How To
Summary
This document describes the steps for how to create NVMe namespaces and add them to an ASP
Objective
Create NVMe namespaces from NVMe devices and add the namespace storage units to an ASP
Environment
IBM i operating system with NVMe storage devices
Steps
This document provides instructions for how to create NVMe namespaces, followed by how to add them to the ASP. The instructions with the menu options are for IBM i 7.4 and above. IBM i 7.3 Technology Refresh 12 (TR12 also included on Resave RSQ) and above also support NVMe but the steps will need to be performed through macros which are provided in the 7.3 section.
*Note1: The NVMe namespace needs to be mirrored to another NVMe namespace on a separate NVMe device.
*Note2: If this partition is a target node for Geographic mirroring, then the namespaces for the iASP need to be created (step 1) before the CFGGEOMIR, but not be added to the iASP manually. For further information on CFGGEOMIR, see document: PowerHA: Steps to Configure Geographic Mirroring Between Two Nodes
For each device, follow these steps for the NVMe namespaces. By listing the quantity and size, it creates multiples for that NVMe device.
1) Create NVMe namespaces (IBM i 7.4 and above): https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.4?topic=nvme-create-nvm-namespaces
a. On the System Service Tools (SST) display, select Work with disk units.
b. On the Work with Disk Units display, select Work with disk configuration.
c. On the Work with Disk Configuration display, select Work with NVMe Devices.
b. On the Work with Disk Units display, select Work with disk configuration.
c. On the Work with Disk Configuration display, select Work with NVMe Devices.
* Repeat these steps for each NVMe device that is installed on the partition.
d. Select Create NVMe namespaces.
e. Select the NVMe device.
f. Enter the quantity and capacity of the namespaces you want on the NVMe device.
g. Press F10 to confirm the creation of the namespaces.
h. When all of the namespaces have been created on all of the NVMe devices, press F12 to return to the System Service Tools (SST) display.
d. Select Create NVMe namespaces.
e. Select the NVMe device.
f. Enter the quantity and capacity of the namespaces you want on the NVMe device.
g. Press F10 to confirm the creation of the namespaces.
h. When all of the namespaces have been created on all of the NVMe devices, press F12 to return to the System Service Tools (SST) display.
2) Add NVMe units to the system ASP:
*Note3: Skip this step if these units are for a target iASP of a Geographic mirror environment as the units should not be added at this time.
*Note4: If not adding to the System ASP and the User ASP does not already exist, then you must first create the User ASP through ASP configuration on the 'Work with disk configuration' menu. For iASP, create through Navigator or from a command line using CFGDEVASP.
a. On the System Service Tools (SST) display, select Work with disk units.
b. On the Work with Disk Units display, select Work with disk configuration.
c. On the Work with Disk Configuration display, select Add units to ASPs.
d. On the Add Units to ASP display, select Add units to existing ASPs.
e. On the Specify ASPs to Add Units to display, you see a list of nonconfigured NVMe disk units displayed. Type 1 on the Specify ASP field for the NVMe disk units to be added to the system ASP or list the number of your existing User or iASP.
- Note5: The ASP containing NVMe drives needs to be mirror protected, so you must select an even quantity of NVMe disk units to add to the ASP. Two NVMe disks that reside in the same NVMe device cannot be used to construct a mirror protected unit. If the ASP is not already mirror protected, then after the namespaces are added to the ASP, continue with the instructions to start mirroring on the ASP.
- For example, consider this configuration: A NVMe device has three namespaces (disk units) and another NVMe device has 5 namespaces (disk units). You should select 3 disk units under each NVMe device to add to the System ASP. This ensures that IBM® i can match the NVMe disk units under two different NVMe devices to construct a mirror protected unit.
f. Confirm add of the disk unit to the ASP - F10 Add and Balance for the confirmation is recommended. This is to spread the current data across all namespaces for better performance by preventing hot drives containing all of the new objects.
g. The status display shows the progress of the Add operation. When the Add operation is complete, press F12 to return to the Work with Disk Configuration display.
g. The status display shows the progress of the Add operation. When the Add operation is complete, press F12 to return to the Work with Disk Configuration display.
