Glossary

That utilization value in the selected time interval which 10% of the utilization values fall above, and 90% fall below or are equal to.

When referring to a logical server, activate means to make a logical server definition available to be deployed into the computing environment. An active logical server is one that is currently operating within the computing environment. An inactive logical server is one that has been defined but is not currently operating within the computing environment.

The process of changing an inactive cell into an active cell. A cell is activated when it is integrated into an nPartition. A cell can also be activated through cell online activation.

The process of changing an inactive I/O chassis into an active I/O chassis. A chassis is activated when the cell to which it is attached is activated.

A core that has been turned on by the HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) software or during installation. Cores are activated with the icapmodify command (or the vparmodify command in an HP-UX virtual partition) while HP-UX is running.

A cell that is available for use by the software running on the nPartition. This implies that the cell's cores and memory (and I/O, if the cell is attached to an active I/O chassis) are all available for use by the OS. An active cell has the following characteristics:

An I/O chassis with an initialized link to the system bus adapter (SBA). The SBA link must be initialized for software running on the nPartition to be able to use I/O cards installed in the I/O chassis.

A logical server that has been bound to both an HP SIM node and a VSE workload, and is bound to specific storage. Active logical servers can be in one of two states: powered on or powered off.

An nPartition is active if at least one of the cells in the nPartition is active.

A system that has been converted to an HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) system. This process is performed by an HP service representative.

SRD advisory mode lets you see what requests HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) would make for a compartment without changing its resource allocation.

A program with a well-defined task that runs in the background and that is used to capture information or do processing tasks.

The collection of inventory and performance data from managed systems without requiring installation or configuration of agents on the managed systems.

Supported on HP Integrity Virtual Machines running HP-UX 11i v3, a storage device addressing model that addresses a logical unit (referred to as LUN, this is the logical device that refers to the physical storage device) by using the same device special file (DSF) regardless of the location of the LUN. The addressing model uses a worldwide device identifier (WWID) to uniquely identify LUNs. The WWID is a device attribute that is independent of the device’s location in a SAN or in an adapter/controller access path. With a multipath device, the WWID allows one persistent DSF to represent a LUN, regardless of the number of paths (known as lunpaths) to the LUN. Therefore, an agile device address remains the same (is persistent) when changes are made to the access path. Likewise, if additional lunpaths are offered to a given LUN (by adding a new SCSI controller or new SCSI target paths), the DSF is unaffected: no new DSFs need be provided. This model enables VM Manager to display one DSF for each multipath device instead of displaying a separate DSF for each path to the device (as done when using the legacy addressing scheme).

The amount of a resource that HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) sets aside for a compartment after arbitrating resource requests from the policies for all the compartments.

In managed mode, gWLM makes an allocation available to a compartment. In advisory mode, gWLM reports what the allocation would be without changing resource allocations on a system.

The rate at which utilization of a resource is projected to change.

A logically related set of processes active on a host system (a running application ) and/or a logically related set of files on a host system disk (an installed application).

HP Application Discovery recognizes applications based on standard package installation, templates that are shipped with the product, and templates that are defined by users.

HP Application Discovery. The HP VSE Management Software application that inventories running and installed applications in a network and provides application and process map data used for creating workloads in HP Virtualization Manager.

The process of finding applications and gathering performance and location data about them for display and use.

A modification of the Stable Complex Configuration Data to change a cell from a free cell to an assigned cell in a specific nPartition. Once assigned to an nPartition, a cell must be activated in order to use the cell's resources.

Cells and I/O chassis that are not assigned to an nPartition; or cores, memory, and I/O resources that are not assigned to a virtual partition. These resources are available to be used in new partitions or can be added to existing partitions.

The sum of all the utilization values divided by the number of data points for the selected time interval.

Accelerated Virtual Input/Output. An I/O protocol that improves virtual I/O performance for network and storage devices used within the Integrity VM environment. The protocol also enables support for a greater number of virtual I/O devices per guest. Participating guests must include a virtual I/O device configured to use the AVIO protocol.

A device that is accessible to the Integrity VM Host and maps to a storage device on a virtual machine.

A compute cabinet that can be used as the only compute cabinet in a complex, or as half of a dual compute cabinet complex. A base cabinet is always physically the left cabinet in the pair (when viewed from the front) and is always the cabinet that contains the Service Processor.

A cell whose memory can participate in interleaved memory. For HP-UX releases prior to 11i v3 (B.11.31) September 2007, all cells were base cells. The operating system also can place certain vital data in memory on base cells.

A base cell does not participate in interleaved memory in the following situations:

A base cell can be selected for cell online activation but not for cell online deactivation.

Firmware automatically sets the active core cell to a cell type of Base when the nPartition is booted.

A timeless demand profile used to generate demand profiles in forecasting.

Boot console handler. The system firmware user interface that allows boot-related configuration changes and operations on PA-RISC systems. For example, BCH provides a way to specify boot options and the choice of boot devices. The EFI Boot Manager provides a similar function for Itanium®-based systems.

Boot-is-blocked. The state of a cell that is powered on but not allowed to boot. BIB exists as soon as power is enabled to a cell, although the system firmware completes its power-on self-test sequence before waiting for BIB to be cleared by the Service Processor. BIB is cleared when the Service Processor is told to boot an nPartition. BIB is also cleared when the system firmware determines that there is no active Service Processor in a complex.

HP BladeSystem is an infrastructure in a box that can support a combination of virtual machines, storage blades, and server blades. It comprises server blade compute nodes, integrated connectivity to data and storage networks, and shared power subsystems.

Hardware solution for consolidating server blades and all supporting infrastructure elements (such as storage, network, and power) into a single unit.

A component in HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) that provides streamlined management for the entire HP BladeSystem product family. It enables users to quickly navigate their HP BladeSystem environments, including server blades, enclosure infrastructures, racks, and integrated switches, through automatically generated blade-rack picture views and hierarchical trees. Accessible from an icon on the HP Virtualization Manager's Visualization view.

