41CO Operation and Maintaining PowerVM VIOS with IBM ischd.ws/hosted_files/commons17/6a/41CO...

© 2016, 2017 IBM Corporation 1

© 2016, 2017 IBM Corporation

Session ID:

Agenda Key:

Cognitive Systems

41CO Operation and Maintaining PowerVM VIOS with IBM iGary Konicek – [email protected] Lab Services

170299

41CO


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Fix Strategy – before June 2015

• Service packs (SPs):

– Miscellaneous enhancements and fixes

– ie 2.2.1.3-FP25 SP-01

– Must be applied to the correct Fix pack

– Optional installation: to get enhancements

– Released as needed

• Interim fixes (iFix):

– Specific fix – like an individual PTF

– ie VIOS_2.2.0.10_IZ90550


• Base releases:

– i.e. 2.2.1.0

– i.e. 2.2.3.0

– Releases are supported for 36 months or more

– ioslevel command shows current release level of VIOS

• Cumulative fix packs (FPs):

– Contain fixes and new function

– ie 2.2.1.1-FP25

VIOS maintenance strategy: https://www-304.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/vios/svcstrategy.html

mailto:[email protected]



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Fix Strategy – post June 2015

• VRMF – Version – Release – Maintenance – Fix level

– VIOS release eg v1.5.0, v2.2.1, v2.2.2, v2.2.3, v2.2.4 (announced 10/5)

• ioslevel command shows current level

– VIOS service pack - eg v2.2.1.7, v2.2.2.3, v2.2.3.4, v2.2.3.50 (new)

• Fix level for service packs will be multiple of 10 (ie 2.2.3.50, 2.2.3.60, etc)

– VIOS mini pack – eg v2.2.3.51, v2.2.3.52

• Fix level for minipacks will increment by 1’s off the associated service pack (ie 2.2.3.51, 2.2.3.52, etc)

• Minipacks will be associated with service pack level

• Interim fixes (iFix):

– Specific fix – like an individual PTF

– ie VIOS_2.2.0.10_IZ90550


VIOS maintenance strategy: https://www-304.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/vios/svcstrategy.html


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Update Process

• Access fixes and new release levels from IBM Fix Central

• http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Run ioslevel command to find out current version

http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/



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Sample downloads


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Fix Pack upgrade information – Same version example



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Fix Pack upgrade information – New version example


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Download fixes

• Download fix package

– Some use .iso files to burn to media

– Some use packages of files to be FTP’d to VIOS



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Use the read me instructions


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Things to watch out for

• Don’t make assumptions on fix apply steps• Follow the documented steps

• Use –accept parameter on updateios command

• License acceptance required on some fixes

• When not entered can give very confusing messages

• Media problems messages can be cryptic• geninstall failures

• Fix content verification can show failure messages• Check read me documentation

• lssw (list software) command is often used to check software levels



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Installation Summary Example from lssw command


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Adapter Firmware Updates

• Occasionally, adapter firmware updates will be recommended before a VIOS Update

• Documented on Fix Level Recommendation Tool or VIOS Readme

• Use lsfware –all to see current firmware levels for system and adapters

• User VIOS command diagmenu

• HMC server firmware update



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VIOS Management Interfaces

• When implementing VIOS on Power Servers, there are two primary ways to manage VIOS partitions

• HMC

• For configuring/sharing resources that are virtualized to client partitions

• VIOS command line

• For configuring/sharing resources that are virtualized to client partitions

• For management and operations of the VIOS operating system and data

• Other options

• Integrated Virtualization Manager on Power blades and scale out Power Servers

• Flexible Service Manager on PureFlex / Flex nodes


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HMC – Virtual Resources – Enhanced+

Manage Virtual Disk, Optical, Tape

Manage Virtual Ethernet



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Virtual Storage – Enhanced+ - Client Focus

• Virtual SCSI – Storage View

– VIOS resource name, IBM i resource name


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• Virtual SCSI – Adapter View

– IBM i resource name, adapter slot : VIOS resource name, adapter slot



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• Virtual Fiber Channel – Storage View

– IBM i resource name, VIOS physical port, virtual WWPN


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• Virtual Fiber Channel – Adapter View

– IBM i resource name, adapter slot; VIOS resource name, adapter slot; VIOS Physical port; virtual WWPN



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Manage Physical Volumes - Classic

• Make virtual device: mkvdev (maps a volume to a virtual adapter)

• Example: mkvdev –vdev hdisk7 –vadapter vhost0

• Change device attributes: chdev

• List device attributes: lsdev

• List physical volume: lspv


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Manage Optical Devices

Make virtual media repository: mkrep

Make virtual optical media file: mkvopt

Load/unload media: loadopt / unloadopt



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Manage Virtual Fibre Channel - Classic

• Map virtual fibre channel ports: vfcmap

– Example: vfcmap –vadapater vfchost7 –fcp fcs4


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Use HMC to Create Shared Ethernet Adapters

• Forces user to make one VIOS Primary and one Secondary for each SEA• Prevents broadcast storm

• Requires control channel to be created before creating SEA with failover• Change specific settings using chdev after building the SEA if necessary

Manage Profiles or Dynamic Partitioning Virtual Network Management



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Reconfiguring Shared Ethernet Adapters

• When changing configuration of a shared ethernet adapter, a delete and recreate of the SEA is often required:

• i.e., changing VLANs, adding aggregated links, etc.

