IBM System p5 Approaches to 24x7 Availability Including AIX 5L

IBM System p5 Approaches to 24x7 Availability Including AIX 5L

by Scott Vetter, Bruno Blanchard, Steve Edwards, Brad Gough, Hans Mozes
Released August 2006
Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
ISBN: 0738495875

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Book description

This IBM Redbook focuses on the technology, serviceability, and features that are used by the IBM eServer p5 and IBM System p5 servers, which allow you to make your server one of the most reliable and available parts of your IT infrastructure.

This redbook explains how the server availability can be improved by:

- Proper planning of the server environment and configuration

- Understanding the role of the service processors and firmware components, and how they can be best configured and managed

-Using high availability and redundancy features provided by the AIX 5L operating system and the Virtual IO server

This redbook contains many detailed examples and step-by-step scenarios of usual server operation and maintenance tasks, such as the setup of redundant HMC and service processors, firmware upgrades, hot-addition of RIO drawers, or configuration of redundant Virtual IO servers.

This redbook is intended for architects, specialists, and system administrators who are responsible for planning or developing an availability strategy for IBM System p servers.

Table of contents

  1. Figures (1/2)
  2. Figures (2/2)
  3. Tables
  4. Notices
    1. Trademarks
  5. Preface
    1. The team that wrote this redbook
    2. Become a published author
    3. Comments welcome
  6. Chapter 1: Overview, concepts, and scope
    1. 24x7 availability
    2. Scope of this redbook
    3. Introduction to the chapters
  7. Chapter 2: Reliability, availability, and serviceability
    1. RAS overview
    2. Recent additions to RAS
    3. Redundant and highly available components
      1. Power and cooling
      2. Memory
      3. IBM System p5 processor
      4. POWER Hypervisor
      5. Service processor and clocks
      6. The I/O subsystem
    4. Availability, fault detection, and isolation
      1. Memory
      2. Processor
      3. First Failure Data Capture
      4. The I/O subsytem and PCI bus error recovery
    5. Serviceability
      1. Environment
      2. Operator panel and light strip
      3. Service processor
      4. Diagnostics
      5. Integrated Virtualization Manager
      6. Error log analysis
      7. Service Focal Point
      8. Service Agent
      9. Hardware Information Center
      10. Blind-swap PCI adapters
    6. System dumps
  8. Chapter 3: Site planning
    1. Physical site planning
      1. Site inspection
      2. Electrical power planning
      3. Raised floor requirements
      4. Service clearance and floor loading
      5. Vibration and shock
    2. System specifications
      1. Power planning p5-570 (1/2)
      2. Power planning p5-570 (2/2)
      3. Power planning p5-590 and p5-595
      4. Physical package p5-570
      5. Physical package p5-590 and p5-595
      6. Maintenance clearances
      7. Air conditioning and cooling
      8. Optional Rear Door Heat eXchanger (FC 6858)
  9. Chapter 4: Server hardware planning
    1. Planning for PCI placement
    2. Internal I/O subsystem of the p5-570
      1. PCI-X slots and adapters
      2. EEH adapters and partitioning
      3. Remote I/O setup
      4. 7311 Model D10 and 7311 Model D11 I/O drawers
      5. 7311 Model D20 I/O drawer
      6. 7311 I/O drawer and RIO-2 cabling
      7. 7311 I/O drawer and SPCN cabling
    3. p5-590 and p5-595 I/O
      1. I/O drawer attachment (1/2)
      2. I/O drawer attachment (2/2)
      3. Supported PCI I/O adapters
    4. InfiniBand attachment
      1. Application clustering
      2. Interprocessor communication
      3. Storage area networks
      4. InfiniBand technical overview
      5. InfiniBand layers
      6. Physical layer
      7. Link layer
      8. Network layer
      9. Transport layer
      10. InfiniBand elements
      11. InfiniBand architecture
      12. Channel adapters
      13. Switch
      14. Host Channel Adapters
    5. I/O device assignment considerations
      1. Media devices
      2. Boot device considerations
      3. Network devices
      4. Graphics console
    6. System upgrades
      1. Adding a CEC p5-570
      2. Adding a 7311 D11 or 7311 D20
      3. Adding a RIO adapter or InfiniBand adapter to a p5-570
      4. Adding a Processor Unit Book on an p5-590 and p5-595
      5. Adding GX cards and I/O drawers
      6. Available education about your server
    7. Resource planning using the System Planning Tool
      1. System Selection dialog
      2. Processor Partition Specifications dialog
      3. Memory Specification dialog
      4. Assigning virtual slots (1/2)
      5. Assigning virtual slots (2/2)
    8. Planning for the Hardware Management Console
      1. HMC network interfaces
      2. Private and open networks in the HMC environment
      3. HMC connections
      4. Predefined HMC user accounts