3) Start Mirror Protection on the ASP, if it is not already mirror protected:
a. If you are not already using dedicated service tools (DST), perform a manual IPL to start DST.
b. Select option 4 (Work with disk units).
c. Select option 1 (Work with disk configuration) on the Work with Disk Units display.
d. Select option 4 (Work with mirrored protection) on the Work with Disk Configuration display.
e. Select option 2 (Start mirrored protection) on the Work with Mirror Protection display.
f. Select the ASP to be mirrored on the Select ASP to Start Mirrored Protection display and press the Enter key.
b. Select option 4 (Work with disk units).
c. Select option 1 (Work with disk configuration) on the Work with Disk Units display.
d. Select option 4 (Work with mirrored protection) on the Work with Disk Configuration display.
e. Select option 2 (Start mirrored protection) on the Work with Mirror Protection display.
f. Select the ASP to be mirrored on the Select ASP to Start Mirrored Protection display and press the Enter key.
Steps completed for 7.4 and above.
===================================================================================
IBM i 7.3 section only:
1x) Create NVMe namespaces (IBM i 7.3 only, skip if IBM i 7.4 and above):
* After this step is complete continue to follow steps 2 and 3 in the 7.4 and above section.
IBM i 7.3 needs to be TR12 (RSQ) or higher. This is needed to then be able to work with the NVMe devices and NVMe namespaces through Service Tools.
Format cryptographic erase
All user data is erased cryptographically. This is accomplished by deleting the encryption key.
Start System Service Tools (STRSST), or DST from a manual IPL.:
Select Start a service tool.
On the Start a Service Tool display, select Display/Alter/Dump
On the Display/Alter/Dump Output Device display, select Display/Alter storage
On the Select Data display, select Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data
On the Select LIC Data display, select Advanced analysis (which is option 14)
On the Select Advanced Analysis Command display, type 1 on the Option line and type the name of the macro on the Command line, press Enter
On the Specify Advanced Analysis Options display, type the option of the macro on the Options line, press Enter
Once in service tools, run the following macros:
On the Start a Service Tool display, select Display/Alter/Dump
On the Display/Alter/Dump Output Device display, select Display/Alter storage
On the Select Data display, select Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data
On the Select LIC Data display, select Advanced analysis (which is option 14)
On the Select Advanced Analysis Command display, type 1 on the Option line and type the name of the macro on the Command line, press Enter
On the Specify Advanced Analysis Options display, type the option of the macro on the Options line, press Enter
Once in service tools, run the following macros:
*Note: The first two macros are needed to determine which values to use in the NVMECREATENS macro.
Step 1) NVMEDISPLAY macro with option -D
(display the resource names, such as DC02 and DC03)
(display the resource names, such as DC02 and DC03)
Step 2) NVMEDISPLAYNS macro with option -D
(display the sizes)
(display the sizes)
Step 3) NVMECREATENS macro with options
(creates the NVMe namespaces)
(creates the NVMe namespaces)
-R followed by the Resource Name of the NVMe device (DC02 or DC03 for example)
-Q followed by the quantity of namespaces to be created
-C followed by the capacity in G-bytes (1 Billion bytes) that each namespace should be sized
Examples:
-Q followed by the quantity of namespaces to be created
-C followed by the capacity in G-bytes (1 Billion bytes) that each namespace should be sized
Examples:
NVMECREATENS
Options: -R DC02 -Q 3 -C 400
(creates 3 400G namespaces for resource DC02)
(creates 3 400G namespaces for resource DC02)
NVMECREATENS
Options: -R DC03 -Q 7 -C 200
(creates 7 200G namespaces for resource DC03)
(creates 7 200G namespaces for resource DC03)
Here are the additional NVMe macros for later if needed to format, delete, or sanitize:
NVMEFORMAT macro with option -R
(formats the NVMe device)
NVMEFORMAT macro with option -R
(formats the NVMe device)
1) From the operating system command line, type STRSST and Press the Enter key.
