The AlphaServer Partition Wizard (APW) is a graphical application that simplifies the creation and management of partitions on AlphaServer ES47/ES80/GS1280 and GS80/GS160/GS320 platforms. The following topics are discussed:
An overview and how to run the application, including differences between how APW works with ES47/ES80/GS1280 and GS80/GS160/GS320 platforms (Section 4.1)
The processes involved in working with partition maps (Section 4.2)
Modifying partition maps (Section 4.3
Creating new partition maps (Section 4.4)
Saving partition map files, validating maps, and applying a map to the system (Section 4.5)
Managing APW files (Section 4.6)
The APW runs on the AMS and, through a series of windows, enables you to work with partitions without having to know anything about the console commands involved. The APW works with both hard and soft partitions:
Hard partitions do not share CPU, memory, or I/O resources; the boundaries of these partitions are "hard." An instance of an operating system can run in each hard partition. These instances run independently of each other.
Each hard partition can have a soft partition, also called a subpartition. Soft partitions share the CPU, memory, and I/O of the hard partition. Partitions running the OpenVMS Galaxy operating system can have multiple soft partitions.
By default, each hard partition on an ES47, ES80, and GS1280 has one default soft partition.
Whenever APW changes your hardware's configuration, it also changes the AMS configuration by adding, modifying and removing consoles as needed to match your partition configuration.
Before attempting to run the APW, make sure your system meets the installation
requirements described in installation instructions.
4.1.1 Accessing the APW
You can run APW in two ways:
From the Server Platform Manager (SPM)
You must run APW as root or while logged in as a user in the amsuser group with the Administrator role within SPM.
From the SPM, select the platform you want to partition by highlighting it, and select APW from the platform's context menu or from the Actions menu.
When running APW from the SPM, you can resize columns in APW windows by clicking on a divider between columns and dragging. The pointer changes to indicate that a column can be expanded or contracted.
Moving the pointer over a button displays a tool tip for using that button.
From the command line
To run APW from the command line, you must be logged
on as root on a system running AMS.
Type the
apw
command
at the command prompt, providing the name of a platform as an argument.
For
example:
# /usr/opt/ams/bin/apw rhnat1
The following list describes a few APW features. Detailed information is provided later in this chapter.
You can create new partition maps or modify existing ones.
You can run the APW while a partition is running an operating system. Although you cannot commit a partition map that reassigns hardware to or from a hard partition that is running an operating system, you can commit changes that affect other partitions and you can create and save any partitions maps.
The Validate button causes the APW to review the proposed changes and then lets you know of any problems such changes could cause.
The Commit button makes the desired changes. Prior to clicking the commit button, you can rearrange resources to find the configuration that meets your needs. Once satisfied, you can commit the changes or save them to a file for later use.
4.1.3 ES47/ES80/GS1280 and GS80/GS160/GS320 Platform Differences
You can use APW to create or modify partition maps for ES47/ES80/GS1280 and GS80/GS160/GS320 platforms. Although the process for doing so is similar, you will see some differences.
The principal difference is that on ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms, the partition
map assigns each of the platform's Dual processor Module (Duo) to a partition.
On GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms, the partition map assigns
Quad Building
Blocks (QBBs) to a partition.
Figure 4-1
shows the Resources window for GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms and
Figure 4-2
shows the Resources window for ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms.
See
Section 4.2.2
for information about the Resources window and the differences between to
two platform series.
Figure 4-1: QBB Resources Window
Figure 4-2: Duo Resources Window
In this chapter, when the text and figures refer to duos and ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms, those references also pertain to QBBs and GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms unless otherwise indicated.
The following list describes other differences you need to be aware of when working with the two different series of platforms:
Partitions and soft partitions on GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms do not have names, although each partition and soft partition can have a console name
Unlike duos, QBBs have no "striping" attribute. QBB partitions do use memory striping, but the striping is automatically determined by what memory is installed in a QBB. Consult your platform documentation for more information.
GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms are switch based, allowing any QBB to be put into a hard partition with any other QBB. ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms are mesh based, and so the mesh governs what duos can be part of a hard partition. There are no error messages about "the mesh" for GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms.
Only ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms have a default partition. If there are no other hard partitions, there is a special partition called Default_HP. If a hard partition has no other soft partitions, there is a special soft partition called Default_SP. These platforms have unique circumstances when adding hard partitions and soft partitions, which the user interface reproduces for consistency with the MBM console interface. For example:
In the Create or Modify a Partition Map window, whenever you add a hard partition, if the only other hard partition is called Default_HP, the default hard partition is automatically removed.