For vPars versions prior to A.04.xx, a core that can process interrupts for a virtual partition. Bound cores cannot be migrated from one virtual partition to another if either of the partitions is running. Every virtual partition must have at least one bound core.

The time interval (a day or a week) for which to create an HP Capacity Advisor report.

The physical enclosure that contains cells or I/O chassis. A cabinet also includes hardware that provides power and cooling. Some cell-based servers support cabling several cabinets together to form a single complex.

The main cooling fans on top of HP Superdome server compute cabinets. They provide the main airflow through the cabinet.

HP Capacity Advisor. The HP VSE Management Software application that performs analysis and planning of workloads on a system or across a set of systems.

The analysis and planning of workloads on a system or across a set of systems.

The process of combining workload demand profiles, as prescribed by a scenario, to estimate the demand profiles of the systems that contain the workloads. Statistics gathered from the simulation can be summarized in reports.

Cell controller. A chip located on every cell board that has interfaces to the cores and memory on the cell. The cell controller also has an interface to a system bus adapter and to the fabric. The cell controller maintains data coherency across the cells in an nPartition.

A circuit board that contains processors and memory, all controlled by a cell controller (CC). A cell is the basic building block of an nPartition in a complex.

The process of changing an inactive cell to an active cell in a booted nPartition without requiring a reboot. HP-UX releases prior to 11i v3 (B.11.31) September 2007 do not support online activation of cells.

The process of changing an active cell to an inactive cell in a booted nPartition without requiring a reboot. HP-UX releases prior to 11i v3 (B.11.31) September 2007 do not support online deactivation of cells.

Only cells whose cell type is Floating can be deactivated online.

Enable or disable power to a cell. A cell cannot become active until power has been enabled. It must be inactive before power can be disabled. A cell location must be populated in order to enable power. Physical removal of a cell must not occur until power has been disabled.

Powering a cell on or off will also power on or off an I/O chassis that is attached to the cell.

A per-cell attribute in the Partition Configuration Data that specifies how the cell is used within the nPartition.

The following cell types are supported by the HP-UX 11i v3 (B.11.31) September 2007 release and later:

A server in which all cores and memory are contained in cells, each of which can be assigned for exclusive use by an nPartition. Each nPartition runs its own instance of an operating system.

Term used for event log on cell-based servers based on the PA-8700 processor.

Command line interface. An operating system shell for direct entry of commands by the user.

In HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM), the limiting of a policy's resource request.

Types of clipping include:

Cell local memory. Cell memory that is not interleaved. A page of cell local memory comes from a single cell. Cell local memory provides better performance than interleaved memory for processes running on the cores in the cell that contains the memory.

A set of two or more systems configured together to host workloads, such that users are unaware that more than one system is hosting the workload.

Central management server. A system in the management domain that executes the HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) software. All central operations within HP SIM are initiated from this system.

The mechanism used with HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) versions B.06.x and later for adjusting available usage rights for system components (RTU codewords), for applying an amount of temporary capacity to a system (TiCAP codewords), and for applying Sharing Rights to a GiCAP system to enable the creation of one or more groups (GiCAP codewords). Codewords are purchased from HP and retrieved from the Utility Pricing Solutions Portal.

An nPartition, virtual partition, virtual machine, or resource partition whose resources are allocated by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM).

Multiple compartments are grouped to form a shared resource domain (SRD). The compartments all share the resources of the SRD. A compartment can be in only one SRD. Each compartment holds a workload. gWLM manages each workload's resource allocation by adjusting the resource allocation of its compartment.

The amount of a resource being consumed by all of the cores in a compartment. For example, if the processes in a compartment consume a total of two cores, the compartment consumption of cores is two.

The maximum amount of a resource that a compartment can have. This value is the maximum resource allocation allowed by the underlying compartment. However, HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) might reduce this number at times because an SRD has a large number of compartments and each compartment must receive a minimum portion of the resources.

The minimum amount of a resource that a compartment can have. This value is the minimum resource allocation required by the underlying compartment.

The compartment consumption of a given resource as a percentage of the compartment's size. For example, if a compartment's consumption is two cores and its size is four cores, the compartment utilization of cores is 50%.

A complex includes one or more cabinets that are cabled together and all of the hardware resources that they contain. A complex has a single Service Processor.

The data structure managed by the Service Processor that represents the configuration of a complex. The complex profile consists of the Stable Complex Configuration Data for the entire complex, and Partition Configuration Data for each nPartition in the complex.

Any cabinet containing cells. An I/O expansion cabinet is not a compute cabinet.

A policy for managing a workload's compartment. This type of policy indicates a policy that HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) should use when a certain condition occurs.

A processor that has been configured at the boot console handler (BCH or EFI) and is now available for activation by the HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) software.

Resource allocation restrictions imposed by either the customer (for example, workload placement restrictions), or the HP Virtual Server Environment (for example, a cell cannot be subdivided across an nPartition).

Indicator of workload sensitivity to changes in CPU allocation. Larger values produce larger changes in the allocation, causing faster convergence on the policy's target; smaller values produce slower convergence on the target. The default rate is 1.0.

The actual data-processing engine within a processor. A single processor might have multiple cores, and a core might support multiple execution threads.

Each nPartition has one cell that system firmware selects at boot time to be the core cell. This cell must be attached to an I/O chassis that contains core I/O. The core cell has the following unique characteristics:

I/O hardware that provides the base set of I/O functions required by every nPartition. Core I/O includes the partition console interface and 10/100 BaseT network interface.

Information in each nPartition's Partition Configuration Data that guides system firmware in choosing the nPartition's core cell. Cells that are identified as core cell choices are tried first (in the order specified) before system firmware applies its default core-cell selection algorithm.

The virtual partition that is running the vPars command currently being executed.

A policy for managing the resources available to a workload. This type of policy allows you to provide your own metric. HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) then manages an associated workload, adjusting the resource allocation as needed based on the value of the metric. You update values for the metric using the gwlmsend command on the operating system instance where the workload is running.

The process of changing an active cell into an inactive cell. A cell becomes inactive when a shutdown for reconfiguration operation is performed on its nPartition. A cell can also be deactivated by setting its use-on-next-boot value to No and then performing a reboot for reconfiguration operation on the nPartition.

