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I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
I'm looking at doing the following:

LPAR #1 - AIX 5.2 - 2 processors & 3 disks (one scsi bus)
LPAR #2 - VIO - 1 cpu & 3 disks (second scsi bus)
LPAR #3 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
LPAR #4 - 5.3 - .5 cpu

Questions: On LPAR #1, if I mirror rootvg what would be a good way to
utilize the 3rd disk in some sort of redudant configuration for
application space. Or should I just put the applications on the first
two mirrored disks.

Am I shooting myself in the foot by not using the VIO Server with all
disks and scsi chains? Should I forget about LPARs 2-4 and just run
the one application with the redudant scsi buses? Yes, this would
require additional hardware. Apparently 5.2 doesn't support the VIO
Server.

For LPARs #3 & #4 - Where would I put the rootvg for these LPARs?
Would they go onto the rootvg disks being used by the VIO Server?

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

John

"John" <studarus@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1137120380.706889.231210@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
> with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
> application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
> I'm looking at doing the following:

Just to clarify, is that 2 separate SCSI controllers, as in the onboard plus
a PCI-X card?
If it is two different channels of onboard SCSI, then they can only go in
the same LPAR as they are the same PCI resource, which would mean only one
LPAR unless you use VIO (and that would mean no 5.2)... It's like the dual
port Ethernet on the motherboard. The two ports can only be allocated into a
single LPAR.

John wrote:
> I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
> with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
> application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
> I'm looking at doing the following:
>
> LPAR #1 - AIX 5.2 - 2 processors & 3 disks (one scsi bus)
> LPAR #2 - VIO - 1 cpu & 3 disks (second scsi bus)
> LPAR #3 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
> LPAR #4 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
>
> Questions: On LPAR #1, if I mirror rootvg what would be a good way to
> utilize the 3rd disk in some sort of redudant configuration for
> application space. Or should I just put the applications on the first
> two mirrored disks.
>
> Am I shooting myself in the foot by not using the VIO Server with all
> disks and scsi chains? Should I forget about LPARs 2-4 and just run
> the one application with the redudant scsi buses? Yes, this would
> require additional hardware. Apparently 5.2 doesn't support the VIO
> Server.
>
> For LPARs #3 & #4 - Where would I put the rootvg for these LPARs?
> Would they go onto the rootvg disks being used by the VIO Server?
>
> Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!
AIX 5.2 requires its own SCSI Bus/Disk ,Processor and Memory.
So a minimum configuration would:

LPAR #1 AIX 5.2 - 1 processors ( With SMP you will see 2 ) & 4 disks
(one scsi bus)
So you can mirror rootvg and any datavg.
In case your app can be in the rootvg just 2 Disks are needed because
mirroing is a must.
LPAR #1 AIX 5.2 - 2 processors & 2 disks (one scsi bus)

LPAR #2 VIO Server ( get 0.1 Proc,
any other LPAR ist just an VLPAR uncapped setup ( keep it simple in the
beginning )
so
VLPAR #1 AIX 5.3
....
VLPAR #30 LINUX
....
VLPAR #70 AIX 5.3

So point with the VIO is in this setup: You have no disk reduandency
for your VLPAR because AFAIK you anc not mirror a VLPAR disk on the VIO

So depening on your requirements:
If all other VLPAR just for development and testing and you are short
on money stay with the setup. Otherwise i would get a new scsi
controller ( maybe also a new Network adapter ) to build up a seconded
VIO Server

In this case you a setup like:
LPAR #1 AIX 5.2 - ( 1Proc ) 1 * scsi with 2 Disk , 2 Network with
etherchannel ( SCSI is SPOF)
LPAR #2 VIO - 1 * scsi with 2 Disk ( VIO OS is mirrored ), 2 Network
bound etherchannel
LPAR #3 VIO - 1 * scsi with 2 Disk ( VIO OS is mirrored ), 2 Network
bound etherchannel

VLPAR #X AIX5.3?lInux- With two network paths and vscsi paths to each
VIO ( Mirror rootvg across VIOs, etherchannel accross the vEthernet )

If you ask where all the rest of the processors are: They are in a pool
and asigned to each vio/vlpar dynamicly. Memory can be moved also
around but i suggest to give each vlpar a good base mount ( at least
512 MB )

hth
Hajo






>
> Thanks!
>
> John

"Steve Greatbanks" <steve_greatbanks@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:dq7m9t$2en$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
>
> "John" <studarus@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1137120380.706889.231210@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
>> I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
>> with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
>> application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
>> I'm looking at doing the following:
>
> Just to clarify, is that 2 separate SCSI controllers, as in the onboard
> plus a PCI-X card?
> If it is two different channels of onboard SCSI, then they can only go in
> the same LPAR as they are the same PCI resource, which would mean only one
> LPAR unless you use VIO (and that would mean no 5.2)... It's like the dual
> port Ethernet on the motherboard. The two ports can only be allocated into
> a single LPAR.

