System plans on the Integrated Virtualization Manager

You can use system plans with the Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) to perform a number of high-level system management tasks. For example, you can create a system plan based on an existing system and deploy that system plan onto a different system.

You can use system plans with the Integrated Virtualization Manager to accomplish the following goals:

You can use the Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) to create a system plan based on the managed system, export that system plan, and import it into another. You then can deploy the system plan to the system that the other manages when that system has hardware that is identical to the hardware in the system plan. Note that any internal drive bays and external SCSI cables also must be cabled in an identical manner on the target system.
You can convert a system plan that you created by using theIVM for use in the System Planning Tool (SPT). However, the SPT Conversion Wizard can convert only a limited amount of hardware information from the original system plan. For example, a converted system plan from IVM prior to version 1.5.2, contains information for only a few, if any, PCI cards and the system plan does not contain any information about disk drives. In contrast, a converted system plan from Integrated Virtualization Manager version 1.5.2, or later, contains information for most PCI cards and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives. You must use the SPT to manually specify any missing or incomplete information.
After you complete the conversion process, you can edit the system plan for redeployment of newly added partitions or additional provisioning items for Virtual I/O Server partitions. For example, assume that you converted an v system plan that contains two client logical partitions. You can use the SPT to add another logical partition and to specify Ethernet adapters, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) disks, and virtual Ethernet adapters for the new partition. You then can use the IVM to redeploy the modified system plan to configure the new logical partition. However, if you make changes to a number of existing items in the system plan, the system plan cannot pass validation or the changed item cannot be deployed. For example, you cannot use a system plan to make changes to the attributes for a partition and then deploy that system plan to make those changes to the already deployed partition.

To create logical partitions on an IVM managed system from a system plan, you must first complete the following tasks:

Create the system plan.
Import the system plan (when necessary).
If you are deploying a system plan that you created in the SPT, verify that cards and disk drives on the target system are in the same locations as the cards and disk drives that are specified in the system plan. Also, verify that any cabling instructions for disk-drive bays have been followed. You can obtain these instructions by means of the Report function in the SPT.
Note: If you are deploying a system plan that has operating installation information, you cannot use the IVM Web user interface to do so. Instead, you must use the IVM command line interface (CLI) to install operating environments as part of system plan deployment. See Installing operating environments from a system plan with Integrated Virtualization Manager for more information about how to deploy such as system plan.
If you are deploying a system plan that you created by using the IVM, verify that the hardware and cabling on the target system is identical to that on the source system.
Deploy the system plan.

After you create a system plan, you also can view, delete, and export the system plan. The following table provides a complete overview of system plan tasks.

Table 1. Overview of the tasks for system plans
Task	Overview
Create a system plan	You can create system plans by using any of the following methods: System Planning Tool (SPT) SPT helps you design a system to fit your needs, whether you want to design a logically partitioned system or want to design an unpartitioned system. SPT incorporates the function from Workload Estimator to help you create an overall system plan. The SPT opens the Workload Estimator to help you gather and integrate workload data, and provides advanced users with the option of creating a system plan without the help of additional tools. Integrated Virtualization Manager Web user interface (GUI) You can use the IVM to create a system plan based on the configuration of the managed system. You can export the system plan to the local file system. You then can use the IVM on another managed system to import the system plan from the local file system and deploy that plan to its managed system. Based on the logical partition configuration in the system plan, the IVMcreates logical partitions on the managed system to which it deploys the system plan. IVM command-line interface You also can use the mksysplan command to create a system plan. The IVM creates the system plan based on the configuration information of the existing managed system and stores this information in the system plan. After using the mksysplan command, you can also use the command-line interface to perform other tasks, such as deploy the system plan.
Import the system plan	Before you can use a system plan to create logical partitions, the system-plan file must exist on the IVM management partition. If the system-plan file does not already exist on the management partition, you must import the file into the management partition. You can import the file into the management partition by using the IVM Web interface. This allows you to upload the plan from your local file system. After you import the system-plan file into the management partition, you can deploy the system plan within that file to the managed system.
Deploy the system plan	When you deploy a system plan, the IVM validates the system plan. The IVM deploys a system plan to a managed system only if the system plan level is supported by the IVM, the format of the system plan is valid, and the hardware and each existing logical partition on the managed system passes validation. Additionally, the managed system must be in the manufacturing default configuration, unless you are using IVM 1.5.2, or later, to deploy a system plan. For IVM 1.5.2, and later, if the managed system is not in the manufacturing default configuration, the managed system must have hardware that is identical to the hardware in the system plan. This includes any internal drive bay cabling and external SCSI cabling. When using IVM 1.5.2, or later, you can choose to deploy a system plan in stages, with some logical partitions being created in one stage, and other logical partitions being created in later stages. You cannot, however, deploy a system plan to a managed system if the managed system has logical partitions that are not also in the system plan. Also, if you want to deploy a system plan in stages, you need to create a new system plan if you change the resource allocations on the logical partitions on the managed system between stages to avoid validation problems in later stages.
Export the system plan	You can export a system plan from the IVM to the local file system by using Web browser functions so that you can use the system plan for deployment on other systems.
View the system plan	You can look at the contents of a system-plan file in the IVM by using the System Plan Viewer that is included with the IVM. The System Plan Viewer uses a navigation tree and tables to display the information in the system-plan file. It includes features such as dynamic table column sorting and displaying EADS boundary lines. When you start the System Plan Viewer, you must enter your IVM user ID and password before you can view the system plan. Note: Some messages, such as cabling instructions for internal drive bays, are viewable only when you use the System Plan Viewer in the SPT.
Print the system plan	You can use the System Plan Viewer to print a system plan that you have open in the Viewer. You can print all of the system plan or a portion of the system plan, depending on the current view of the system plan. To print the current view of the system plan, click Print in the Actions pane of the System Plan Viewer.
Delete the system plan	You can delete unnecessary system plans from the IVM.