The process of changing an active I/O chassis into an inactive I/O chassis. An I/O chassis is deactivated when the cell to which it is attached is deactivated.

A processor that has not yet been configured at the boot console handler (BCH or EFI). HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) and HP Pay per use software cannot activate a processor that is deconfigured.

A set of resource-demand readings made at regular intervals for some period of time. The demand profile of a workload, system, or complex is used when doing capacity planning. Demand profiles can be based on historical data or computed as part of a forecast.

Dual In-line Memory Module. A standard memory-chip format.

As used by HP Application Discovery, this is a comparison of matched to unmatched processes running on a host. The ratio is the percentage of processes that can be matched to discovered applications.

A vPars feature that allows you to add unbound cores to a virtual partition, or remove them from a virtual partition, while the virtual partition is running.

A set of DIMMs installed as a single failure group. If any DIMM in the echelon fails or is deconfigured, the entire echelon is deconfigured. Some HP server models use an echelon size of 4 DIMMs; others use an echelon size of 2 DIMMs.

Extensible Firmware Interface. The system firmware user interface that allows boot-related configuration changes and operations on Itanium®-based systems. For example, EFI provides ways to specify boot options and list boot devices. The boot console handler (BCH) provides a similar function for PA-RISC systems.

Information about system events made available from the source of the event to other parts of a server complex. An event log indicates what event has occurred, when and where it happened, and its severity (the alert level). Event logs do not rely on normal I/O operation.

The term “chassis log” was used in place of “event log” on earlier server models.

A specially configured compute cabinet that can be connected to a base cabinet to create a dual-compute-cabinet complex. The expansion cabinet is always the right-hand cabinet in the pair (when viewed from the front) and contains a hub to connect it to the Service Processor in the base cabinet.

Within a complex, the interconnect composed of cross-bar chips (XBC) and cells.

The operation that takes place when a primary service (network, storage, or CPU) fails, and the application continues operation on a secondary unit.

A per-cell flag in the Partition Configuration Data that specifies how the cell will be reactivated and whether it will participate in memory interleave after a hardware failure.

An HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) policy for managing a workload's compartment. This type of policy allocates a workload's compartment a fixed (constant) amount of CPU resources.

Fixed policies do not have a settable priority. gWLM satisfies compartment minimums first; next, it satisfies both fixed policies and policy minimums; finally, it satisfies other policy types.

A cell in an nPartition that cannot participate in interleaved memory (all of the cell's memory is used as cell local memory). The operating system also does not place vital data in memory on floating cells.

A floating cell can be selected for cell online activation and cell online deactivation.

If a floating cell is chosen to be an nPartition's core cell, firmware automatically sets it to be a cell type of Base when the nPartition is booted.

A prediction of system utilizations and workload demand profiles for some future time.

A time interval specifying the set of historical data to use for generating a forecast.

A combination of a forecast data range and a set of annual projected growth rates that are used to estimate future utilization.

A cell that is not assigned to an nPartition. This applies to any cell location, regardless of whether the slot exists or is populated.

Field replaceable unit. Hardware that can be replaced by a field engineer. This includes all components that are hot-pluggable or hot-swappable. It also includes many components that must be powered off to be replaced.

Data that provides identification information about a field replaceable unit (FRU), such as the part number, serial number, revision and test history. The FRU ID typically is stored in an EEPROM that is located on the FRU.

Fair-Share Scheduler group. A group of processes that has its CPU allocation managed by the HP-UX FSS. FSS groups allow you to allocate fractions of cores, rather than only whole cores, to the processes in the group.

HP Global Instant Capacity. Software that enables you to move usage rights for Instant Capacity components within a group of servers. The GiCAP Group Manager page can be launched from an icon on the HP Virtualization Manager's Visualization view.

Global noninterleaved memory, another name for cell local memory (CLM).

The operating system that is running on a virtual machine.

Graphical User Interface. A visually-oriented user interface in which components and actions can be selected by clicking on objects and menus instead of typing command lines.

HP Global Workload Manager. The HP VSE Management Software application that allows you to centrally define resource-sharing policies that you can use across multiple HP servers. These policies increase system utilization and facilitate controlled sharing of system resources. gWLM's monitoring abilities provide both real-time and historical monitoring of the resource allocation.

High availability. The ability of a server or partition to continue operating despite the failure of one or more components. High availability requires redundant resources, such as CPU resources and memory, in specific combinations.

The high-availability status of a device group is usually indicated by the following notation.

A hard reset, like the reset (RS) command available at the Service Processor prompt, immediately stops the operating system and all applications, without forcing a crash dump.

In general, the amount of a computing resource that is available on a system after all requirements for applications on the system are accounted for.

In HP Capacity Advisor, requirements for applications include the utilization limits set for each application.

The name of a system or partition that is running an OS instance.

The operating system that is running on the host machine.

A hardware component that can be added to or removed from a cabinet, with software intervention, while the cabinet remains operational. Examples are PCI I/O cards, cells, and I/O chassis.

These components are hot-pluggable only to the extent that operating system and hardware support is present. For example, with the initial HP-UX 11i release, a cell is hot-pluggable because it can be physically installed into a "hot" cabinet and powered on, but that version of the OS does not support cell online activation.

A hardware component that can be added to or removed from a cabinet, without software intervention, while the cabinet remains operational. Examples are bulk power supplies, cabinet blowers, and I/O fans. These items are hot-swappable if their removal does not create an N-1 HA situation. For example, if a cabinet's power status is N+1, then any one of the bulk power supplies can be removed without affecting the operation of the cabinet.

HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM). The platform and framework on which the HP VSE Management Software products are deployed.

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology. The ability of certain processors to create a second virtual core that allows additional efficiencies of processing. This is not a true multi-core processor, but it adds performance benefits. True multi-core processors typically deliver much greater performance than equivalent hyper-threading technology.

The physical location in a cabinet where an I/O support structure is located.

A PCI or PCI-X card cage and associated backplane that contains a system bus adapter and one or more local bus adapters. An I/O chassis may or may not be physically removable.