Totally wrong. Please ignore My redbook is an old version which does not
mention
the two channels can be allocated to different LPARs...

"Hajo Ehlers" <service@metamodul.com> wrote in message
news:1137139915.753692.52920@f14g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
>
> John wrote:
>> I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
>> with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
>> application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
>> I'm looking at doing the following:
>>
>> LPAR #1 - AIX 5.2 - 2 processors & 3 disks (one scsi bus)
>> LPAR #2 - VIO - 1 cpu & 3 disks (second scsi bus)
>> LPAR #3 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
>> LPAR #4 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
>>
>> Questions: On LPAR #1, if I mirror rootvg what would be a good way to
>> utilize the 3rd disk in some sort of redudant configuration for
>> application space. Or should I just put the applications on the first
>> two mirrored disks.
>>
>> Am I shooting myself in the foot by not using the VIO Server with all
>> disks and scsi chains? Should I forget about LPARs 2-4 and just run
>> the one application with the redudant scsi buses? Yes, this would
>> require additional hardware. Apparently 5.2 doesn't support the VIO
>> Server.
>>
>> For LPARs #3 & #4 - Where would I put the rootvg for these LPARs?
>> Would they go onto the rootvg disks being used by the VIO Server?
>>
>> Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!
> AIX 5.2 requires its own SCSI Bus/Disk ,Processor and Memory.
> So a minimum configuration would:
>
> LPAR #1 AIX 5.2 - 1 processors ( With SMP you will see 2 ) & 4 disks
> (one scsi bus)

But on a 570, he can only allocate in units of 3 disks (2x3 packs rather
than 2x4 packs), so he can't have
4 disks without allocating both 3 packs, which means only 1 LPAR with 6
disks, or 2 LPARs with 3 disks in each.

I'd be thinking about some external storage...

"John" <studarus@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1137120380.706889.231210@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> I'm looking for advice from the experts out there. I've got a p570
> with 4 cpus and six disks (2 scsi buses). I need to run one
> application which is only supported on 5.2 and the rest can be 5.3.
> I'm looking at doing the following:
>
> LPAR #1 - AIX 5.2 - 2 processors & 3 disks (one scsi bus)
> LPAR #2 - VIO - 1 cpu & 3 disks (second scsi bus)
> LPAR #3 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
> LPAR #4 - 5.3 - .5 cpu
>
> Questions: On LPAR #1, if I mirror rootvg what would be a good way to
> utilize the 3rd disk in some sort of redudant configuration for
> application space. Or should I just put the applications on the first
> two mirrored disks.

Well, if you mirror rootvg, you don't have a redundant option with the
remaining disk. It's not great practice to put
everything into rootvg, and if you do that you will probably end up
regretting it when you have to deal with monstrous
mksysb images.

> Am I shooting myself in the foot by not using the VIO Server with all
> disks and scsi chains? Should I forget about LPARs 2-4 and just run
> the one application with the redudant scsi buses? Yes, this would
> require additional hardware. Apparently 5.2 doesn't support the VIO
> Server.
>
> For LPARs #3 & #4 - Where would I put the rootvg for these LPARs?
> Would they go onto the rootvg disks being used by the VIO Server?

With the six disks (and particularly wanting to run 5.2), you are pretty
much in a
corner. Having 3 disks in each LPAR means you don't really have any
redundant options.
Ironically the p550 with its 4 packs would have been a more flexible option
(if you had
connected the second 4 pack to a PCI-X SCSI card).

> Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!

You look like you need more storage. Either a D20 or the 2104 (or whatever
the new version is).
A 2104 in split bus mode might be the cheapest option.
Is a production server, or a machine where you don't mind lower levels of
redundancy?

Steve Greatbanks wrote:
> "John" <studarus@gmail.com> wrote in message
...
> Well, if you mirror rootvg, you don't have a redundant option with the
> remaining disk. It's not great practice to put
> everything into rootvg, and if you do that you will probably end up
> regretting it when you have to deal with monstrous
> mksysb images.

He could use the /etc/exclude.rootvg file to keep its mksysb small

cu
Hajo