V5.

cover

Front cover

Exploring AIX 6 Workload

Partitions (WPAR) -
Instructor-led Online

(Course code AT61)

Student Notebook
ERC 1.0
Student Notebook

Trademarks
The reader should recognize that the following terms, which appear in the content of this
training document, are official trademarks of IBM or other companies:
IBM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
The following are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United
States, or other countries, or both:
AIX® DB2® POWER™
POWER4™ POWER5™ POWER5+™
POWER6™ POWER Hypervisor™ PowerPC®
PowerVM™ Redbooks® System p®
Tivoli® Workload Partitions
Manager™
Adobe is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in
the United States, and/or other countries.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

March 2009 edition

The information contained in this document has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is distributed on an “as is” basis without
any warranty either express or implied. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a customer
responsibility and depends on the customer’s ability to evaluate and integrate them into the customer’s operational environment. While
each item may have been reviewed by IBM for accuracy in a specific situation, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results will
result elsewhere. Customers attempting to adapt these techniques to their own environments do so at their own risk.

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2009. All rights reserved.

This document may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.
Note to U.S. Government Users — Documentation related to restricted rights — Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions
set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
V5.3
Student Notebook

TOC Contents
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Course description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Unit 1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Workload partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Why WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
System and application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
LPARs and WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Supported environments for WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Live application mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Workload partitions manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
WPAR resource control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Unit 2. Application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Why use application WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Application WPARs and system resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Creating application WPARs (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Creating application WPARs (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Listing application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Naming application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
File systems and application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Logging in to an application WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Using commands with WPARs (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Using commands with WPARs (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Stopping application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Application WPAR networking (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Application WPAR networking (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Administrative data for application WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Application WPAR demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23
Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25
Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26

Unit 3. System WPARs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Why use system WPARs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Contents iii

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

System WPARs and system resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4

Creating system WPARs (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6
Creating system WPARs (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7
Creating System WPARs (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
System WPARs and default file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Default file systems example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11
Default file systems example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-12
Other file system configurations (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-13
Other file system configurations (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-15
Comparing shared and private /usr and /opt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-16
Private /usr and /opt example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-18
Private /usr and /opt example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-19
Directory file systems example (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-20
Directory file systems example (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-21
NFS example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-22
System WPARs and extra file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-23
Specifying file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-24
File system examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-25
System WPAR networking (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-27
System WPAR networking (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-28
System WPAR networking (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-29
Create system WPAR examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-30
Listing WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-32
WPAR states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-33
Listing details of WPAR file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-34
Changing a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-35
Starting a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-36
Stopping a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-37
Removing a system WPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-38
Administrative data for system WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-39
Software maintenance for system WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-40
Accessing software images (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-42
Accessing software images (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-43
Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-44
Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-45
Maintaining private /usr and /opt WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-47
System WPAR demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-49
Checkpoint (1 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-50
Checkpoint (2 of 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-51
Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-52

Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-1

Unit objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Workload partitions manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
WPAR manager architecture (1 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
WPAR manager architecture (2 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5
WPAR manager architecture (3 of 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-7
WPAR manager port numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-8

iv Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
Student Notebook

TOC WPAR manager installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

WPAR manager configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Accessing the WPAR manager interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Navigation area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Managed systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Existing WPARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Defining a WPAR using WPAR manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
WPAR management terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
WPAR relocation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Application mobility compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19
WPAR manager demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Checkpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Unit summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24

Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Contents v

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

vi Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
Student Notebook

TMK Trademarks
The reader should recognize that the following terms, which appear in the content of this
training document, are official trademarks of IBM or other companies:
IBM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
The following are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United
States, or other countries, or both:
AIX® DB2® POWER™
POWER4™ POWER5™ POWER5+™
POWER6™ POWER Hypervisor™ PowerPC®
PowerVM™ Redbooks® System p®
Tivoli® Workload Partitions
Manager™
Adobe is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in
the United States, and/or other countries.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Trademarks vii

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

viii Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
Student Notebook

pref Course description

Exploring AIX 6 Workload Partitions (WPAR) - Instructor-led Online

Duration: 1 day

Purpose
Students in this course will learn about the new Workload Partitions
(WPAR) feature of AIX 6. Interactive, live demonstrations will reinforce
the lecture and give the students the ability to experience the
interfaces used to exploit the new features. Students will obtain the
knowledge required to implement workload partitions, and be aware of
the differences between managing a WPAR compared with a
traditional AIX instance.

Audience
The audiences for this training include AIX system administrators,
technical support individuals, system architects and engineers, and
anyone who needs an operational understanding of the workload
partitions feature of AIX 6.

Prerequisites
Students are expected to have AIX V5 system administration skills.
The list of required knowledge includes (but is not limited to) the
following topics:
• Creating and administering users and groups
• Installing and maintaining software
• Configuring TCP/IP and network adapters
• Creating and administering file systems, including NFS
• System backup and restore

Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
• Describe the reasons for using workload partitions (WPARs)
• List the software requirements for running WPARs
• List the implementation differences between an application WPAR
and a system WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Course description ix

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

• Describe the function of the Workload Partitions Manager software

• List the configuration requirements for Live Application Mobility
• Define the terms application WPAR, system WPAR, and global
environment
• Explain how to configure and remove a WPAR
• Explain how to start and stop a WPAR
• List the allowed states for a WPAR
• Describe how to configure networking for a WPAR
• List the administrative files and directories used to manage WPARs
• List WPAR configuration information using lswpar
• Describe how WPARs can access additional file systems
• Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and
/opt file systems
• Explain how to install and maintain software in a WPAR
environment
• Describe the architecture of a Workload Partitions Manager
environment
• List the components used to perform Live Application Mobility

x Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
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pref Agenda
Day 1
Welcome
Unit 1 - Introduction
Unit 2 - Application WPARs
Unit 3 - System WPARs
Unit 4 - WPAR manager and live application mobility
Wrap up / Evaluations

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Agenda xi

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Text highlighting
The following text highlighting conventions are used throughout this book:
Bold Identifies file names, file paths, directories, user names,
principals, menu paths and menu selections. Also identifies
graphical objects such as buttons, labels and icons that the
user selects.
Italics Identifies links to web sites, publication titles, is used where the
word or phrase is meant to stand out from the surrounding text,
and identifies parameters whose actual names or values are to
be supplied by the user.
Monospace Identifies attributes, variables, file listings, SMIT menus, code
examples and command output that you would see displayed
on a terminal, and messages from the system.
Monospace bold Identifies commands, subroutines, daemons, and text the user
would type.

xii Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
Student Notebook

Uempty Unit 1. Introduction

What this unit is about

This unit provides an overview of concepts and terms used throughout
the course. Students are introduced to the concept of workload
partitions (WPARs) and the two different types of WPARs: system and
application. Other concepts introduced are WPAR resource control
options and Live Application Mobility.

What you should be able to do

After completing this unit, you should be able to:
• List features of workload partitions (WPARs)
• Differentiate between system and application WPARs
• Describe the global environment
• Describe features of Live Application Mobility
• Describe the resource control options for WPARs
• List software requirements for using WPARs

How you will check your progress

Accountability:
• Checkpoint

References
SG24-7431 Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM
AIX Version 6.1, an IBM Redbooks document
SG24-7559 IBM AIX Version 6.1 Differences Guide, an IBM
Redbooks document
The following documents are available from the System p and AIX
Information Center
(http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/index.htm):
SC23-5241 IBM Workload Partitions Manager for AIX
SA23-2233 IBM Workload Partitions for AIX

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-1

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Unit objectives
IBM Power Systems

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

• List features of workload partitions (WPARs)
• Differentiate between system and application WPARs
• Describe the global environment
• Describe features of Live Application Mobility
• Describe the resource control options for WPARs
• List software requirements for using WPARs

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-1. Unit objectives AT611.0

Notes:

1-2 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
Student Notebook

Uempty

Workload partitions
IBM Power Systems

• Workload partitions (WPARs):

– An AIX 6 instance can be partitioned in software to provide isolation of
resources for an application:
• The partition is called a Workload Partition (WPAR)
• The WPAR appears to be an instance of AIX, but it is really running
within the global environment
– The AIX hosting instance is called the global environment:
• Not restricted in any way
– Can view all running WPARs and their resources
– Can run other non-WPAR based applications
• Owns all physical resources
– Maximum of 8192 WPARs in one LPAR
– A WPAR cannot be hosted within another WPAR
– Two types of WPARs: System and Application:
• Can be mixed in same global environment
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-2. Workload partitions AT611.0

Notes:

WPARs
WPARs are a way to isolate a process or a subset of the processing environment for
better management and monitoring of resources. The application in a WPAR thinks it is
being executed in its own AIX instance. WPARs also provide a contained unit that may
be moved between LPARs and systems using Live Application Mobility.
Global environment
The hosting AIX instance where WPARs are created is called the global environment or
the global operating environment. In the global environment, you can see all processes
of all WPARs. Most performance monitoring and tuning is done from the global
environment. The global environment owns all of the physical resources.
The global environment is not restricted in any way as the administrator can see and
monitor all of the WPARs. A WPAR cannot hide file systems or other resources from the
global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-3

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Mixing WPARs in the global environment

Up to 8192 WPARs can be created in the global environment and these may be a mix of
application and system WPARs. You cannot create or run a WPAR while logged into
another WPAR.

