WPAR Student Material

Exploring AIX 6 Workload Partitions (WPAR) - Instructor-led Online (Course code AT61)

Student NotebookERC 1.0

V5.3

cover

Front cover

Student Notebook

TrademarksThe reader should recognize that the following terms, which appear in the content of this training document, are official trademarks of IBM or other companies: IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.The following are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, or other countries, or both:AIX DB2 POWERPOWER4 POWER5 POWER5+March 2009 editionThe information contained in this document has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is distributed on an as is basis without any warranty either express or implied. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a customer responsibility and depends on the customers ability to evaluate and integrate them into the customers operational environment. While each item may have been reviewed by IBM for accuracy in a specific situation, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results will result elsewhere. Customers attempting to adapt these techniques to their own environments do so at their own risk.

Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2009. All rights reserved.This document may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.Note to U.S. Government Users Documentation related to restricted rights Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

Adobe is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States, and/or other countries.Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

POWER6 POWER Hypervisor PowerPCPowerVM Redbooks System pTivoli Workload Partitions

Manager

Student NotebookV5.3

TOC Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Contents iii

ContentsTrademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Course description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Unit 1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Workload partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3Why WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5System and application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7LPARs and WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8Supported environments for WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9Live application mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10Workload partitions manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12WPAR resource control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Unit 2. Application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2Why use application WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3Application WPARs and system resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4Creating application WPARs (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6Creating application WPARs (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8Listing application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9Naming application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10File systems and application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11Logging in to an application WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12Using commands with WPARs (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14Using commands with WPARs (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16Stopping application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18Application WPAR networking (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19Application WPAR networking (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20Administrative data for application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21Application WPAR demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26

Unit 3. System WPARs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2Why use system WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

System WPARs and system resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4iv Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Creating system WPARs (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6Creating system WPARs (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7Creating System WPARs (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8System WPARs and default file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9Default file systems example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11Default file systems example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-12Other file system configurations (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-13Other file system configurations (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-15Comparing shared and private /usr and /opt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-16Private /usr and /opt example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-18Private /usr and /opt example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-19Directory file systems example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-20Directory file systems example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-21NFS example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-22System WPARs and extra file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-23Specifying file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-24File system examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-25System WPAR networking (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-27System WPAR networking (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-28System WPAR networking (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-29Create system WPAR examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-30Listing WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-32WPAR states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-33Listing details of WPAR file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-34Changing a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-35Starting a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-36Stopping a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-37Removing a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-38Administrative data for system WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-39Software maintenance for system WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-40Accessing software images (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-42Accessing software images (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-43Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-44Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-45Maintaining private /usr and /opt WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-47System WPAR demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-49Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-50Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-51Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-52

Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-1Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2Workload partitions manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3WPAR manager architecture (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4WPAR manager architecture (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5WPAR manager architecture (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-7WPAR manager port numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-8Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


TOC WPAR manager installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9 Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Contents v

WPAR manager configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10Accessing the WPAR manager interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11Navigation area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12Managed systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13Existing WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14Defining a WPAR using WPAR manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15WPAR management terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16WPAR relocation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18Application mobility compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19WPAR manager demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22Checkpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24

Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebookvi Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part

without the prior written permission of IBM.


TMK Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Trademarks vii

TrademarksThe reader should recognize that the following terms, which appear in the content of this training document, are official trademarks of IBM or other companies: IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.The following are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, or other countries, or both:

Adobe is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States, and/or other countries.Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

AIX DB2 POWERPOWER4 POWER5 POWER5+POWER6 POWER Hypervisor PowerPCPowerVM Redbooks System pTivoli Workload Partitions

Manager Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebookviii Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part

without the prior written permission of IBM.


pref Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Course description ix

Course descriptionExploring AIX 6 Workload Partitions (WPAR) - Instructor-led Online Duration: 1 day

PurposeStudents in this course will learn about the new Workload Partitions (WPAR) feature of AIX 6. Interactive, live demonstrations will reinforce the lecture and give the students the ability to experience the interfaces used to exploit the new features. Students will obtain the knowledge required to implement workload partitions, and be aware of the differences between managing a WPAR compared with a traditional AIX instance.

AudienceThe audiences for this training include AIX system administrators, technical support individuals, system architects and engineers, and anyone who needs an operational understanding of the workload partitions feature of AIX 6.

PrerequisitesStudents are expected to have AIX V5 system administration skills. The list of required knowledge includes (but is not limited to) the following topics: Creating and administering users and groups Installing and maintaining software Configuring TCP/IP and network adapters Creating and administering file systems, including NFS System backup and restore

ObjectivesAfter completing this course, you should be able to: Describe the reasons for using workload partitions (WPARs) List the software requirements for running WPARs List the implementation differences between an application WPAR

and a system WPARCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

Describe the function of the Workload Partitions Manager softwarex Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

List the configuration requirements for Live Application Mobility Define the terms application WPAR, system WPAR, and global

environment Explain how to configure and remove a WPAR Explain how to start and stop a WPAR List the allowed states for a WPAR Describe how to configure networking for a WPAR List the administrative files and directories used to manage WPARs List WPAR configuration information using lswpar Describe how WPARs can access additional file systems Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and

/opt file systems Explain how to install and maintain software in a WPAR

environment Describe the architecture of a Workload Partitions Manager

environment List the components used to perform Live Application MobilityCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


pref Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Agenda xi

AgendaDay 1

WelcomeUnit 1 - IntroductionUnit 2 - Application WPARsUnit 3 - System WPARsUnit 4 - WPAR manager and live application mobilityWrap up / EvaluationsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

Text highlightingxii Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

The following text highlighting conventions are used throughout this book: Bold Identifies file names, file paths, directories, user names,

principals, menu paths and menu selections. Also identifies graphical objects such as buttons, labels and icons that the user selects.

Italics Identifies links to web sites, publication titles, is used where the word or phrase is meant to stand out from the surrounding text, and identifies parameters whose actual names or values are to be supplied by the user.

Monospace Identifies attributes, variables, file listings, SMIT menus, code examples and command output that you would see displayed on a terminal, and messages from the system.

Monospace bold Identifies commands, subroutines, daemons, and text the user would type.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-1

Unit 1. Introduction

What this unit is aboutThis unit provides an overview of concepts and terms used throughout the course. Students are introduced to the concept of workload partitions (WPARs) and the two different types of WPARs: system and application. Other concepts introduced are WPAR resource control options and Live Application Mobility.

