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To extreme micro-partition or to Workload-Parttion, that is the question?
So I got asked, just as an example configuration which forces lots of workload per CPU: Given a 16 CPU POWER machine and a need to run 100 workloads, would I recommend 100 LPARs or 100 WPARs? In case you are not familiar with POWER technology: LPAR = Logical Partition used the PowerVM to split CPU, memory and I/O across multiple virtual machines (also called virtual servers). The I/O is handles by a special purpose LPAR called the Virtual I/O Server, which provides virtual network, virtual disks, virtual optical and virtual tape. Each LPAR has... [More]
Tags: aix7 power7 wpar workload lpar powervm vios |
Are you an AIX person or a POWER7 person?
Warning: touchy feely comment coming up! I have always found it odd that IBM markets the Hardware = POWER7 a lot and very little marketing on the Operating System = AIX7. Personally, I have more good feelings and positive vibes for AIX operating system
because I log in to every day and use it for hours than I do for the
POWER hardware running it. I very rarely go to the machine room and hug the machine! Does anyone else feel this way or am I sadly alone? Put
it another way would you spend two Dollar Euro Pounds (all increasingly
... [More]
Tags: feely touchy aix7 aix person power7 comment |
Shared Storage Pools 2 - Up and Running + some New Information
At last I have got round to rebuilding my Shared Storage Pool cluster of machines. We have the four VIOS limit. So I was thinking: For machines with Dual Virtual I/O Servers - the options are limited so I would pair up machines for mutual Live Partition Mobility. For machines with single VIOSs - I would create a cluster of four machines for some extra flexibility and LPM across any of the machines. The "cluster -create" command to make the first node of the cluster too about 3 minutes and the "cluster -addnode" command... [More]
Tags: powervm shared storage aix7 2 good and up vios running power7 information pools some - + |
AIX 5.3 within a Versioned WPAR - Just give it ago, it's easy!
I spent two days with a "well known brand" UK retailer trying out Versioned Workload Partitions (vWPAR). Actually, it was with an IBM Business Partner that runs the machines for them- two knowledgeable and fun guys to work with - we were asked by the European manager in the next room to keep the noise down! This Versioned WPAR technology lets you run AIX 5.2 or AIX 5.3 inside an AIX 7 on Power7 Workload Partition (WPAR). You simply get the source AIX up to the required level (which you should already by running), then take a mksysb... [More]
Tags: versioned partition workload aix aix7 powervm wpar 5.3 power7 |
Local, Near & Far Memory part 2 - Virtual Machine CPU & Memory Lay Out
So you know about Power7 Local, Near and Far memory for your actual machine but what is your Virtual Machine (LPAR) actually using? There are three key commands to show you (lssrad, mpstat and topas) and we will look at some example output. First, we need to define an SRAD or a Scheduler Resource Affinity Domain . If you have used Resource Sets with AIX WLM or WPAR then you have a good idea what these are like. An SRAD is a group of resources but in our case CPU/cores and the associated memory that is directly attached to it. As an... [More]
Tags: lssrad topas affinity srad mpstat powervm aix6 power7 resource aix7 domain scheduler |
AIX Virtual Processor Folding is Misunderstood
This mysterious AIX CPU Folding area is often misunderstood, so below is what I know from osmosis from talking to various guru level developers over the last 10 years. Shared Processor virtual machines (LPARs for the old fashioned) have a setting called Virtual Processors (or VP for short). This is the number of physical CPUs that the virtual machines can spread out across - in fact, I prefer to call it the "spreading factor" as it is much more obvious what it means. This can be the upper threshold for the number of CPUs that can be... [More]
Tags: power7 powervm power6 hypervisor aix folding aix6 aix7 virtual processor |
Prague Technical University - it is not all work
This picture was taken by Shawn Mullen - Security Architect for AIX and cool speaker at the event too. It was taken outside of the Gala Dinner on the Wednesday evening - where we had good food and "interesting" Czech musical entertainment at the beautiful historic Zofin Palace on an island in the main river. From left to right are some of the top speakers at the conference: Ignoring the waiter with the excellent champagne! Jay Kruemcke - Power Software Program Director, USA - Mr AIX to his friends - twitter: chromeaix Patrick... [More]
Tags: aix aix6 prague ibmtechu power aix7 power7 |
AIX 5.2 Versioned WPAR - Ideas for a demo, please
