Using Power Enterprise Pools

After you obtain your Power Enterprise Pool configuration file from IBM, you can create and update the Power Enterprise Pool by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC). As a user you have two choices. If you are accessing the HMC interface locally (by using a local browser session), you must have the configuration file in your home directory on your HMC. If you are accessing the HMC interface remotely, then the configuration file must be on the remote machine.

Create a Power Enterprise Pool

You can create a Power Enterprise Pool by using the HMC.

Ensure that you meet the following prerequisites for creating a Power enterprise pool:

Ensure that the configuration file is in the appropriate location. If you are remotely accessing the HMC, you must place the file on the local system that you are using. If you are using a local browser session, the file must be in your home directory on the HMC. This HMC is the controller HMC for the new pool.
Ensure that all servers that are to participate in the pool are in the standby or the operating state.
Collect HMC information (host names, IP addresses, a user ID and password) for each of the HMCs that manage servers that will participate in the pool. Ensure that the HMCs are running and that you can access them through the network.

To create a Power Enterprise Pool from the controller HMC, select System resources > Power enterprise pools > Create Pool.

Update the configuration of a Power Enterprise Pool

After the Power Enterprise Pool is created, you can update the configuration of your pool. You must contact IBM and get a new configuration file for your pool to make the following types of configuration changes:

You can add Mobile Capacity on Demand (CoD) resources to your pool or you can remove Mobile CoD resources from your pool.
You can convert permanently activated resources on any server in the pool to Mobile CoD resources.
You can add servers to your pool or you can remove servers from your pool.
Attention: The HMC deletes the pool automatically if you remove the last server from a pool.

Ensure that you meet the following prerequisites for updating the configuration of a Power Enterprise Pool:

Ensure that you obtained the required configuration file from IBM.
Ensure that the configuration file is in the appropriate location. If you are remotely accessing the HMC, you must place the file on the local system that you are using. If you are using a local browser session, the file must be in your home directory on the HMC.
Ensure that any new server that is to participate in the pool is in the standby state or the operating state.
Ensure that there is at least one HMC managing the server that has been added as a managing HMC for the pool.
Ensure that the HMC is running and the controller HMC can communicate with it through the network.
Ensure that any server to be removed from the pool is in the standby state or the operating state.
Ensure that any server to be removed from the pool does not have any Mobile CoD resource assignments or any unreturned Mobile CoD resources.

When you update the configuration of a pool, the HMC validates the sequence number in the current configuration file. This sequence number must be greater than, or equal to, the sequence number in the last file that was used to create or update the pool. If the current sequence number does not meet this requirement, the update fails. You must obtain the latest configuration file for the pool and update the pool again.

The latest configuration file for a Power enterprise pool is available on the IBM Entitled Systems Support website.

To update the configuration of a Power Enterprise Pool by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC), from the controller HMC for the pool select System resources > Power enterprise pools. In the Power Enterprise Pool table, right-click on the pool and then select Update Pool.

Allocate Mobile CoD resources to servers in a Power enterprise pool

After you create your Power Enterprise Pool, all Mobile CoD processor resources and Mobile CoD memory resources are allocated to the pool. You must use the HMC to allocate Mobile CoD resources to the servers in the pool. You do not have to notify IBM when you allocate resources.

You can assign Mobile CoD resources to partitions in the same manner as you assign permanent resources to partitions. Mobile CoD resources remain on a server until you remove them from that server. Mobile CoD resources do not expire in the same manner as Elastic CoD resources or Trial CoD resources.

It is easy to move Mobile CoD resources from one server to another when migrating partitions. You can remove Mobile CoD resources from a server and add them to another server, even if the resources are still being used on the server from which they were removed. This action allows the processor and memory resources of the migrating partition to exist both on the source and destination servers, and be used by both the servers at the same time, until the migration is complete.

The following are Mobile CoD resource allocation guidelines:

You can add Mobile CoD resources only to servers with unlicensed resources.
If you remove Mobile CoD resources from a server that the server cannot reclaim because they are still in use, these resources become unreturned resources. A grace period timer then starts for the unreturned Mobile CoD resources on that server. If you do not free the unreturned Mobile CoD resources so that the server can reclaim them before the grace period expires, the pool becomes out of compliance.
If the pool is out of compliance and the grace period timer for the pool is expired, you can add Mobile CoD resources only to servers that have unreturned resources. And, you cannot add more resources than the number of unreturned Mobile CoD resources on that server.
When you add Mobile CoD resources to a server, they are used first to satisfy any unreturned CoD resources on that server.