What you should be able to doAfter completing this unit, you should be able to: List features of workload partitions (WPARs) Differentiate between system and application WPARs Describe the global environment Describe features of Live Application Mobility Describe the resource control options for WPARs List software requirements for using WPARs

How you will check your progressAccountability: Checkpoint

ReferencesSG24-7431 Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM

AIX Version 6.1, an IBM Redbooks documentSG24-7559 IBM AIX Version 6.1 Differences Guide, an IBM

Redbooks documentThe following documents are available from the System p and AIX

Information Center (http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/index.htm):

SC23-5241 IBM Workload Partitions Manager for AIXSA23-2233 IBM Workload Partitions for AIXCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook1-2 Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Figure 1-1. Unit objectives AT611.0

Notes:

Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

IBM Power SystemsUnit objectivesAfter completing this unit, you should be able to:

List features of workload partitions (WPARs) Differentiate between system and application WPARs

Describe the global environment

Describe features of Live Application Mobility

Describe the resource control options for WPARs

List software requirements for using WPARsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 1-2. Workload partitions AT611.0

Notes:

WPARsWPARs are a way to isolate a process or a subset of the processing environment for better management and monitoring of resources. The application in a WPAR thinks it is being executed in its own AIX instance. WPARs also provide a contained unit that may be moved between LPARs and systems using Live Application Mobility.

Global environmentThe hosting AIX instance where WPARs are created is called the global environment or the global operating environment. In the global environment, you can see all processes of all WPARs. Most performance monitoring and tuning is done from the global environment. The global environment owns all of the physical resources.The global environment is not restricted in any way as the administrator can see and monitor all of the WPARs. A WPAR cannot hide file systems or other resources from the global environment.


IBM Power SystemsWorkload partitions Workload partitions (WPARs):

An AIX 6 instance can be partitioned in software to provide isolation of resources for an application:

The partition is called a Workload Partition (WPAR) The WPAR appears to be an instance of AIX, but it is really running

within the global environment The AIX hosting instance is called the global environment:

Not restricted in any way Can view all running WPARs and their resources Can run other non-WPAR based applications

Owns all physical resources Maximum of 8192 WPARs in one LPAR

A WPAR cannot be hosted within another WPAR

Two types of WPARs: System and Application: Can be mixed in same global environmentCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

Mixing WPARs in the global environment1-4 Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Up to 8192 WPARs can be created in the global environment and these may be a mix of application and system WPARs. You cannot create or run a WPAR while logged into another WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 1-3. Why WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR benefitsBecause there are fewer operating system images when WPARs are used to reduce the number of LPARs, there is a reduction in the total amount of AIX system administration and maintenance tasks. There is also a reduction in the total amount of system resources needed since you do not need as much CPU and memory capacity when you have fewer instances of AIX.While the operating system image used for all WPARs in one LPAR is the same, it is possible to install different versions of the applications used in different system WPARs. When you run an application in a WPAR, your application is isolated from other applications and it is easy to monitor and control the resources for that application. You can also configure unique users and security access roles for system WPARs.


IBM Power SystemsWhy WPARs? Reduced AIX system management:

Can share application text, kernel data and text Fewer operating systems to maintain

Application encapsulation, monitoring and control: Can delegate management tasks for applications in a WPAR Separate system administration and security at application level

Use fewer hardware resources: Fewer resources for fewer operating system images Resource control feature allows management of resources used by

applications

No performance cost for using virtual devices Enablement for Live Application Mobility for planned outages and

workload redistributionCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

WPARs and Live Application Mobility1-6 Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

One benefit of using WPARs is that it allows you to move applications and their environments (the WPAR) to other LPARs, while the application is still running. The WPARs may even be moved to a different physical server. This feature is called Live Application Mobility and is useful for eliminating planned downtime and for load balancing.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 1-4. System and application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

System WPARA system WPAR is a complete virtualized AIX environment which can run operating system services and multiple applications. A system WPAR continues to exist even if the applications in it are stopped. A WPAR does not share writable file systems with other workload partitions or with the global system.

Application WPARAn application WPAR can have one or more configured processes, as long as one command starts them. When all of the processes exit for that WPAR, the WPAR stops.An application WPAR consists of a light-weight process plus the application itself and can be created and started in seconds (no waiting for file systems to be created as with system WPARs).


IBM Power SystemsSystem and application WPARs System WPAR functions as a full-scale AIX instance:

Can be started without starting the application Runs own init and resulting services:

inetd, cron, SRC subsystem, etc. Has own file system namespace:

With writeable copies of some AIX file systems Has its own root user with privileges only within the WPAR:

May create WPAR-specific users and groups Both types of WPARs can configure hostname and IP configuration:

System WPARs allow telnet/rsh/rlogin connections

Application WPAR exists while the application or process runs: Shares all global environments file systems and system services Implemented as a light-weight process that runs only while application runs

Both types of WPARs can participate in Live Application MobilityCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-5. LPARs and WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

LPARs and WPARsYou can mix system and application WPARs in a global environment (AIX 6 LPAR or stand alone system). WPARs can be used in dedicated processor LPARs or shared processor LPARs. The global environment can also have other applications running which are not in a WPAR.


IBM Power SystemsLPARs and WPARs

LPARAsia

LPAR LPAREMEA

LPARAmericas

VIOServer

Shared Processor PoolDedicatedProcessor

LPARFinance

DedicatedProcessor

LPARPlanning

POWER Hypervisor

WPAR #1Bus Dev

WPAR #1MFG

WPAR #2Planning

WPAR #1eMail

WPAR #2Test

WPAR #3BillingCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 1-6. Supported environments for WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

System requirements for WPARsThe only requirement for WPARs is the AIX 6 operating system. WPAR functionality is built in to AIX 6 and is provided in the bos.wpars fileset. There is no extra charge for WPAR functionality in AIX 6. AIX 6 is available for PowerPC 970 (JS20 and JS21 Blade), POWER4, POWER5, POWER5+, and POWER6 processor-based servers and WPARs can be created in all of these hardware environments. Applications can run unaltered in a WPAR.

