HP
nPartition severs contain one active management processor (MP). The MP
is responsible for a variety of tasks; the most notable are the
following:
maintaining the configuration of the entire complex
allowing access to the console and console logs for each nPartition
storing the chassis and event logs
providing a command menu for performing actions on the complex
presenting the virtual front panel (VFP) interface
The
remainder of this section focuses on how the management processor
maintains the configuration of the nPartitions, cells, and other
configuration aspects of HP nPartition servers. The configuration data
for HP nPartition servers is stored on the MP. The MP provides an
interface for management applications such that administrators may
configure the complex. Understanding the basics of how the data is
stored on the MP provides great insights into HP nPartition server
administration, configuration, and troubleshooting. Three primary data
structures are stored on the MP: stable complex configuration data
(SCCD), dynamic configuration data (DCD), and partition configuration
data (PCD).
The
SCCD structure contains several crucial pieces of data involved in the
management of nPartitions. Most important, the SCCD contains the
mapping of cells to nPartitions in the cell assignments array. Changes
to a complex's configuration such as adding or removing cells from an
nPartition are achieved by modifying the SCCD data structure. Table 1 lists the most notable fields in the SCCD data structure and their relevance to nPartition management.
Table 1. Key Fields in SCCD Data Structure
| Field in SCCD | Importance |
|---|
| Cell Assignments Array | This
field is an array with an element for each cell. The value contained in
each array index indicates the partition ID to which the cell is
assigned. |
| Complex Name | This field is the descriptive name of the complex. |
| Serial Number | The serial number is a read-only value representing the serial number of the entire complex. |
| Cell Type | This
field determines whether the cell is to be used as a base cell
(default) or floating cell. Currently only base cell types are
supported. |
| Interleaved Memory | This field contains the memory configuration for each cell. |
| Specifications | A cell's memory can be configured as interleaved, cell local (which means no interleaving) or it may be a mix of the two. |
The
dynamic configuration data structure is used by the Instant Capacity,
Temporary Instant Capacity, and Pay per use solutions.
The
partition configuration data contains data for each nPartition. Each
nPartition in a complex has a unique PCD data structure. Therefore, as
many as sixteen separate PCD data structures could be present in a
fully configured HP Superdome server containing sixteen nPartitions. Table 2 lists the most notable fields in each PCD data structure and their relevance to nPartition management.
Table 2. Key Fields in PCD Data Structure
| Field in PCD | Importance |
|---|
| nPartition Name | This
field contains a descriptive label for the nPartition. It is not
necessarily the same as the hostname for the nPartition and is
typically used to describe the workloads running in the nPartition. |
| Core Cell Choices | This
field contains the user-specified order in which the core cell should
be chosen. Should the first cell specified in this list become unusable
as a core cell, firmware will proceed to the next cell in the list. If
the list of core cell choices is not specified by the user, firmware
will use the default algorithm to choose the core cell for the
nPartition, generally based on the cell with the lowest cell ID that is
capable of being a core cell. |
| Use on Next Boot | This
field indicates whether each of the cells should be integrated into the
nPartition the next time a reboot or shutdown for reconfiguration is
performed on the nPartition. This field is typically used for Instant
Capacity licensing purposes or for situations where a cell has
experienced a hardware failure and should not be integrated into the
nPartition until it can be repaired. |
| Admin IP Address | This
field contains an IP address which can be used for administrative
purposes to communicate with the operating system running in an
nPartition. This field requires manual setting by administrators with
the nPartition command line interfaces. If this value is set,
management tools such as Partition Manager are able to communicate with
each nPartition in the complex to gather operating system–specific
information such as the operating system type and version. |
| Boot Paths | This
field allows up to three boot paths to be specified. The primary,
high-availability alternate, and alternate boot paths are all stored in
this field. The PCD is only used for storing boot paths on HP 9000
nPartition servers. HP Integrity nPartition servers use a different
storage location. As a result of this difference, when managing HP 9000
nPartition servers, boot paths are visible for all nPartitions in the
complex. However, management tools on HP Integrity nPartition Servers
are capable of reading the boot paths for only the nPartition where the
management tools are running. |