Mobile CoD resource allocation guidelines for a server that is in No Connection, Pending Authentication, or Failed Authentication state:

You can add Mobile CoD resources only to a server with unreturned Mobile CoD resources. The number of resources that you add cannot exceed the number of unreturned Mobile CoD resources on that server.
You can remove Mobile CoD resources from a server. The Mobile CoD resources that you remove from the server become unreturned and a grace period timer starts for these resources. If the controller HMC is not able to reach the server before the grace period expires, the pool becomes out of compliance.

Mobile CoD resource allocation guidelines for a server that is in Power Off, Power Off In Progress, Error, or Initializing state:

You cannot add Mobile CoD resources to the server.
You can remove Mobile CoD resources from a server and the resources are reclaimed immediately.

Mobile CoD resource allocation guidelines for a server that is in Incomplete or Recovery state, and the server is powered on:

You can add or remove Mobile CoD resources from the server.

To allocate Mobile CoD processors to servers in a Power enterprise pool, from any managing HMC for the pool, select System resources > Power enterprise pools. Select the pool name and select Processor Resources.

To allocate Mobile CoD memory to servers in a Power enterprise pool, from any managing HMC for the pool, select System Resources > Power enterprise pools. Select the pool name and then select Memory Resources.

Set the controller HMC for a Power enterprise pool

Each Power Enterprise Pool has one controller HMC.

Initially, the HMC that you use to create the pool is set as the controller HMC of the pool.

Use the following guidelines for designating a new HMC to be the controller HMC for a pool:

Whenever possible, set a new controller for the pool when the current controller HMC is running.
Set a new controller HMC before you perform a clean installation of the current controller HMC.

To set a new controller HMC for a pool by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC), from any managing HMC for the pool, select System resources > Power enterprise pools. Select the pool name and then select Managing HMCs. Select the HMC that you want to set as the controller and click Set as Controller.

Note: If the current controller HMC is not functioning correctly or is disconnected from the network, you must perform this operation on the HMC that you want to designate as the new controller HMC.

Adding a managing HMC to a Power enterprise pool

Every server in the pool must have at least one managing HMC in the pool. Every managing HMC must be at version 8.5.0 or later. Both managing Hardware Management Consoles must be added to the pool. This redundancy will allow each HMC to connect to a server to perform pool operations.

To add a managing HMC for a pool by using the controller HMC, from the controller HMC for the pool, select System resources > Power enterprise pools. Select the pool name and then select Managing HMCs. Click Add HMC.

Removing a managing HMC from a Power enterprise pool

To remove a managing HMC for a pool, from the controller HMC for the pool, select the HMC that you want to remove, then select System resources > Power enterprise pools. In the navigation pane, select the pool name and click Managing HMCs. Select the HMC that you want to remove, and click Remove HMC.

Re-authenticating the HMC

When the machine type and model of the HMC changes, the HMC must be re-authenticated. When you add an HMC to the pool, the HMC's ID and password are used when the connection is being established to the HMC. This connection is only made once and is not needed again, even if that user's password has changed.

To re-authenticate the HMC, from the controller HMC click the Reauthentication Required connection state. Enter the HMC user ID and password.

Viewing history logs

The controllers HMC for a Power enterprise pool maintains a history log of the Mobile CoD resource usage in the pool. Other Power Enterprise Pool related events that have occurred are also recorded in this history log.

To view the history log for a pool by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC), from any managing HMC for the pool, select System resources > Power Enterprise Pools. Select the pool name and select View Pool History Log.

Each server maintains a history log of the CoD events that have occurred on the server. Mobile CoD resource usage and other Power Enterprise Pool related events are recorded in this history log.

Note: You can only view the history log for a server on an HMC that is managing the server.

To view the history log for a server by using the Hardware Management Console (HMC), complete the following steps:

From an HMC managing the server, select System resources > Power enterprise pools.
Select the pool name and select Processor Resources.
In the Server Processor Information table, right-click on the server and select View Server History Log.

The history log for a server can also be accessed from the Memory Resources page.