The fans that are used to cool an I/O chassis. Found in both I/O expansion cabinets and compute cabinets. I/O fans are distinct from cabinet blowers.

A physical structure in cabinets where one or more I/O chassis are located. In some cabinets the I/O support structure is referred to as an I/O support tray, in other cabinets as an I/O chassis enclosure (ICE). The different names reflect the different physical characteristics of the support structures. The I/O support structure is removable in some cabinet types (for example, I/O expansion cabinet) and is not removable in others.

HP Instant Capacity. The HP Utility Pricing Solutions product that allows you to purchase and install additional processing power through the use of a two-step purchase model. Initially, you purchase system components (cores, cell boards, memory) at a fraction of the regular price because the usage rights are not included. These Instant Capacity components are inactive but installed and ready for use. When extra capacity is needed, you pay the remainder of the regular price for the usage rights to activate the components. If the regular price for the component is reduced by the time the usage rights are purchased, the remainder price is proportionally reduced, providing additional savings.

Earlier versions of iCAP were referred to as Instant Capacity on Demand, or iCOD.

Also called a component without usage rights, an HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) component is a core, cell board, or memory that is physically installed in an iCAP system but is not authorized for use. Before it can be used, a right to use (RTU) must be purchased and a codeword must be applied to the system.

Also referred to as a core without usage rights, a core that is physically installed in an HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) system but does not have usage rights and is not activated. After obtaining usage rights, iCAP cores can be turned on by the iCAP software or during installation. Cores with usage rights are activated with the icapmodify command (or the vparmodify command in a virtual partition) while HP-UX is running.

I/O chassis enclosure. A specific type of I/O bay on some models of HP Superdome server. An ICE provides mechanical and electrical support for up to two 12-slot I/O chassis.

HP Integrated Lights-Out. An application that allows you to remotely configure, update, and operate server blades and standalone systems.

A cell that is not available for use by software running on an nPartition. This term is usually used to describe a cell that has the following status (though any cell that is not active is by definition inactive):

A core that either has not yet been activated or that has been turned off by the HP Instant Capacity iCAP software and returned to the pool of inactive cores. These cores are available for activation. New HP-UX processes are not assigned to a deactivated core, and all processes running on the deactivated core are migrated to other cores (with the exception that interrupt handlers might not be migrated from deactivated cores).

An I/O chassis that is not available for use by the software that is running on an nPartition. An I/O chassis is inactive when it is attached to an inactive cell.

A logical server that contains metadata but is not currently bound to a specific physical server or system. Inactive logical servers that have never been activated might or might not be bound to storage.

An nPartition in which all of its cells are inactive.

HP Insight Orchestration. A utility for integrating logical server planning, design, and provisioning into a unified system.

HP Insight Recovery. An application for configuring primary and recovery sites and storage recovery groups for logical servers.

HP Integrity Virtual Machines. A soft partitioning virtualization product that allows you to install and run multiple systems (virtual machines) on the same physical host system (Integrity server or nPartition). The Integrity server or nPartition acts as a VM Host for the virtual machines (also referred to as guests). The virtual machines share a single set of physical hardware resources, yet each virtual machine is a complete environment in itself and runs its own instance of an operating system (referred to as a guest OS).

Memory that can be interleaved across more than one cell. Interleaved memory presents a single logical memory address range that is mapped to different physical memory ranges across multiple cells.

In HP Capacity Advisor, data that could potentially skew reporting results and lead to inaccurate or misleading conclusions when capacity planning. Examples of events that Capacity Advisor can recognize as potential sources of invalid points include the following:

I/O Dependent Code. IODC provides a uniform, architected mechanism to obtain platform information. IODC is composed of two parts. The first part is a set of up to 16 bytes that identify and characterize hardware modules. The second part is a set of entry points that provide a standard procedural interface for performing module-type dependent operations such as boot device, keyboard, and display device initialization and Input/Output routines. IODC is documented in the PA-RISC 1.1 I/O Firmware Architecture Reference Specification. NOTE: this link will take you outside of this help system. Your browser must have access to the internet to follow this link.

I/O expansion cabinet. A cabinet that contains I/O devices (card cages) but no cells.

HP Insight Power Manager. An integrated power monitoring and management application that provides centralized control of server power consumption and thermal output at the level of the data center. It extends the capacity of data centers by enabling you to reduce the amount of power and cooling required for ProLiant and Integrity servers.

Intelligent Platform Management Interface. A set of standards for remote multiplatform server management. IPMI uses intelligent platform management hardware and a message-based interface.

Initial system loader. This program implements the portion of the bootstrap process that is independent of the operating system (OS). The ISL is loaded and executed after self-test and initialization have completed successfully. It provides an interface to select an OS or load a predefined default OS.

Systems built on any version of the Intel® Itanium® architecture.

Local bus adapter. A device that connects the system bus adapter (SBA) to an I/O bus, such as PCI. Multiple LBAs are connected to a single SBA.

An object at the lowest level of a graphical tree view. Leaf nodes have no child nodes.

The storage device addressing model that uses the device special file (DSF) path as defined in HP-UX 11i v2 and earlier versions. In contrast to the agile addressing model introduced with HP-UX 11i v3, the legacy device special file (DSF) is bound to a specific logical unit path (lunpath) to a storage device. For this reason, a device with multiple paths is represented by several legacy DSFs. If the physical storage device is reconnected to a host through a different host-based adapter (HBA) or a different target port, the address represented by the DSF is affected, requiring reconfiguration of applications, volume managers, or file systems. Likewise, if additional lunpaths are offered to a given logical unit (through the addition of a new SCSI controller or new SCSI target paths), an equal number of additional DSFs are required to address them.

Used in a context where an nPartition command is being executed, the local nPartition is the nPartition that is running the command.

A vswitch created by default when HP Integrity Virtual Machines is installed on a VM Host. The local network created by this vswitch can be used for communications among guests but not for communication between the VM Host and any guest or between any external system and a VM guest.

