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 HP-UX Virtual Partitions Administrator’s Guide > Chapter 5 vPars Monitor and Shell Commands

Using an Alternate Partition Database File
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By default, the local copy of the vPars partition database is kept in the file /stand/vpdb on the boot disk of each virtual partition within a hard partition. However, you can create, edit, and delete virtual partitions in an alternate partition database file by using the -D filename option in the vPars command string, where filename is the name of the alternate partition database file. For more information on the vPars command strings, see the vPars manpages.

The alternate partition database file can be used to create an entirely different virtual partition configuration without affecting the live partition database in the vPars Monitor’s memory or the local copies in /stand/vpdb.

Example

Suppose the current virtual partition configuration is:

Partition Namewinona1winona2winona3
Bound CPUs
total = 2 min = 2
total = 2 min = 2 paths = 41,45
total = 1 min = 1

Unbound CPUs

three CPUs are available
Memory
1024 MB
1280 MB
1280 MB
I/O Paths (LBAs)
0.0
0.4
0.8 1.10
0.5 1.4
Boot Path
0.0.2.0.6.0
0.8.0.0.5.0
1.4.0.0.5.0
LAN
0.0.0.0
1.10.0.0.4.0
0.5.0.0.4.0
Autoboot
AUTO
AUTO
AUTO

You could create an alternate partition database where the configuration is:

Partition Namewinsim1winsim2
Bound CPUs
total = 4 min = 4
total = 4 min = 4

Unbound CPUs

no CPUs are available
Memory
1600 MB
1600 MB
I/O Paths (LBAs)
0.0
0.4
0.8 1.10 1.2
Boot Path
0.0.2.0.6.0
0.8.0.0.5.0
LAN
0.0.0.0
1.10.0.0.4.0
Autoboot
AUTO
AUTO

To create and boot using an alternate partition database, perform the following:

  1. Create the partition configuration and alternate partition database file.

    winona1# vparcreate -p winsim1 -D /stand/vpdb.sim -a cpu::4 -a cpu:::4 -a mem::1600 -a io:0.0 -a io:0.4 -a io:0.0.2.0.6.0:BOOT winona2# vparcreate -p winsim2 -D /stand/vpdb.sim -a cpu::4 -a cpu:::4 -a mem::1600 -a io:0.8 -a io:1.10 -a io: 1.2 -a io:0.8.0.0.5.0:BOOT
    CAUTION: LBAs must be explicitly specified. The examples in this chapter use a non-nPartitionable system. If using an nPartitionable system, read “Planning, Installing, and Using vPars with an nPartitionable Server”.

    The alternate partition database file is created if it does not exist.

    NOTE: In order to boot from an alternate partition database file, the file must exist in /stand of the disk from which you will boot the entire server.

  2. Shutdown all the virtual partitions and reboot the server:

    winona3# vparstatus ; shutdown -hy 0 winona2# vparstatus ; shutdown -hy 0 winona1# vparstatus ; shutdown -hy 0 MON> reboot

  3. Interrupt the boot process and boot the vPars Monitor /stand/vpmon specifying the -D alternate partition database option and the -a autoboot option:

    BCH> bo pri interact with IPL: y ISL> hpux /stand/vpmon -D /stand/vpdb.sim -a

    The vPars Monitor boots, reads the partition database file /stand/vpdb.sim, and copies the partition configuration information into the vPars Monitor’s memory. The local copy of the partition database is now /stand/vpdb.sim (the same filename as what was read by the vPars Monitor at Monitor boot time).

    Integrity NOTE: If you issue readdb /stand/vpdb.backup, the file that is actually read is at /stand/boot.sys/stand/vpdb.backup. The vparcreate command transparently creates the soft link from /stand/boot.sys/stand/<file> to /stand/<file>. Therefore, if you backup the database file using the Unix cp command, a ln command also should be executed to create the soft link. Otherwise it will not be possible to boot from the backup database file.

    Because the local copy is now /stand/vpdb.sim, you do not need to specify the -D /stand/vpdb.sim option when performing vPars Monitor commands. For example, to set the static attribute for the partition winsim2, the command is:

    winsim2# vparmodify -p winsim2 -S static

    This change will be synchronized to the local copies of /stand/vpdb.sim. (If /stand/vpdb.sim does not exist, as in this case on winsim2, the file will be automatically created during synchronization).

  4. To return to using /stand/vpdb, do the same steps as above, except on the ISL command line in Step 3 is:

    ISL> hpux /stand/vpmon -a

    By default, the file /stand/vpdb is read as the partition database file.

When working with an alternate partition database file using -D filename, note the following:

  • filename must reside in /stand when the server boots because the vPars Monitor can only traverse HFS file systems of the boot disk.

  • Be careful when creating partitions using the -D option. Fewer checks on configuration are being performed. It is possible to create a partition configuration that is not valid.

  • All LVM rules still apply. For example, you cannot migrate I/O only by re-assigning the I/O to a different partition; you must still vgexport and vgimport the volume groups.

  • (pre A.03.02) Although there is no command that displays which partition database file was read when the vPars Monitor was booted, because the local copies of the active database are synchronized every five seconds, you should be able to tell which database file was read and is active based on the time stamps of the various database files in /stand.



Resetting a Virtual Partition
  		 


Managing Resources With Only One Virtual Partition  
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