Getting started with shared storage pools by using the VIOS command line interface

Learn about using the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) command-line interface to manage shared storage pools.

On VIOS Version 2.2.0.11, Fix Pack 24, Service Pack 1, or later, you can create a clustering configuration. The VIOS partition in a cluster is connected to the shared storage pool. VIOS partitions that are connected to the same shared storage pool must be part of the same cluster. Each cluster has a default storage pool. You can use the VIOS command-line interface to manage shared storage pools.

In VIOS version 3.1, Shared Storage Pool (SSP) Management data is stored in the PostgreSQL database. All data files of the database are stored in the file system of the SSP cluster pool. If the VIOS node that manages the SSP database is unable to access the file system of the SSP cluster pool, while the PostgreSQL database process is performing an I/O operation, the PostgreSQL database aborts all operations and generates the core memory dump. The PostgreSQL database also generates the pool file system errors and stores them in the system error log file. The SSP database automatically recovers when the VIOS node that manages the SSP database regains access to the file system of the SSP cluster pool.

The following sections describe how you can create a configuration of a cluster with each cluster consisting of up to 16 VIOS partitions and several client partitions that use logical units, and how you can use the VIOS command-line interface.

To perform the shell command operations that are listed in the following sections on the VIOS, log in to the VIOS by using the padmin user ID.