A feature provided by HP Virtualization Manager, a logical server is a set of configuration and metadata that you create, activate, and assign to operate within a physical or virtual machine. An active logical server can be moved from one location to another, and its characteristics can be modified. This feature allows you to populate an enclosure, load balance servers, and evacuate servers in case of disaster; it allows you to provision resources only when needed and increase utilization of limited compute resources.

License to use. One of the three main components of HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM): CMS, agents, and LTU for each agent. The CMS allows you to control and monitor gWLM. The agents run on the systems where you are managing workloads. You install an LTU on each system that runs an agent in order to continue full agent functionality beyond the initial trial period.

SRD managed mode lets HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) automatically adjust the resource allocations for your compartments.

A resource that can be allocated and controlled by HP Virtualization Manager. Managed resources include: cores, memory, disks, and I/O bandwidth.

A server or other system that can be managed by HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) from a CMS . A managed system can be managed by more than one CMS.

A workload that is managed by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM).

A CMS and its managed systems.

The main backplane in a complex into which you plug an I/O chassis.

Maximum 15-minute sustained: data given in the Utilization Metric Summary screen of the HP Capacity Advisor Profile Viewer, the highest value in the selected time interval that was sustained for at least 15 minutes.

The maximum amount of CPU resources, measured in cores, that an HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) policy requests for its associated workloads.

In graphs, the Effective Max is shown. This value is the smaller of Max Size and Compartment Max (the maximum amount of a resource that a compartment can have).

The current value of a metric being used in a policy.

A specific measurement that defines a performance characteristic.

In HP Capacity Advisor, a combination of the statistical model (such as peak or average) used to calculate the metric and whether it is to be presented as a percentage or an absolute value.

A printed circuit board that plugs directly into another plug-in card. Adapter cards are also available that enable a mezzanine card to plug into the larger slot of the target bus.

The process of activating and deactivating cores across partitions for load balancing.

The minimum amount of CPU resources, measured in cores, that an HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) policy requests for its associated workloads.

In graphs, the Effective Min is shown. This value is the larger of Min Size and Compartment Min (the minimum amount of a resource that a compartment can have).

Data that was not collected by HP Capacity Advisor, perhaps because a monitored system was down during data collection. Such data is not used in analysis, though it may be shown in the Profile Viewer.

Also known as the boot processor, this is the main controlling core of the operating system. This core is designated as CPU 0. The LPMC monitor does not deactivate or replace a failing monarch processor.

A workload that can be monitored by HP Virtualization Manager but has no policy associated with it. Monitored workloads are not managed by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM).

The ability of an application and operating system to allow parallel computing by dividing processing between multiple processors or cores.

A partition in a cell-based server that consists of one or more cells, and one or more I/O chassis. Each nPartition operates independently of other nPartitions and either runs a single instance of an operating system or is further divided into virtual partitions.

nPartitions can be used as compartments managed by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) as long as several requirements are met. Refer to the gWLM online help for a description of nPartition requirements.

A feature available on newer cell-based servers that can be used to restrict the ability of privileged users on one nPartition from affecting other nPartitions. This feature is configured by using the PARPERM command at the Service Processor command interface. For more information, refer to the Partition Manager Configuration Privilege topic.

The WBEM services provider for nPartition information about cell-based servers.

HP Onboard Administrator. An application for local and remote management of HP BladeSystem c-Class server blade enclosures.

The ability to activate a deactivated core using HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) software while HP-UX is running. No reboot is required. This is done with the icapmodify command or, in a virtual partition, with the vparmodify command. Online activation is the default behavior of iCAP.

Operating system.

An HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) policy for managing a workload's compartment. This type of policy allows you to set the following values:

A compartment is allocated the resources it owns when they are needed. When a workload is not busy, gWLM may lend its CPU resources to other workloads that are busy, as long as the compartment minimum is maintained. When it becomes busy, a compartment will immediately re-acquire any resources that were loaned to other compartments. A compartment with a busy workload can borrow CPU resources up to its allowed maximum, if resources are available from other compartments.

You can assign a weight to an OwnBorrow policy in order to prioritize resource allocation.

Resources, measured in cores, that are allocated to a compartment when they are required. A compartment can lend its owned resources to other compartments.

Partition console interface. Provides console access for an nPartition. PACI is a part of core I/O.

A package groups application services (individual HP-UX processes) together.

A workload that is not currently associated with a system. A workload becomes parked if its system is set to “none” when it is created or later modified. A parked workload that was previously associated with a system may have historical data associated with it from HP Capacity Advisor or HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM). As with any workload, the historical data will be lost if the workload is deleted.

When migrating a workload from one system to another, it may be useful to park the workload (removing the association with the original system) until the new system becomes available. This preserves the historical data for the workload across the migration.

The HP VSE Management Software application that manages and configures nPartitions on cell-based servers.

An ASCII string that identifies a partition using a name that is meaningful to the system administrator. The allowed characters and maximum length are different for nPartition and virtual partition names. For nPartitions, partition names do not have to be unique, because the partition number provides a unique partition identifier. Virtual partition names must be unique within the nPartition or server that is running vPars.

An integer that uniquely identifies an individual nPartition within a complex. Each nPartition is assigned a unique number from 0 to the maximum number of partitions supported minus 1.

Partition configuration data. The part of the complex profile that provides partition-specific information. The PCD can be thought of as an array with one element per possible partition indexed by partition number. PCD provides the functionality of stable store in traditional systems.

Peripheral component interconnect. A standard for the connection between a processor and attached devices.

Peripheral component interconnect extended. An enhanced version of PCI.

Processor-dependent code.

Processor-dependent hardware. The ROM, nonvolatile memory, and PDH controller interface for a cell board. The PDH comprises a controller and its external Flash EPROM, battery-backed SRAM, real-time clock, and external registers.

The highest utilization value in the selected time interval.

A measure of the fractional amount of physical memory in use by a particular application for a period of time.

A collection of rules and settings that control workload resources managed by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM). For example, a policy can indicate the minimum and maximum amount of CPU resources allowed for a workload, and a target to be achieved.

A single policy can be associated with multiple workloads.

