PowerVM/lpar creation problems


 
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Operating Systems AIX PowerVM/lpar creation problems
# 1  
Old 04-30-2015
PowerVM/lpar creation problems

Hi,
I'm a newbie to PowerVM and LPARs ( I work with VmWare and Oracle VM Server for Sparc) .recently we purchased an 8202-e4b server, with two enclosures for add'l disk capacity. it is licensed for PowerVM standard,came preloaded as such, AIX 7.1.
I've set up HMC v8.2, and run it through a VM on a Vmware esxi server.

in short,via HMC, I can create one VM , install AIX on it, network it, etc, but when I try to create a 2nd Vm,it doesn't 'see' any devices other than the HEA's added to the VM via profile..the profile also has client SCSI added,
and a Raid Controller set with 'as desired' checked off..
for #1 Vm, I have Raid controller also set to 'as desired' and one client SCSI adapter.basically,profile for VM 2 is identical to profile for VM1..I've even changed the ID's of the SCSI adapters so that they're not the same.
any idea why I cannot see the DVD drive and hard drive for the 2nd VM?
also, I've uploaded VIOS disk 1 and 2 to the HMC respository, and I'm able to create a VIOS server 'system' from template, but while monitoring it with the Vterm,
it gets to the part where it asks for disk #2, but since it's ready-only terminal, I have no way of telling it where to find the source for disk #2..although, disk 1 and 2 are in the same folder the system 'should' see it anyways, right?

I've even tried the newly enhanced gui v8.2, and that doesn't work either..
I've tried to create VIOS manually, disk 1 goes fine, I then insert disk 2, and basically watch it fail to install from disk.I've burned 3 dvd's,and downloaded disk 2 from IBM twice already so it can't be bad media.

it's completely frustrating and I'm just at the point where I think it's best to have an IBM rep come in and set this up.
why did they make things so overly complex and just plain hard to deal with?
I've even reset the server ( via ASMI) to factory default, which gives me one partition with all system resources. I re-enter PowerVm codes to make sure it's working as 'standard' and that I get to make add'l VMs.but I can't get past having just one and only one, VM.
any idea what I'm doing wrong here?
# 2  
Old 04-30-2015
The things are very easy. You must first read documentation, then plan, then make. And not the opposite.

IBM Redbooks | IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration
# 3  
Old 04-30-2015
thanks..I've read the documentation , not all 792 pages of it, but, if I can't get past 'insert disk 2 of VIOS Server' what good does reading ALL of the documentation do?
VmWare esxi and Oracle Vm server for Sparc do not require anything like a Virtual I/O server to provide virtual SCSI,Disk,network,etc, to an virtual machine. IBM ,to me,is completely backwards. why didn't they just make drivers that work out of the box without having to first install a virtual server to provide these virtual devices to LPARs?
I understand that one VM using a dvdrom , 'locks' it so that other VMs cant use it..and I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but it shouldnt be as complicated as this when setting up multiple VMs.
and that's the reason I've posted a question here, in the hopes that someone could provide an idea of what I can do to get past this, to shed some light on it.
but replying 'read the documentation' isn't helpful. but thanks anyways.
# 4  
Old 04-30-2015
if you need help, you can ask for it. if want to whine, how bad is the life, it is your right, but the forum is the bad place for it. there are a lot of specialists here, working with different technologies, every has his/her own opinion on it. I worked with Vmware GSX, ESX, ESXi, vSphere, Xen, KVM, Sun domains, Sun LDoms, "Oracle VM for Sparc", and PowerVM. IMNSHO PowerVM is the only right virtualization "engine", very flexible and easy to use. Although I like vSphere too.

Regarding your question - nobody can answer you, because nobody can read your thoughts and nobody knows which VIOS DVDs you've downloaded. What I see from your post, is lack of understanding the technology. That's why - first read the documentation, then plan, then make.

