Trial Capacity on Demand

Provides the flexibility to evaluate how extra resources affect system workloads. Both standard and exception requests are available at no additional charge.

Standard requests

  • A standard request for Trial CoD is easily made for a set number of processor core activations or a set number of memory activations.
  • The standard requests can be made after system installation and again after each purchase of permanent processor activation.
  • POWER5 and POWER6 servers except the POWER6 595 can activate up to 2 processor cores or up to 4 GB of memory.
  • The POWER6 595, Power 770, 780 795, E870 and E880 can activate up to 8 processor cores or up to 64 GB of memory.
  • For Power8 and POWER7 servers, you can make a standard request for up to 8 processor core activations or 64 GBs of memory.
  • The standard requests can be made after system installation.
  • An HMC is required to manage Trial CoD activations.

Exception requests

  • An exception request for Trial CoD requires you to complete a form including information from your POWER5 or later model with inactive CoD resources.
  • An exception request activates all inactive processor cores or all inactive memory for 30 days.
  • In general, an exception request can only be made one time over the life of the machine.
  • An HMC is required to manage Trial CoD activations.

Trial Active Memory Expansion

  • Allows the specific expansion and CPU usage to be evaluated by expanding beyond the physical memory limits of the server for an AIX 6.1 partition. Thus a previously memory-constrained server can do more work. The degree of expansion depends on how compressible is the partition's data and on having extra CPU resource for the compression/decompression.
  • Trial Active Memory Expansion is provided when you make a request for trial capacity. After the request is accepted, the trial code will be reflected in ESS and sent to the email address in the request.
  • A one-time no-charge, 60-day trial is provided over the life of that machine.

Actions:

You can request the following trial codes:
* Standard trial (STDP) code request - 2 or 8 extra processors for 30 contiguous powered-on days
* Standard trial (STDM) code request - 4 or 64 GBs of memory for 30 contiguous powered-on days
* Exception trial code (EXCP) request - 100% of inactive processors for 30 contiguous powered-on days
* Exception trial code (EXCM) request - 100% of inactive memory for 30 contiguous powered-on days
* Active Memory Expansion request - Expansion up to 100% of the true memory

Step 1

Go to My Entitled Hardware > Power Capacity on Demand application and click Trial Capacity on Demand tile to make a request for trial capacity. You can choose from one of the options:

  • Standard Processor Request (2/8 processors)
  • Standard Memory Request (4/64 GB of memory)
  • Exception Processor Request (all processors)
  • Exception Memory Request (all memory)
  • Active Memory Expansion trial request

Step 2

The code is sent to the email address that you provide (approximately 1 hour) and will also be posted in ESS table under Power Capacity on Demand application.

Step 3

Enter the code through HMC (Hardware Management Console) as referenced in (Power8 documentation). After you start the CoD trial, the trial period is available for 30 power-on days. The trial period only advances while the server is powered on.

A Hardware Management Console (HMC) is required to administer this CoD offering.

Related links:
→ Power 8 documentation

Parent topic:
→ Power Capacity on Demand - Overview