HP-UX: Planning for the server hardware and the operating system

Use the checklist to verify that the system where the server is installed meets requirements for hardware and software configuration.

Question Tasks, characteristics, options, or settings More information
Does the operating system and hardware meet or exceed requirements?
  • Number and speed of processors
  • System memory
  • Supported operating system level
 If you are using the minimum required amount of memory, you can support a minimal workload.

You can experiment by adding more system memory to determine whether the performance is improved. Then, decide whether you want to keep the system memory dedicated to the server. Test the memory variations by using the entire daily cycle of the server workload.

If you run multiple servers on the system, add the requirements for each server to get the requirements for the system.

Restriction: For servers on AIX® operating systems, do not use Active Memory™ Expansion (AME). When you use AME, DB2® software uses 4 KB pages instead of 64 KB pages. Each 4 KB page must be decompressed when accessed, and compressed when not needed. When the compression or decompression occurs, DB2 and the server wait for access to the page, which degrades the server performance.

Review operating system requirements at Tivoli® Storage Manager Supported Operating Systems.

Additionally, review the guidance in Tuning tasks for operating systems and other applications.

For more information about requirements when these features are in use, see the following topics:

For more information about sizing requirements for the server and storage, see the Tivoli Storage Manager Blueprint.
Are disks configured for optimal performance? The amount of tuning that can be done for different disk systems varies. Ensure that the appropriate queue depths and other disk system options are set.

For more information, see the following topics:

  • "Planning for server database disks"
  • "Planning for server recovery log disks"
  • "Planning for storage pools in DISK or FILE device classes"
Does the server have enough memory? Heavier workloads and advanced features such as data deduplication and node replication require more than the minimum system memory that is specified in the system requirements document.
For databases that are not enabled for data deduplication, use the following guidelines to specify memory requirements:
  • For databases less than 500 GB, you need 16 GB of memory.
  • For databases with a size of 500 GB - 1 TB, you need 24 GB of memory.
  • For databases with a size of 1 TB - 1.5 TB, you need 32 GB of memory.
  • For databases greater than 1.5 TB, you need 40 GB of memory.

Ensure that you allocate extra space for the active log and the archive log for replication processing.
For more information about requirements when these features are in use, see the following topics:
Does the system have enough host bus adapters (HBAs) to handle the data operations that the Tivoli Storage Manager server must run simultaneously? Understand what operations require use of HBAs at the same time.

For example, a server must store 1 GB/sec of backup data while also doing storage pool migration that requires 0.5 GB/sec capacity to complete. The HBAs must be able to handle all of the data at the speed required.

 See Tuning HBA capacity.
Is network bandwidth greater than the planned maximum throughput for backups? Network bandwidth must allow the system to complete operations such as backups in the time that is allowed or that meets service level commitments.

For node replication, network bandwidth must be greater than the planned maximum throughput.

 For more information, see the following topics:
Are you using a preferred file system for Tivoli Storage Manager server files?

Use a file system that ensures optimal performance and data availability. The server uses direct I/O with file systems that support the feature. Using direct I/O can improve throughput and reduce processor use. The following list identifies the preferred file systems for each operating system:

  • AIX: Use the JFS2 file system with the rbrw option.
  • HP-UX: Use the VxFS file system.
  • Linux: Use either the ext3 or ext4 file system for the database, recovery log, and storage pool data. Use the following file system that is appropriate for your operating system and level:
    • For Red Hat Enterprise Linux x86_64, use the ext3 or ext4 file system. If Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 or later is installed, use the ext4 file system.
    • For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and for Red Hat Enterprise Linux ppc64, use the ext3 file system.
  • Oracle Solaris: Use the ZFS file system.
  • Windows: Use New Technology File System (NTFS) without compression.
 For more information, see Configuring the operating system for disk performance.
Are you planning to configure enough paging space? Paging space, or swap space, extends the memory that is available for processing. When the amount of free RAM in the system is low, programs or data that is not in use are moved from memory to paging space. This action releases memory for other activities, such as database operations.

For AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Oracle Solaris systems, use a minimum of 32 GB of paging space or 50% of your RAM, whichever value is larger.

On Windows systems, paging space is automatically configured.

  
Are you planning to tune the kernel parameters after installation of the server? You must tune kernel parameters for servers that are on HP-UX, Linux, or Oracle Solaris systems. See the information about tuning kernel parameters for your operating system:

Not all operating systems require that kernel parameters be tuned.