A policy can either succeed or fail to meet its target. A failure can be due to clipping of the policy's resource requests.

HP Pay per use. A software product that is a part of the HP Utility Pricing Solutions program. PPU implements a pricing model in which you are charged for the usage of cores. You acquire a specific hardware platform and number of cores, and are charged for usage of the cores based on system demand.

The HP Pay per use (PPU) software component that provides information to the utility meter. On HP-UX systems this component is implemented as a daemon named (ppud). On Microsoft® Windows® systems, this component is implemented as a service.

The importance of a policy, relative to other policies, as defined by the user. The highest priority is 1. Lower priorities are 2, 3, and so on through 1000.

HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) uses priorities to determine the order in which to allocate resources when the sum of the resource requests exceeds the resources available in the SRD.

Fixed policies do not have priorities; their resources are allocated before priorities are evaluated.

If all resource requests have been met and resources are still available, the weight assigned to each policy, not its priority, determines how the excess resources are distributed.

Process Resource Manager. An HP product used to dynamically divide resource utilization among different applications and users. PRM controls the amount of resources that processes use during peak system load.

Execution of a program or image file. Execution can represent a user or operating system process.

A script residing in /etc/opt/vse/scripts that enables you to create output process IDs (PIDs).

The hardware component that plugs into a processor socket. Processors can contain more than one core.

The packaging of one or more processors to connect into a single socket on the system bus. Examples include the Intel® Xeon® FC-mPGA package, the HP mx2 dual-processor module, and the IBM Power 5 MCM.

Provides a visual display of historical utilization data collected by HP Capacity Advisor, along with additional information that you have provided. The Profile Viewer enables you to examine different time intervals and different categories of data.

A function that makes a component operational. Provisioning might include installing, upgrading, loading, and configuring a software or hardware component. Provisioning a server includes loading the appropriate software (operating system and applications), customizing and configuring the system, and starting the server and its newly-loaded software. This makes the system ready for operation.

When a file is reduced to a set number of lines based on criteria determined by the system (application) or the software user.

Processor set. A collection of processors grouped together for exclusive access by applications assigned to that processor set. Each application runs only on processors in its assigned processor set.

A combination of qualitative and quantitative factors such as up time, response time, and available bandwidth, that collectively to describe how well a system performs. The Quality of Service is frequently embodied in a Service Level Agreement or in a set of Service Level Objectives between or among organizations.

The state of a cell location that permits its nPartition assignment to be changed. All cell locations whose nPartition assignment is changed must be at the ready for reconfiguration state before the Service Processor can push out the new Stable Complex Configuration Data. A cell location is in the ready for reconfiguration state when any of the following conditions applies.

The process of rebooting an nPartition in such a way that all active cells in the nPartition are reset with boot-is-blocked (BIB) set. When the operating system running on the nPartition has finished shutting down, these cells begin their power-on self-test sequence, then wait for BIB to be cleared by the Service Processor. When all of the cells in the nPartition complete self-test, the Service Processor boots the nPartition.

On the HP-UX operating system, reboot for reconfiguration is performed using the reboot or shutdown command with the -R option. The -H option should not be used, so that the nPartition will automatically reboot after reconfiguration.

On Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems, the normal reboot process performs reboot for reconfiguration.

The percentage by which the demand on a resource can grow before the utilization limits set for the resource are exceeded.

For example, in the case of a system running several workloads, the relative headroom for any one workload is the percentage by which one workload can grow without exceeding the utilization limits set for itself and without causing any of the other workloads on the system to exceed their limits.

In a context where an nPartition command is being executed, a remote nPartition is any nPartition other than the one that is running the command.

The amount of a system resource that a policy asks HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) to give to the policy's compartment. Each policy makes a request, then gWLM arbitrates the requests from all of the policies to determine what resources will be allocated to the compartments. Requests may be restricted by policy settings and by the compartment definition. For example, if a Min Size value is less than a Compartment Min value, the Compartment Min value is used instead of the Min Size value.

A subset of the resources available to an operating system instance, isolated for use by specific processes. A resource partition has its own process scheduler. CPU resources in the partition may be allocated using Fair-Share Scheduler groups or processor sets. Policies for controlling the allocation of resources to the partition can be set using HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM).

A set of systems to consider as the possible location of a workload.

See also shared resource domain (SRD), boundaries within which resources can be allocated and balanced across workloads.

Right-to-access. The initial fee that you pay to enter the HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) program and physically acquire possession of an iCAP component (memory, cell board, or core) that is unauthorized for use and inactive.

Right To Use. A type of codeword used to activate and adjust available usage rights for HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) components (memory, cell board, or core). An RTU codeword can be applied only to the system for which it was purchased, and the application of an RTU codeword adjusts the number of component-specific usage rights on the system.

An application that is continually or intermittently active and able to consume resources.

System bus adapter. The chip in an I/O chassis that provides a connection between the cell controller on a cell and the set of local bus adapters in the I/O chassis.

A link from an I/O chassis to its system bus adapter.

Stable Complex Configuration Data. The portion of the complex profile that contains attributes of the complex (serial number, model string, and so on) and the assignment of cells to nPartitions.

A possible configuration of systems and workloads under consideration when doing capacity planning.

A boundary that provides security to a compartment by controlling access and system capabilities available to a set of processes.

A resource partition that is integrated with HP-UX Security Containment.

Thin, modular, self-contained computer servers, containing one or more microprocessors and memory. Server blades are designed for high density and eliminate many components such as power cords and network cables that are present in traditional rack-mount systems. HP BladeSystem supports technologies such as hot-plug hard-drives, multiple I/O cards, multi-function network interconnects, and Integrated Lights Out.

An independent support processor for HP servers that support nPartitions. The Service Processor provides a menu of service-level commands, plus commands to reset and reboot nPartitions and configure various parameters.

The Service Processor in HP servers is sometimes called the Management Processor (MP) or the Guardian Service Processor (GSP).

Specialized software for protecting mission-critical applications from a wide variety of hardware and software failures. With Serviceguard, multiple servers (nodes) and/or server partitions are organized into an enterprise cluster that delivers highly available application services to LAN-attached clients. HP Serviceguard monitors the health of each node and rapidly responds to failures in a way that minimizes or eliminates application downtime.