2) Sign in with a service tool profile and password that has authority to Display/Alter dump in SST.
3) Select Option 1, Start a service tool, and press the Enter key.
4) Select Option 4, Display/Alter/Dump, and press the Enter key.
5) Select Option 1, Display/Alter/Storage, and press the Enter key.
6) Select Option 2, Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data, and press the Enter key.
7) Select Option 14, Advanced analysis, and press the Enter key.
8) Place a 1 in the options and on the blank space to the right, type NVMEDISPLAYNS and Press Enter. On the Options, type -D and press Enter.
9) Determine the NVMe device to be formatted. The non-formatted drives will show as DPHxxx. If they have already been initialized or added and removed from the ASP, then they may be DDxxx. If they are not a part of the ASP, then it should have an * as the unit number. Formatting the NVMe Device will also format the NVMe namespaces on that device.
10) F12 to exit back to the Advanced Analysis menu, Type 1 in the Options and on the blank link type NVMEFORMAT -R [resource name] for the NVMe Device to delete.
Example: NVMEFORMAT -R DCxx
2) Sign in with a service tool profile and password that has authority to Display/Alter dump in SST.
3) Select Option 1, Start a service tool, and press the Enter key.
4) Select Option 4, Display/Alter/Dump, and press the Enter key.
5) Select Option 1, Display/Alter/Storage, and press the Enter key.
6) Select Option 2, Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data, and press the Enter key.
7) Select Option 14, Advanced analysis, and press the Enter key.
8) Place a 1 in the options and on the blank space to the right, type NVMEDISPLAYNS and Press Enter. On the Options, type -D and press Enter.
9) Determine the NVMe device to be formatted. The non-formatted drives will show as DPHxxx. If they have already been initialized or added and removed from the ASP, then they may be DDxxx. If they are not a part of the ASP, then it should have an * as the unit number. Formatting the NVMe Device will also format the NVMe namespaces on that device.
10) F12 to exit back to the Advanced Analysis menu, Type 1 in the Options and on the blank link type NVMEFORMAT -R [resource name] for the NVMe Device to delete.
Example: NVMEFORMAT -R DCxx
NVMEDELETENS with option -R followed by the Resource Name of the disk unit to be deleted
(delete namespaces on the NVMe device)
(delete namespaces on the NVMe device)
1) From the operating system command line, type STRSST and Press the Enter key.
2) Sign in with a service tool profile and password that has authority to Display/Alter dump in SST.
3) Select Option 1, Start a service tool, and press the Enter key.
4) Select Option 4, Display/Alter/Dump, and press the Enter key.
5) Select Option 1, Display/Alter/Storage, and press the Enter key.
6) Select Option 2, Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data, and press the Enter key.
7) Select Option 14, Advanced analysis, and press the Enter key.
8) Place a 1 in the options and on the blank space to the right, type NVMEDISPLAYNS and Press Enter. On the Options, type -D and press Enter.
9) Determine the Resource Name to be deleted. The non-formatted drives will show as DPHxxx. If they have already been initialized or added and removed from the ASP, then they may be DDxxx. If they are not a part of the ASP, then it should have an * as the unit number.
10) F12 to exit back to the Advanced Analysis menu, Type 1 in the Options and on the blank link type NVMEDELETENS -R [resource name] for the namespace to delete.
Example: NVMEDELETENS -R DPHxxx
2) Sign in with a service tool profile and password that has authority to Display/Alter dump in SST.
3) Select Option 1, Start a service tool, and press the Enter key.
4) Select Option 4, Display/Alter/Dump, and press the Enter key.
5) Select Option 1, Display/Alter/Storage, and press the Enter key.
6) Select Option 2, Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data, and press the Enter key.
7) Select Option 14, Advanced analysis, and press the Enter key.