In the Soft Partitions and Memory Assignments window, whenever you add a soft partition, if the only other soft partition is called Default_SP, the default soft partition is automatically removed.
Before you can upgrade an ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platform's firmware, you must unpartition the platform. To do this, you modify the partition map to assign all QBBs to a single partition. When you commit the partition map, APW unpartitions the platform.
4.2 Working with Partition Maps
When you invoke APW, the Current Partition Map for the selected platform is displayed (Figure 4-3). A warning message alerts you if the console for the selected platform is in use.
Selecting Resources... from the Current Partition Map brings up a new window that provides a graphical view of the Dual Processor Modules (duos) or Quad Building Blocks (QBB) assigned to each partition and displays information about them. In some cases, the duo shown may contain a duo filler module or may represent an empty duo slot. Figure 4-2 and Figure 4-1 show the Resource window for both platforms.
You move from the Current Partition Map window to the Work with Partition Maps (Figure 4-4) window, where you chose whether to modify an existing map or create a new one.
From within the Create or Modify a Partition Map (Figure 4-5) you can validate the configuration you selected, save your partition map to a file, and apply the map to your system.
The following sections describe the Current Partition Map window, the
Resources window, the Work with Partition Maps window, and the Create or Modify
a Partition Map.
4.2.1 The Current Partition Map Window
The Current Partition Map window (Figure 4-3)
provides information about the partitions on the platform you selected.
It
is the starting point for using the AlphaServer Partition Wizard.
Figure 4-3: Current Partition Map
The display fields for partitions in the Current Partition Map window are as follows:
Partition
Lists the number assigned to the platform, with number
0
assigned to the first partition.
A
U
indicates that the
partition is unassigned.
It also contains a color legend to correlate with
the graphical representation of the platform.
For ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms, the name of the partition appears here. (GS80, GS160, and GS320GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms do not have names.)
Console
Lists the console for the partition.
OS Status
The operating system status in this column can be one of the following:
Running
An operating system is running in this partition.
Not Running
The SRM firmware is running.
Powered Off
The partition is powered off.
Faulted
There is a fault.
Unknown
The firmware reports the partition is powered on and has no faults, but APW was unable to discover whether the OS is running for one of the following reasons:
The console name for one of the soft partitions within the partition is not configured.
The console daemon,
cmfd, is not running.
The console is in use or inaccessible
The console is not responding
OS Type
Shows the operating system for this partition. This is set in the Add or Modify Hard Partition screen and can be Tru64 UNIX, OpenVMS, OpenVMS Galaxy, Linux, or Unknown.
Duos or QBBs
Shows the number of Dual Processor Modules or Quad Building Blocks in the hard partition.
CPUs
Shows the number of CPUs. This number may include faulted CPUs.
Memory (MB)
Shows the amount of memory (in megabytes).
For GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms, this field may be listed as Unknown if the SPM firmware is not running and the data is not cached.
Soft Partitions
The number of soft partitions in this hard partition.
You can cause the APW to rediscover the partitions and update platform
information by selecting the Refresh Button.
4.2.2 The Resources Window
The Resources window (Figure 4-2 and Figure 4-1) provides a graphical view of the Dual Processor Module (duo) or Quad Building Block (QBB) assigned to each partition and displays information about them. You launch this window from the Current Partition Map and can keep it on your desktop as you move through the partition wizard. As you modify a partition map, the changes are reflected in the Resources window.
Each box at the top of the Resources window represents a duo or QBB,
with a color representing the hard partition for that slot.
The duo slot may
contain a duo or a filler module, or it may be empty.
A smaller box in the
upper left corner displays the number assigned to the partition, with number
0
assigned to the first partition.
A
U
indicates
that the duo is unassigned.
The area below the duo grid displays information about the selected duo slot. You select a duo or QBB by moving to it via the mouse, the tab key, or the arrow keys and clicking on it. Selecting a duo or QBB shows the following information:
The names of the hard partition and soft partition
The location of the duo by cabinet, drawer, and slot
A Partition Legend, which displays the number and color assigned to the partition
The columns of the Resources area of the window contain the following fields:
Resource
Shows the CPUs physically located on that duo.
Status
Shows the status of the CPU, which can be one of the following:
Okay
The CPU is present and functioning.
Powered Off
The CPU is present but powered off.
Failed
The CPU is present, but is returning an error status. It may be powered on or off.
Empty
The duo slot is empty.
Filler
The slot contains a filler module.
Memory
The amount of memory (in megabytes) physically located with that CPU on the duo.
Connected I/O
Shows the I/O drawer connected to that partition or show that no I/O drawer is connected.