A Serviceguard cluster is a networked grouping of HP 9000 or HP Integrity servers (host systems known as nodes) having sufficient redundancy of software and hardware that a single point of failure will not significantly disrupt service.

Packages are the means by which Serviceguard starts and halts configured applications. A package is a collection of services, disk volumes and IP addresses that are managed by Serviceguard to ensure they are available.

A monitored workload associated with a Serviceguard cluster and a particular package within the cluster. The workload (and the utilization data reported) follows the package it is associated with as it moves between the nodes of the cluster.

The process of shutting down an nPartition in such a way that all active cells in the nPartition are reset with the boot-is-blocked (BIB) attribute. When the operating system that is running on the nPartition has finished shutting down, these cells begin their power-on self-test sequence and then wait for BIB to be cleared by the Service Processor. As a result, the nPartition becomes inactive.

On the HP-UX operating system, shutdown for reconfiguration is performed using the shutdown or reboot commands with the -R and -H (or -RH) options.

On the Linux operating system the command shutdown -h now performs shutdown for reconfiguration.

On Microsoft Windows operating systems the shutdown /h command performs shutdown for reconfiguration.

For HP Capacity Advisor, a combination of a duration and a starting or ending point that defines the period of time over which the simulation is to be done.

The amount of a resource that a compartment actually has.

When working with CPU resources, size can differ from the actual allocation when HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) is deployed in advisory mode.

Shared resource domain. A collection of compartments that share system resources managed by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM). The compartments can be nPartitions, virtual partitions, virtual machines, processor sets (PSETs), or Fair-Share Scheduler (FSS) groups.

A server containing nPartitions can be an SRD as long as nPartition requirements are met. These requirements are detailed in the gWLM Getting the Most out of gWLM topic.

A server or an nPartition divided into virtual partitions can be an SRD for its virtual partition compartments. A VM Host can be an SRD to its virtual machines. Similarly, a server, an nPartition, or a virtual partition containing PSETs can be an SRD for its PSET compartments. Finally, a server, an nPartition, or a virtual partition containing FSS groups can be an SRD for its FSS-group compartments.

A complex with nPartitions can hold multiple SRDs. For example, if the complex is divided into nPartitions named Par1 and Par2, Par1's compartments could be virtual partitions, while Par2's compartments are PSETs.

An SRD can be in one of two states: deployed or undeployed. When deployed, an SRD can be in one of two modes: advisory mode or managed mode.

Secure Sockets Layer. Protocol for validating identity and for creating an encrypted connection between a server and a Web browser.

Single System Management. A method of viewing and managing systems without the use of a central management server (CMS). In the SSM model, administrators log in to the system to be managed and use the management tools directly on that system. This is different than the CMS based management model, in which administrators log in to the CMS, and use management tools on the CMS that contact the managed systems.

Hardware that can run one or more operating systems but does not support dividing hardware resources into nPartitions.

Code that provides a uniform, architected context in which to perform processor-dependent operations. Also called processor-dependent code (PDC) on PA-RISC systems. On Itanium®-based systems, system firmware includes PAL (Processor Abstraction Layer), SAL (System Abstraction Layer), EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface), and ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface).

The value that drives a policy, thereby influencing its resource requests to HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM).

For a target CPU utilization, gWLM attempts to keep a workload's CPU utilization below the target by adding CPU resources when the workload is using too much of its current CPU allocation. For example, assume a workload has a utilization policy with a target of 80% and a size of 5 cores. If the workload is consuming 4.5 cores, its utilization percentage is 4.5/5, or 90%. The gWLM software attempts to allocate additional CPU resources to the workload to meet the target. A size of 6 cores results in a utilization percentage of 4.5/6, or 75%, thus meeting the target.

A target can also be a value that the workload must not exceed, such as x transactions per second. In this case, adding resources helps the workload maintain the number of transactions. Alternatively, a target can be a scaling factor.

An HP-supplied or user-defined set of rules, properties, or metadata that describe an object in a computing network.

In HP Application Discovery, templates specify the data collection and matching rules to be used to define and discover an application.

Temporary Instant Capacity. An HP product that enables customers to purchase prepaid core activation rights, for a specified (temporary) period of time. Temporary capacity is sold in 30 processing-day increments. TiCAP was formerly known as “TiCOD”.

Transfer of control. A soft reset, which terminates the operating system and all applications, and causes a crash dump to be saved to the dump device, if one is defined.

Modify the Stable Complex Configuration Data so that a cell is no longer assigned to an nPartition and is instead a free cell. A cell must be inactive before it can be unassigned. If the cell was not inactive before the unassignment operation, then the operation will not be complete until the nPartition has performed a reboot for reconfiguration.

For vPars versions prior to A.04xx, an unbound core is one that can be migrated between virtual partitions while those partitions are running. Unbound cores cannot handle I/O interrupts. Unbound cores are sometimes referred to as “floater processors.”

The distinction between bound and unbound cores does not apply to vPars version 4.0 or later.

A found process that does not correlate to existing application templates or packages that HP Application Discovery is using for discovery and monitoring. Unmatched processes may include custom and third-party applications.

The repository that contains HP Pay per use system-utilization information. You can access this information through the Utility Pricing Solutions Portal.

The commodity used by HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) to activate or deactivate system components (memory, cell boards, and cores). Usage rights for a component are adjusted by the application of a Right to Use (RTU) codeword, and they can be shared between systems through the use of GiCAP.

A per-cell flag in the Partition Configuration Data. This flag is used by system firmware during the process of booting an nPartition. If a cell is assigned to an nPartition and this flag is not set, then the cell is not activated the next time that the nPartition is booted.

The utilities subsystem provides the platform management infrastructure for a complex. Its features and services are accessible through the Service Processor user interface, Partition Manager, and other platform management tools. It includes the following components:

The software and hardware device that receives HP Pay per use system-utilization information from the Pay per use software. The utility meter is initially installed and configured by an HP service representative.

