failed processor. This will happen dynamically and automatically when using
DLPAR and the failing processor is detected prior to failure. If not detected prior to failure or not using
DLPAR, a reboot of the system will bring onboard an alternate processor from the inactive spares. The
user can then re-establish required performance levels without waiting for parts to arrive on-site. Dynamic
Processor Sparing does not require the purchase of an Activation Code, it only requires the system have
inactive CUoD processors available.
Software Licenses and Processor on Demand
Activating a processor may change the terms and conditions for applications that you use on your server.
Consult the application documentation to determine if the license terms and conditions requirements
change based on hardware configuration.
Activating Process for Processor on Demand
The processor on demand process begins when you determine a potential need for more processing
capability in the future and want to have the hardware installed on the server now. If processor on demand
features are ordered for your server, they are included in the server when it is delivered. When additional
processors become a necessity, use the following steps to activate them:
1. Determine the number of standby processors you want to activate.
2. Contact your sales representative or business partner to place an order for particular processor on
demand activation features.
3. The sales representative places an order to the system coordinator or feature coordinator for the
specific number of processor on demand activation features. The order specifies the number of
additional processors you have requested to add.
4. To process the order, you must send the system Vital Product Data (VPD) to IBM in either of the
following ways:
v Electronic process (Electronic Service Agent)
v Web-based VPD entry:
For details on how to submit the VPD either through the Electronic Service Agent or using the Web
system go to the following Web site and locate the document Planning Guide for Capacity Upgrade on
Demand. The planning guide provides detailed procedures.
5. After the Activation Code is received (either from the Web or the mailed copy), enter the Activation
Code using the HMC. Detailed procedures are available in the document Planning Guide for Capacity
Upgrade on Demand.
6. Once you have finished the acivation process, you can assign the activated processors to a partition. If
you are using dynamic partitioning (DLPAR), you need not reboot the system to use the processors. If
you are not using DLPAR, you must reboot the managed system before the newly activated
processors can be used.
Before adding processors to a partition that is running Linux, you must stop Linux partitions and then
restart them after you have assigned the processors.
Begin using the new processor capacity. If you encountered any problems using the preceding process,
see the following Web site:
Chapter 5. Processor on Demand 39
Appendix A. Notices
This information was developed for products and services offered in the U.S.A.
The manufacturer may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other
countries. Consult the manufacturers representative for information on the products and services currently
available in your area. Any reference to the manufacturers product, program, or service is not intended to
state or imply that only that product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product,
program, or service that does not infringe any intellectual property right of the manufacturer may be used
instead. However, it is the users responsibility to evaluate and verify the operation of any product,
program, or service.
The manufacturer may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter described in
this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents. You can
send license inquiries, in writing, to the manufacturer.
The following paragraph does not apply to the United Kingdom or any country where such
provisions are inconsistent with local law: THIS MANUAL IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not allow disclaimer of express or implied warranties in certain
transactions; therefore, this statement may not apply to you.
This information could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically
made to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. The
manufacturer may make improvements and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described
in this publication at any time without notice.
Information concerning products made by other than the manufacturer was obtained from the suppliers of
those products, their published announcements, or other publicly available sources. The manufacturer has
not tested those products and cannot confirm the accuracy of performance, compatibility or any other
claims related to products made by other than the manufacturer. Questions on the capabilities of products
made by other than the manufacturer should be addressed to the suppliers of those products.
41
Appendix B. Worksheets for Partition Configuration Planning
This appendix contains worksheets that you can use when planning for partition configuration. Make
copies of these worksheets, and be sure to complete the worksheets for each partition that you plan to
create.
43
Partition Properties Worksheet
Complete both of the the following worksheets for each partition that you plan to set up on your system:
1 of 2
Partition
Number
Partition
Name
Processor
Minimum/
Desired/
Maximum
Memory Size
Minimum/
Desired/
Maximum (in
GB)
Required
Network
Adapter
Disk Drives Comments
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Totals (see note 1 below)
Total Installed
Notes:
1. The total memory size should leave enough room for various system overheads of memory usage.
See the memory requirements table on page 16
2 of 2
Partition Number Partition Host
Name
Networking
Configuration
Application
Stack Software
Levels
Availability
Requirements
Comments (new
deployment or
migration
environment?)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Appendix B. Worksheets for Partition Configuration Planning 45
I/O Drawer Resource Worksheet
I/O drawers can be installed in different locations. Make a copy of the following worksheet for each I/O
drawer in your managed system configuration based on the location code for that drawer. Use the
worksheet copy to keep a record of slot usage for each adapter installed in each drawer.
