AIX

thanks for the help guys.
it's not insulting to say I lack the understanding of PowerVM, it's OK! I know I don't understand it that's why I'm here..
ok so in a nutshell,here's what I have:
we purchased a server 8202-34b with two enclosures, g30 and d24. we don't have the amperage to hook up the enclosures, they need 220v lines and a PDU ,so I'm only running off of the 8202 until the new electric is installed.the 8202 has 6x146GB disks installed,128GB RAM, 6 cpu. plenty enough to get started with.
so, the system came pre-loaded with one partition, AIX 7.1. we wanted 6.1.so, via ASMI, I reset to factory config which makes one partition that takes up all resources, and its name was that of the serial number of the server.. I just deleted all partitions, so I have nothing but the server listed under system mgmt-> servers)

I want to make 2 virtual machines,each AIX 6.1, 32 GB RAM, one with 1 CPU max ( sybase server licensing is very costly beyond one CPU) , and the other with 2 CPU max and 32GB RAM.

so to start with, am I correct in assuming I need to have at least 1 virtual I/O server installed , before I create these two AIX 6.1 partitions? if the answer is yes, that's where the problem lies.as you guys know,vios stops at the '37% finished' mark,and asks "insert disk #2 and hit enter"
I do that, disk #2 fails to load, kicks me to a root # prompt.exit that,and you're at init mode. I've reburned the dvd 3 times, thinking it was bad media.I've downloaded the disk 3 times from IBM thinking it was a bad ISO from IBM.
this is where I'm stuck..I cannot install vios either manually as stated above, or as a template because the template install stops at the prompt> "enter location of source disk 2", but since it is a read-only terminal, I cannot input the location, even though it is in the exact same location on HMC repository as vios disk #1,and despite IBM's docs saying it will automatically pick up disk 2 from same location as disk 1.

I now have 0 partitions since I deleted everything.I'm going to start over, try to install vios server first, then a second vios server if possible.

my apologies if I've confused you..

NIM server is not something I'm interested in, it means reading more documentation and configuring another AIX server to use it as the NIM master. it simply can't be this hard to install VIOS..and it shouldn't be..
why doesn't IBM offer an OVF format VIOS appliance and/or as single VIOS
DVD.I have read a lot of people saying that they're stuck exactly where I am, at disk #2, it fails,and they can't get past it.

---------- Post updated at 10:08 AM ---------- Previous update was at 10:03 AM ----------

HTH
the doc link you included in your post, isn't available on redbooks.ibm.com.

to answer your question, yes all of what you said makes sense.I just can't set up
a vios server to begin with!
that's where the problem is.

It is possible to install 2 LPARs on such box without VIOS. But there are some prerequisites for this and I don't see from your message, if you have enough resources. AFAIU from your previous messages you have HEA in the box. The question is, if you have split backplane feature installed in your server or at least 2 FC HBAs? If you have D24, you should have additional SCSI controller. I don't know how many space do you need for each of the LPARs and how many disks do you have in D24, but you can assign e.g. internal disks to the 1st LPAR and D24 to the 2nd LPAR.

If you want to have more flexibility, yes, it is better to have VIOS installed, although I'm not sure, if you really need it. AFAIU from your posts, you don't have "real" HMC and installed it in VMware. After it you tried to install VIOS from the HMC using installios. Have you tried to install VIOS using "hardware" DVDs? Or just uploaded images to the HMC and install over the network? How many resources did you assign to the VIOS?

Oh yeah, drag and drop sticks another http:// on the end...

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp4815.pdf

KGB ,thanks for the info!
yes, I have tried to use hardware DVDs as well as ISOs ( the ones uploaded to HMC)..
the hardware dvd's fail on the install of vios at disk #2..that's the point I mentioned about having to burn 3 different dvds, all of the same VIOS #2 ISO, just to make sure it was not bad physical media..it's not bad physical media.

here's how lost I am..forget the ASMI , on any server,you should be able to just drop the OS dvd in the dvdrom,and boot off of it.I can't even get to an OS terminal session from a serial connection via laptop. all I see is a serial-based version of ASMI..no 'exit to OS console' type of setting..
nothing else..I can't even install aix 7 on the box as a standalone, single server, if I wanted to.

interestingly,about the disks, when I have an LPAR running , I can go through smit and
assign more disks to that particular LPAR if I want..there are 6x146GB disks on the 8202. I use one for rootvg and had set up another pair for datavg.so roughly 300GB of free space to play with from these two disks ( sybase install, etc).
but that would've left 3 HD's for use by any other LPAR, of which none is found.

we got the server and it's enclosures from a 3rd party IBM vendor, but it came without any docs, and without any list of what was preloaded and how..nothing.

I know with Oracle t4-1, you go to the server console with start /SP/console and you're at the OS. I take it that the service or system processor on this IBM is the same concept, small proc you connect to for performing system functions,shutdown/startup,etc..but I can't even get to the console here. I can't even see the prompt for 'boot to SMS' on the ASMI.
it's just plain weird.
We're at the point where we will have a consultant come in and set this thing up. besides my lack of knowledge on the subject, I'm beginning to think something is critically wrong here..disconnecting all enclosures and putting AIX 6.1 OS CD/DVD #1 in the cdrom/dvdrom drive should at least let me boot off of it.but I cant even get there..

there is nothing bad calling a consultant. My first AIX installation was also made by some consultant, I sat near him and looked over the shoulder, what he did.

I really didn't try to work with P7 servers without HMC, but P4/P5 worked splendid with normal console cable (please be sure, that you have _normal_ cable, not cutted-down version for PC), and there was console access through ASMI in single LPAR-mode. To access the console you had to boot your only LPAR - just select Power On or something like. The codes begin changing on the console and after some time you see SMS screen.

If you see all 6 disks in your LPAR either you work in single LPAR mode or you have assigned all your HW resources to your LPAR or you have no split-backplane feature in your server and you can't install the 2nd LPAR without D24.

Some side note - your vendor sold you something outdated, that is already some years out-of-marketing by IBM. IBM doesn't sell this servers and expansions anymore.

ok, KGB, I have finally gotten the VIOs installed, I believe anyways.
it was the first physical DVD that was bad.

anyways, it got through DVD #2, and I'm now at a display on the serial console that just says 'i/o hosting'.
the HMC representation of the server also says IO hosting as the reference code.but it also says ' server-8202-e4b-SN066c39p - recovery'..I don't want to run the recovery it will revert back to the previous setup, which I cannot use anyways.

is that normal and correct behavior forit to be at 'io hosting'? I only allowed this install to use one disk, so I should at least have 5 disks still available.
I have also entered the PowerVm actiation code for this server and it was excepted.
I just want to get to the command line so I can log in as padmin and do some configuration/LPAR creation.
again,thanks for your help KGB.I have also contacted the supplier about the
servers , if they're outdated we'll want an exchange for something new(er).

could you post the reference code you see on the HMC?