Using an lpp_source resource

An lpp_source resource represents a directory in which software installation images are stored.

If the lpp_source contains the minimum set of support images required to install a machine, it is given the simages attribute and can be used for BOS installation (bos_inst) operations. If an lpp_source does not contain enough software to be an simages lpp_source, then it can only be used in NIM cust operations to install software on running machines and SPOTs.

The recommended types of NIM lpp_source resources are as follows:

A complete (simages=yes) NIM lpp_source resource that contains AIX® base-installation file sets (generated from AIX base-installation media) that are capable of installing the AIX operating system on an AIX machine.
An update lpp_source resource that contains only technology-level or service-pack updates (such as those on AIX update media or available for downloading from an IBM® service site).
An application lpp_source resource that contains additional application software (to be installed after a base operating system installation).

If you combine these images into one lpp_source resource, use the lppmgr command to remove superseded or duplicate images.

Note: Do not combine an lpp_source resource that was created from a technology-level base media with images from the same technology-level update media.

NIM uses an lpp_source for an installation operation by first mounting the lpp_source on the client machine. The installp commands are then started on the client using the mounted lpp_source as the source for installation images. When the installation operation has completed, NIM automatically unmounts the resource.

In addition to providing images to install machines, lpp_source resources can also be used to create and update SPOT resources.

The minimum set of images required for an lpp_source to have the simages attribute are:

POWER processor-based	Itanium processor-based
bos	bos
bos.64bit	N/A
bos.rte.up	N/A
bos.rte.mp	N/A
bos.up	N/A
bos.mp	bos.mp
bos.net	bos.net
bos.diag	bos.diag
bos.sysmgt	bos.sysmgt
bos.terminfo	bos.terminfo
bos.terminfo.data	bos.terminfo.data
devices.base	devices.ia64.base
devices.buc	N/A
devices.common	devices.common
devices.graphics	devices.graphics
devices.mca	devices.pci
devices.rs6ksmp.base	N/A
devices.scsi	devices.scsi
N/A	devices.ide
devices.sio	devices.isa_sio
devices.sys	N/A
devices.tty	devices.tty
xlC.rte	xlC.rte

Note: When copying device images to a directory that you plan to define as an lpp_source, be sure to copy all the device images for a given type of device. For example:

cp /cdfs/usr/sys/inst.images/devices.pci.*  lpp_source_directory

You can define an lpp_source in several ways:

If a directory containing installation images already exists, it can be directly defined as an lpp_source resource.
If a directory should be created and populated by NIM with the default set of support images for a BOS install, use the source attribute when defining the resource. This attribute specifies either the name of the device, absolute directory pathname or absolute ISO image pathname that contains the installation images. NIM copies the software images from this source into the location specified for the lpp_source. The images copied will include those from the simages list, all available device support, and some additional software that is typically installed as well (for example, X11).
If an lpp_source should be created from a source device using a list of software other than the default set of images, specify the packages attribute when defining the lpp_source. Use the packages attribute to list the alternative set of software images to copy.
If an lpp_source should be created from a source device using a list of software based on the source's simages list, specify the use_source_simages attribute with a value yes when defining the lpp_source. When using this attribute, you must specify a source attribute and the packages attribute cannot be supplied.
If a warning message of 0042-256 is displayed when you create an lpp_source resource, the listed file sets are no longer available for this source level. This issue is a known limitation for prior releases.

The size of an lpp_source may vary greatly with the amount of software it includes. A minimum lpp_source with just enough software to qualify for the simages attribute may be under 100 MB, but a default lpp_source created from a CD-ROM may be over 350 MB. It is recommended that a separate file system be created to contain an lpp_source so the space can be more easily managed. By default, NIM automatically expands a file system as needed when creating an lpp_source and copying images from a source device.

The simages message displays only if the user is creating an lpp_source resource with the default installation packages. The simages message will display if the simages attribute could not be set for the lpp_source. If a user creates an lpp_source and specifies a list of packages, the simages message is not printed. The simages attribute is set correctly, whether or not a simages message is printed or not.

If a user attempts to do an rte BOS installation with an lpp_source that does not have the simages attribute, the user receives an error. The error message instructs the user to run nim -o check on the lpp_source to determine the missing packages needed for an rte BOS installation. Whenever a user runs nim -o check on an lpp_source after it has been created, the simages message is printed if the lpp_source does not contain all the images needed for a rte BOS installation.