A Helpful Guide to Getting Started with NPIV
Rob McNelly returns to a familiar topic and takes note of an upcoming event
I’ve been writing about N_Port IP Virtualization, (NPIV), for years. While the IBM link referenced in this old article is no longer active, this detailed explainer from IBM Support is a valuable reference for anyone new to NPIV and the process of setting up a SAN:
“This procedure covers the complete setup of NPIV… on new Power systems from initial vfchost creation through SAN readiness verification, before a client LPAR is activated. The procedure requires HMC for virtual adapter slot creation but does not require RMC at any step. Virtual FC adapter slots are created via HMC profile modification and a VIOS Shutdown/Activate cycle, eliminating any dependency on RMC connectivity throughout the entire procedure….
“On a new Power system, the VIOS and client LPAR partitions exist but have no virtual FC adapters defined yet. The HMC must define the virtual adapter slots in the partition profiles. Once the VIOS is reactivated with the updated profile, the vfchost devices appear in the VIOS device tree. The vfcmap command then maps each vfchost to its physical fcs adapter. This allows WWPNs to be extracted and SAN zoning to be completed before the client LPAR is ever activated.”
The doc lists requirements, and then walks readers through the process. One thing I appreciate is that they use the command line interface (CLI) rather than the GUI for these tasks.
There’s plenty more, including sections on troubleshooting and command references. Check it out.
A Promising Development in Provisioning Storage Connectivity
IBM’s Chris Gibson recently cited this presentation on IBM FlashSystem auto zoning for IBM Power environments:
“Traditionally, provisioning storage connectivity for Power hosts requires coordination between server, SAN, and storage administrators. Host onboarding involves collecting worldwide port names (WWPNs), creating and maintaining zones on Fibre Channel switches, configuring storage mappings, and validating multipathing across redundant fabrics. As environments scale, this process can become time consuming, error-prone, and dependent on specialized SAN administration skills. FlashSystem Auto Zoning shifts Fibre Channel zone management from the fabric layer to the storage layer. By leveraging Brocade TDZ capabilities, FlashSystem automatically determines, creates, updates, and maintains the required peer zones for connected hosts across all participating fabrics. As a result, host connectivity can be established directly from the FlashSystem interface without the need for manual switch-level zone configuration for each host attachment.”
While I don’t currently have access to Brocade switches, this is something I’m very interested in learning more about. If it works as advertised, existing silos between server and SAN teams could be reduced or eliminated. Hopefully I’ll be able to start testing soon.
An Issue Impacting VIOS 4.1.2
From IBM Support: The root oslevel command is incorrectly reporting for VIOS 4.1.2:
“After updating to VIOS 4.1.2.x, running the root oslevel command will not behave as expected.
“The reason being some filesets are left at older level.
X11.apps.clients 7.3.3.0 AIXwindows Client Applications
X11.apps.config 7.3.3.0 AIXwindows Configuration Applications
Applications
X11.apps.custom 7.3.3.0 AIXwindows Customizing Tool
X11.apps.xdm 7.3.3.0 AIXwindows xdm Application
“These filesets being at older level have no functional impact other than causing oslevel to report incorrectly.
“Local fix
“We could uninstall the filesets with no impact
$ oem_setup_env
# installp -u X11.apps.clients X11.apps.config
X11.apps.custom X11.apps.xdm
“or
“Update to the expected level from a AIX Base DVD of that Level”
Navigating the Challenges of VIOS Updates
My colleague Chris Gibson is, as always, busy. His article for TechChannel, covering VIOS server updates, was recently posted:
“Updating a Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) is a routine task for Power administrators, but it is not without risk. Even when an update goes smoothly, it typically involves updating the VIOS rootvg that is currently being used to provide I/O (storage and network) services to its client LPARs, followed by a reboot on the updated existing environment.
“VIOS 4.1.2.00 introduced a new capability that provides an alternative approach. The updateios command can now install a VIOS update onto an alternate disk, leaving the currently running VIOS installation untouched. Once the update has completed successfully, the alternate disk can be selected as the boot disk and the VIOS can be rebooted into the new level.
“This provides a simple way to separate the update process from the running VIOS environment and, importantly, provides a straightforward fallback if something goes wrong.
“In this article, I’ll walk through a real-world example of using this capability to update a VIOS from 4.1.2.00 to 4.1.2.10. I’ll show the commands used, what happens to the disks during the update, how the new VIOS installation is selected for boot, and how the result is verified after the reboot.”
IBM TechXchange
It’s that time of year again. The TechXchange conference is approaching quickly; it’s set for Oct. 26-29 in Atlanta.
IBM describes the event as “the hands-on conference where developers and technologists build real-world skills in AI, cloud and emerging tech.” I would simply add that TechXchange has something for everyone. I attended last year and am happy to say that I’ll be there this fall as well.
Content tracks include AI Applications, Data Management, Hybrid Cloud Management, Infrastructure and Security & Governance. I always learn something at these conferences. Part of that is effort; whenever possible I attend sessions on topics that are unfamiliar to me. If you plan on attending, I hope to see you there.