Scenario: Multiple AIX logical partitions with an HMC

Learn how to connect your AIX® logical partitions to enable service features on your server and your HMC.

Situation

If you are responsible for maintaining servers at your company, one of your roles might be to establish the connections within your network and to the service and support organization so that your servers can access service and support resources. For this scenario, you are using an HMC to manage your server and you are planning for four logical partitions.

Objectives

In this scenario, you want to ensure that your company's server can receive support from the service organization when requested by your company's network administrator. The objectives of this scenario are as follows:

• To set up the HMC to connect to service and support
• Ensure that the logical partitions communicate to the HMC.

Also, in this scenario, you want to set up an additional connection from the server to report software problems to service and support. The objectives are as follows:

• To set up the modem on a logical partition to connect to service and support
  Note: Alternatively, you can use a direct Internet connection.
• To configure Electronic Service Agent™ on the logical partition that has a modem to be the Electronic Service Agent gateway server
• To configure Electronic Service Agent on other logical partitions to be Electronic Service Agent clients and to communicate with the Electronic Service Agent gateway server

Details

The following figure illustrates the flow of service information and problems through the service connection to the service organization.

Figure 1. A figure showing an HMC and managed system with four logical partitions and their connections to service and support through the HMC modem and through the modem on the server.

The figure illustrates the following points relevant to this scenario:

• The HMC setup is complete.
• The HMC is set up with a modem that connects to service and support.
  Note: Alternatively, you can use a direct Internet connection.
• The server has four AIX logical partitions.
• Electronic Service Agent is configured on the HMC and on the logical partitions.
• The HMC is set up to use Electronic Service Agent to call out to the appropriate service and support organization.
• A logical partition is set up to use Electronic Service Agent to contact the software service support organization.
• The Electronic Service Agent gateway server and Connection Manager are set up on a logical partition with a modem that connects to service and support.
• The Electronic Service Agent clients are set up on three other logical partitions.
• Hardware service information and problems flow from each logical partition to service and support using the modem on the HMC, as follows: AIX partition > HMC > Service and support
• Software service information flows from each logical partition to service and support using the modem on the server, as follows: AIX partitions (Electronic Service Agent clients) > AIX partition (Electronic Service Agent gateway server) > Service and support

Prerequisites and assumptions

Successful implementation of this scenario requires that all necessary hardware planning and setup tasks are complete.

Configuration steps

You must complete the following tasks:

1. Ensure that all prerequisites are met for your connection method. Refer to Task 3. Prerequisites.
2. Ensure that your physical networking is set up correctly. See Task 4. Ensure that your physical networking is set up correctly.
3. Obtain or verify your IBM® ID. See Task 5. Obtain or verify an IBM ID.
4. Set up the HMC to connect to service and support. You can use either of the following methods to set up the HMC.
   • Guided Setup wizard (recommended method): The Guided Setup wizard is a tool on the HMC designed to guide you through the steps of setting up the HMC, including connectivity from the HMC to service and support.

     Although you typically use the Guided Setup wizard when you first set up your server, you can also use it to verify that your connections from the HMC to service and support are set up correctly. For details, see Task 6. Verify the HMC service settings.

   • Manual setup: If you prefer to use the manual method to create your service connections from the HMC to service and support, see Manually set up the HMC to connect to service and support.
5. Set up and configure the logical partitions. For details, refer to the Partitioning the server topic.
6. Install the operating system on your logical partitions. For details, refer to Installing operating systems.
7. Configure your TCP/IP network. For instructions, refer to the operating system documentation.
8. Activate TCP/IP on your logical partitions. TCP/IP starts automatically, as long as the network adapter is recognized and can communicate with the network when the AIX operating system is started.
9. Optional: Obtain and configure Electronic Service Agent to enable the partitions to connect to the software service and support organization.

   If you have an HMC, you do not need to obtain and configure Electronic Service Agent for AIX or Linux®. The AIX and Linux inventory and hardware-problem information (or report, perhaps) are sent through the HMC. However, you might want to set up Electronic Service Agent on AIX or Linux to contact the software service organization.

   1. Obtain and configure Electronic Service Agent on AIX. See Task 11. Obtain and configure Electronic Service Agent for AIX or Linux.
   2. Use the Service Agent (SA) Basic User Interface. See Task 12. Use the Service Agent (SA) Basic User Interface.
   3. Register the IBM ID. See Task 13. Register the ID with Electronic Service Agent for AIX or Linux.
10. Configure the service processor. See Task 14. Configure the service processor.
11. Verify that the connection to service and support is set up correctly and that information is being transmitted correctly. See Task 15. Test the connection to service and support.
12. View information that was shared with IBM. See Task 16. View the server information that was reported.