Workload Partitions ManagerThis product is sold separately to assist in the deployment and management of multiple WPARs. While this software is not required to create and manage WPARs, it is useful for managing a complex WPAR configuration. This software is required for implementing Live Application Mobility.


IBM Power SystemsSupported environments for WPARs WPAR functionality is available with AIX 6:

On any type of server running AIX 6

WPAR functionality is provided by the AIX 6 fileset bos.wpars: No additional purchase is required to create and use WPARs

WPAR Manager is software for GUI-based, complex WPAR management, automation, and mobility:

Available at additional costCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-7. Live application mobility AT611.0

Notes:

Live Application MobilityLive Application Mobility allows you to move a WPAR between other active global environments which meet certain software and hardware compatibility requirements. See the IBM Workload Partitions Manager for AIX document for specific requirements.In the visual above, the graphic illustrates the WPARs moving in and out of various LPARs. The Workload Partitions Manager manages this movement manually or based on a rules-based policy file. Initially, Live Application Mobility has a dependency for writable file systems to be NFS mounted for the two LPARs involved.

Live Partition MobilityLive Application Mobility should not be confused with Live Partition Mobility. Live Partition Mobility is the ability to move whole configured live LPARs (including all WPARs that might be hosted in the LPAR) from one server to another. The term live


IBM Power Systems

AIX # 2

WPARData

Mining

WPARWeb

AIX # 1

WPARDev

WPAREMail

WPARBilling

AIX # 3

WPARTraining

WPARTest

WPARApp Srv

Not to be confused with Live Partition Mobility which can move entire running LPARs between different physical POWER6 processor-based servers

Workload Partitions Manager

Policy

Live application mobility Moves a running WPAR (application or system) to another LPAR, on same or

different server: Multi-system workload balancing Empty a machine for application outage avoidance Not a replacement for High Availability solutions for unplanned outagesCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty means that the operating system, and potentially applications, are running. Live Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-11

Partition Mobility is a feature of POWER6 processor-based servers.

BenefitsBoth Live Application Mobility and Live Partition Mobility are designed to help enable you to eliminate planned system outages and to perform workload balancing. If you need to take a system down for reconfiguration, firmware updates or another reason, you will have the option of moving your applications to a different server without any impact to production operation. There are no reboots, no restarts, no service interruption and the users should not detect the change. Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-8. Workload partitions manager AT611.0

Notes:

Workload Partition Manager (WPAR Manager) applicationWhile the WPAR functionality is included in the base AIX 6, there is an optional product that can be purchased to provide complex, graphical WPAR management and automation. There are multiple pieces of software with this application: - The WPAR Management Server is a Java-based application and installed on a

stand-alone system or LPAR. DB2, which comes with the WPAR Manager application, is also loaded on the system designated as the WPAR Management Server.

- There is WPAR Management agent code installed in each of the global environments in which WPARs will be managed.

- A web browser is used to connect to the WPAR Management Server application.


IBM Power SystemsWorkload partitions manager

Web-based, graphical, cross system management for WPARs:

Single point of management for WPARs Not required for creating and using WPARs Required for Live Application Mobility Automated, policy-based application (i.e. WPAR)

mobility

Provides role-based views and tasks Part of the IBM System Director family

Management server software on a managing system: Connect with a web browser

Agent software in each global environment which hosts WPARsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty WPAR Manager web-browser access details Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-13

To use your browser for the WPAR Management console use Firefox 1.5 or later and Internet Explorer (IE) 6 or later. JavaScript must be enabled in the browser. Because IE does not have native support for Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), the Adobe SVG plug-in is needed, which you can download from:

http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/main.html

WPAR Manager is accessed from a browser with the following address where hostname is the name of the system where the WPAR Management Server is installed and where the public port is typically port 14080.

http://:/ibm/console

A secure port is used for all browser and server communication. The port numbers should only be changed if there is an existing conflict or anticipated port conflict. The secure port by default is 14443.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-9. WPAR resource control AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR resource controlCustomers may wish to control the resources used by WPARs. Resource control can be used to set minimum levels of required resources for applications running in the same AIX 6 instance, and to control how additional resources are utilized by multiple applications.Encapsulated Workload Manager (WLM) technology is utilized for the CPU and memory resource control in WPARs, but the underlying WLM is not visible to the system administrator. WPAR resource control provides a subset of WLM functionality. Native WLM is not supported in WPARs, but is supported in non-WPAR AIX environments.In addition to the commands listed in the visual above, wlmstat may be used to view resource statistics.


IBM Power SystemsWPAR resource control Resource control:

Prevents an application from monopolizing system resources Each WPAR configuration can specify a resource allocation Optional

Resource control can limit: CPU usage (share or percentage based) Memory usage (share or percentage based) Amount of virtual memory consumed for a single process Number of processes Number of threads The resource set where they run (one WPAR per rset)

rset = set of defined CPUs and memory

Resource control is performed using the -R option of the mkwpar,chwpar, wparexec, and lswpar commandsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Using a shares- or percentage-based configuration Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-15

WPAR resource control can be configured using shares or percentages to designate the relative amount of CPU or memory resources for WPARs. Shares can be configured using a range of 1- 65535. A share of a resource is based on the ratio of its share value to the total of the share values of all currently active WPARs. For example, if there are two WPARs where WPAR1 has 5 shares and WPAR2 has 10 shares, then the total number of shares is 15. WLM will attempt to give 5/15 or 33% of the resources to WPAR1. WLM will attempt to give WPAR2 10/15 or 66% of the resources. If a third WPAR is then started with 5 shares, bringing the total shares up to 20, then the ratio of shares is recalculated as 25%, 50%, and 25% respectively.Percentages are configured by three percentage settings: - The minimum is the guaranteed amount. If the WPAR is relatively idle then other

WPARs can use its resources. - The soft maximum is the maximum allowed for the WPAR when there is contention

for resources. - The hard maximum is the absolute maximum amount of resource for a WPAR

regardless of the amount of resources available in the global environment.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-10. Checkpoint (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:


IBM Power SystemsCheckpoint (1 of 2)1. True/False: WPARs can be used on any system running AIX 6.

