The Intelligent Resource Director (IRD) extends the
concept of goal-oriented resource management by allowing you to group
system images that are resident on the same physical server running
in LPAR mode, and in the same Parallel Sysplex®, into an “LPAR
cluster.” This gives workload management the ability to manage
processor and channel subsystem resources, not just in one single
image but across the entire cluster of system images. Figure 1 shows one LPAR cluster in one central
processor complex (CPC): Figure 1. One
LPAR cluster on one CPC
A CPC can have multiple LPAR clusters supporting different Parallel
Sysplexes, and a Parallel
Sysplex can, in turn, comprise multiple LPAR clusters in different
CPCs. This is illustrated in Figure 2, in
which two sysplexes across two CPCs are grouped into four LPAR clusters: Figure 2. Four LPAR clusters on two CPCs
WLM manages a Parallel
Sysplex by directing work to the available resources. With the
Intelligent Resource Director, WLM can additionally move resources
within an LPAR cluster to the work. Processor resources are automatically
moved to the partitions with the greatest need, based on the business
goals of the workloads they are running. Channels are
automatically moved to the I/O control units with the greatest need,
based on the business goals of the workloads using them.
The LINUX partition is not part of the Parallel Sysplex, but WLM manages
it as if it were part of it.
The three functions that make up the Intelligent Resource Director
are as follows:
LPAR CPU Management
Dynamic Channel Path Management
Channel Subsystem Priority Queuing.
Note: Dynamic channel path management and channel subsystem priority queueing also are functional
in single-system environments, such as
a z/OS® system operating as a monoplex. If a z/OS system is operating as a monoplex, each z/OS
system must be assigned a different sysplex name.
