The HiperSockets user experience with DPM R5.2

DPM Release 5.2 (R5.2) introduces a new type of partition link that is based on HiperSockets technology. Partition links interconnect two or more partitions that share the same network configuration and reside on the same system. HiperSockets are virtual adapters that provide high-speed communications between partitions within a single system, without the need for any physical cabling or external networking connections. A HiperSockets partition link enables partitions that reside on the same system to use HiperSockets technology for transferring data.

Support for HiperSockets is available in prior releases of DPM; however, with R5.2, you need to use different HMC tasks to create, edit, and delete HiperSockets connections. With previous releases of DPM, administrators used a combination of the Manage Adapters task, the New Partition task, and the Partition Details task to create and manage HiperSockets connections. Starting with R5.2, you create and manage HiperSockets through the Configure Partition Links task, which provides a simplified and streamlined user experience.

Although you can continue to view HiperSockets details through the New Partition, Partition Details, and Manage Adapters tasks, other HiperSockets functions (create, edit, delete) in those tasks are disabled. The only exception: you are able to reassign the channel path identifier (CHPID) of the HiperSockets adapter through Manage Adapters > Reassign Channel Path IDs.

When DPM R5.2 is installed on your system and the Support Element is restarted, any HiperSockets connections that were defined on a prior DPM release are automatically converted into HiperSockets partition links. Each HiperSockets partition link is populated with a list of the partitions that were using the HiperSockets adapter, as well as the network interface cards (NICs) assigned to each partition and their associated device numbers. However,
  • Permissions on the original HiperSockets adapter are not carried over to the new system, so more users might have access to the HiperSockets partition links. In this case, your security administrator needs to set up equivalent user permissions for the new HiperSockets partition links. For potential migration actions, see Migration instructions for a system replacement.
  • If any Secure Service Container partitions use a HiperSockets connection to access the Secure Service Container web interface, you must reconfigure that connection to use an Open Systems Adapter-Express® (OSA) adapter. To do so, open the Partition Details task for the Secure Service Container partition, and go to the Network section to define a new network interface card that is associated with an OSA adapter.