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Uempty

Why WPARs?
IBM Power Systems

• Reduced AIX system management:

– Can share application text, kernel data and text
– Fewer operating systems to maintain

• Application encapsulation, monitoring and control:

– Can delegate management tasks for applications in a WPAR
– Separate system administration and security at application level

• Use fewer hardware resources:

– Fewer resources for fewer operating system images
– Resource control feature allows management of resources used by
applications

• No performance cost for using virtual devices

• Enablement for Live Application Mobility for planned outages and
workload redistribution

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-3. Why WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR benefits
Because there are fewer operating system images when WPARs are used to reduce
the number of LPARs, there is a reduction in the total amount of AIX system
administration and maintenance tasks. There is also a reduction in the total amount of
system resources needed since you do not need as much CPU and memory capacity
when you have fewer instances of AIX.
While the operating system image used for all WPARs in one LPAR is the same, it is
possible to install different versions of the applications used in different system WPARs.
When you run an application in a WPAR, your application is isolated from other
applications and it is easy to monitor and control the resources for that application. You
can also configure unique users and security access roles for system WPARs.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-5

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Student Notebook

WPARs and Live Application Mobility

One benefit of using WPARs is that it allows you to move applications and their
environments (the WPAR) to other LPARs, while the application is still running. The
WPARs may even be moved to a different physical server. This feature is called Live
Application Mobility and is useful for eliminating planned downtime and for load
balancing.

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Uempty

System and application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• System WPAR functions as a full-scale AIX instance:

– Can be started without starting the application
– Runs own init and resulting services:
• inetd, cron, SRC subsystem, etc.
– Has own file system namespace:
• With writeable copies of some AIX file systems
– Has its own root user with privileges only within the WPAR:
• May create WPAR-specific users and groups
– Both types of WPARs can configure hostname and IP configuration:
• System WPARs allow telnet/rsh/rlogin connections

• Application WPAR exists while the application or process runs:

– Shares all global environment’s file systems and system services
– Implemented as a light-weight process that runs only while application runs

• Both types of WPARs can participate in Live Application Mobility

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-4. System and application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

System WPAR
A system WPAR is a complete virtualized AIX environment which can run operating
system services and multiple applications. A system WPAR continues to exist even if
the applications in it are stopped. A WPAR does not share writable file systems with
other workload partitions or with the global system.

Application WPAR
An application WPAR can have one or more configured processes, as long as one
command starts them. When all of the processes exit for that WPAR, the WPAR stops.
An application WPAR consists of a light-weight process plus the application itself and
can be created and started in seconds (no waiting for file systems to be created as with
system WPARs).

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-7

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Student Notebook

LPARs and WPARs

IBM Power Systems

Dedicated Dedicated Shared Processor Pool

Processor Processor
LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR
Finance Planning Americas Asia EMEA

WPAR #1 WPAR #1 WPAR #1

Bus Dev MFG eMail

VIO
Server WPAR #2
Test

WPAR #2
Planning WPAR #3
Billing

POWER Hypervisor

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-5. LPARs and WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

LPARs and WPARs

You can mix system and application WPARs in a global environment (AIX 6 LPAR or
stand alone system). WPARs can be used in dedicated processor LPARs or shared
processor LPARs. The global environment can also have other applications running
which are not in a WPAR.

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Uempty

Supported environments for WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR functionality is available with AIX 6:

– On any type of server running AIX 6

• WPAR functionality is provided by the AIX 6 fileset bos.wpars:

– No additional purchase is required to create and use WPARs

• WPAR Manager is software for GUI-based, complex WPAR

management, automation, and mobility:
– Available at additional cost

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-6. Supported environments for WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

System requirements for WPARs

The only requirement for WPARs is the AIX 6 operating system. WPAR functionality is
built in to AIX 6 and is provided in the bos.wpars fileset. There is no extra charge for
WPAR functionality in AIX 6.
AIX 6 is available for PowerPC 970 (JS20 and JS21 Blade), POWER4, POWER5,
POWER5+, and POWER6 processor-based servers and WPARs can be created in all
of these hardware environments. Applications can run unaltered in a WPAR.

Workload Partitions Manager

This product is sold separately to assist in the deployment and management of multiple
WPARs. While this software is not required to create and manage WPARs, it is useful
for managing a complex WPAR configuration. This software is required for
implementing Live Application Mobility.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-9

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Student Notebook

Live application mobility

IBM Power Systems

• Moves a running WPAR (application or system) to another LPAR, on same or

different server:
– Multi-system workload balancing
– Empty a machine for application outage avoidance
– Not a replacement for High Availability solutions for unplanned outages

AIX # 2

AIX # 1
WPAR
Billing WPAR
WPAR WPAR
EMail Data
App Srv AIX # 3
Mining
WPAR
WPAR Test
Web WPAR WPAR
Dev Training
Policy
Workload
Partitions
Manager
Not to be confused with Live Partition Mobility which can move entire running
LPARs between different physical POWER6 processor-based servers
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-7. Live application mobility AT611.0

Notes:

Live Application Mobility

Live Application Mobility allows you to move a WPAR between other active global
environments which meet certain software and hardware compatibility requirements.
See the IBM Workload Partitions Manager for AIX document for specific requirements.
In the visual above, the graphic illustrates the WPARs moving in and out of various
LPARs. The Workload Partitions Manager manages this movement manually or based
on a rules-based policy file. Initially, Live Application Mobility has a dependency for
writable file systems to be NFS mounted for the two LPARs involved.

Live Partition Mobility

Live Application Mobility should not be confused with Live Partition Mobility. Live
Partition Mobility is the ability to move whole configured live LPARs (including all
WPARs that might be hosted in the LPAR) from one server to another. The term live

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Uempty means that the operating system, and potentially applications, are running. Live
Partition Mobility is a feature of POWER6 processor-based servers.

Benefits
Both Live Application Mobility and Live Partition Mobility are designed to help enable
you to eliminate planned system outages and to perform workload balancing. If you
need to take a system down for reconfiguration, firmware updates or another reason,
you will have the option of moving your applications to a different server without any
impact to production operation. There are no reboots, no restarts, no service
interruption and the users should not detect the change.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-11

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Student Notebook

Workload partitions manager

IBM Power Systems

• Web-based, graphical, cross system

management for WPARs:
– Single point of management for WPARs
– Not required for creating and using WPARs
– Required for Live Application Mobility
– Automated, policy-based application (i.e. WPAR)
mobility
• Provides role-based views and tasks
• Part of the IBM System Director family
– Management server software on a managing system:
• Connect with a web browser
– Agent software in each global environment which hosts WPARs

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-8. Workload partitions manager AT611.0

Notes:

Workload Partition Manager (WPAR Manager) application

While the WPAR functionality is included in the base AIX 6, there is an optional product
that can be purchased to provide complex, graphical WPAR management and
automation.
There are multiple pieces of software with this application:
- The WPAR Management Server is a Java-based application and installed on a
stand-alone system or LPAR. DB2, which comes with the WPAR Manager
application, is also loaded on the system designated as the WPAR Management
Server.
- There is WPAR Management agent code installed in each of the global
environments in which WPARs will be managed.
- A web browser is used to connect to the WPAR Management Server application.