P.S. There are only 2 (TWO) DVDs for VIO installation, not 3.
# 5  
Old 04-30-2015
thanks for replies..I'm not whining, maybe just venting ;-)....anyways, I never mentioned 3 dvd's. I only mentioned 2.go back and read my post(s) ,please.
I have hmc v8.2, vios server disks 1 and 2, v 2.2.3.4. brand new 8202-e4b server 128GB RAM, 6CPU.
lack of understanding of the technology? you bet! that's why I'm here, that goes without saying! I've been reading countless papers,websites,books on this very subject.
I've connected to HMC limited shell,and tried to run installios -u, but it says 'default1' label exists in nimol.conf.but of course, IBM provides no 'vi' to delete the entry in that file. so I cannot install from command line.
can't install from template because of the read-only terminal,and disk #2 fails to install..how is it possible that the template system install of VIOS can see disk one,but fails to see disk two in the SAME folder on the HMC repository? the IBM documentation clearly states it will automatically see disk 2 in the same default location as disk 1!! so if their documentation is wrong,what good is it,anyways? it's not like Sybase documentation whis is so precise it's an art form..
I can,however, install a full OS version of aix 6.1..it works perfectly well.go and try to install another AIX 6.1 VM ( or LPAR), and SMS menu only sees interconnected LAN(s), not a dvdrom,not a harddrive, nothing..I do NOT have NIM set up,nor do I plan to use one...if I disconnect scsi from first aix 6.1 VM ,I can then see them on VM #2.but then vm #1 doesn't work..I get that I probably need to use dynamic LPAR and that the first aix VM holds these particular scsi devices exclusively..
(*we just differ in opinions,I've been using esxi for years.Sparc LDOMs for years.they're easy as pie to set up from scratch,even for newbies..PowerVm seems like it's not ready for primetime.
esxi is by far the most user-friendly technology out there.Xen/Oracle VM Manager require
repositories for ISO, etc.vmware uses anything, anywhere, in unstructured formats..it doesn't create Virtual machine folders, ISO folders, template folders on a repository ,etc..it doesn't require you to upload an ISO to repo ,first,just to be able to use it to create a VM from it..you can use an OS ISO from anywhere..they also don't require the set up of an HMC.there's a reason they're #1, by far..but thats another topic.)
again ,thanks for the help.the reason I'm venting is I'm 100% convinced I'm doing something so small, somewhere.I just can't figure that part out.that's what is frustrating.
# 6  
Old 04-30-2015
How many LPARs do you want to have on it? How many resources should the LPARs have?
Can you write a small table:
LPAR1 0.5 CPU, 8 GB RAM, VLAN 10, SAN Fabric 1, my sandbox
LPAR2 2 CPU, 32GB RAM, VLAN 20, SAN Fabric 1, database
and so on. Don't include VIOSes for now and don't try to use _all_ the CPU/RAM resources in the server.

This is planning. We assume for now, that you've read the documentation.
# 7  
Old 04-30-2015
"This is planning. We assume for now, that you've read the documentation."

Sounds like you are giving the whole machine to the first VIO logical partition, so there is no hardware to install another... and you cannot run a "WPAR" on a VIO server...

Not being rude but it does sound like a basic understanding deficiency of how PowerVM works.

>>>>read the docs.....

Make a PowerVM/VIO LPAR with one ethernet adapter, one scsi adapter with a disk, maybe a fibre adapter. Install PowerVM/VIO on it.

Do it again.... so you have a redundant/dual VIO server layer.

Then on both of these VIO servers virtualise some form of storage, vscsi, npiv, lvm, for the client LPARS.

Set up SEA adapters on the dual VIO servers, so you have redundant networking for your client partitions.

Set up virtual ethernet, vlans, Etc. for the clients to use.

Then configure your client LPARs partition profiles for your AIX / IBM i / LINUX client LPARs.

Then boot and install them....

Any of this sound even remotely familiar...

If not then at least you have some terms to google for help.

It's not really like any other form of server virtualisation but it is by far the best.

Good place to start reading:
IBM PowerVM - Getting Started Guide

HTH
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