2. Which one of the following terms is given to the operating system that hosts WPARs?a. WPAR Managerb. System WPARc. Global environmentd. Live Application Mobility

3. Which one of the following is not a benefit of WPARs?a. There are fewer operating system images to maintain.b. Along with the WPAR Manager software, WPARs provide the ability to

move running applications from one LPAR to another using Live Application Mobility.

c. There is stronger security for multiple applications in one LPAR when each is in its own WPAR.

d. Provides enablement for Live Partition Mobility if using the WPAR ManagerGUI software.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.




Notes:


IBM Power SystemsCheckpoint (2 of 2)

4. Which one of the following is a false statement about WPARs?a. A system WPAR has its own init process.b. You can telnet to both system WPARs and application WPARs.c. Unique users can be created in system WPARs only.d. Live Application Mobility can be utilized for both system and application

WPARs.

5. True/False: WPAR capability is included in the base AIX 6 operating system.

6. True/False: With WPAR resource control, you can use a configuration based on shares, percentages, and WPAR load averages. Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 1-12. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:


IBM Power SystemsUnit summary

The base AIX 6 operating system has the ability to be partitioned into WPARs

A system WPAR functions like a complete AIX instance with its own system and network daemons

An application WPAR exists only as long as the application runs

The global environment is the hosting AIX 6 image

With WPARs and the WPAR Manager software, Live Application Mobility can be used to eliminate planned application outages by moving WPARs between LPARs

Resource control can be used to control WPAR resource usageCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-1

Unit 2. Application WPARs

What this unit is aboutThis unit describes the creation and management of application WPARs. Students will see how to create, stop, and monitor these WPARs and how to login with the clogin command.

What you should be able to doAfter completing this unit, you should be able to: Describe the architecture of an application WPAR including how it

uses file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and devices

Create, configure, stop, and monitor application WPARs Describe the administrative files and directories used to manage

application WPARs List application WPAR configuration information using the lswpar

command

How you will check your progressAccountability: Checkpoint Machine demonstration


AIX Version 6.1Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Notes:


IBM Power SystemsUnit objectivesAfter completing this unit, you should be able to: Describe the architecture of an application WPAR including how it uses

file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and devices Create, configure, stop, and monitor application WPARs Describe the administrative files and directories used to manage

application WPARs List application WPAR configuration information using the lswpar

commandCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-2. Why use application WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

Using application WPARsUsing application WPARs gives you many of the features of WPARs such as mobility and resource control and they are very quick and easy to create.


IBM Power SystemsWhy use application WPARs? Application WPARs, like system WPARs, provide the benefits of

process isolation, resource control, and mobility plus theyre quick and easy to create

If an application or group of applications can be started with one command, it can be run in an application WPAR

If any of the following is a requirement, use a system WPAR instead: Network login capability Custom users Run a different version of an application than the global environment Complex application environment that cannot be started with one command Own file system namespace Different timezone WPAR can exist on its own even if application shuts downCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-3. Application WPARs and system resources AT611.0

Notes:

File systemsAn application WPAR shares all of its storage devices, file systems, and devices with the global environment. The global environment can create a file system with a mount point that is accessible by the WPAR for any file systems needed by the WPAR (such as writable file systems). If the WPAR will be a mobile WPAR, then all writable file systems must be NFS mounted with access from both the source and destination global environments.

Users and groupsAn application WPAR uses the same set of users and groups, including root, as the global environment.


IBM Power SystemsApplication WPARs and system resources It shares all storage, file systems, and devices of the global

environment It uses the same users and groups as the global environment It can access the network interfaces in the global environment:

Another IP configuration must be used (configured as an alias) Cannot login remotely to an application WPAR with telnet, ftp, etc.

Processes in a WPAR can use interprocess communication (IPC) mechanisms such as signals, shared memory, semaphores, message queues, etc. to communicate only with other processes in the same WPARCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Networking Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-5

Optionally, you can configure a unique IP configuration and hostname for an application WPAR. This will be configured as a network alias in the global environment. Even when configured with an IP address, you cannot use network commands such as telnet, ftp, or rlogin to connect to an application WPAR, as it does not run the required set of network daemons, such as inetd, etc. If an application WPAR is not configured with an IP address, it will have no network connectivity.

WPAR process isolationThe processes running in a single WPAR can only communicate with other processes in that WPAR.The ps command run in the global environment will show all processes in all WPARs. Once you use the clogin command to login to a WPAR, the ps command lists only processes in that WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-4. Creating application WPARs (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Creating application WPARsThe simplest command to create an application WPAR is shown in the visual above. Using just the absolute path name of the executable as the argument to the wparexec command will start the process in a WPAR using all of the defaults, such as the same network information as the global environment and with no specific resource controls. If you do not specify the absolute pathname to the executable, the wparexec command will fail.For application WPARs, starting the WPAR and creating the WPAR mean the same thing. When you create the WPAR with the wparexec command, it runs until the processes that were started by wparexec terminate. An application WPAR cannot exist without a running application. Well describe how to stop WPARs later in this unit.


IBM Power SystemsCreating application WPARs (1 of 2) An application WPAR only exists while the application is running:

The WPAR is created when an application is started using the wparexeccommand

The WPAR no longer exists once the process and all of its children have terminated

The command that starts the application is passed as an argumentto the wparexec command:

Use the absolute pathname to the application executable WPAR takes name of executable by default The application can start additional processes Simple example:

# wparexec /home/appuser/app1 &Starting workload partition 'app1'.Mounting all workload partition file systems.Loading workload partition.

Executable

The wparexec command returns to the calling shell when the process (and its children) terminate, unless the & is usedCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Running the application WPAR in the background Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-7

When you create an application WPAR with wparexec, you will not return to the calling shell until the WPAR terminates. You can add the ampersand (&) symbol to the end of the wparexec command to run it in the background.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-5. Creating application WPARs (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Managing WPARs with the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT)SMIT can be used to create, stop, and configure WPARs. The visual above shows the fastpath of wpar can be used to access the WPAR menu options. The SMIT fastpath for the second SMIT menu shown in the visual above is manage_appwpar.

When you create an application WPAR with SMIT, SMIT will exit first, then create/start the WPAR in the current shell. The shell prompt will not return until the WPAR terminates.


IBM Power SystemsCreating application WPARs (2 of 2) You can create, view, and stop WPARs with SMIT SMIT will exit, then run the application WPAR

# smit wparWorkload Partition Administration

Move cursor to desired item and press Enter.