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Uempty WPAR Manager web-browser access details

To use your browser for the WPAR Management console use Firefox 1.5 or later and
Internet Explorer® (IE) 6 or later. JavaScript™ must be enabled in the browser.
Because IE does not have native support for Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), the
Adobe® SVG plug-in is needed, which you can download from:
http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/main.html
WPAR Manager is accessed from a browser with the following address where
hostname is the name of the system where the WPAR Management Server is installed
and where the public port is typically port 14080.
http://<hostname>:<public port>/ibm/console
A secure port is used for all browser and server communication. The port numbers
should only be changed if there is an existing conflict or anticipated port conflict. The
secure port by default is 14443.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-13

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Student Notebook

WPAR resource control

IBM Power Systems

• Resource control:
– Prevents an application from monopolizing system resources
– Each WPAR configuration can specify a resource allocation
– Optional

• Resource control can limit:

– CPU usage (share or percentage based)
– Memory usage (share or percentage based)
– Amount of virtual memory consumed for a single process
– Number of processes
– Number of threads
– The resource set where they run (one WPAR per rset)
• rset = set of defined CPUs and memory

• Resource control is performed using the -R option of the mkwpar,

chwpar, wparexec, and lswpar commands
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-9. WPAR resource control AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR resource control

Customers may wish to control the resources used by WPARs. Resource control can
be used to set minimum levels of required resources for applications running in the
same AIX 6 instance, and to control how additional resources are utilized by multiple
applications.
Encapsulated Workload Manager (WLM) technology is utilized for the CPU and
memory resource control in WPARs, but the underlying WLM is not visible to the system
administrator. WPAR resource control provides a subset of WLM functionality. “Native”
WLM is not supported in WPARs, but is supported in non-WPAR AIX environments.
In addition to the commands listed in the visual above, wlmstat may be used to view
resource statistics.

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Uempty Using a shares- or percentage-based configuration

WPAR resource control can be configured using shares or percentages to designate
the relative amount of CPU or memory resources for WPARs.
Shares can be configured using a range of 1- 65535. A share of a resource is based on
the ratio of its share value to the total of the share values of all currently active WPARs.
For example, if there are two WPARs where WPAR1 has 5 shares and WPAR2 has 10
shares, then the total number of shares is 15. WLM will attempt to give 5/15 or 33% of
the resources to WPAR1. WLM will attempt to give WPAR2 10/15 or 66% of the
resources. If a third WPAR is then started with 5 shares, bringing the total shares up to
20, then the ratio of shares is recalculated as 25%, 50%, and 25% respectively.
Percentages are configured by three percentage settings:
- The minimum is the guaranteed amount. If the WPAR is relatively idle then other
WPARs can use its resources.
- The soft maximum is the maximum allowed for the WPAR when there is contention
for resources.
- The hard maximum is the absolute maximum amount of resource for a WPAR
regardless of the amount of resources available in the global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-15

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Student Notebook

Checkpoint (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: WPARs can be used on any system running AIX 6.

2. Which one of the following terms is given to the operating system that hosts
WPARs?
a. WPAR Manager
b. System WPAR
c. Global environment
d. Live Application Mobility

3. Which one of the following is not a benefit of WPARs?

a. There are fewer operating system images to maintain.
b. Along with the WPAR Manager software, WPARs provide the ability to
move running applications from one LPAR to another using Live Application
Mobility.
c. There is stronger security for multiple applications in one LPAR when each
is in its own WPAR.
d. Provides enablement for Live Partition Mobility if using the WPAR Manager
GUI software.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-10. Checkpoint (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

1-16 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

Checkpoint (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

4. Which one of the following is a false statement about WPARs?

a. A system WPAR has its own init process.
b. You can telnet to both system WPARs and application WPARs.
c. Unique users can be created in system WPARs only.
d. Live Application Mobility can be utilized for both system and application
WPARs.

5. True/False: WPAR capability is included in the base AIX 6 operating system.

6. True/False: With WPAR resource control, you can use a configuration based
on shares, percentages, and WPAR load averages.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-11. Checkpoint (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 1. Introduction 1-17

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Student Notebook

Unit summary
IBM Power Systems

• The base AIX 6 operating system has the ability to be partitioned into
WPARs
• A system WPAR functions like a complete AIX instance with its own
system and network daemons
• An application WPAR exists only as long as the application runs
• The global environment is the hosting AIX 6 image
• With WPARs and the WPAR Manager software, Live Application
Mobility can be used to eliminate planned application outages by
moving WPARs between LPARs
• Resource control can be used to control WPAR resource usage

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 1-12. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:

1-18 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty Unit 2. Application WPARs

What this unit is about

This unit describes the creation and management of application
WPARs. Students will see how to create, stop, and monitor these
WPARs and how to login with the clogin command.

What you should be able to do

After completing this unit, you should be able to:
• Describe the architecture of an application WPAR including how it
uses file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and
devices
• Create, configure, stop, and monitor application WPARs
• Describe the administrative files and directories used to manage
application WPARs
• List application WPAR configuration information using the lswpar
command

How you will check your progress

Accountability:
• Checkpoint
• Machine demonstration

References
SG24-7431 Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM
AIX Version 6.1

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-1

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Unit objectives
IBM Power Systems

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

• Describe the architecture of an application WPAR including how it uses
file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and devices
• Create, configure, stop, and monitor application WPARs
• Describe the administrative files and directories used to manage
application WPARs
• List application WPAR configuration information using the lswpar
command

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-1. Unit objectives AT611.0

Notes:

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Uempty

Why use application WPARs?

IBM Power Systems

• Application WPARs, like system WPARs, provide the benefits of

process isolation, resource control, and mobility plus they’re quick and
easy to create

• If an application or group of applications can be started with one

command, it can be run in an application WPAR

• If any of the following is a requirement, use a system WPAR instead:

– Network login capability
– Custom users
– Run a different version of an application than the global environment
– Complex application environment that cannot be started with one command
– Own file system namespace
– Different timezone
– WPAR can exist on its own even if application shuts down

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-2. Why use application WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

Using application WPARs

Using application WPARs gives you many of the features of WPARs such as mobility
and resource control and they are very quick and easy to create.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-3

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Student Notebook

Application WPARs and system resources

IBM Power Systems

• It shares all storage, file systems, and devices of the global

environment
• It uses the same users and groups as the global environment
• It can access the network interfaces in the global environment:
– Another IP configuration must be used (configured as an alias)
– Cannot login remotely to an application WPAR with telnet, ftp, etc.
• Processes in a WPAR can use interprocess communication
(IPC) mechanisms such as signals, shared memory,
semaphores, message queues, etc. to communicate only with
other processes in the same WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-3. Application WPARs and system resources AT611.0

Notes:

File systems
An application WPAR shares all of its storage devices, file systems, and devices with
the global environment. The global environment can create a file system with a mount
point that is accessible by the WPAR for any file systems needed by the WPAR (such
as writable file systems). If the WPAR will be a mobile WPAR, then all writable file
systems must be NFS mounted with access from both the source and destination global
environments.

Users and groups

An application WPAR uses the same set of users and groups, including root, as the
global environment.

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Uempty Networking
Optionally, you can configure a unique IP configuration and hostname for an application
WPAR. This will be configured as a network alias in the global environment. Even when
configured with an IP address, you cannot use network commands such as telnet,
ftp, or rlogin to connect to an application WPAR, as it does not run the required set of
network daemons, such as inetd, etc. If an application WPAR is not configured with an
IP address, it will have no network connectivity.

WPAR process isolation

The processes running in a single WPAR can only communicate with other processes
in that WPAR.
The ps command run in the global environment will show all processes in all WPARs.
Once you use the clogin command to login to a WPAR, the ps command lists only
processes in that WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-5

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Student Notebook

Creating application WPARs (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• An application WPAR only exists while the application is running:

– The WPAR is created when an application is started using the wparexec
command
– The WPAR no longer exists once the process and all of its children have
terminated
• The command that starts the application is passed as an argument
to the wparexec command:
– Use the absolute pathname to the application executable
– WPAR takes name of executable by default
– The application can start additional processes
– Simple example: Executable
# wparexec /home/appuser/app1 &
Starting workload partition 'app1'.
Mounting all workload partition file systems.
Loading workload partition.
The wparexec command returns to the calling shell when the
process (and its children) terminate, unless the & is used
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-4. Creating application WPARs (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Creating application WPARs

The simplest command to create an application WPAR is shown in the visual above.
Using just the absolute path name of the executable as the argument to the wparexec
command will start the process in a WPAR using all of the defaults, such as the same
network information as the global environment and with no specific resource controls.
If you do not specify the absolute pathname to the executable, the wparexec command
will fail.
For application WPARs, starting the WPAR and creating the WPAR mean the same
thing. When you create the WPAR with the wparexec command, it runs until the
processes that were started by wparexec terminate. An application WPAR cannot exist
without a running application. We’ll describe how to stop WPARs later in this unit.

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Uempty Running the application WPAR in the background

When you create an application WPAR with wparexec, you will not return to the calling
shell until the WPAR terminates. You can add the ampersand (&) symbol to the end of
the wparexec command to run it in the background.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-7

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Student Notebook

Creating application WPARs (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• You can create, view, and stop WPARs with SMIT

• SMIT will exit, then run the application WPAR
# smit wpar
Workload Partition Administration

Move cursor to desired item and press Enter.