• HMC will provide list of steps needed to properly remove the SEA so you can create it again


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Use lsdev Command to View Devices in VIOS

• lsdev –dev hdisk* or lsdev | grep hdisk

• lsdev –dev ent* or lsdev | grep ent



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List Attributes of a Device

• Change attribute with: chdev –dev ent6 –attr attribute=value -perm


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List Vital Product Data (VPD) of a Device



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Storage Mapping – VSCSI and NPIV


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List Virtual Adapter Slots

HMC and lsdev -slots Command



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Working with the VIOS operating system

• Install VIOS• installios

• HMC Virtual I/O Server Image Repository

• Physical DVD media via system DVD drive or HMC DVD drive

• Update VIOS (upgrade or apply fixes) – updateios

• Mirror the VIOS disk - mirrorios

• Backup VIOS – backupios

• View VIOS release level – ioslevel


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Working with VIOS users

• Make (create) a new user account – mkuser *

• Change attributes of a user account – chuser

• Remove a user account – rmuser

• List user attributes – lsuser

• Change user password – passwd

* NOTE: Attributes of a user are not documented in the VIOS command reference

for mkuser but they are documented on the chuser command



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View VIOS Logs

• View VIOS error log: errlog

• View VIOS error log one page at a time with details: errlog -ls | more

• Clear messages from the VIOS error log: errlog –rm <Days>

• View install log: cat install.log | more

• View command log: cat ioscli.log


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VIOS Menu Interface - cfgassist



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Backing up VIOS


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Backup Process and Options

• Backup has a couple of options

• Backup VIOS configuration to a file in VIOS (viosbr)• User-defined virtual resources

• Used for restoring to the same VIOS partition from which it was backed up

• Backup VIOS running environment (backupios)• Base code, fix packs, custom device drivers, and some user-defined metatdata

• backupios target can be a:

• Tape

• DVD-RAM

• File (File server, NIM server, etc.)



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backupios command overview

• The backupios command creates a backup of the Virtual I/O Server and places it onto a file system, bootable tape, or DVD.

• Use it to reinstall a system to its original state if it has been corrupted.

• IBM Knowledge Center:• https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8hb1/p8hb1_vios_backup_backup.htm


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viosbr command overview

• viosbr -backup -file <FileName>

• backs up: • Logical devices

• storage pools, file-backed storage pools, the virtual media repository, and PowerVM Active Memory Sharing (AMS) paging devices.

• Virtual devices• Etherchannel, shared Ethernet adapters (SEAs), virtual server adapters, and server virtual

fibre channel (SVFC) adapters.

• Includes the device attributes

• To the /home/padmin directory

• After recovering VIOS, restore configuration with following command• viosbr –restore –file <FileName>

https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8hb1/p8hb1_vios_backup_backup.htm



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When Should I Backup VIOS?

• Backup VIOS

• After initial install and configuration

• Before and After a VIOS update or upgrade

• After virtual devices or physical adapters are added / changed

• Monthly or quarterly in case you forgot to backup after making changes


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File Management



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VIOS File Systems

• VIOS is installed in several file systems and the available storage for each file system may need to be modified to ensure you have enough storage for files and data

• Service packs and fixes for VIOS

• File sets, products etc. that you will install on the client LPARs

• Available storage can be displayed on all mounted file systems with the df command

• displayed as number of 512-byte blocks

• to display in GBs, use df –g

• command can be run from VIOS or the root shell


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Viewing Storage Usage

• Iused = Inodes Used

• An inode is a data structure used to store file attributes for all files

• If Inode Used = 100%, you won’t be able to create more files in the file system



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Changing the Size of a File System

• Increase or decrease file system storage with the chfs command

• Example: increase size of file system mounted on /home by 2GB

• chfs –a size=+2G /home

• The chfs command must be run from the unrestricted shell

• oem_setup_env (to enter unrestricted shell)

• Increasing the size of a file system will increase the number of inodes available in that file system


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Monitoring



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VIOS Monitoring Tools

• VIOS Performance Advisor

– Monitors VIOS and provides a health check report

– Recommends configuration changes or areas to investigate

– Packaged as part of VIOS Version 2.2.2 and beyond

• IBM iDoctor for i – VIOS Investigator

– Collection of storage metrics using topas_nmon data with import into iDoctor

– iDoctor analysis produces reports/graphs on VIOS storage performance

– Disk storage mapping is available between IBM i disks and VIOS disks

– Both Virtual SCSI and NPIV are now supported


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Performance Advisor: How does it work?

