AIX for System Administrators_PowerVM

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Basics

PowerVM (Power Virtual Machine):

PowerVM formerly known as Advanced Power Virtualization, it is the virtualization solution for AIX.PowerVM has 3 editions:

Express Edition: Hypervisor, DLPAR (3 servers), VIO (1 server), IVM, NPIVStandard Edition: +DLPAR (254 servers), + VIO (2 servers), +HMC, +Multiple Shared Processor Pools, + Shared Storage PoolsEnterprise Edition: ++Active Memory Sharing, ++Live Partition Mobility

Intergrated Virtualization Manager (IVM)For a smaller environment, not all functions of an HMC are required, and the deployment of additional HMC hardware may not be suitable,so IBM has developed the IVM, a hardware management solution that performs a subset of the HMC features for a single server, avoidingthe need for a dedicated HMC server.IVM manages standalone servers so a second server managed by IVM would have its own instance of the IVM. With the subset of HMC serverfunctionality, IVM provides a solution that enables the administrator to quickly set up a system. The IVM is integrated within theVirtual I/O Server product.

POWER HypervisorPOWER Hypervisor is the foundation of IBM PowerVM. It is a firmware layer sitting between the hosted operating systems and the serverhardware, and it is always activated.It delivers functions that enable capabilities: dedicated or micro partitioning, virtual processors, virtual ethernet- scsi- fibrechannel- adapters and virtual consoles.

LPAR - Dedicated processorsDedicated processors are whole processors that are assigned to dedicated-processor partitions (LPARs). The minimum processor allocationfor an LPAR is one (1) whole processor, and can be as many as the total number of installed processors in the server.Each processor is wholly dedicated to the LPAR. It is not possible to mix shared processors and dedicated processors in the samepartition.

Micro-PartitioningMicro-Partitioning is the ability to distribute the processing capacity of one or more physical processors among one or more logicalpartition.

Shared-processor poolsIn POWER5-based servers, a physical shared-processor pool is a set of physical processors that are not dedicated to any logicalpartition. Micro-Partitioning technology coupled with the POWER Hypervisor facilitates the sharing of processing units between micro-partitions.

Multiple Shared-Processor Pools (MSPPs)is a capability supported on POWE6. This capability allows a system administrator to create a setof micro-partitions with the purpose of controlling the processor capacity that the set of micro-partitions can consume from thephysical shared-processor pool. The set of micro-partitions form a unit and this can be managed for example how much processor capacityit can use.

On all Power Systems supporting Multiple Shared-Processor Pools, a default Shared-Processor Pool is always automatically defined. Thedefault Shared-Processor Pool has a pool identifier of zero (SPP-ID = 0) The default behavior of the system, with only SPP0 defined, isthe current behavior of a POWER5 server with only a physical shared-processor pool defined. Micro-partitions are created within SPP0 bydefault, and processor resources are shared in the same way.

If several partitions from different shared processor pools are competing for additional resources, the partitions with the highestweight will be served first. You must therefore define a partitions weight based on the weight of partitions in other shared processorpools.

Storage Pool vs Volume GroupThe IVM and HMC environments present 2 different interfaces for storage management under different names. Storage Pool interface underIVM is essentially the same as LVM under HMC. (These are used sometimes interchangeably.) So volume group can refer to both volumegroups and storage pools, and logical volume can refer to both logical volumes and storage pool backing devices.

Active Memory Expansion:Active Memory Expansion is the ability to expand the memory available to an AIX partition beyond the amount of assigned physical memory.Active Memory Expansion compresses memory pages (so it generates CPU load) to provide additional memory capacity for a partition. (It isa Power7 feature.) Starting with POWER7+,memory page compression and decompressionis offloaded to a hardware accelerator.

Active Memory Sharing:Active Memory Sharing (AMS) enables the sharing of a pool of physical memory among partitions on a single Power server (Power 6 orlater), helping to increase memory utilization and drive down system costs.

Active Memory Deduplication:To optimize memory use, Active Memory Deduplication avoids data duplication in multiple distinct memory spaces. On traditional LPARs,multiple identical data are saved across different positions in main memory. Active Memory Deduplication combines the data in just onephysical memory page and frees the other chunks with identical data. The result is multiple logical memory pages pointing to the samephysical memory page, thus saving memory space. (It is available on LPARs using Active Memory Sharing.)