List All Workload Partitions

Administer SYSTEM Workload Partitions
Administer APPLICATION Workload Partitions

Administer APPLICATION Workload Partitions

Move cursor to desired item and press Enter.

List Application Workload Partitions

Create an Application Workload Partition or Specification File
Change / Show Application Workload Partition Characteristics
Stop and Remove an Application Workload Partition

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-5. Creating application WPARs (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Managing WPARs with the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT)

SMIT can be used to create, stop, and configure WPARs. The visual above shows the
fastpath of wpar can be used to access the WPAR menu options.
The SMIT fastpath for the second SMIT menu shown in the visual above is
manage_appwpar.
When you create an application WPAR with SMIT, SMIT will exit first, then create/start
the WPAR in the current shell. The shell prompt will not return until the WPAR
terminates.

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Uempty

Listing application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• Use lswpar to see running WPARs:

– Example:
# lswpar
Name State Type Hostname Directory
---------------------------------------------
app1 A A app1 /

Defaults to Active Application Always

executable WPAR root for an
name application
Defaults to WPAR
WPAR
name

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-6. Listing application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Listing WPARs
You can verify the WPAR is running with the lswpar command which lists all existing
WPARs. The lswpar command can be used only in the global environment.
The name of the WPAR and its hostname are simply the name of the executable if not
otherwise specified on the wparexec command line.
The state of an application WPAR is always A for active. An application WPAR is
always active because it is created when you start the application and is removed when
the application is stopped.
The type of WPAR in this case is A which stands for application WPAR. An S in this
column would indicate a system WPAR.
The directory is always the root directory for application WPARs.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-9

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Student Notebook

Naming application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• Application WPARs can be given a different name with the –n option to

the wparexec command
• You cannot change an application WPAR’s name while it is running
# wparexec -n myWPAR /home/tools/app2
Starting workload partition 'myWPAR'.
Mounting all workload partition file systems.
Loading workload partition.

• The hostname defaults to the WPAR name if it is not specified on the

wparexec command line:
# lswpar
Name State Type Hostname Directory
------------------------------------------
app1 A A app1 /
myWPAR A A myWPAR /

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-7. Naming application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Naming the WPAR

If you wish to use a different name for the WPAR, use the -n option to the wparexec
command. Later in this unit you’ll see how to specify a different hostname.

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Uempty

File systems and application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• All file systems are created in the global environment

• When creating an application WPAR, file system dependencies can be
specified:
– Required file systems can be mounted prior to, or when the WPAR is created
• Dependent file systems are not unmounted when WPAR is stopped

– Use the –M option to wparexec to check that all required file systems are
mounted and mount them if needed:
• For example:

# wparexec –M directory=/dirname /home/tools/app2

File system must be listed

in /etc/filesystems

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-8. File systems and application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Using file systems with application WPARs

Application WPARs use the global environment’s file systems. If the application
depends on one or more file systems, use the -M flag to the wparexec command to
specify the dependent file system(s). If the file system is not already mounted, it is
mounted during the process of creating the WPAR. The example in the visual above
checks the /dirname entry in the /etc/filesystems file and mounts it if it is not already
mounted. Dependent file systems can also be configured in a specification file for an
application WPAR.
No file systems are created by the wparexec command. When an application WPAR is
stopped, its dependent file systems are not unmounted.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-11

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Student Notebook

Logging in to an application WPAR

IBM Power Systems

• Logging in to the WPAR:

– When logged in as root in the global environment, you can use clogin to
login to the WPAR
– You do not need to specify a user name or password
– Use the exit command to return to the global environment
– Can optionally follow the clogin WPARname with a command to run just one
command within the WPAR
– Example:
# clogin myWPAR
(AIX MOTD appears…)
# uname -W
47 WPAR ID

# exit

# uname -W
0 Global ID is always zero
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-9. Logging in to an application WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Logging in to the WPAR

Use the clogin command to login to the WPAR.
The example in the visual above shows an example of using the clogin command to
login to a WPAR. Use the exit command to logout and return to the global
environment.
Optionally, you can follow the clogin WPARname command with a command which will
be run in the WPAR then you will return to the global environment. Here’s an example
where the ps -ef command is run in the WPAR named newwpar:
# clogin newwpar ps -ef
stty: tcgetattr: Not a typewriter
UID PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD
root 307262 663788 3 20:21:35 pts/0 0:00 ps -ef

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V5.3
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Uempty root 405632 1 120 20:21:13 pts/0 0:19 /bin/ksh

/home/linder/busycpu
root 1 0 0 20:21:13 pts/0 0:00 /usr/lib/corrals/vinit
newwpar /home/linder/busycpu
root 663788 1 0 20:21:35 pts/0 0:00 clogin newwpar ps -ef
# (This is the global environment’s shell prompt.)

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-13

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Using commands with WPARs (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• New WPAR commands for application WPARs:

– wparexec, lswpar, clogin, stopwpar

• Commands with modified behavior in a WPAR:

– Shutdown, halt, and reboot stop application WPARs and do not affect
global environment
– topas, iostat, vmstat, svmon provide a subset of statistics
– Commands like lparstat, uname, hostname will have output specific to the
WPAR when logged in to the WPAR

• Some existing AIX commands have been enhanced to support WPARs:

– Use -@ flag for WPAR specific options
– Follow the -@ flag with a WPAR name for WPAR-specific information
• The name of the global environment is Global
– With some commands you must specify -@ ALL for data about the global
environment and all WPARs:
# vmstat -@ ALL
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-10. Using commands with WPARs (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

AIX commands and WPARs

Besides the new commands specific to WPARs, many AIX commands have been
modified to support WPARs. A full list of these commands can be seen in Appendix A of
the Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM AIX Version 6.1 IBM
Redbooks document.
Examples of commands with modified outputs when logged in to a WPAR:
- The lparstat -i command will report the WPAR name as the node name.
- The hostname command will report the WPAR’s hostname.
- The topas command has a subset of statistics that are specific to the WPAR.
See the man pages for each command for specifics.

2-14 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
V5.3
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Uempty Monitoring resource statistics

There is some ability to monitor resources within an application WPAR. When you are
logged in to the WPAR, the output of the modified analysis commands will reflect the
usage specific to the WPAR. Analysis tools used in the global environment will show
resource usage in the entire operating system, including any WPARs.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-15

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Using commands with WPARs (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• Example command to view processes with ps command:

– ps -e from the global environment lists processes from all environments
(global and all WPARs) but doesn’t label the environments
– ps -e within a WPAR will only list processes in that WPAR
– Adding the –@ flag to ps will add a column showing the WPAR name:
• Follow the -@ flag with a WPAR name to only show processes in
that WPAR

– Example showing the new WPAR column:

# ps -@
WPAR PID TTY TIME CMD
myWPAR 249866 pts/0 0:00 vinit
Global 360492 pts/0 0:00 ps
Global 364770 pts/0 0:00 ksh
myWPAR 368832 pts/0 13:05 ksh
Global 385264 pts/0 0:00 ksh

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-11. Using commands with WPARs (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Using the -@ flag with commands

The visual illustrates how to use the -@ flag to get WPAR-specific information. Refer to
the online man pages for the specifics of WPAR support provided by each command.
Provide a WPAR name after the -@ flag to limit the command output to only include
information for the specified WPAR.
Note that in the example in the visual above, the ps command is used with its -e flag.
The -e flag is not specific to WPARs; it is a standard ps flag which instructs the
command to list all processes (except kernel processes).
Example commands:
# ps -e@
WPAR PID TTY TIME CMD
...(some output deleted for brevity)
Global 450564 - 0:16 java

2-16 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty myWPAR 471168 pts/0 29:16 ksh

Global 483376 - 0:00 telnetd
Global 503908 - 0:00 db2fm
myWPAR 507964 pts/0 0:00 vinit
Global 524482 pts/0 0:00 ksh
Global 548972 pts/0 0:00 ps
# ps -e@ myWPAR
WPAR PID TTY TIME CMD
myWPAR 471168 pts/0 29:44 ksh
myWPAR 507964 pts/0 0:00 vinit

The vinit process

Notice the vinit process in the example in the visual above. It performs no actions but
stands as the parent process of the other processes executing within the WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-17

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Student Notebook

Stopping application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• The best way to stop an application WPAR is to login to the WPAR with
clogin and use the proper shut down command for the application

• These methods may also be used to stop the application WPAR:

– Use stopwpar command from the global environment:
• SMIT uses stopwpar command
– Login to the WPAR with clogin and use shutdown, halt, or reboot
command:
• The reboot command does not reboot an application WPAR
– Kill application vinit or application process from the global environment:
• Example: # kill PID

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-12. Stopping application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Stopping a WPAR
When you stop an application WPAR, it no longer exists. The processes are stopped
and the IP address, if configured, is deactivated.