We have blogged on this really cool AIX 7 feature in the past - but here is my problem: Once I install the AIX 5.2 mksysb image in to the Workload Partition running on AIX7 it all works fine but ... then what can I show an audience to show off "AIX 5.2 running on top of AIX 7": I need a simple application that only runs on AIX 5.2 . Something simple enough that it does not take hours to install and hopefully that it is something visually interesting to see. I am told we can run Oracle 8 now including the kernel extension but its not... [More]
Tags: aix7 power7 wpar powervm aix versioned |
Ten Smarter Technologies - coming your way
Hi, I am preparing for a Power Systems Technical University in Las Vegas, USA and Lyon, France in October. I have a session with the title below and I am seeking feedback from technology guru's like yourselves. Which four of the below ten technologies do you think are "most likely to be normal in five years time"? Please comment on this AIXpert (see "Add a Comment" below) with your four top technologies. I will post the overall results as a graph in roughly two weeks time. Below here there should be a large image of the ten... [More]
Tags: "systems solutions fcocee ghz ssd director" aem aix7 power7 vmcontrol "versioned ame wpar" |
Versioned WPAR runs AIX 5.2 on POWER7
With AIX 7 and POWER7, you now have the option to run the old withdrawn AIX version 5.2 within a
WPAR with this new offering - AIX 5.3 Workload Partitions for AIX 7, version 1.1 This will run the same AIX 5.2 OS, same middle-ware and same application
but on right-up-to-date hardware and OS. Then you can remove the old
POWER4 (or older hardware) to: Reduce electricity & heat, Free up floor
or rack space, Reduce hardware maintenance or if you don't have it, reduce your risks, Plus either a
performance boost due to POWER7 or reduced... [More]
Tags: versioned aix7 power7 5.2 aix wpar |
Announcing AIX7 & download from 10th Sept 2010 |
Step change in POWER7 performance
I just noticed the rPerfs (relative performance numbers) for the four new Entry Level systems (Power 710/720/730/740) and the High End Power 795 are available in the updated "Power Systems Facts and Features" document on the IBM website. My notes: The Entry Level machines are now 16 core/CPU/way (delete as you like to call them). That is a serious machine for the bottom end 2U rack server and it has all the POWER7 virtualisation features built in. These humble machines have the roughly the same performance as the mid-range previous... [More]
Tags: power7 aix7 797 710 rperf 740 720 730 |
Things have moved on since AIX 5.2
We needed to install AIX 5.2 in order to create a mksysb for AIX 7 Versioned WPAR testing - this allows you to run AIX 5.2 in a WPAR. First we had endless problems locating media but our Computer Room Manager Mike turned up trumps in the end - he keeps everything and regularly saves the day. So we loaded all 7 CDROMs on to our VIOS to add them to the virtual Optical Library. Second, we booted from the CDROM only to with an immediate halt with a warning the AIX 5.2 can't run in a Shared CPU LPAR - doh! we should have realised that one. It was a... [More]
Tags: vwpar 2002 aix5.2 powervm power7 aix7 |
AIX7 Open Beta - download yourself a copy today
The AIX 7 Open Beta is available now - this gives you access to the version to be released later this year. Find the summary in a earlier AIXpert blog and then the details at the new AIX7 Open Beta website. I have downloaded the image at just 2.4 GB (watch out for your 1GB default ulimit) for the entire AIX OS and have it running fine. I installed via my VIOS based virtual optical drive. Also included are access to new compilers versions, the AIX7 documentation and support via a Forum.
Tags: aix7 open beta |
What is the savings of using WPARs over LPARs?
I was just asked this question by customer and it got me thinking, Items I would include: WPAR takes seconds to create and LPARs minutes LPARs need setting VIOS LV or LUNs but WPARs add simpler NFS mount points, or can just use Global AIX diskspace options LPAR needs 512 to 1GB to boot AIX and a WPAR takes just ~60 MB (yes sixty megabytes) You can share application code say 1 GB in each and every LPAR (40 LPAR = 40 GB) or just one shared read-only copy for all WPARs 40 WPAR = 1 GB).This saves man-power in maintenance, disk space AND memory (if... [More]
Tags: power7 lpar aix7 aix wpar 5.2 |
AIX7 is coming!
Just a quick look at the features for AIX7 - which is coming soon. Take a look at AIX7 Preview for an official statement. The two major items for me are 1) Scaling to 256 cores (or CPUs as I have called them for 25 years) Power systems always had lower CPU counts than the competition particularly in the high end machines due to the faster speed of the processor and this benefits batch (single threaded) work, software costs (lower CPU numbers) and is easier for scaling up but now a truly massive POWER7 machine is near and AIX7 is the OS to run... [More]
Tags: aix7 wpar aix6 power7 |
