Overview of Superdome Partition Concepts

The following concepts and issues related to configuring partitions are introduced in this section:

More details on general Superdome complex tasks and features are available in Chapter 3.

Local and Remote Partitions

When you log in to HP-UX running on a partition, or when you access a partition's console, the partition you are accessing is considered to be the local partition. All other partitions in the complex are considered to be remote partitions whose resources you are not currently using.

You can manage and reconfigure the local partition while it remains booted. To initiate some changes, such as adding or removing cells, you must perform a reboot-for-reconfiguration.

In most cases you also can manage all other partitions in the complex (the remote partitions) from your local partition. However, when you perform some tasks on remote partitions, such as adding or removing cells, the remote partition must be inactive (in a ready-for-reconfig state).

You can use the parstatus -w command to list the partition number for the local partition.

Active and Inactive Partitions

Each partition can be active or inactive, depending on its boot state.

A partition that is active is not in a boot-is-blocked state. It can be booted to the Boot Console Handler (BCH) interface and can load and run HP-UX.

An inactive partition is in a ready-for-reconfig state, and thus all cells in the partition are in a boot-is-blocked state at a cell firmware level.

When managing and configuring partitions, you can reconfigure all features of the local partition. You also can reconfigure all features of remote partitions that are inactive.

You can modify many partition attributes for remote partitions that are active, but you cannot add or remove cells from active remote partitions.

Use the parstatus -P HP-UX command to list all partitions and their boot states (active or inactive).

To make a partition inactive, put the partition into a ready-for-reconfig state. You can accomplish this by using the BCH interface's RECONFIGRESET command, by using the GSP command menu's RR command, or by using either of the following HP-UX commands: shutdown -R -H or reboot -R -H,

If using the GSP command menu's RR command, you should ensure that the partition is not running HP-UX. First shut down HP-UX before issuing the RR command.

See Chapter 5 “Booting and Resetting Superdome Partitions” for details on booting and resetting partitions.

Types of Cells

For the HP-UX 11i release on Superdome servers, all cells within a partition are base cells that belong only to the partition to which they are assigned. (Future releases may support additional types of cells.)

When creating partitions and assigning cells to partitions using HP-UX 11i utilities, you must specify that the cells are base cells.

One of the cells in each partition must serve as the active core cell. The core cell is a cell that is connected to an I/O chassis with a core I/O card in PCI card slot 0. This core cell serves as a monarch cell that controls the partition until HP-UX is booted. The core cell's core I/O card is used and a processor on the core cell runs the Boot Console Handler (BCH) code while all other processors are idle until HP-UX is booted.

Although you can have multiple cells with I/O chassis and core I/O cards within the same partition, only one core I/O card is active (the one belonging to the core cell).

You also can define one or more core cell choices, which are cells you specify to be used as the core cell. If your first core cell choice does not boot or is otherwise unable to serve as the core cell then the partition attempts to use the second core cell choice. You can specify up to four core cell choices.

If you do not specify any core cell choices, the lowest numbered eligible cell in the partition (that is, the lowest numbered cell that is attached to a chassis containing a core I/O card) is used as the core cell. This cell also is used if all core cell choices fail to qualify as the active core cell.

To list details about all cells in a Superdome complex, including their current partition assignments, their current actual usage, and related I/O details, you can issue the parstatus -C HP-UX command.

Genesis Partition

The Genesis Partition is the initial, one-cell partition that you create on an HP Superdome complex. You use the Genesis Partition as the point where you begin configuring and managing all partitions in the complex. It always is partition number 0.

The Genesis Partition consists of one cell that is connected to an I/O chassis. The I/O chassis must have a core I/O card in slot 0, and it also must have a bootable disk (and associated PCI card) installed.

If HP-UX is not installed on the Genesis Partition's disk(s), you can boot the Genesis Partition to the Boot Console Handler (BCH) menu and from that point install HP-UX. This installation requires either having access to an HP-UX install server, or a DVD-ROM drive (and associated PCI card) connected to the I/O chassis.

After you boot HP-UX on the Genesis Partition, you can modify the partition to include additional cells. You also can create other, new partitions and can modify them from the Genesis Partition or any other partition running HP-UX.

Note that—once you create additional partitions—you do not necessarily have to use the Genesis Partition to perform your partition management and configuration tasks.

Other than being the first (and initially the only) partition, the Genesis Partition does not have any special properties not available to other partitions.

Partition Numbers

Each partition has its own unique partition number that the partition commands and utilities use to identify it.

When you create a partition, the Guardian Service Processor (GSP) assigns the partition the lowest available partition number. For example, the Genesis Partition always is partition number 0 because it is the first partition to be created, and the second partition is partition number 1.

After you remove a partition, the GSP also unassigns the partition number; as a result the GSP can assign the number when it creates a new partition. For example, if you remove partition number 2 then the GSP can reassign partition number 2 when it creates a new partition if all lower numbers (partition numbers 0 and 1) already are assigned.

Complex Profiles

When you configure and reconfigure partitions and modify partition settings, you do so by using utilities to manipulate the Superdome server's complex profile.

The Guardian Service Processor (GSP) manages the complex profile in different portions. Each portion of the complex profile defines attributes that determine how the complex's hardware resources are made available and are used.

To modify the configuration information kept in the complex profile, you can use the GSP command menu, the partition Boot Console Handler interface, or the HP-UX partition commands and Partition Manager.

Each complex profile maintains the following information for the complex.

The Guardian Service Processor (GSP) manages all complex profile data and keeps all copies coherent.