Example stopwpar command output

Here is an example of using the stopwpar command from the gobal environment to
stop an application WPAR:
# stopwpar myWPAR
Stopping workload partition 'myWPAR'.
stopwpar: 0960-261 Waiting up to 600 seconds for workload partition to
halt.
Shutting down all workload partition processes.

2-18 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

Application WPAR networking (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• Optionally, specify network options when creating the WPAR:

– Otherwise, it will have no network connectivity
– Creates an alias on the global environment network interface
– Alias IP address must be on the same subnet as the global environment's
interface
– Example: -h specifies the hostname
# wparexec -n MyApp -h wombat -N address=9.47.87.163 \ /a/app1 &

# ping 9.47.87.163
PING 9.47.87.163 (9.47.87.163): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 9.47.87.163: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0 ms
…
# telnet 9.47.87.163
No telnet to an application WPAR
Trying...
telnet: connect: Connection refused

# lswpar
Name State Type Hostname Directory
----------------------------------------
MyApp A A wombat /
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-13. Application WPAR networking (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Networking and application WPARs

If the application does not need network connectivity, there is no need to specify an IP
address. However, you may optionally configure the WPAR with its own IP address and
hostname. The WPAR will share the interface with the global environment, and the
configuration will be accomplished with aliasing.

IP aliasing
IP aliasing is the process of adding more than one IP address to a network interface.
With this, one node on a network can have multiple connections to a network, each
serving a different purpose. When using aliases, the alias IP address must be on the
same subnet as the interface used by the global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-19

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Application WPAR networking (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• View the WPAR’s network configuration:

– Use the lswpar command from the global environment:
WPAR name
# lswpar -N myWPAR
Name Interface Address Netmask Broadcast
----------------------------------------------------------
myWPAR en0 9.47.87.163 255.255.255.0 9.47.87.255

– The ifconfig command from the global environment will show all aliases in
use:
# ifconfig -a
en0:
flags=5e080863,c0<UP,BROADCAST,NOTRAILERS,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,GROUPRT,6
4BIT,CHECKSUM_OFFLOAD(ACTIVE),PSEG,LARGESEND,CHAIN>
Global’s inet 9.47.87.162 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255
WPAR’s: inet 9.47.87.163 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255
tcp_sendspace 131072 tcp_recvspace 65536

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-14. Application WPAR networking (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Viewing an application WPAR’s network configuration

The lswpar -N WPARname command lists the WPAR’s network configuration from the
global environment. Note that the lswpar command can only be run from the WPAR
environment.

Using ifconfig with WPARs

The example ifconfig command output in the visual above shows the global
environment’s IP configuration and the alias for one WPAR. Potentially, there could be
aliases for the global environment’s interface and for multiple WPARs. For this reason,
use the lswpar -N WPARname command to see a specific WPAR’s network
configuration.
If you login to the WPAR with clogin and run ifconfig, the output will show only the
WPAR’s specific configuration.

2-20 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty

Administrative data for application WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• When an application WPAR is created:

– WPAR information is logged in the WPAR database
– The active WPAR’s configuration is stored in a file in the /etc/wpars
directory:
• Exists while WPAR is active
• Is a text-based, stanza format file

# ls /etc/wpars
devexports index lastkey myWPAR.cf
gconfig indexlock locks secattrs

• A specification file can be used to create WPARs to make creating

WPARs with complicated configurations easier:
– Example creating a specification file from an existing application WPAR:
# wparexec -e myWPAR -w -o /home/mywpars/wparfile1.spec

– Example creating a WPAR with an existing specification file:

# wparexec -f /home/mywpars/wparfile1.spec
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-15. Administrative data for application WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Application WPARs administrative information

The operating system logs information about application WPARs in multiple places.
There is a WPAR database where the WPAR is logged (/etc/index file) and you’ll see a
*.cf file for each running application WPAR. When the WPAR is stopped, the file is
removed.

Specification files
Specification files can be created and used to make creating WPARs easier because
you don’t have to specify a lot of options on the command line if the configuration is
complex.
There are multiple ways to create a specification file. You can create it from scratch with
an editor or you can use the wparexec command to create a specification file from an

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-21

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

existing application WPAR. Once the file exists, it can be used to quickly create new
application WPARs.
A sample specification file is provided in /usr/samples/wpars/sample.spec. This
sample file contains examples of configuration stanzas, as well as their detailed
descriptions.
If you use a specification file to create a WPAR, you can also specify options on the
command line which will override any settings in the specification file.

Example specification file

Below is example contents of a specification file which was created from an application
WPAR. The WPAR was created with this command:
# wparexec -n myWPAR -h wombat -N interface=en0 address=9.47.87.163 \
netmask=255.255.255.0 /home/bin/app1 &
This command was used to create the specification file shown below from the
myWPAR WPAR:
# wparexec -e myWPAR -w -o /home/mywpars/myWPAR.spec
Here is the resulting specification file:
# cat /home/mywpars/myWPAR.spec
general:
application = "/home/bin/app1"
name = "myWPAR"
hostname = "wombat"
checkpointable = "no"
directory = "/"

network:
broadcast = "9.47.87.255"
interface = "en0"
address = "9.47.87.163"
netmask = "255.255.255.0"

resources:
active = "yes"
The above specification file would be useful when you need to create a WPAR again
with the same configuration. Note that you cannot create a second WPAR with the
same network configuration and WPAR name as an existing WPAR.

2-22 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty

Application WPAR demonstration

IBM Power Systems

• Create WPARs with wparexec

• View information about WPARs
• Login with clogin
• View commands from within a WPAR
• Stop a WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-16. Application WPAR demonstration AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-23

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Checkpoint (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: Application WPARs have visibility to all file systems in

the global environment.

2. True/False: If an application WPAR needs access to a network, it

must be configured with a unique IP address and hostname.

3. Which one of the following cannot be performed with an

application WPAR:
a. Create the WPAR with a specification file
b. Use SMIT to configure and manage the WPAR
c. Login to the WPAR with clogin
d. Change the name of a running WPAR

4. True/False: An application WPAR can be configured to use

unique user IDs.

5. True/False: All physical devices are owned by the global

environment.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-17. Checkpoint (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

2-24 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty

Checkpoint (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

6. True/False: When an application WPAR is created, a *.cf file is

created in the /etc/wpars directory, where * represents the name
of the WPAR.

7. What is the new flag that will cause many AIX commands to
display WPAR-specific information? Choose one of the following:
a. The –WPAR flag
b. The -@ flag
c. The -& flag
d. The -# flag

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-18. Checkpoint (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 2. Application WPARs 2-25

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Unit summary
IBM Power Systems

• An application WPAR is easy to create and configure:

– It shares its file systems, users and groups, network interfaces, and devices
with the global environment

• There are some new commands which have been added to manage
WPARs:
– wparexec, lswpar, clogin, stopwpar
– Some existing AIX commands have been modified to support WPARs

• WPARs are created using the wparexec command with configuration

options, or you can create a specification file and use it when starting
the WPAR to indicate the configuration
• The lswpar command can be used to list WPARs and their
configurations

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 2-19. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:

2-26 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty Unit 3. System WPARs

What this unit is about

This unit describes the creation and management of system WPARs.
Students will see how to create, start, stop, and remove these WPARs.

What you should be able to do

After completing this unit, you should be able to:
• Explain how to configure, start, stop, and remove a system WPAR
• List the allowed states for a system WPAR
• Describe how to configure networking for a system WPAR
• List the administrative files and directories used to manage system
WPARs
• Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and
/opt file systems
• List system WPAR configuration information using lswpar
• Describe how system WPARs can access additional file systems
• Explain how to install and maintain software in a system WPAR
environment

How you will check your progress

Accountability:
• Checkpoint
• Machine demonstration

References
SG24-7431 Introduction to Workload Partition Management in IBM
AIX Version 6.1

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-1

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Student Notebook

Unit objectives
IBM Power Systems

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

• Explain how to configure, start, stop, and remove a system WPAR
• List the allowed states for a system WPAR
• Describe how to configure networking for a system WPAR
• List the administrative files and directories used to manage system
WPARs
• Explain the differences between using private or shared /usr and /opt
file systems
• List system WPAR configuration information using lswpar
• Describe how system WPARs can access additional file systems
• Explain how to install and maintain software in a system WPAR
environment

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-1. Unit objectives AT611.0

Notes:

3-2 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty

Why use system WPARs?

