Requesting NVMe storage for partitions to use
Review this topic to prepare for using the Request Storage task to create a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage group for use by a partition on a DPM-enabled system. NVMe storage is available only when the system has one or more IBM® Adapter for NVMe1.1 features. Depending on the authorization of your user ID, you can access the Request Storage task by selecting REQUEST STORAGE or CREATE STORAGE GROUP in the Configure Storage task. If you need more guidance when you use this task, see the detailed instructions that are available through the online help for the Configure Storage task.
Before you create an NVMe storage group
- If you want to request FICON or FCP disk storage, see the topic Requesting FICON or FCP storage for partitions to use.
- If you want to request access to FCP tape storage, see Requesting tape storage for partitions to use.
- To request a storage group through the Configure Storage task, you can use a customized user ID with authorization to the task, or a customized user ID with the System Programmer Tasks role. You can also use the default SERVICE user ID, but using a customized user ID is the suggested practice.
- If you plan to boot an operating system or hypervisor from a volume in an NVMe storage group, check the product documentation for the operating system or hypervisor to make sure that it supports booting from NVMe storage.
- If you plan to boot an operating system, hypervisor, or dump program from an NVMe SSD volume, note that NVMe namespace management is not supported, so you can boot programs only from namespace ID=1.
An overview of the procedure for creating an NVMe storage group
In contrast to FICON and FCP adapters that provide access to external storage devices in the storage area network (SAN), NVMe storage adapters provide high-speed storage within a system. Each NVMe adapter consists of two pieces of hardware: an IBM-supplied carrier card installed in a system I/O drawer, and the solid state drive (SSD) that customers purchase. IBM service representatives install the NVMe SSDs in the carrier cards after the system is delivered to the customer site.
To request NVMe storage for partitions to use, you define one or more storage groups that contain one or more SSD volumes. The following steps describe the process of creating an NVMe storage group.
- Step 1. Specify the SSD volumes to add to the storage group
- On the Add Storage Volumes page, review the entries in the Available
Volumes table to determine which NVMe SSDs to add to the storage group. For each volume, the table
includes the following information:
- CAPACITY
- Indicates the size of the SSD volume in gibibytes (GiB).
- SERIAL NUMBER
- Specifies the serial number of the SSD volume.
- LOCATION
- Specifies the physical location of the NVMe carrier card in the I/O drawer of the system.
- Step 2. Optionally, change the attributes of each SSD volume
- In the Available Volumes table, you can change the type, specify a device number, or enter a
description of each volume that you want to add to the storage group.
- For Type, select either Data or Boot. Select Boot only if this volume is to contain bootable programs, such as the image of the operating system to be installed in a partition. You can specify only one type for each volume, but you can define more than one volume of each type for the storage group.
- Enter a unique, four-digit hexadecimal device number in the range 0001 - ffff for this volume; otherwise, DPM automatically assigns a device number when the storage group is first attached to a partition. To avoid conflicts, the suggested practice is to have DPM automatically assign device numbers.
- Step 3. Add the SSD volume to the storage group
- Select ADD in the table row of each SSD that you want to add to the NVMe storage group. After you select an SSD, the SSD entry moves to the Volumes to be added table.
- Step 4. Name the storage group
- On the Name and describe page, specify the name of your new storage group. Optionally, provide a description. For the name of the storage group, specify a value that is 1 - 64 characters in length. Supported characters are alphanumerics, blanks, periods, underscores, dashes, or at symbols (@). Names cannot start or end with blank characters. The name must uniquely identify the storage group from all other storage groups that are defined for this system.
- Step 5. Create the storage group
- On the Confirm and create page, review the summary of your storage group. When you are satisfied with the details on the Confirm and create page, select CREATE to create the NVMe storage group.
Results of using the Request Storage task for an NVMe storage group
DPM creates the NVMe storage group and changes the screen display to the Storage Overview, where you can view the new storage group in the list. Note that the fulfillment state is Complete so the new storage group is ready for use.
What to do next
- Use the Partition Details task to attach one or more storage groups to an existing partition, or attach them when you create a new partition through the New Partition task. Only one partition can use an NVMe storage group at any given time; an NVMe storage group cannot be shared.
- You can view and modify the details of the NVMe storage group and its volumes through the Storage Group details page in Storage Overview. Note that the modifiable attributes (type, device number, and description) specified for any NVMe SSD volume persist, even after you delete the volume from the storage group, or delete the storage group itself.