4.2.3 The Work with Partition Maps Window
From the Current Partition Map window, select Next to bring up the Work
with Partition Maps window (Figure 4-4).
Figure 4-4: Work with Partition Maps Window
In this window, you can perform one of the following actions:
Modify the current partition map.
Create a new partition map
Lets you set certain parameters, such as number of hard partitions and distribution of CPUs. The APW creates a map based on those parameters.
You can then accept the suggested map or modify it. The create a new map option is most often used with new platforms.
Load and modify an existing partition map. You can do this by typing in the name of an existing map or by selecting the Browse button to search for one. You can create multiple partition maps in order to meet different needs in your computing environment.
After choosing the task you want to perform, press Next.
The
next window you see depends upon whether you selected to modify the current
partition window or create a new one.
4.2.4 The Create or Modify a Partition Map Window
You see the Create or Modify a Partition Map window (Figure 4-5)
when you modify the current partition map or load an existing one.
Figure 4-5: Create or Modify a Partition Map Window
From this window, you can add, modify, or delete a partition, and bring up the Resources window. The following buttons are also on this window:
Back
Returns you to the previous window.
Commit
Applies the partition map to the platform. (See Section 4.5.3.)
Validate
Validates the partition map. (See Section 4.5.2.)
Quit
Leaves the APW program, discarding any information you provided.
Save As...
Allows you to save the partition map. (See Section 4.5.1.)
Help
Provides online help for the APW program.
If you choose to modify the current partition, click on the Modify the current partition map radio button and click Next. This will bring up the Create or Modify a Partition window (see Section 4.2.4), which contains a list of your current partitions.
Partitions running an operating system are disabled if you choose to modify the current partition map. Choose Modify the current partition map if:
You want to start with the present configuration of the hardware.
You want APW to protect you from making changes that cannot be committed because of a running operating system.
From this window you can choose to add new partitions, modify existing partitions, or delete partitions.
To add a partition, select Add... This brings up the Add or Modify Hard Partition window, with the existing hard partitions listed in the box on the left (Figure 4-6).
To modify a partition, select the partition you want to modify by highlighting it and then select Modify... This brings up the Add or Modify Hard Partition window, with the resources of the partition you want to modify listed in the box on the right (Figure 4-7), and the resources for all other partitions on this platform listed in the box on the left.
To delete a partition, select the partition you want to delete by highlighting it and then select Delete... You will be asked to confirm this action.
None of the changes you make take effect until you commit them.
(See
Section 4.5.)
4.3.1 Adding a Hard Partition
When you add a hard partition, you must select
the duos or QBBs that will be assigned to the partition.
You can select a
duo or duo filler even if it is currently assigned to another partition.
(Figure 4-6).
Figure 4-6: Add a Partition
You add a partition as follows:
In the box on the left, select the resources that you want to move to a new partition. You do this by highlighting a duo or QBB and clicking on Add.
Continue moving duos or QBBs from the left box to the right until you have the configuration you want.
Look at the icon below the right-hand box. An X icon indicates a problem with your proposed partition. The problem is described as follows:
This partition is not valid in the mesh.
Tells you that the duos or QBBs you selected do not conform to the configuration requirements of your ES47, ES80, and GS1280.
You have not specified sufficient hardware for a valid partition.
Tells you that you need to select additional duos or QBBs to meet the minimum hardware requirements for a partition. Each partition needs at least one CPU (duos contain two CPUs by default) and a connection to an I/O Drawer.
Select different duos or QBBs by using the Add and Remove buttons until the icon turns to a check mark and says "The hardware requirements for a valid partition have been met."
Type in a console name for the partition.
Select the operating system that will run on the partition.
For ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms only:
Type in a name for the partition. This will enable the firmware to identify the partition.
Depending upon your system needs, you can use the following optional characteristics:
Click in the Enable Striping box to stripe memory access across each CPU within a duo. This helps smooth out Nonuniform Memory Access (NUMA) memory latency differences.
Provide a name for the first soft partition. This will enable the firmware to identify the soft partition. The default name is Default_SP.
If the operating system running on this partition is OpenVMS Galaxy, the Soft Partitions... button at the bottom of the window is active. You can click on it to create additional soft partitions. See Section 4.3.3 for more information.
For ES47/ES80/GS1280 and GS80/GS160/GS320 platforms:
Select OK to return to the Add or Modify a Partition Map window.
See Section 4.5 for information about validating, saving, and committing a partition map. See Section 4.3.2 if you want to make changes to the partition you added.
Remember that when you are moving resources out of and into the left-hand
box, you are modifying the platform's other partitions.
