Live Partition Mobility Preparation Checklist

Published 24 May 2014, updated 19 February 2016

View online

More options

Rate and comment

Tell us what you think

Authors: Scott Vetter, Bradley Vette

Abstract

When attempting to do Live Partition Mobility (LPM) in your environment, use the Live Partition Mobility Preparation Checklist. The assumption for using this checklist is that you previously set up your LPM environment based on the Live Partition Mobility Setup Checklist or the IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration, SG24-7940, an IBM® Redbooks® publication. As part of the LPM operation, a validation is done but there are certain things the validation cannot check. This checklist describes the tasks that cannot be checked automatically. The checklist provides some basic details.

A companion document exists that may be of interest: Live Partition Mobility Setup Checklist available at:

Live Partition Mobility Setup Checklist

Related content

Contents

Live Partition Mobility Preparation Checklist


HMC tasks:Complete = XComments
1. Check HMC hardware level:
    • Log in to HMC.
    • Use the lshmc -V command.
2. Check the HMC software level for compatibility with the entire configuration using the IBM® Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT) at this address:
Systems tasks:Complete = XComments
1. Check source and destination system firmware levels and have all the recommended fixes for Partition Mobility (use FLRT).
2. Check source and destination system firmware levels for compatibility using the firmware support matrix Web site: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8hc3/p8hc3_firmwaresupportmatrix.htm
Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) tasks:Complete = XComments
1. Check source and destination VIOS levels (use FLRT)
    • Log in to VIOS as padmin.
    • Use the ioslevel command.
2. For the one or more VIOS servers that are serving network access to the mobile partition using a Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA) connected to a Shared Ethernet Adapter (SEA), ensure the “promiscuous” mode attribute is set on the HEA group.
3. For the one or more VIOS servers that are serving storage to the mobile partition on both the source and destination system, ensure both VIOS servers see the same disks (use the odmGet or lspv command) required by the mobile partition and have the no_reserve attribute set on those disks.
    • To list the attributes of hdiskX, use the following command:
      Lsdev -dev hdiskX -attr
    • If reserve_policy is not set to no_reserve, use the following command:
      chdev -dev hdiskX -attr reserve_policy=no_reserve
4. Verify that the physical Fibre Channel adapters that are assigned to the source and destination VIOS logical partitions support NPIV. Run the lsnports command to view the physical ports on the physical Fibre Channel adapters that support NPIV.Not applicable (N/A) for vSCSI.
5. Verify that the switches to which the physical Fibre Channel adapters on both the source and destination VIOS logical partitions are cabled support NPIV. Run the lsnports command to view the fabric support of the physical ports on the physical Fibre Channel adapters. If the fabric support is 1, the physical port is cabled to a switch that supports NPIV.N/A for vSCSI.
Mobile Partition tasks:Complete = XComments
1. Check the software levels (use FLRT).
2. For each virtual Fibre Channel adapter on the mobile partition, verify that both worldwide port names (WWPNs) are assigned to the same set of logical unit numbers (LUNs) on the SAN.
    To identify the WWPNs that are assigned to a virtual Fibre Channel adapter using the HMC, complete the following steps:

    1. In the navigation pane, open Systems Management and select Servers.

    2. Click the server on which the mobile partition is located.

    3. In the navigation pane, select the mobile partition.

    4. From the Tasks menu, click Properties. The Partition Properties window opens.

    5. Click the Virtual Adapters tab.

    6. Select a virtual Fibre Channel adapter slot.

    7. From the Actions menu, click Properties. The Virtual Fibre Channel Adapter Properties window opens, showing the WWPN pair. Record both addresses.

    8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each virtual Fibre Channel adapter on the mobile partition.

    9. Click Close to return to the Partition Properties window

    Now that you have the WWPNs please verify that BOTH of them are assigned to the same set of logical unit numbers(LUNs) on the SAN

N/A for vSCSI.
3. Verify that the mobile partition has access to the virtual Fibre Channel adapters on the source VIOS logical partition.
    • Verify the location code by using this command:
      lscfg -vl fcs* | grep fcs
    • Verify that the fcs ports are “Available” (not “Defined”) by using this command:
      lsdev | grep fcs
    • Verify the fcs state by using a command similar to this sample command:
      fcstat fcs0
N/A for vSCSI.
4. Many SAN storage devices support a feature called persistent reservations. A persistent reservation can be use to control access to the logical units (LUNs) provided by the SAN. Some SAN storage hardware has a fixed limit on the number of reservations that can be supported. Prior to LPM, if you are using persistent reservations, ensure there are enough free reservations on the SAN to support the LUNs assigned to the partition being migrated.
5. An IBM i logical partition cannot be moved while an NPIV (virtual Fibre Channel) attached tape device is varied on.N/A for IBM AIX and Linux partitions.
6. The IBM i partition must not be assigned a virtual SCSI optical or tape device at the time of the operation.N/A for AIX and Linux partitions.


Special Notices

This material has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is published AS IS. It has not been the subject of rigorous review. IBM assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a client responsibility and depends upon the client's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the client's operational environment.

Follow IBM Redbooks

Follow IBM Redbooks

LinkedIn RSS