Using Integrity VM Storage

The following sections describe the roles of individuals accessing virtual storage, the commands they use, and some examples of using Integrity VM storage.

Integrity VM Storage Roles

This section describes the roles that individuals play in working with Integrity VM storage. Each role has different responsibilities in using Integrity VM storage. The roles may be played by one or more individuals depending on security requirements and skill sets. The three roles are:

VM Host Administrator

The VM Host administrator role is an individual responsible for the proper configuration and maintenance of the VM Host for running virtual machines. As such, this person needs complete access to the VM Host to install hardware and software. This person also needs to understand how to do HP-UX system maintenance, how to configure hardware properly, and how to set up and use various software applications and tools.

The VM Host administrator uses the following commands to manage virtual machine storage devices:

Management Function	Integrity VM Command
Add, delete, manage, and modify virtual machine storage devices	hpvmmodify (see Section : “Changing Virtual Machine Configurations”)
Display information about the storage devices for a virtual machine.	hpvmstatus (see Section : “Monitoring Guests”)

Once a resource is added or attached to a virtual machine and the virtual machine is powered on, the storage resource is owned by the guest administrator. That is, the guest OS may access that storage resource at any time. A deletion, detachment or modification fails if any guest I/O is active on the resource. Dynamic storage changes on an active virtual machine must be approved by the guest administrator.

Guest Administrator

The VM Guest Administrator is responsible for the proper maintenance of a guest OS. As such, this person needs access to the virtual console by the VM Host administrator to control the virtual machine. The guest administrator must understand how to maintain the guest OS, install patches and applications, and set up security for the guest users of the guest OS. Additionally, Integrity VM storage requires you to:

Install any specific guest OS patches required by Integrity VM for proper OS operation on the virtual platform.
Review and understand any Integrity VM storage release notes that are specific to the guest OS.
Work with the VM Host administrator to complete virtual storage changes, including managing attached VM Host devices.

The guest administrator uses the virtual console to modify virtual storage. The virtual console is used to change discs of a virtual DVD device type. All modifications are bounded by what the VM Host administrator configures for the virtual machine.

The virtual console commands are available from the vMP Main Menu, using the hpvmconsole command or by pressing Ctrl/B if you are already connected . The virtual console commands eject (ej) and insert (in) allow you to control the DVD device. Both commands provide submenus for displaying devices that are removable. Selecting options through the submenus completes the ejection/insertion process.

Management Function	Integrity VM Command
Eject a virtual DVD	vMP> `ej`
Insert a virtual DVD	vMP> `in`

Guest User

The guest user runs applications on a guest OS. Access is provided and limited by the guest administrator. There are no Integrity VM storage requirements for application users of the guest OS.

There are no Integrity VM storage commands for application users in the guest OS. The guest users use Integrity VM storage on the guest OS the same way as they normally use storage on an HP Integrity server. Any required Integrity VM storage changes must be directed to the guest administrator or VM Host administrator.

Integrity VM Storage Use Cases

This subsection describes ways to use the Integrity VM storage commands.

Adding Virtual Storage Devices

A VM Host administrator adds or attaches Integrity VM storage using the hpvmstatus and hpvmmodify commands. Virtual storage devices can be added or attached while the virtual machine is powered on or off. A new virtual storage adapter can be added only when the virtual machine is off. The virtual storage adapter can hold up to 15 storage devices and a virtual machine can use up to 30 storage devices.

The process to add or attach a virtual storage device to a guest is as follows:

Based on the all Integrity VM storage considerations, choose a storage device to add.
Based on the device type, set up and configure the VM Host to form a valid resource statement. This includes accounting VM Host resources to avoid future storage conflicts.
Use the valid resource statement with the hpvmmodify command to add or attach the Integrity VM storage device.

The resource statement for adding an Integrity VM storage device does not require virtual hardware addressing. If the PCI bus, slot and SCSI target numbers are not specified, Integrity VM automatically chooses the first position available for the device. For example:

# hpvmmodify -P myvmm -a disk:scsi::disk:/dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
# hpvmstatus -P myvmm
..
[Storage Interface Details]
...
disk scsi 0 1 0 0 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c7t0d0                    
disk scsi 0 1 0 1 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0

Deleting VM Storage Devices

A VM Host administrator deletes or detaches Integrity VM storage using the hpvmstatus and hpvmmodify commands. Integrity VM storage devices can be deleted or detached while the virtual machine is powered on or off. An Integrity VM storage adapter can only be removed when the virtual machine is off. The Integrity VM storage adapter is automatically removed when the last Integrity VM storage device connected to the adapter is removed.

The process to delete or detach a virtual storage device from a virtual machine is as follows:

Use the hpvmstatus command to locate the resource to verify whether the virtual machine is powered on. If the virtual machine is on, consult with the guest administrator to obtain permission to remove the resource before proceeding.
Use the hpvmmodify command to delete or detach the resource.
Verify that the VM Host resource is no longer being used by the virtual machine.

The resource statement for deleting an Integrity VM storage device does not require virtual hardware addressing. For example:

# hpvmstatus -P myvmm
...
[Storage Interface Details]
...
disk scsi 0 1 0 0 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c7t0d0 
disk scsi 0 1 0 1 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
disk scsi 0 1 0 2 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c9t0d0
# hpvmmodify -P myvmm -d disk:scsi::disk:/dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
# hpvmstatus -P myvmm
...
[Storage Interface Details]

disk scsi 0 1 0 0 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c7t0d0
disk scsi 0 1 0 2 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c9t0d0

Modifying VM Storage Devices

The VM Host administrator or the guest administrator can modify an Integrity VM storage device. The VM Host administrator can use the hpvmstatus and hpvmmodify commands to change the virtual media of virtual devices. The guest administrator uses the virtual console to change the virtual media of virtual DVDs. All attached devices are modified using physical VM Host access.