• Polls key performance metrics for over a period of time• Analyzes the data• Produces an XML formatted report for viewing in a browser• “part” command is available in VIOS restricted shell

– (Performance Analysis and Reporting Tool).

• “part” command can be executed in two different modes– Monitoring Mode (actually uses nmon recording now)– Post Processing nmon Recording Mode

• The final report along with the supporting files are bundled together in a “tar” formatted file

• Users can download and extract it to their PC or machines with browser installed to view the reports in a browser.



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Transfer and view report

Monitoring Mode: 5 to 60 minutes

IBM Virtual I/O Server

login: padmin

$ part -i 30

IBM Virtual I/O Server

login: padmin

$ part -f vio1_130915_1205.nmon

Post-processing nmon recording

Transfer the generated tar file to

a machine with browser support

Extract the tar file

Load *.xml file in browser

Collect data

- or -

VIOS Performance Advisor: Process


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VIOS Performance Advisor: Browser view



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VIOS Performance Advisor: IO total and disks


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FC utilization

based on peak

IOPS rates

VIOS Performance Advisor: FC details



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“part” command$ part -?

usage: part {-i INTERVAL | -f FILENAME} [-t LEVEL] [--help|-?]

-i <minutes> interval can range between 10-60

-f <file> any nmon recording

-t <level> 1 - Basic logging, 2 - Detailed logging

-? usage message

-f filename

Specifies the nmon recording to be analyzed by the part command and generates advisory reports based on the recording.

-i Interval

Specifies the duration for which the part command must monitor the VIOS and generate advisories based on it.

-t level

Specifies the trace level, which is either 1 or 2 for basic, detailed tracing, and logging facility respectively.

Note: Options -i and -f are mutually exclusive.


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iDoctor VIOS Investigator – Start Data Collection menu in GUI

• First add VIOS partitions to the iDoctor connection list

• Use this wizard to start an NMON collection via iDoctor GUI

• SSH 2.0+ must be installed on the VIOS.

• The user id must be authorized to run topas_nmon



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Disk Mapping Detail

NPIV

VSCSI


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Disk path rankings graph (requires Disk Mapping)

• Example showing I/O rates per IBM i unit/resource name



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Analyzing NPIV: Advanced graphs example - Total writes [VFC]

• Advanced graphs show a single metric on each Y axis

• Example: Show each virtual fibre channel adapter mapped to the same physical port. Identify who is using the physical resource.

#COMMONS17www.common.org

Don’t Forget Your Session Surveys

• Sign in to the Online Session Guide (www.common.org/sessions)

• Go to your personal schedule

• Click on the session that you attended

• Click on the Feedback Survey button located above the abstract

Completing session surveys helps us plan future programming and provides feedback used in speaker awards. Thank you for your participation.

http://www.common.org/sessions



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https://facebook.com/IBMPowerSystems

https://twitter.com/IBMPowerSystems

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibm-power-systems

IBM Power Systems Official Channels:

http://www.youtube.com/c/ibmpowersystems

https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/topics/servers/power-

systems/

Power Systems Social Media


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More to Follow:

Blogs to Follow More to Follow Hashtags To Use

• IBM Systems Magazine You and I (Steve Will)

• IBM Systems Magazine i-Can (Dawn May)

• IBM Systems Magazine: iDevelop (Jon Paris and

Susan Gantner)

• IBM Systems Magazine: iTalk with Tuohy

• IBM DB2 for i (Mike Cain)

• IBM DB2 Web Query for i (Doug Mack)

@IBMSystems@COMMONug

@IBMChampions@IBMSystemsISVs

@LinuxIBMMag@OpenPOWERorg

@AIXMag@IBMiMag

@SAPonIBMi@SiDforIBMi

@IBMAIXeSupp@IBMAIXdoc

#PowerSystems

#IBMi

#IBMAIX

#POWER8

#LinuxonPower

#OpenPOWER

#HANAonPower

#ITinfrastructure

#OpenSource

#HybridCloud

#BigData

https://facebook.com/IBMPowerSystems

https://twitter.com/IBMPowerSystems

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibm-power-systems

http://www.youtube.com/c/ibmpowersystems

https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/topics/servers/power-systems/

http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/you-and-i/

http://ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/

http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/iDevelop/

http://ibmsystemsmag.com/ibmi/trends/iTALK-WITH-TUOHY/

http://db2fori.blogspot.com/

http://db2webqueryi.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/IBMSystems

https://twitter.com/COMMONug

https://twitter.com/IBMChampions

https://twitter.com/IBMSystemsISVs

https://twitter.com/LinuxIBMMag

https://twitter.com/OpenPOWERorg

https://twitter.com/AIXmag

https://twitter.com/IBMimag

https://twitter.com/SAPonIBMi

https://twitter.com/SiDforIBMi

https://twitter.com/IBMAIXeSupp

https://twitter.com/IBMAIXdoc

41CO Operation and Maintaining PowerVM VIOS with IBM ischd.ws/hosted_files/commons17/6a/41CO...

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