IBM Power Systems

• System WPARs, like application WPARs, provide the benefits of

process isolation, resource control, and mobility plus they also provide:
– A separate domain for user and group IDs
– Ability to login to the WPAR from the network
– Private file system namespace
– Optional non-shared /usr and /opt file systems
– Different timezone from the global environment
– Can run multiple applications within the WPAR
– Jobs can be scheduled using cron
– WPAR can exist even if the application is terminated

• Almost any application or group of applications can be run in a system

WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-2. Why use system WPARs? AT611.0

Notes:

Using system WPARs

System WPARs are slightly more complex to configure than application WPARs, but
they enable you to use additional features that cannot be used with application WPARs,
such as logging in remotely across the network, and creating user and group IDs
independently from the global hosting environment.
One important difference from an application WPAR, is that system WPARs can run
multiple groups of applications, and can be running even when the application has
stopped.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-3

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

System WPARs and system resources

IBM Power Systems

• System WPAR file system space:

– Is a dedicated branch of the file system tree
– All processes in the WPAR are chroot’ed to this branch
– Has a private /etc directory
• So system WPAR has private users and groups

• Each system WPAR has a separate network address, hostname

– Address configured as an alias on an interface in the global environment
– Users can login remotely to a system WPAR with telnet, ftp, etc.

• A system WPAR runs an isolated set of system services, such as

cron, init, syslogd, etc.

• A system WPAR is given a set of pseudo devices, such as /dev/null,

/dev/audit, /dev/error, etc.
– WPAR does not have direct access to physical devices

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-3. System WPARs and system resources AT611.0

Notes:

File systems
A system WPAR has its own private subtree of the file system space. Some of the file
systems used for the WPAR are private, and are used exclusively by the WPAR. Other
portions may be private, or may be shared in a read-only mode with the global
environment, depending on the configuration. The file systems for the WPAR may be
dedicated local file systems from the global environment, shared file systems from the
global environment, or NFS mounted from a server.
The chroot operation changes the apparent root directory for the WPAR and all
processes that run in it. This re-rooted environment prevents processes from accessing
files outside that directory tree.

3-4 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty Users and groups

A system WPAR has its own private root file system, which contains the /etc directory
structure. This directory tree contains the configuration files for users and groups, which
means the system WPAR has its own set of users and groups, independent of the
global environment.

Networking
A system WPAR may be configured with a hostname and IP address. Access to the
network is obtained by using an alias on a physical network interface owned by the
global environment. Since a system WPAR runs a subset of system services, you can
use network commands such as telnet, ftp, or rlogin to connect to a system WPAR,
assuming it is correctly configured to access the network.

WPAR process isolation

The processes running in a single system or application WPAR can only communicate
with other processes in that WPAR.
The ps command run in the global environment will show all processes in all WPARs.
When run within a system WPAR environment, the ps command lists only processes in
that WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-5

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Creating system WPARs (1 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• There are many methods of creating a system WPAR

– Use the mkwpar command to create a system WPAR, supplying arguments
on the command line
– Use the mkwpar command and supply a specification file
• Specification file can be created previously using mkwpar, or by editing a
template
– See /usr/samples/wpars/sample.spec
– Use mkwpar to create a new system WPAR based on an existing system
WPAR

• Arguments given on the command line override the values in the

specification file
• Arguments that are not given (on the command line or specification file)
are deduced from the global environment

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-4. Creating system WPARs (1 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Introduction
System WPARs are created using the mkwpar command. There are many different flags
and options available for using the command that will change the configuration of the
system WPAR that is created.
In addition to creating the system WPAR, the mkwpar command can be used to create a
specification file which can then be used as input on a subsequent invocation of the
command. It can also create a WPAR based on the configuration of an existing WPAR.
Arguments supplied on the command line will override the parameters specified in an
existing WPAR or specification file being used as the basis for the new WPAR.
The mkwpar command has a comprehensive set of default values that will be used if a
parameter is not specified. Some parameters, such as network interface and network
mask, will be deduced from the global environment if not provided.

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Uempty

Creating system WPARs (2 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• Multiple tasks are performed by mkwpar during WPAR creation:

– Create the WPAR’s configuration in the database
– Create and populate the file systems for the WPAR
– Determine any missing network configuration values

• Additional tasks may be performed, depending on the options used:

– Create a specification file for the WPAR for later use
– Start the WPAR once it is created
– Export an alternate set of pseudo devices to the WPAR
– Add the WPAR to the list of those to be started on system boot
– Prompt to set the root password for the WPAR
• By default, the root password for the WPAR is not set

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-5. Creating system WPARs (2 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Tasks
The mkwpar command performs multiple tasks when creating a system WPAR. The
tasks performed will depend on the arguments supplied to the command. Refer to the
man page entry for a full description of all arguments.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-7

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Creating System WPARs (3 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• You can create, list, start, stop, and remove WPARs with SMIT
# smit wpar

Workload Partition Administration

Move cursor to desired item and press Enter.

List All Workload Partitions

Administer SYSTEM Workload Partitions
Administer APPLICATION Workload Partitions

Administer SYSTEM Workload Partitions

Move cursor to desired item and press Enter.

List System Workload Partitions

Create a System Workload Partition or Specification File
Start / Stop / Reboot a System Workload Partition
System Workload Partition Software Maintenance
Change / Show System Workload Partition Characteristics
Remove a System Workload Partition
System Workload Partition Backup Manager
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-6. Creating System WPARs (3 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

SMIT
System WPARs can be created and managed using SMIT. The fast path smit wpar will
start with the Workload Partition Administration menu, as shown on the visual
above. The system WPAR menu can be accessed directly with smit manage_syswpar.

3-8 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty

System WPARs and default file systems

IBM Power Systems

• File systems for a system WPAR are mounted in the global

environment relative to a base directory
– Default location is /wpars/wparname

• File systems are mounted when the WPAR is started, and unmounted
when the WPAR is stopped
• Default format for each of the /, /home, /tmp and /var file systems is to
create a JFS2 with inline log device in a logical volume in rootvg
• Default for /usr and /opt is a read-only namefs mount of the file system
from the global environment
– In other words, /usr and /opt are shared with the global environment

• Read-write access to /proc is enabled using a namefs mount

– Can only see entries for processes running in the WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-7. System WPARs and default file systems AT611.0

Notes:

File system configurations

The file systems used by a system WPAR are mounted in the global environment
relative to a base directory. The default base directory is /wpars/wparname, where
wparname is the name of the system WPAR. The base directory value can be changed
using the -d option of the mkwpar command.
The file systems for a system WPAR are mounted when the WPAR is started, and
unmounted when the WPAR is stopped.

Default file system configuration

The default configuration for a system WPAR is for /, /home, /var, and /tmp for the
WPAR to be created as JFS2 file systems with inline logs in the rootvg volume group of
the global environment. The /usr and /opt file systems for the WPAR are configured as
read-only namefs mounts of the /usr and /opt file systems from the global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-9

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

The WPAR also has read-write access to /proc as a namefs mount, that is filtered to
only allow access to processes that are running in the WPAR.

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Uempty

Default file systems example (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

Global environment System WPAR

namefs
/proc /proc
namefs
/opt /opt
namefs
/usr /usr

/ /

/home /home

/tmp /tmp
rootvg
/var /var

/wpars/SWPAR1

/wpars/SWPAR1/home

/wpars/SWPAR1/tmp

/wpars/SWPAR1/var

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-8. Default file systems example (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Default file systems example

The diagram on the visual above shows the default file system configuration for a
system WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-11

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Default file systems example (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems
• From the global environment:
# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/hd4 / jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd2 /usr jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd9var /var jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd3 /tmp jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd1 /home jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd11admin /admin jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/proc /proc procfs Jan 31 10:14 rw
/dev/hd10opt /opt jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/fslv00 /wpars/SWPAR1 jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv01 /wpars/SWPAR1/home jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE

/opt /wpars/SWPAR1/opt namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro

/proc /wpars/SWPAR1/proc namefs Feb 01 14:48 rw

/dev/fslv02 /wpars/SWPAR1/tmp jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE

/usr /wpars/SWPAR1/usr namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro
/dev/fslv03 /wpars/SWPAR1/var jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE

• From within the WPAR:

# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/fslv00 / jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv01 /home jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE
/opt /opt namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro
/proc /proc namefs Feb 01 14:48 rw
/dev/fslv02 /tmp jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE
/usr /usr namefs Feb 01 14:48 ro
/dev/fslv03 /var jfs2 Feb 01 14:48 rw,log=INLINE
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-9. Default file systems example (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Command output
The upper part of the visual above shows the output from the mount command in the
global environment. The lower part of the visual shows the output from the mount
command when run within the WPAR.