Acitive Memory Mirroring:It is called sometimes system firmware mirroring. Active Memory Mirroring for the hypervisor is designed to mirror the main memory thatis used by the system firmware to ensure greater memory availability . When enabled, an uncorrectable error that results from a failureof main memory used by the system firmware will not cause a system-wide outage. The system maintains two identical copies of the systemhypervisor in memory at all times.

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AIX for System Administrators http://aix4admins.blogspot.mx/2011/06/powervm-power-virtual-machi...

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21 comments:

Anonymous April 28, 2012 at 8:45 PM

Your comment about SPs and VGs, makes it sound as though they're synonymous, and if you're under IVM, just use the SP term. That may have beentrue when first released, but I believe SPs are being enhanced well beyond VGs now. With capabilities such as shared storage pools, andfile-backed-Optical.

Or can I do this with a VG and I'm just not aware of it?

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aix April 30, 2012 at 12:03 AM

It was confusing for me, and after reading some docs, I realized they are very similar. I wrote more on these subjects on this blog: VIO ->VSCSI - Stor. Pool., and VIO -> VSCSI (I would suggest read this last one (http://aix4admins.blogspot.com/2011/06/virtual-scsi-virtual-scsi-is-based-on.html), from the middle, where I create the same vg with mkvg and mksp command.)

I think you made a good point about shared storage pools, and that is possibly a difference. However a Virtual Media Repository (withfile-backed-Optical) can be created on a normal vg as well:

padmin@bb-vios2:/home/padmin # lsvgrootvg

padmin@bb-vios2:/home/padmin # lsspPool Size(mb) Free(mb) Alloc Size(mb) BDs Typerootvg 279552 195584 256 0 LVPOOL

padmin@bb-vios2:/home/padmin # mkvg -vg bbvg hdiskpower0bbvg

padmin@bb-vios2:/home/padmin # lssp

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Purusothaman Kali December 2, 2012 at 9:17 AM

Hi , I have a scenario here.

My AIX Frame is totally enabled with 8 CPUs.Partition A assigned with EC=4 and partition B with EC=4 and both are uncapped.Incase if Partition A need one more cpu which is free in partition B , is possible to be acquired by partion A ?

and if it possible to acquire one more CPU by Partition A , when it required by partition B , will Partition B to take it back again ? as itis Entitled for Partition B

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aix December 2, 2012 at 7:43 PM

Hi,

short answer is yes, when you have uncapped partitions, they can exceed the entitled capacity when resources are available. But theycan take it back its own processing capacity form other LPARs when they need it.There are 2 other things what you should know as well:1. uncapped weight: Its a value, what you set at LPAR creation, and if it is higher, then LPAR will receive more resources in uncappedmode. (compare to other LPARs which uncapped weight value is lower.)

2. virtual processors: If you set, in your scenario, 4 virtual processors for both LPARs (as desired value), they will not exceed 4processing unit. This is because 1 virtual processor represents 1 CPU. So, if you want that an LPAR use more CPU if needed in uncappedmode, then you should set virtual processor higher then 4. (For example 5,6,7 or 8 if you would like that 1 LPAR could use all theresources if needed.)

Anonymous February 19, 2013 at 3:28 AM

hi...since am starting my career as an aix system admin,could you pls say me the basic concepts of vio and most used commands in vio concepts,in troubleshooting part..?? thanx in advance.

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aix February 19, 2013 at 10:41 AM

Hi, on this link you can find more info about this topic: http://aix4admins.blogspot.hu/2011/06/vios-service-package-definitions-fix.html

Anonymous March 27, 2013 at 2:51 PM

Hi ..I have system withEntitled Capacity : 0.50Online Virtual CPUs : 2Maximum Virtual CPUs : 16Minimum Virtual CPUs : 1

could you please suggest what does Entitled Capacity mean

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aix March 28, 2013 at 9:10 AM

Hi, Processing Capacity, Processing Units and Entitled Capacity are basically the same thing. There is some description above, butEntitled Capacity: 0.50 means 50% of the CPU is assigned to that LPAR (which will be distributed on 2 Virtual CPUs in your case).


Hi..can i change the uncapped mode to capped and vice versa with dlpar (i.e. with out rebooting partition).

hoping you will answer,Thank you ..any way

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aix April 2, 2013 at 4:25 PM

Hi, changing capped-uncapped can be done only in the LPAR profile and after that profile activation is needed. So it cannot be changedonline with DLPAR.

Anonymous April 23, 2013 at 5:56 AM

Hi Admin,Its very good blog and great content , Admin could you update about WPAR .ThanksAR

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aix April 23, 2013 at 8:27 AM

I'll try my best...


Thanks admin for yor reply,AR

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