List All Workload PartitionsAdminister SYSTEM Workload PartitionsAdminister APPLICATION Workload Partitions

Administer APPLICATION Workload Partitions


List Application Workload PartitionsCreate an Application Workload Partition or Specification FileChange / Show Application Workload Partition CharacteristicsStop and Remove an Application Workload PartitionCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-6. Listing application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Listing WPARsYou can verify the WPAR is running with the lswpar command which lists all existing WPARs. The lswpar command can be used only in the global environment.The name of the WPAR and its hostname are simply the name of the executable if not otherwise specified on the wparexec command line.The state of an application WPAR is always A for active. An application WPAR is always active because it is created when you start the application and is removed when the application is stopped. The type of WPAR in this case is A which stands for application WPAR. An S in this column would indicate a system WPAR.The directory is always the root directory for application WPARs.


IBM Power SystemsListing application WPARs Use lswpar to see running WPARs:

Example:

# lswparName State Type Hostname Directory---------------------------------------------

app1 A A app1 /

Active ApplicationWPAR

Always root for an application

WPAR

Defaults to executable

nameDefaults to

WPARnameCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-7. Naming application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Naming the WPARIf you wish to use a different name for the WPAR, use the -n option to the wparexec command. Later in this unit youll see how to specify a different hostname.


IBM Power SystemsNaming application WPARs Application WPARs can be given a different name with the n option to

the wparexec command

You cannot change an application WPARs name while it is running# wparexec -n myWPAR /home/tools/app2Starting workload partition 'myWPAR'.Mounting all workload partition file systems.Loading workload partition.

The hostname defaults to the WPAR name if it is not specified on the wparexec command line:# lswparName State Type Hostname Directory------------------------------------------

app1 A A app1 /myWPAR A A myWPAR /Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-8. File systems and application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Using file systems with application WPARsApplication WPARs use the global environments file systems. If the application depends on one or more file systems, use the -M flag to the wparexec command to specify the dependent file system(s). If the file system is not already mounted, it is mounted during the process of creating the WPAR. The example in the visual above checks the /dirname entry in the /etc/filesystems file and mounts it if it is not already mounted. Dependent file systems can also be configured in a specification file for an application WPAR.No file systems are created by the wparexec command. When an application WPAR is stopped, its dependent file systems are not unmounted.


IBM Power SystemsFile systems and application WPARs All file systems are created in the global environment

When creating an application WPAR, file system dependencies can be specified:

Required file systems can be mounted prior to, or when the WPAR is created Dependent file systems are not unmounted when WPAR is stopped

Use the M option to wparexec to check that all required file systems are mounted and mount them if needed:

For example:

# wparexec M directory=/dirname /home/tools/app2

File system must be listed in /etc/filesystemsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-9. Logging in to an application WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Logging in to the WPARUse the clogin command to login to the WPAR. The example in the visual above shows an example of using the clogin command to login to a WPAR. Use the exit command to logout and return to the global environment.Optionally, you can follow the clogin WPARname command with a command which will be run in the WPAR then you will return to the global environment. Heres an example where the ps -ef command is run in the WPAR named newwpar:

# clogin newwpar ps -efstty: tcgetattr: Not a typewriter UID PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD root 307262 663788 3 20:21:35 pts/0 0:00 ps -ef


IBM Power SystemsLogging in to an application WPAR Logging in to the WPAR:

When logged in as root in the global environment, you can use clogin tologin to the WPAR

You do not need to specify a user name or password Use the exit command to return to the global environment Can optionally follow the clogin WPARname with a command to run just one

command within the WPAR Example:

# clogin myWPAR(AIX MOTD appears)# uname -W47 WPAR ID

# exit

# uname -W0 Global ID is always zeroCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty root 405632 1 120 20:21:13 pts/0 0:19 /bin/ksh Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-13

/home/linder/busycpu root 1 0 0 20:21:13 pts/0 0:00 /usr/lib/corrals/vinit newwpar /home/linder/busycpu root 663788 1 0 20:21:35 pts/0 0:00 clogin newwpar ps -ef# (This is the global environments shell prompt.)Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-10. Using commands with WPARs (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

AIX commands and WPARsBesides the new commands specific to WPARs, many AIX commands have been modified to support WPARs. A full list of these commands can be seen in Appendix A of the Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM AIX Version 6.1 IBM Redbooks document.Examples of commands with modified outputs when logged in to a WPAR: - The lparstat -i command will report the WPAR name as the node name. - The hostname command will report the WPARs hostname. - The topas command has a subset of statistics that are specific to the WPAR.See the man pages for each command for specifics.


IBM Power SystemsUsing commands with WPARs (1 of 2) New WPAR commands for application WPARs:

wparexec, lswpar, clogin, stopwpar

Commands with modified behavior in a WPAR: Shutdown, halt, and reboot stop application WPARs and do not affect

global environment topas, iostat, vmstat, svmon provide a subset of statistics Commands like lparstat, uname, hostname will have output specific to the

WPAR when logged in to the WPAR

Some existing AIX commands have been enhanced to support WPARs: Use -@ flag for WPAR specific options Follow the -@ flag with a WPAR name for WPAR-specific information

The name of the global environment is Global With some commands you must specify -@ ALL for data about the global

environment and all WPARs:# vmstat -@ ALLCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Monitoring resource statistics Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-15

There is some ability to monitor resources within an application WPAR. When you are logged in to the WPAR, the output of the modified analysis commands will reflect the usage specific to the WPAR. Analysis tools used in the global environment will show resource usage in the entire operating system, including any WPARs.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-11. Using commands with WPARs (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Using the -@ flag with commandsThe visual illustrates how to use the -@ flag to get WPAR-specific information. Refer to the online man pages for the specifics of WPAR support provided by each command.Provide a WPAR name after the -@ flag to limit the command output to only include information for the specified WPAR.Note that in the example in the visual above, the ps command is used with its -e flag. The -e flag is not specific to WPARs; it is a standard ps flag which instructs the command to list all processes (except kernel processes).Example commands:

# ps -e@ WPAR PID TTY TIME CMD...(some output deleted for brevity)Global 450564 - 0:16 java


IBM Power SystemsUsing commands with WPARs (2 of 2) Example command to view processes with ps command:

ps -e from the global environment lists processes from all environments (global and all WPARs) but doesnt label the environments

ps -e within a WPAR will only list processes in that WPAR

Adding the @ flag to ps will add a column showing the WPAR name: Follow the -@ flag with a WPAR name to only show processes in

that WPAR

Example showing the new WPAR column:# ps -@

WPAR PID TTY TIME CMD

myWPAR 249866 pts/0 0:00 vinitGlobal 360492 pts/0 0:00 psGlobal 364770 pts/0 0:00 kshmyWPAR 368832 pts/0 13:05 kshGlobal 385264 pts/0 0:00 kshCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty myWPAR 471168 pts/0 29:16 ksh Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-17

Global 483376 - 0:00 telnetdGlobal 503908 - 0:00 db2fmmyWPAR 507964 pts/0 0:00 vinitGlobal 524482 pts/0 0:00 kshGlobal 548972 pts/0 0:00 ps# ps -e@ myWPAR WPAR PID TTY TIME CMDmyWPAR 471168 pts/0 29:44 kshmyWPAR 507964 pts/0 0:00 vinit

The vinit processNotice the vinit process in the example in the visual above. It performs no actions but stands as the parent process of the other processes executing within the WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-12. Stopping application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Stopping a WPARWhen you stop an application WPAR, it no longer exists. The processes are stopped and the IP address, if configured, is deactivated.

Example stopwpar command outputHere is an example of using the stopwpar command from the gobal environment to stop an application WPAR:

# stopwpar myWPARStopping workload partition 'myWPAR'.stopwpar: 0960-261 Waiting up to 600 seconds for workload partition to halt.Shutting down all workload partition processes.


IBM Power SystemsStopping application WPARs The best way to stop an application WPAR is to login to the WPAR with clogin and use the proper shut down command for the application

These methods may also be used to stop the application WPAR: Use stopwpar command from the global environment:

SMIT uses stopwpar command Login to the WPAR with clogin and use shutdown, halt, or reboot

command: The reboot command does not reboot an application WPAR

Kill application vinit or application process from the global environment: Example: # kill PIDCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-13. Application WPAR networking (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Networking and application WPARsIf the application does not need network connectivity, there is no need to specify an IP address. However, you may optionally configure the WPAR with its own IP address and hostname. The WPAR will share the interface with the global environment, and the configuration will be accomplished with aliasing.

IP aliasingIP aliasing is the process of adding more than one IP address to a network interface. With this, one node on a network can have multiple connections to a network, each serving a different purpose. When using aliases, the alias IP address must be on the same subnet as the interface used by the global environment.


IBM Power SystemsApplication WPAR networking (1 of 2) Optionally, specify network options when creating the WPAR:

Otherwise, it will have no network connectivity Creates an alias on the global environment network interface Alias IP address must be on the same subnet as the global environment's

interface Example:

# wparexec -n MyApp -h wombat -N address=9.47.87.163 \ /a/app1 &

# ping 9.47.87.163PING 9.47.87.163 (9.47.87.163): 56 data bytes64 bytes from 9.47.87.163: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0 ms

# telnet 9.47.87.163Trying...telnet: connect: Connection refused

# lswparName State Type Hostname Directory----------------------------------------

MyApp A A wombat /

No telnet to an application WPAR

-h specifies the hostnameCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-14. Application WPAR networking (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Viewing an application WPARs network configurationThe lswpar -N WPARname command lists the WPARs network configuration from the global environment. Note that the lswpar command can only be run from the WPAR environment.

Using ifconfig with WPARsThe example ifconfig command output in the visual above shows the global environments IP configuration and the alias for one WPAR. Potentially, there could be aliases for the global environments interface and for multiple WPARs. For this reason, use the lswpar -N WPARname command to see a specific WPARs network configuration.If you login to the WPAR with clogin and run ifconfig, the output will show only the WPARs specific configuration.


IBM Power SystemsApplication WPAR networking (2 of 2) View the WPARs network configuration:

Use the lswpar command from the global environment:

# lswpar -N myWPAR

Name Interface Address Netmask Broadcast----------------------------------------------------------

myWPAR en0 9.47.87.163 255.255.255.0 9.47.87.255

The ifconfig command from the global environment will show all aliases in use:

# ifconfig -aen0:

flags=5e080863,c0

inet 9.47.87.162 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255inet 9.47.87.163 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255tcp_sendspace 131072 tcp_recvspace 65536

GlobalsWPARs:

WPAR nameCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-15. Administrative data for application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Application WPARs administrative informationThe operating system logs information about application WPARs in multiple places. There is a WPAR database where the WPAR is logged (/etc/index file) and youll see a *.cf file for each running application WPAR. When the WPAR is stopped, the file is removed.

Specification filesSpecification files can be created and used to make creating WPARs easier because you dont have to specify a lot of options on the command line if the configuration is complex.There are multiple ways to create a specification file. You can create it from scratch with an editor or you can use the wparexec command to create a specification file from an


IBM Power SystemsAdministrative data for application WPARs When an application WPAR is created:

WPAR information is logged in the WPAR database The active WPARs configuration is stored in a file in the /etc/wpars

directory: Exists while WPAR is active Is a text-based, stanza format file

# ls /etc/wparsdevexports index lastkey myWPAR.cfgconfig indexlock locks secattrs

A specification file can be used to create WPARs to make creating WPARs with complicated configurations easier:

Example creating a specification file from an existing application WPAR:# wparexec -e myWPAR -w -o /home/mywpars/wparfile1.spec

Example creating a WPAR with an existing specification file:# wparexec -f /home/mywpars/wparfile1.specCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

existing application WPAR. Once the file exists, it can be used to quickly create new 2-22 Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

application WPARs. A sample specification file is provided in /usr/samples/wpars/sample.spec. This sample file contains examples of configuration stanzas, as well as their detailed descriptions.If you use a specification file to create a WPAR, you can also specify options on the command line which will override any settings in the specification file.