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Other file system configurations (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• By default, /, /home, /tmp, and /var are local file systems in the global
environment, and /usr and /opt are namefs mounts
– Access to /proc always uses a namefs mount

• Optionally, /usr and /opt can be configured as local file systems instead
of namefs mounts
– Private, read-write copies
– Allows each WPAR to run a different version of application software, but
creates issues for software administration
– Creating the WPAR takes longer, since more data must be copied

• To reduce the number of local file systems mounted in the global

environment, other options are:
– Configure /home, /tmp and /var as directories in the / file system of the
WPAR
– Configure /, /home, /tmp and /var as namefs mounts instead of file systems

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-10. Other file system configurations (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Default file system configurations

By default, the /, /home, /var, and /tmp are real file systems in the rootvg volume group
of the global environment, and the /usr and /opt file systems are configured as
read-only namefs mounts.

Private /usr and /opt

It is possible to configure the /usr and /opt file systems as real local file systems instead
of namefs mounts. You do not have to configure them both in the same way. For
example, it is possible to have /opt as a namefs mount, and /usr as a real file system. If
/usr and /opt are configured as real file systems, then the WPAR has read-write
access, instead of the read-only access provided with namefs mounts of /usr and /opt.
There are both benefits and drawbacks with using real file systems.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-13

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Directories and namefs mounts

When a global environment is used to host multiple system WPARs, and each WPAR
uses real file systems, the work of the file system code is increased, as it has to deal
with a very large number of mounted file systems.
One way to reduce the number of real file systems mounted in the global environment is
to configure the file systems used by system WPARs to be directories within the root file
system of the WPAR, rather than real local file systems.
Another method is to use namefs mounts instead of real file systems.
A namefs type of mount (also called a soft mount) allows you to mount a subtree of a
file system in a different place in the file name space, allowing a file or directory to be
accessed through different pathnames. To create a namefs mount, use the -v namefs
option with the mount command.

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Other file system configurations (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• Another option is for the WPAR’s file systems to be NFS mounted by

the global environment
– Can either be multiple individual file systems, or a single NFS file system for /,
and directories for the others
– Must be exported to both the global environment and the WPAR
– This is required for Live Application Mobility

• There is no requirement that all file systems for the WPAR are
configured in the same way
– Can use a combination of local file systems, NFS, namefs and directories

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-11. Other file system configurations (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

NFS
The file systems for a system WPAR can be hosted on an NFS server, and mounted by
the global environment that is hosting the WPAR. This configuration is required for Live
Partition Mobility. The file systems must be exported to both the global environment and
the WPAR.

Mix and match

There is no requirement that all file systems for a WPAR be configured in exactly the
same way. You can use a mix of local file systems, namefs mounts, directories and NFS
mounts.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-15

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Comparing shared and private /usr and /opt

IBM Power Systems

• Using shared /usr and /opt file systems:

– The WPAR has read-only access to /usr and /opt
– Reduces the total amount of disk space used
– All WPARs sharing the file systems will see the same version of software
– Executable text will be shared in memory by all WPARs
– System WPARs are reasonably quick to create
– Software maintenance is a little easier

• Using private /usr and /opt file systems:

– The WPAR has read-write access to /usr and /opt
– Each WPAR can have a different version of a software package
– Increases the total amount of disk space used
– Each WPAR will have separate executable text in memory
– System WPARs take longer to create, since more data must be copied
– Software maintenance is more complicated

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-12. Comparing shared and private /usr and /opt AT611.0

Notes:

Using private or shared /usr and /opt

There are a number of factors to consider when making the decision to use private or
shared /usr and /opt file systems.
Using shared file systems reduces the total amount of disk space that will be used,
since all system WPARs in the global environment can share access. Using shared file
systems means that creating a system WPAR will be relatively quick, since only a
minimal amount of data has to be populated in the root file system for the WPAR. All
WPARs that are sharing the file systems will see the same version of software, and
maintaining the software is relatively simple. Another benefit is that all WPARs running
programs from the shared file systems will be sharing the same executable text in
memory, thus reducing the overall memory consumption.
When using private /usr and /opt file systems, the amount of disk space that is used
increases dramatically. A typical /usr file system will consume at least 1.5 GB of space.
The /opt file system is typically around 250 MB, but may be much larger depending on

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Uempty the software that is installed. One benefit of using private file systems is that each
WPAR can be configured with a different version of application software, assuming that
software package can only be installed into the /usr or /opt file systems. Even when
using private file systems, all WPARs in a global environment must be configured with
the same level of AIX. The drawbacks of using private file systems are that creating a
system WPAR takes much longer, since there is now a large volume of data to be
copied, and software maintenance is more complicated. Another drawback is that the
memory footprint is increased, as each WPAR will require a separate set of application
executable text to be loaded into memory.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-17

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Student Notebook

Private /usr and /opt example (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

Global environment System WPAR

namefs
/proc /proc

/opt

/usr

/ /

/home /home

/tmp /tmp
rootvg
/var /var

/wpars/SWPAR3 /opt

/wpars/SWPAR3/home /usr

/wpars/SWPAR3/tmp

/wpars/SWPAR3/var

/wpars/SWPAR3/opt

/wpars/SWPAR3/usr

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-13. Private /usr and /opt example (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Private file systems example

The diagram on the visual above shows the configuration for a system WPAR using
private file systems.

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Private /usr and /opt example (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• From the global environment:

# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/hd4 / jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd2 /usr jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd9var /var jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd3 /tmp jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd1 /home jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd11admin /admin jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/proc /proc procfs Jan 31 10:14 rw
/dev/hd10opt /opt jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/fslv05 /wpars/SWPAR3 jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv06 /wpars/SWPAR3/home jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE

/dev/fslv07 /wpars/SWPAR3/opt jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE

/proc /wpars/SWPAR3/proc namefs Feb 01 19:17 rw

/dev/fslv08 /wpars/SWPAR3/tmp jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE

/dev/fslv09 /wpars/SWPAR3/usr jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv10 /wpars/SWPAR3/var jfs2 Feb 01 19:17 rw,log=INLINE

• From within the WPAR:

# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/fslv05 / jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv06 /home jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv07 /opt jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
/proc /proc namefs Feb 01 19:08 rw
/dev/fslv08 /tmp jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv09 /usr jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
/dev/fslv10 /var jfs2 Feb 01 19:08 rw,log=INLINE
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-14. Private /usr and /opt example (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Command output
The upper part of the visual above shows the output from the mount command in the
global environment. The lower part of the visual shows the output from the mount
command when run within the WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-19

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Student Notebook

Directory file systems example (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

Global environment System WPAR

namefs
/proc /proc
namefs
/opt /opt
namefs
/usr /usr

/ /

/home

/tmp
rootvg
/var

/wpars/SWPAR2

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-15. Directory file systems example (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Directory file systems example

The diagram on the visual above shows the configuration for a system WPAR using a
directory file system configuration for /home, /var, and /tmp, and the default namefs
configuration for /usr and /opt.

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Directory file systems example (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• From the global environment:

# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/hd4 / jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd2 /usr jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd9var /var jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd3 /tmp jfs2 Jan 31 10:13 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd1 /home jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/hd11admin /admin jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/proc /proc procfs Jan 31 10:14 rw
/dev/hd10opt /opt jfs2 Jan 31 10:14 rw,log=/dev/hd8
/dev/fslv04 /wpars/SWPAR2 jfs2 Feb 01 18:26 rw,log=INLINE
/opt /wpars/SWPAR2/opt namefs Feb 01 18:26 ro
/proc /wpars/SWPAR2/proc namefs Feb 01 18:26 rw

/usr /wpars/SWPAR2/usr namefs Feb 01 18:26 ro

• From within the WPAR:

# mount
node mounted mounted over vfs date options
-------- --------------- --------------- ------ ------------ ---------------
/dev/fslv04 / jfs2 Feb 01 18:26 rw,log=INLINE
/opt /opt namefs Feb 01 18:26 ro
/proc /proc namefs Feb 01 18:26 rw
/usr /usr namefs Feb 01 18:26 ro

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-16. Directory file systems example (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Command output
The upper part of the visual above shows the output from the mount command in the
global environment. The lower part of the visual shows the output from the mount
command when run within the WPAR.
When a file system is specified as being of type directory, it is not created as a separate
mountable file system, but instead is simply created as a directory within the parent file
system. Note that in the command output shown on the visual, there is no information
about the /home, /var or /tmp file systems for the WPAR. This is because they are not
configured as real mountable file systems, but simply directories in the root file system
of the WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-21

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

NFS example
IBM Power Systems

NFS Server Global environment System WPAR

namefs
/proc /proc /proc

/opt /opt

/usr /usr

/ / /

/home /home /home

/tmp /tmp /tmp

rootvg
/var /var /var

/WP3 nfs /wpars/SWPAR3 /opt

nfs
/WP3/home /wpars/SWPAR3/home /usr
nfs
/WP3/tmp /wpars/SWPAR3/tmp
nfs
/WP3/var /wpars/SWPAR3/var
nfs
/WP3/opt /wpars/SWPAR3/opt
nfs
/WP3/usr /wpars/SWPAR3/usr

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-17. NFS example AT611.0

Notes:

NFS file systems example

The diagram on the visual above shows the configuration for a system WPAR using an
NFS file system configuration for all file systems other than /proc, which will always be
a namefs mount.