8) Place a 1 in the options and on the blank space to the right, type NVMEDISPLAYNS and Press Enter. On the Options, type -D and press Enter.
9) Determine the Resource Name to be deleted. The non-formatted drives will show as DPHxxx. If they have already been initialized or added and removed from the ASP, then they may be DDxxx. If they are not a part of the ASP, then it should have an * as the unit number.
10) F12 to exit back to the Advanced Analysis menu, Type 1 in the Options and on the blank link type NVMEDELETENS -R [resource name] for the namespace to delete.
Example: NVMEDELETENS -R DPHxxx
NVMESANITIZE with option -R followed by the Resource Name of the NVMe device that the sanitize operation should be performed and the type of sanitize
Five types of sanitize:
-USERDATASECUREERASE
-FORMATECYPTOERASE
-OVERWRITE
-BLOCKERASE
-CRYPTOERASE
-USERDATASECUREERASE
-FORMATECYPTOERASE
-OVERWRITE
-BLOCKERASE
-CRYPTOERASE
User data secure erase
All user data is erased. The content of the user data after the erase is
indeterminate (For example, the user data might be zero filled, one
filled, etc.). The controller might perform a cryptographic erase when a
User Data Erase is requested if all user data is encrypted.
All user data is erased. The content of the user data after the erase is
indeterminate (For example, the user data might be zero filled, one
filled, etc.). The controller might perform a cryptographic erase when a
User Data Erase is requested if all user data is encrypted.
Format cryptographic erase
All user data is erased cryptographically. This is accomplished by deleting the encryption key.
Sanitize overwrite
User data is altered by writing a fixed data pattern or related patterns to
all locations on the media within the NVMe subsystem in which user data
may be stored one or more times.
User data is altered by writing a fixed data pattern or related patterns to
all locations on the media within the NVMe subsystem in which user data
may be stored one or more times.
Sanitize block erase
User data is altered with a low-level block erase method that is specific to
the media for all locations on the media within the NVMe subsystem in
which user data may be stored.
User data is altered with a low-level block erase method that is specific to
the media for all locations on the media within the NVMe subsystem in
which user data may be stored.
Sanitize cryptographic erase
User data is altered by changing the media encryption keys for all locations
on the media within the NVMe subsystem in which user data may be
stored.
User data is altered by changing the media encryption keys for all locations
on the media within the NVMe subsystem in which user data may be
stored.
Notes on Sanitize:
- Each type of NVMe device might implement only a subset of the Sanitize functions described above.
- The sanitize function destroys all data in the namespaces which exist on the selected NVMe device.
- The sanitize function is available only for NVMe devices that only contain namespaces which represent non-configured disk units (disk units which do not belong to an auxiliary storage pool).
- Each type of NVMe device might implement only a subset of the Sanitize functions described above.
- The sanitize function destroys all data in the namespaces which exist on the selected NVMe device.
- The sanitize function is available only for NVMe devices that only contain namespaces which represent non-configured disk units (disk units which do not belong to an auxiliary storage pool).
===================================================================================
Additional Information
If you need to match your NVMe namespaces with another existing NVMe device, follow these steps.
Create NVMe namespaces to match another NVMe device: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.4?topic=nvme-create-nvm-namespaces-match-another-nvm-device
1. Select Work with disk units on the Use System Service Tools (SST) display.
2. Select Work with disk configuration on the Work with Disk Units display.
3. Select Work with NVMe Devices on the Work with Disk Configuration display.
4. Select Create NVMe namespaces to match another NVMe device on the Work with NVMe Devices display.
5. Select the source NVMe device that contains the namespaces that you want to match.
6. On the Display namespaces on the Selected NVMe Device display, press Enter to continue.
7. Select the target NVMe device.
8. Press F10 to confirm your selection and create the namespaces.
Related Information
Document Location
Worldwide
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Document Information
More support for:
IBM i
Component:
General Information
Software version:
All Versions
Operating system(s):
IBM i
Document number:
6472897
Modified date:
30 July 2024
UID
ibm16472897
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