When the VM Host administrator uses the hpvmstatus and hpvmmodify commands to modify the virtual media of a virtual device, the operation is seen by the guest OS as a whole disk replacement or a DVD removable media event, depending on the device type.

The process for modifying the virtual media of a virtual device is as follows:

Use the hpvmstatus command to locate the virtual device resource to modify and to see if the virtual machine is powered on. If the virtual machine is on, consult with the guest administrator to before proceeding to replace the virtual media.
Based on the Integrity VM storage considerations, choose a new virtual media type to add.
Based on the virtual media type, set up and configure the VM Host to form a valid VM Host storage specification. Take into account the other demands on VM Host resources to avoid virtual machine storage conflicts.
Use the VM Host storage specification with the hpvmmodify command to modify the virtual device resource.
Verify that the old VM Host resource is no longer in use by a virtual machine.

The resource statement for modifying a virtual device requires virtual hardware addressing (see Section : “VM Guest Storage Specification”). For example:

# hpvmstatus -P myvmm
...
[Storage Interface Details]
...
disk scsi 0 1 0 0 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c7t0d0
disk scsi 0 1 0 1 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
disk scsi 0 1 0 2 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c9t0d0
# hpvmmodify -P myvmm -m disk:scsi:0,1,1:lv:/dev/lvrackA/rdisk2
# hpvmstatus -P myvmm
...
[Storage Interface Details]
...
disk scsi 0 1 0 0 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c7t0d0
disk scsi 0 1 0 1 0  lv  /dev/lvrackA/rdisk2
disk scsi 0 1 0 2 0 disk /dev/rdsk/c9t0d0

To complete a DVD ejection and insertion, follow the virtual console menus. However, new media selections may require the help of the VM Host administrator. Changes through the virtual console are not saved across guest OS reboots

If the VM Host administrator sets up a Virtual DVD for the virtual machine, the virtual console eject and insert command unlock and lock the physical VM Host CD/DVD drive. The eject command changes the Virtual DVD into a Virtual NullDVD in the VM, unlocking the VM Host CD/DVD drive in the process. The physical media in the VM Host CD/DVD drive can then be changed by the VM Host administrator or the guest administrator if access is permitted. Once the media has been changed, the insert command can be used to change the Virtual NullDVD back into a Virtual DVD, locking the VM Host CD/DVD drive and making the newly loaded media now accessible by the virtual machine. For example:

# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual DVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 665600 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 2048
vMP> ej

                Ejectable Guest Devices
Num     Hw-path         (Bus,Slot,Tgt)  Gdev    Pstore  Path
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]     0/0/1/0.7.0     (0,1,7)         dvd     disk    /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1
Confirm eject action
     G - Go
     F - Force

Enter menu item or [Q] to Quit: G
vMP> co
# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual NullDVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 0 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 0

[After inserting a new disc on the VM Host CD/DVD drive]
vMP> in
Insertable Guest Devices
Num     Hw-path         (Bus,Slot,Tgt)  Gdev
--------------------------------------------
[1]     0/0/1/0.7.0     (0,1,7)         dvd

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1
Insertable File Backing Stores
Num     File
---------------------
[1]     /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1
Confirm insertion action
     G - Go
     F - Force

Enter menu item or [Q] to Quit: G
vMP> co
# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual DVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 4300800 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 2048

If the VM Host administrator sets up a Virtual FileDVD for the virtual machine, the virtual console options to eject and insert are used to select among the ISO files provided in the file directory for the Virtual FileDVD. The eject command changes the Virtual FileDVD into a Virtual NullDVD device. ISO files can be added to or removed from the file system directory for the Virtual FileDVD by the VM Host administrator. Once this ISO file directory is updated, use an insert command to view all the newly available ISO files in the directory and to choose one to be used for a new Virtual FileDVD. It is not necessary to change the file directory between each eject and insert operation. The guest administrator can change the ISO files provided in the file directory without any VM Host administrator interaction. For example:

# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual FileDVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 665600 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 2048
vMP> ej
                Ejectable Guest Devices
Num     Hw-path         (Bus,Slot,Tgt)  Gdev    Pstore  Path
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]     0/0/1/0.7.0     (0,1,7)         dvd     file    /var/opt/hpvm/ISO-images/hpux/IOTdisc

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1

Confirm eject action
     G - Go
     F - Force

Enter menu item or [Q] to Quit: G
vMP> co
vm # diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual NullDVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 0 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 0

vMP> in
                Insertable Guest Devices
Num     Hw-path         (Bus,Slot,Tgt)  Gdev
--------------------------------------------
[1]     0/0/1/0.7.0     (0,1,7)         dvd

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1
                Insertable File Backing Stores
Num     File
---------------------
[1]     0505-FOE.iso
[2]     0512-FOE.iso
[3]     0603-FOE-D1.iso
[4]     0603-FOE-D2.iso
[5]     IOTdisc

Enter menu item number or [Q] to Quit: 1
Confirm insertion action
     G - Go
     F - Force

Enter menu item or [Q] to Quit: G
vMP> co
# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0
SCSI describe of /dev/rdsk/c1t7d0:
             vendor: HP
         product id: Virtual FileDVD
               type: CD-ROM
               size: 3686144 Kbytes
   bytes per sector: 2048

For attached devices, modifications are made physically on the device. The guest OS supplies commands for loading and unloading tapes using media changers. But loading new media into the media changer, changing tapes in stand-alone drives, and changing discs with CD/DVD burners are accomplished manually. This requires cooperation between the VM Host administrator and the guest administrator.

Using Integrity VM Storage

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