Example specification fileBelow is example contents of a specification file which was created from an application WPAR. The WPAR was created with this command:# wparexec -n myWPAR -h wombat -N interface=en0 address=9.47.87.163 \ netmask=255.255.255.0 /home/bin/app1 &This command was used to create the specification file shown below from the myWPAR WPAR:# wparexec -e myWPAR -w -o /home/mywpars/myWPAR.specHere is the resulting specification file:# cat /home/mywpars/myWPAR.specgeneral: application = "/home/bin/app1" name = "myWPAR" hostname = "wombat" checkpointable = "no" directory = "/"

network: broadcast = "9.47.87.255" interface = "en0" address = "9.47.87.163" netmask = "255.255.255.0"

resources:

active = "yes"

The above specification file would be useful when you need to create a WPAR again with the same configuration. Note that you cannot create a second WPAR with the same network configuration and WPAR name as an existing WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 2-16. Application WPAR demonstration AT611.0

Notes:


IBM Power SystemsApplication WPAR demonstration

Create WPARs with wparexec View information about WPARs Login with clogin View commands from within a WPAR Stop a WPARCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Notes:


IBM Power SystemsCheckpoint (1 of 2)1. True/False: Application WPARs have visibility to all file systems in

the global environment.

2. True/False: If an application WPAR needs access to a network, it must be configured with a unique IP address and hostname.

3. Which one of the following cannot be performed with an application WPAR:

a. Create the WPAR with a specification fileb. Use SMIT to configure and manage the WPARc. Login to the WPAR with clogind. Change the name of a running WPAR

4. True/False: An application WPAR can be configured to use unique user IDs.

5. True/False: All physical devices are owned by the global environment.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.




Notes:


IBM Power SystemsCheckpoint (2 of 2)6. True/False: When an application WPAR is created, a *.cf file is

created in the /etc/wpars directory, where * represents the name of the WPAR.

7. What is the new flag that will cause many AIX commands to display WPAR-specific information? Choose one of the following:

a. The WPAR flagb. The -@ flagc. The -& flagd. The -# flagCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 2-19. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:


IBM Power SystemsUnit summary

An application WPAR is easy to create and configure: It shares its file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and devices

with the global environment

There are some new commands which have been added to manage WPARs:

wparexec, lswpar, clogin, stopwpar Some existing AIX commands have been modified to support WPARs

WPARs are created using the wparexec command with configurationoptions, or you can create a specification file and use it when starting the WPAR to indicate the configuration

The lswpar command can be used to list WPARs and their configurationsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-1

Unit 3. System WPARs

What this unit is aboutThis unit describes the creation and management of system WPARs. Students will see how to create, start, stop, and remove these WPARs.

What you should be able to doAfter completing this unit, you should be able to: Explain how to configure, start, stop, and remove a system WPAR List the allowed states for a system WPAR Describe how to configure networking for a system WPAR List the administrative files and directories used to manage system

WPARs Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and

/opt file systems List system WPAR configuration information using lswpar Describe how system WPARs can access additional file systems Explain how to install and maintain software in a system WPAR

environment

How you will check your progressAccountability: Checkpoint Machine demonstration


AIX Version 6.1Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Notes:


IBM Power SystemsUnit objectivesAfter completing this unit, you should be able to: Explain how to configure, start, stop, and remove a system WPAR List the allowed states for a system WPAR Describe how to configure networking for a system WPAR List the administrative files and directories used to manage system

WPARs Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and /opt

file systems List system WPAR configuration information using lswpar Describe how system WPARs can access additional file systems Explain how to install and maintain software in a system WPAR

environmentCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 3-2. Why use system WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

Using system WPARsSystem WPARs are slightly more complex to configure than application WPARs, but they enable you to use additional features that cannot be used with application WPARs, such as logging in remotely across the network, and creating user and group IDs independently from the global hosting environment.One important difference from an application WPAR, is that system WPARs can run multiple groups of applications, and can be running even when the application has stopped.


IBM Power SystemsWhy use system WPARs? System WPARs, like application WPARs, provide the benefits of

process isolation, resource control, and mobility plus they also provide: A separate domain for user and group IDs Ability to login to the WPAR from the network Private file system namespace Optional non-shared /usr and /opt file systems Different timezone from the global environment Can run multiple applications within the WPAR Jobs can be scheduled using cron WPAR can exist even if the application is terminated

Almost any application or group of applications can be run in a system WPARCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 3-3. System WPARs and system resources AT611.0

Notes:

File systemsA system WPAR has its own private subtree of the file system space. Some of the file systems used for the WPAR are private, and are used exclusively by the WPAR. Other portions may be private, or may be shared in a read-only mode with the global environment, depending on the configuration. The file systems for the WPAR may be dedicated local file systems from the global environment, shared file systems from the global environment, or NFS mounted from a server.The chroot operation changes the apparent root directory for the WPAR and all processes that run in it. This re-rooted environment prevents processes from accessing files outside that directory tree.


IBM Power SystemsSystem WPARs and system resources System WPAR file system space:

Is a dedicated branch of the file system tree All processes in the WPAR are chrooted to this branch Has a private /etc directory

So system WPAR has private users and groups

Each system WPAR has a separate network address, hostname Address configured as an alias on an interface in the global environment Users can login remotely to a system WPAR with telnet, ftp, etc.

A system WPAR runs an isolated set of system services, such as cron, init, syslogd, etc.

A system WPAR is given a set of pseudo devices, such as /dev/null,/dev/audit, /dev/error, etc.

WPAR does not have direct access to physical devicesCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Uempty Users and groups Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-5

A system WPAR has its own private root file system, which contains the /etc directory structure. This directory tree contains the configuration files for users and groups, which means the system WPAR has its own set of users and groups, independent of the global environment.

NetworkingA system WPAR may be configured with a hostname and IP address. Access to the network is obtained by using an alias on a physical network interface owned by the global environment. Since a system WPAR runs a subset of system services, you can use network commands such as telnet, ftp, or rlogin to connect to a system WPAR, assuming it is correctly configured to access the network.

WPAR process isolationThe processes running in a single system or application WPAR can only communicate with other processes in that WPAR.The ps command run in the global environment will show all processes in all WPARs. When run within a system WPAR environment, the ps command lists only processes in that WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 3-4. Creating system WPARs (1 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

IntroductionSystem WPARs are created using the mkwpar command. There are many different flags and options available for using the command that will change the configuration of the system WPAR that is created.In addition to creating the system WPAR, the mkwpar command can be used to create a specification file which can then be used as input on a subsequent invocation of the command. It can also create a WPAR based on the configuration of an existing WPAR. Arguments supplied on the command line will override the parameters specified in an existing WPAR or specification file being used as the basis for the new WPAR.The mkwpar command has a comprehensive set of default values that will be used if a parameter is not specified. Some parameters, such as network interface and network mask, will be deduced from the global environment if not provided.