An HP web site that gives customers an interface to view their HP Pay per use system-utilization information and to obtain codewords for HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) systems.

The limits set on the usage of system resources such as CPU, memory, or network I/O by an application. Utilization limits are expressed as a percent of the system capacity and the amount of time an application is allowed to exceed this limit. The time that a limit is exceeded can be expressed as a percentage of time or as a maximum duration of time.

A policy for managing a workload's compartment. This type of policy has a target based on utilization. With a CPU utilization policy, HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) attempts to keep a workload's CPU utilization below the target by adding CPU resources when the workload is using too much of its current allocation. For example, assume a workload has a utilization policy with a target of 80% and an allocation of 5 cores. If the workload is consuming 4.5 cores, its utilization percentage is 4.5/5, or 90%. The gWLM software attempts to allocate additional CPU resources to the workload to meet the target. An allocation of 6 cores would result in a utilization percentage of 4.5/6, or 75%, thus meeting the target.

You can set a priority for utilization policies to ensure that gWLM attempts to satisfy the policies in a particular order. The highest priority is 1; lower priorities are 2, 3, and so on, through 1000. You can also set a weight for a utilization policy.

The WBEM services provider for real-time utilization data from managed systems.

In HP Capacity Advisor, data that meaningfully contributes to the user's ability to understand actual past resource usage and that provides reliable information for accurately forecasting current and future capacity needs.

HP Virtual Connect. A set of interconnect modules and embedded software for HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosures that simplifies the setup and administration of server connections, thereby enabling administrators to add, replace, and recover server resources dynamically.

A logical grouping of servers, visible by expanding a VC domain compartment from the HP Virtualization Manager's Visualization view. Currently, only HP BladeSystem c-Class servers appear in a VC domain.

A logical collection of Virtual Connect domains. From the HP Virtualization Manager's Visualization view, you can view a VC domain group and expand it to show VC domains.

Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager. A management tool for defining a server connection profile for each server bay. This profile establishes the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses for all Network Interface Controllers (NICs), the World Wide Names (WWNs) for all host bus adapters (HBAs), and the SAN boot parameters. If the server blade in the server bay is replaced, the configuration and connection profile stays constant. You can launch VCEM from the HP Virtualization Manager for a VC domain group, VC domain, or BladeSystem.

Virtual CPU. A single-core virtual processor in a virtual machine.

Virtual Front Panel. An interface provided by the Service Processor that displays the boot/run state of nPartitions.

An emulation of a physical device. This emulation, used as a device by an Integrity VM virtual machine, effectively maps a virtual device to an entity (for example, backing store) on the VM Host.

A software entity provided by HP Integrity Virtual Machines, VMware ESX, or Microsoft Virtual Server. This technology allows a single server or (with Integrity Virtual machines) nPartition to act as a VM Host for multiple individual virtual machines, each running its own instance of an operating system (referred to as a guest OS). Virtual machines are managed systems in the HP Virtual Server Environment (VSE).

The executable program on the VM Host that manifests the individual virtual machine. It communicates with the loadable drivers based on information in the guest-specific configuration file, and it instantiates the virtual machine.

A software partition of a server, or of a single nPartition, where each virtual partition can run its own instance of an operating system. A virtual partition cannot span an nPartition boundary.

A scan of the system to determine the allocation and status of processor (core), memory, and I/O resources in a vPars-enabled system.

A specific layer, analogous to but not an operating system, that supports virtual partitions.

HP Virtualization Manager. Provides hierarchical visualization of servers and workloads, with seamless access to the management tools of the VSE technologies.

A server running software such as HP Integrity Virtual Machines, VMware ESX, or Microsoft Virtual Server, that provides multiple virtual machines, each running its own instance of an operating system.

HP Integrity Virtual Machines Manager. The HP VSE Management Software application that allows you to manage and configure Integrity VM.

An HP software product that provides virtual partitions.

The program that manages the assignment of resources to virtual partitions in a vPars-enabled system. To enable virtual partitions, the vPars monitor must be booted in place of a normal HP-UX kernel. Each virtual partition running under the monitor then boots its own HP-UX kernel.

The vPars monitor reads and updates the vPars partition database, boots virtual partitions and their kernels, and emulates certain firmware calls.

The database that contains the configuration information for all the virtual partitions on a vPars-enabled system.

Virtual switch. Refers to both a dynamically loadable kernel module (DLKM) and a user-mode component implementing a virtual network switch. The virtualized network interface cards (NICs) for guest machines are attached to the virtual switches.

The period of time during which HP Application Discovery is comparing discovered processes to the known installations of software and to template definitions of applications.

An older term that describes the number of processors in a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) system (for example, “4-way”.) This term is replaced by processor. (For example, “4-processor”.)

Web-Based Enterprise Management. A set of web-based information services standards developed by the Distributed Management Task Force, Inc. A WBEM provider offers access to a resource. WBEM clients send requests to providers to get information about and access to the registered resources.

A value that you assign to a policy to determine how system resources are allocated by HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) in the following scenarios:

A configuration of systems and workloads that is different from the current configuration. Capacity-planning simulations are run using what-if scenarios as experiments before making an actual configuration change.

A sequential series of pages that transforms a complex task into simple steps and guides you though them. The wizard makes sure that you provide all of the required information and do not skip any steps. At each step, a page is presented that allows you to specify the information needed to complete that step. Help is available at each step and you always have the option of going back to continue the wizard from a previous step.

The collection of processes in a standalone server, nPartition compartment, virtual partition compartment, or virtual machine compartment. HP Global Workload Manager (gWLM) extends this concept to include processor set (PSET) compartments and Fair-Share Scheduler (FSS) group compartments. gWLM enables you to monitor and manage workloads by automatically adjusting the resource allocations of compartments based on policies.

Cross-bar chip. On some server models each cell in a compute cabinet plugs into a cross-bar backplane by means of a pair of connectors, thereby forming a connection between the cell controller on the cell board and a cross-bar chip. On other server models, cell controllers are directly connected to other cell controllers, thereby eliminating the need for a cross-bar backplane.