    9. Web-based System Manager
      1. Where to download Web-based System Manager
      2. Installation on PC
      3. Using the HMC client
      4. Enabling remote access to an HMC
  10. Chapter 5: Service processor and firmware
    1. Service processor
      1. Service processor architecture
      2. Dual redundant service processor cards
      3. Configure a redundant SP on a p5-570
      4. Service processor takeover to redundant service processor
      5. IBM System p server firmware
      6. POWER Hypervisor
      7. Firmware differences
      8. IBM System p server and HMC microcode
      9. Concurrent and non-concurrent firmware update policy
      10. Firmware naming convention
      11. IBM System p servers firmware life cycle
      12. Firmware for PCI and PCI-X adapter cards
      13. Firmware for storage devices
      14. Best practices to handle firmware updates
      15. Microcode Discovery Service
    2. Access to the service processor user interface (1/2)
    3. Access to the service processor user interface (2/2)
  11. Chapter 6: AIX 5L: Approaches to high availability
    1. Introducing high availability functions in AIX 5L
      1. Availability and serviceability in virtualized environments
      2. The raso command
    2. Using AIX 5L error report and diagnostics
      1. The automatic error log analysis
      2. Monitor root mail for error messages
      3. The AIX 5L system log (1/2)
      4. The AIX 5L system log (2/2)
      5. Understanding AIX 5L diagnostics
    3. Creating HA logical partition profiles
      1. Determining the LPAR requirements
      2. Determine the Statement Of Requirements (SOR)
      3. Determine the hardware environment
      4. Produce a Statement Of Work (SOW)
      5. IBM System Planning Tool
      6. Create the LPAR (1/4)
      7. Create the LPAR (2/4)
      8. Create the LPAR (3/4)
      9. Create the LPAR (4/4)
    4. Using AIX 5L LVM mirroring
      1. The basics of LVM mirroring
      2. Mirroring the rootvg (1/2)
      3. Mirroring the rootvg (2/2)
    5. Multipath I/O in a SCSI environment
      1. Managing MPIO-capable devices
      2. Cabling a SCSI device as an MPIO device
    6. Ethernet Link Aggregation
      1. Understanding Ethernet Link Aggregation
      2. EtherChannel or Ethernet LA
      3. Ethernet LA modes
      4. Implementing Ethernet LA
      5. Implementing Ethernet LA HA+B
      6. Implementing Ethernet LA NIB
      7. Ethernet LA - considerations and restrictions
    7. Hot Plug Task
      1. An introduction to the Hot Plug Task
      2. Preparing for replacement of an Ethernet adapter using HPT
      3. Replacement of an Ethernet adapter using HPT (1/2)
      4. Replacement of an Ethernet adapter using HPT (2/2)
    8. Network Installation Management
      1. NIM and high availability (1/3)
      2. NIM and high availability (2/3)
      3. NIM and high availability (3/3)
      4. The nimadm command
      5. The nim_move_up command
    9. Providing higher availability for the VIOS
    10. MPIO in the client with SAN in the VIOS
      1. Setup on the HMC (1/2)
      2. Setup on the HMC (2/2)
      3. Configuration on the Virtual I/O Servers (1/2)
      4. Configuration on the Virtual I/O Servers (2/2)
      5. Working with MPIO on the client partitions
    11. SEA failover (1/2)
    12. SEA failover (2/2)
    13. Concurrent software updates for the VIOS (1/3)
    14. Concurrent software updates for the VIOS (2/3)
    15. Concurrent software updates for the VIOS (3/3)
  12. Chapter 7: Detailed scenarios
    1. Server upgrades
      1. Adding a redundant SP
      2. Concurrent add of a RIO drawer (1/2)
      3. Concurrent add of a RIO drawer (2/2)
    2. Preventive maintenance
      1. Concurrent firmware update (1/3)
      2. Concurrent firmware update (2/3)
      3. Concurrent firmware update (3/3)
      4. Firmware update with redundant HMCs (1/3)
      5. Firmware update with redundant HMCs (2/3)
      6. Firmware update with redundant HMCs (3/3)
      7. Firmware update with dual SPs (1/2)
      8. Firmware update with dual SPs (2/2)
    3. Problem solving
      1. Tips for proper maintenance
      2. Using the Service Focal Point with redundant HMCs
      3. Loss of HMC data (1/3)
      4. Loss of HMC data (2/3)
      5. Loss of HMC data (3/3)
      6. RIO drawer loss in a redundant I/O connectivity configuration (1/3)
      7. RIO drawer loss in a redundant I/O connectivity configuration (2/3)
      8. RIO drawer loss in a redundant I/O connectivity configuration (3/3)
  13. Abbreviations and acronyms
  14. Related publications
    1. IBM Redbooks
    2. Other publications
    3. Online resources
    4. How to get IBM Redbooks
    5. Help from IBM
  15. Index (1/4)
  16. Index (2/4)
  17. Index (3/4)
  18. Index (4/4)
  19. Back cover

Product information

  • Title: IBM System p5 Approaches to 24x7 Availability Including AIX 5L
  • Author(s): Scott Vetter, Bruno Blanchard, Steve Edwards, Brad Gough, Hans Mozes
  • Release date: August 2006
  • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
  • ISBN: 0738495875