You can see those
changes in the Resources window, but they are not reflected by the use of
the X and check mark icons below the right-hand box.
4.3.2 Modifying a Partition
To modify a partition, select the
partition you want to modify by highlighting it and then click on the Modify...
button to bring up the Add or Modify Hard Partition window (Figure 4-7).
In this window, the resources of the partition you want to modify are listed
in the box on the right, and the resources for all other partitions on this
platform are listed in the box on the left.
Figure 4-7: Modify a Partition
Proceed as follows:
Using the Add and Remove buttons, move the duos or QBBs into or out of the box on the right until the resources of the selected partition meet your needs.
Look at the icon below the right-hand box. An X icon indicates a problem with your proposed partition. The problem is described as follows:
This partition is not valid in the mesh.
Tells you that the duos or QBBs you selected do not conform to the configuration requirements of your ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platform.
You have not specified sufficient hardware for a valid partition.
Tells you that the duos or QBBs you selected are missing required components, such as sufficient memory or I/O.
Select different duos or QBBs by using the Add and Remove buttons until the icon turns to a check mark and says "The hardware requirements for a valid partition have been met."
Remember that when you are moving resources out of and into the left-hand box, you are modifying the platform's other partitions. You can see those changes in the Resources window, but they are not reflected by the use of the X and check mark icons below the right-hand box.
Depending upon your system needs, you can use the following optional characteristics when modifying a ES47, ES80, or GS1280 platform:
Click in the Enable Striping box to stripe memory access across each duo in the partition.
Provide a name for the first soft partition, which will enable the firmware to identify it. The default name is Default_SP.
If the operating system running on this partition is OpenVMS Galaxy, the Soft Partitions... button at the bottom of the window is active. You can click on it to create additional soft partitions. See Section 4.3.3 for more information.
Press OK to return to the Add or Modify a Partition Map window.
See
Section 4.5
for information about validating, saving,
and committing a partition map.
See
Section 4.3.2
if you want to make changes to the partition you added.
4.3.3 Creating Soft Partitions
Each ES47, ES80, and GS1280 partition has a default soft partition on which the operating system runs. GS80, GS160, and GS320 do not have a default soft partition.
If you are running OpenVMS Galaxy, your partitions can have multiple soft partitions. The procedures for creating and modifying soft partitions are similar to the procedures you follow to create or modify hard partitions.
When you add a soft partition to an ES47, ES80, or GS1280, the default soft partition (Default_SP) is automatically removed.
The following steps show you how to create two soft partitions from the default soft partition. The steps are similar if the soft partition is not Default_SP.
Highlight the platform you want to work with and open the APW.
After APW finishes its discovery stage, the Current Partition Map window is displayed. Click Next. This brings up the Work with Partitions Maps window.
Select Modify the current partition map and click Next. This brings up the Create or Modify a Partition Map window.
Highlight the hard partition for which you want to create a soft partition and click Modify. This brings up the Add or Modify Hard Partition box.
Change OS type to OpenVMS Galaxy. The Soft Partitions... button is made active.
Click on the Soft Partitions... button. This brings up the Soft Partitions and Memory Assignment window.
Click Add... This brings up the Add or Modify Soft Partition window.
Highlight the duos or QBBs you want in the new soft partition and click on Add to move those duos or QBBs to the right-hand box. Continue until you have the resources you want in your soft partition.
If the platform is an ES47, ES80, or GS1280, provide a name for the soft partition and for its console.
Select OK. This returns you to the Soft Partitions and Memory Assignment window. Notice that you have only one partition. On ES47, ES80, or GS1280 platforms, the Default_SP is automatically removed.
You can assign memory to this partition as follows:
To assign shared memory to all soft partitions, specify an amount of memory and click on Apply.
To assign memory to this partition, specify the amount of memory and click on Apply.
The shared and total memory you assign are displayed in the slider bar. The full width of the slider represents the amount of memory available in the hard partition. You can leave some memory unassigned if any soft partition is set to Automatic memory assignment.
Note
On the Soft Partitions and Assigned Memory window, the Mem (MB) column shows the amount of memory that is local to duos or QBBs assigned to the soft partition. This amount of memory is available to the soft partition without Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) delays.
The Assigned (MB) column shows the amount of memory assigned to the soft partition. When the column's value is listed as Automatic, the firmware calculates the amount of memory assigned to the soft partition.
For ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms, partitions with Automatic assignment display assigned memory as unspecified when viewed at the firmware's MBM command-line interface.
To add the second soft partition, click on the Add button. Repeat the process, utilizing the hard partition's remaining resources.