IBM Power SystemsCreating system WPARs (1 of 3) There are many methods of creating a system WPAR

Use the mkwpar command to create a system WPAR, supplying arguments on the command line

Use the mkwpar command and supply a specification file Specification file can be created previously using mkwpar, or by editing a

template See /usr/samples/wpars/sample.spec

Use mkwpar to create a new system WPAR based on an existing system WPAR

Arguments given on the command line override the values in the specification file

Arguments that are not given (on the command line or specification file) are deduced from the global environmentCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 3-5. Creating system WPARs (2 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

TasksThe mkwpar command performs multiple tasks when creating a system WPAR. The tasks performed will depend on the arguments supplied to the command. Refer to the man page entry for a full description of all arguments.


IBM Power Systems

Creating system WPARs (2 of 3) Multiple tasks are performed by mkwpar during WPAR creation:

Create the WPARs configuration in the database Create and populate the file systems for the WPAR Determine any missing network configuration values

Additional tasks may be performed, depending on the options used: Create a specification file for the WPAR for later use Start the WPAR once it is created Export an alternate set of pseudo devices to the WPAR Add the WPAR to the list of those to be started on system boot Prompt to set the root password for the WPAR

By default, the root password for the WPAR is not setCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 3-6. Creating System WPARs (3 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

SMITSystem WPARs can be created and managed using SMIT. The fast path smit wpar will start with the Workload Partition Administration menu, as shown on the visual above. The system WPAR menu can be accessed directly with smit manage_syswpar.


IBM Power SystemsCreating System WPARs (3 of 3) You can create, list, start, stop, and remove WPARs with SMIT

# smit wpar

Workload Partition Administration


List All Workload PartitionsAdminister SYSTEM Workload PartitionsAdminister APPLICATION Workload Partitions

Administer SYSTEM Workload Partitions


List System Workload PartitionsCreate a System Workload Partition or Specification FileStart / Stop / Reboot a System Workload PartitionSystem Workload Partition Software MaintenanceChange / Show System Workload Partition CharacteristicsRemove a System Workload PartitionSystem Workload Partition Backup ManagerCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 3-7. System WPARs and default file systems AT611.0

Notes:

File system configurationsThe file systems used by a system WPAR are mounted in the global environment relative to a base directory. The default base directory is /wpars/wparname, where wparname is the name of the system WPAR. The base directory value can be changed using the -d option of the mkwpar command.The file systems for a system WPAR are mounted when the WPAR is started, and unmounted when the WPAR is stopped.

Default file system configurationThe default configuration for a system WPAR is for /, /home, /var, and /tmp for the WPAR to be created as JFS2 file systems with inline logs in the rootvg volume group of the global environment. The /usr and /opt file systems for the WPAR are configured as read-only namefs mounts of the /usr and /opt file systems from the global environment.


IBM Power Systems

System WPARs and default file systems File systems for a system WPAR are mounted in the global

environment relative to a base directory Default location is /wpars/wparname

File systems are mounted when the WPAR is started, and unmountedwhen the WPAR is stopped

Default format for each of the /, /home, /tmp and /var file systems is to create a JFS2 with inline log device in a logical volume in rootvg

Default for /usr and /opt is a read-only namefs mount of the file system from the global environment

In other words, /usr and /opt are shared with the global environment

Read-write access to /proc is enabled using a namefs mount Can only see entries for processes running in the WPARCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.

Student Notebook

The WPAR also has read-write access to /proc as a namefs mount, that is filtered to 3-10 Exploring WPAR Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

only allow access to processes that are running in the WPAR.Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 3-8. Default file systems example (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Default file systems exampleThe diagram on the visual above shows the default file system configuration for a system WPAR.


IBM Power SystemsDefault file systems example (1 of 2)

/home

/

/opt

/tmp

/var

/usr

/proc

/wpars/SWPAR1

Global environment

/wpars/SWPAR1/home

/wpars/SWPAR1/tmp

/wpars/SWPAR1/var

/home

/

/opt

/tmp

/var

/usr

/proc

System WPAR

rootvg

namefs

namefs

namefsCourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.


Figure 3-9. Default file systems example (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Command outputThe upper part of the visual above shows the output from the mount command in the global environment. The lower part of the visual shows the output from the mount command when run within the WPAR.


IBM Power SystemsDefault file systems example (2 of 2) From the global environment:# mount

node mounted mounted over vfs date options-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------

/dev/hd4 / jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/hd2 /usr jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/hd9var /var jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/hd3 /tmp jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/hd1 /home jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/hd11admin /admin jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8/proc /proc procfs Jan 31 10:14 rw/dev/hd10opt /opt jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8/dev/fslv00 /wpars/SWPAR1 jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE/dev/fslv01 /wpars/SWPAR1/home jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE

/opt /wpars/SWPAR1/opt namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro/proc /wpars/SWPAR1/proc namefs Feb 01 14:48 rw

/dev/fslv02 /wpars/SWPAR1/tmp jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE/usr /wpars/SWPAR1/usr namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro/dev/fslv03 /wpars/SWPAR1/var jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE

From within the WPAR:# mount

node mounted mounted over vfs date options-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------

/dev/fslv00 / jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE/dev/fslv01 /home jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE/opt /opt namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro/proc /proc namefs Feb 01 14:48 rw/dev/fslv02 /tmp jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE/usr /usr namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro/dev/fslv03 /var jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINECourse materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.



Figure 3-10. Other file system configurations (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Default file system configurationsBy default, the /, /home, /var, and /tmp are real file systems in the rootvg volume group of the global environment, and the /usr and /opt file systems are configured as read-only namefs mounts.

Private /usr and /optIt is possible to configure the /usr and /opt file systems as real local file systems instead of namefs mounts. You do not have to configure them both in the same way. For example, it is possible to have /opt as a namefs mount, and /usr as a real file system. If /usr and /opt are configured as real file systems, then the WPAR has read-write access, instead of the read-only access provided with namefs mounts of /usr and /opt. There are both benefits a

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