I/O Drawer Location
and Serial Number
Adapter Slot
Physical Location
Adapter Type Partition
Assignment
Comments
U__.__ P1/Z1
P1/Z2
P1-I1
P1-I2
P1-I3
P1-I4
P1-I5
P1-I6
P1-I7
P1-I8
P1-I9
P1-I10
Px/Z1
Px/Z2
Px-I1
Px-I2
Px-I3
Px-I4
Px-I5
Px-I6
Px-I7
Px-I8
Px-I9
Px-I10
System Profile Worksheet
Make a copy of this worksheet to keep track of the resources in the system profiles you create. Create a
new worksheet for each additional system profile.
System Profile Name
Activation Times
Partition Name Number of Desired Processors Desired Memory Size
(see Note 1 below)
Partition 1
Partition 2
Partition 3
Partition 3
Partition 4
Partition 5
Partition 6
Partition 7
Partition 8
Partition 9
Partition 10
Partition 11
Partition 12
Partition 13
Partition 14
Partition 15
Partition 16
Totals:
Total Installed:
Notes:
1. The desired memory size amount should leave enough room for the various system overheads of
memory usage, see the memory requirements table on page 16.
Appendix B. Worksheets for Partition Configuration Planning 47
Index
A
activating process
processor on demand 39
activation features
adapter
moving 33
adding
adapter 32
memory 28
processors 24
affinity logical partitioning 9
overview 9
availability requirements 18
B
basic LPAR planning checklist 12
benefits
of logical partitioning 10
C
capacity planning
D
detailed LPAR planning checklist 14
devices
managing 35
documentation overview 3
dynamic logical partitioning
overview 9
dynamic processor sparing 38
E
electronic service agent 38
F
full system partition 9
I
I/O drawer resource planning worksheet example 20
I/O drawer resource planning worksheet
instructions 20
L
logical partitioning 8
adding a processor 24
adding an adapter 32
adding memory 28
logical partitioning (continued)
affinity 9
basic planning checklist 12
benefits 10
detailed planning checklist 14
dynamic 9
full system partition 9
example 20
instructions 20
identification phase 11
moving an adapter 33
moving memory 30
moving processors 26
operating in 7
overview 7
partition properties planning worksheet example 19
partition properties planning worksheet
instructions 18
planning 10
planning for updates 23
planning worksheet instructions 16
removing a PCI adapter 34
removing a processor 27
removing memory 31
system profile planning worksheet instructions 21
using the planning worksheets 16
LPAR planning worksheet instructions 16
M
managing devices 35
memory
adding 28
moving 30
removing 31
moving
adapter 33
memory 30
processors 26
O
online publications v, 2
overview
documentation 3
partitioning 7
P
partition properties planning worksheet example 19
partition properties planning worksheet instructions 18
partitioning overview 7
PCI adapter
removing 34
49
permanent capacity on demand
overview 10
planning for logical partitioning
basic LPAR checklist 12
detailed LPAR checklist 14
I/O drawer resource worksheet example 20
I/O drawer resource worksheet instructions 20
identification phase 11
partition properties worksheet example 19
partition properties worksheet instructions 18
system profile worksheet instructions 21
using the worksheets 16
worksheet completion phase 11
worksheet instructions 16
planning worksheets 41
processor features
processor on demand
activating process 39
activation features 37
capacity planning 37
dynamic processor sparing 38
overview 35
processor features 37
service agent 38
software licenses 39
processor sparing, dynamic 38
processors
adding 24
moving 26
removing 27
publications
online 2
publications, online v
R
removing
a PCI adapter 34
memory 31
processors 27
requirements, availability 18
S
service agent
system profile planning worksheet instructions 21
W
worksheets, planning 41
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