4.4 Creating a New Partition Map
By choosing to create
a new partition map in the Work with Partitions Maps window, you let the APW
create a map based on criteria you specify (Figure 4-8).
Figure 4-8: Partition Map Creation Criteria Window
To enable a field in the Partition Map Creation Criteria window, click in that field's check box. The first check box is enabled by default. Specify your criteria as follows:
Select the number of partitions you want to create.
Specify the minimum number of CPUs that each partition must contain.
Specify if you want to count slots as well as current CPUs.
Specify the minimum amount of memory in megabytes that each partition must have.
After you have enter the required information and click the Next button,
you will either be taken to the Create or Modify a Partition Map window (Figure 4-5) or receive a warning message (Figure 4-9).
Figure 4-9: Warning Message
If you receive a warning message, click the Back button to change the criteria you selected.
If a new map was created, you will receive a message alerting you to the need to modify it in order to provide a name for the partition and its console. The Create or Modify a Partition Map window is displayed. Continue as follows:
Highlight the first partition and click on Modify... This brings you to the Add or Modify Hard Partition window.
Type in a console name where indicated.
Type in a partition name where indicated.
Save or commit the map for that partition as described in Section 4.5.
Repeat the procedure for any other partitions you created.
4.5 Saving, Validating, and Committing a Partition Map
You save, validate, and commit a partition map from the Create or Modify
a Partition Map window (See
Figure 4-5).
The
following sections describe these operations.
4.5.1 Saving a Partition Map
You can have multiple partition maps for the same platforms, thereby providing an easy way to configure your system to meet specific needs.
To save a partition map, do the following:
In the Create or Modify a Partition Map screen, click the Save As... button. An information box is displayed.
Supply a file name and, optionally, change the location to which the file is saved. Click Save. A message confirms that the file was saved successfully.
The default file extension is
.pmf (partition management
file).
The default (and recommended) location is
/usr/opt/ams/maps.
When APW is launched from the AMS Web page,
/usr/opt/ams/maps
is the only location available for saving or loading a partition
management file.
4.5.2 Validating a Partition Map
Before committing or saving a partition map, you can have it checked for any problems by clicking the Validate button. If the map is problem free, you will see the following message:
The partition map is valid for this system.
Otherwise, you will see one or more of the following messages:
Note
In the following list, name represents the name assigned to the partition on ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms. Because GS80, GS160, and GS320 platforms do not have names, the number of the platform will appear where name is represented.
Warning: Some duos are unassigned.
Warning: Some QBBs are unassigned.
Warning: Partition name is not valid in the mesh.
Warning: Partition name needs more CPUs, Memory, or I/O.
Warning: Some resources within partition name are unassigned.
Warning: Soft partition name in partition name needs more CPUs, Memory, or I/O.
Warning: This commit affects partitions that could be running an operating system.
Error: This commit affects running operating systems
Error: Each partition must have a unique partition name.
Error: Supply a unique console name for partition name.
Error: Supply a unique console name for soft partition name in partition name.
The messages you see when validating a partition map will also be displayed
when committing a map if you did not fix the problem or if you did not validate
the map.
4.5.3 Committing a Partition Map
Committing a partition map applies the map to the system. To do so, click the Commit button. If the map has not been saved to a file, a message is displayed asking you to do so.
Before committing the map, APW first validates the configuration. If it finds any of the warnings listed in Section 4.5.2, you are prompted to respond Yes or No on whether you want to commit. If it finds any of the errors, you will be prevented from committing a map.
When the commit is accepted, it applies the map to the system and
restarts the system.
A status box shows the progress of the commit (Figure 4-10) and the commit status is written to the
log file.
(See
Section 4.6.)
Figure 4-10: Commit Status Window
After the map is committed, the commit is confirmed with the display
of the Committed Partition Map window (Figure 4-11.)
Figure 4-11: Committed Partition Map Window
APW creates log files and partition map files.
The APW log file contains a record of the transaction information and
any errors that occur as the application runs.
The file is saved to the folder
/usr/opt/ams/logs.
It creates a new log file for every session,
but keeps only the 10 most recent files.
The naming convention for log files is
apwlog-yyyy.mm.dd-s.txt, where
yyyy
is the year,
mm
the month,
dd
the day of the month, and
s
is the session.
For
example, if you use APW twice on May 21, 2003, the name of the log file for
the second session is
apwlog-2003.05.21-2.txt.
The information type for each entry is listed in brackets. This is for ease of sorting and processing.
APW partition map files are written to
/usr/opt/ams/maps.
This is done when you select the Save As...
button and provide a file
name.
The default extension is
.pmf.