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System WPARs and extra file systems

IBM Power Systems

• As well as the required file systems, a WPAR can be configured to

access additional application-specific file systems
– Can be configured as local file systems, namefs, or NFS mounts

• Can be configured at WPAR creation time using mkwpar

– Will automatically be made available when the WPAR is started

• Temporary mounts can be made available to the WPAR by the root

user in the global environment

# mkdir /wpars/SWPAR3/appfs
# mount –v namefs /appfs /wpars/SWPAR3/appfs

• The root user in the WPAR can only perform NFS mounts
– Cannot access logical volumes to initiate file system mounts
– Cannot access global environment file system space to initiate namefs
mounts

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-18. System WPARs and extra file systems AT611.0

Notes:

Additional file systems

As well as the required file systems, a system WPAR can be configured to access
additional application-specific file systems. The additional file systems can be accessed
as local file systems, namefs mounts, or NFS mounts.
These extra file systems can be configured at WPAR creation time, in which case they
will be mounted when the WPAR is started.
When a system WPAR is running, the root user in the global environment can provide
file system access on a temporary basis by performing a file system, namefs, or NFS
mount into the WPAR file tree rooted at the base directory.
The root user in the WPAR can perform temporary NFS mounts, but cannot initiate
mounts of local file systems, (since the WPAR does not have direct access to logical
volumes), or make namefs mounts of global environment file systems.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-23

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Student Notebook

Specifying file systems

IBM Power Systems

• The –g flag specifies the volume group to use for local file systems
• The –l flag indicates to create private writeable versions of /usr and
/opt
• The –M flag is used to specify file system values to mkwpar
– /, /home, /var and /tmp will be created as local file systems by default

• Syntax of –M flag:
–M directory=dir [vfs=type] [size=MBs] [vg=VG]
[logname=logLV] [dev=devicepath] [host=RemHost]
[mode=Mode] [mountopts=MountOpts]

• The –M flag can be specified multiple times on the command line

– Once for each file system you want to configure

• Required and allowable attributes depend on vfs value

– Allowable types are jfs, jfs2, namefs, nfs, and directory

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-19. Specifying file systems AT611.0

Notes:

Command line arguments

The -M flag of the mkwpar command is used to specify file system configuration
information.
The -g flag allows you to specify a default volume group to use when creating local file
systems for a system WPAR. If the volume group is not specified, either with the -g flag,
or as an attribute of the -M flag, then any local file systems will be created in the root
volume group.]
The -l flag of the mkwpar command indicates that the /usr and /opt file systems should
be created as private local file systems for the WPAR being created.
The syntax of the -M flag is shown on the visual above. The required and allowable
attributes depend on the value of the vfs attribute. The flag can be used multiple times
on the command line, once for each file system you wish to configure.

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File system examples

IBM Power Systems

• Example 1:
–M directory=/ vfs=jfs2 size=300 vg=wparVG

• Example 2:
–M directory=/tmp vfs=directory

• Example 3:
–M directory=/home vfs=namefs dev=/home

• Example 4:
–M directory=/db2 vfs=nfs dev=/data/WP1/db2
host=server1 –M directory=/tmp size=500

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-20. File system examples AT611.0

Notes:

Example 1
This usage of the -M flag indicates that the root file system for the WPAR being created
should be a JFS2 file system with an inline log. The file system should be 300 MB in
size, and created in the wparVG volume group.

Example 2
This usage of the -M flag indicates that the /tmp file system for the WPAR being created
should be configured as a directory within the root file system.

Example 3
This usage of the -M flag indicates that the /home file system for the WPAR being
created should be configured as a namefs mount of the /home file system from the
global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-25

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Student Notebook

Example 4
This example has multiple instances of the -M flag. The first usage indicates that the
/db2 file system (an additional, application specific file system) for the WPAR being
created should be configured as an NFS mount of the exported file system
/data/WP1/db2 from the NFS host server1. The second usage indicates that the /tmp
file system should be 500 MB in size. This value overrides the default size for the /tmp
file system, however the other default attributes will still be used - it will be a JFS2
format file system, with an inline log device, created in the rootvg volume group.

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System WPAR networking (1 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• You can specify network options when defining the WPAR:

– Otherwise it will have no network configuration
– Creates an alias on a network interface in the global environment
– IP address must be on the same subnet as the global environment interface

• If no hostname is specified with the –h flag, the WPAR name (specified with
–n) will be used as the hostname

• The –N flag of mkwpar is used to specify network settings

– Example:
# mkwpar -n SWPAR1 -h mercury169 -N address=9.47.87.169

• The –N flag understands the following attributes:

interface=<if>
address=<A.B.C.D>
netmask=<A.B.C.D>
broadcast=<A.B.C.D>

• Any network values not specified will be determined from the global
environment interface that is used
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-21. System WPAR networking (1 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Networking options
You can specify networking options when creating a system WPAR. If you don’t specify
any, or the values given are incorrect, the WPAR could end up with no network
connectivity.
The -h flag is used to specify the hostname of the WPAR. If the -h flag is not used, then
the WPAR name (specified with the -n flag) will be used as the hostname.
The -N flag is used to configure networking attributes when creating a system WPAR.
The flag allows specification of interface, IP address, netmask, and broadcast address
values. Not all attributes need to be provided with the -N flag. Any values not provided
will be determined based on the configuration of the global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-27

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Student Notebook

System WPAR networking (2 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• The –N flag can be used multiple times to specify additional IP

addresses

• If no address is given to mkwpar, the command uses

gethostbyname() with the WPAR’s hostname to determine the IP
address
– If the name is resolved to an address, then it is configured as an alias on the
global environment interface on the same subnet
– If the name cannot be resolved, or the global environment does not have an
interface on the subnet, the WPAR will have no networking configured

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-22. System WPAR networking (2 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Multiple IP addresses
The -N flag can be used more than once on the mkwpar command line to specify that
the WPAR should have multiple IP addresses. Each IP address will be configured as an
alias on an interface in the global environment on the appropriate subnet.
If no IP address is provided, the mkwpar command will try to determine the IP address to
use based on the hostname for the WPAR. The WPAR name will be used as the
hostname if no hostname is provided.
If the name can be resolved to an address, then the system will search the global
environment for an interface that is on the correct subnet. If a valid interface is found,
the WPAR’s IP address will be configured as an alias on that interface, and the WPAR
will have network connectivity.
If the hostname cannot be resolved, or if the global environment does not have an
interface on the required network, then the WPAR will have no network connectivity.

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System WPAR networking (3 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• View the WPAR’s network configuration:

– Use the lswpar command from the global environment:
# lswpar -N
lswpar: 0960-538 APPWPAR1 has no network configuration.
lswpar: 0960-538 SWPAR1 has no network configuration.
Name Interface Address Netmask Broadcast
-------------------------------------------------------------
SWPAR2 en0 9.47.87.168 255.255.255.0 9.47.87.255
SWPAR3 en0 9.47.87.167 255.255.255.0 9.47.87.255

– The ifconfig command from the global environment will show all aliases in
use:
# ifconfig -a
en0: flags=1e080863,480<UP,BROADCAST,NOTRAILERS,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,GROUPR
T,64BIT,CHECKSUM_OFFLOAD(ACTIVE),CHAIN>
Global’s inet 9.47.87.161 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255
WPAR’s inet 9.47.87.167 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.47.87.255
tcp_sendspace 262144 tcp_recvspace 262144 rfc1323 1

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-23. System WPAR networking (3 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Viewing network configuration

The lswpar -N command from the global environment will list the network configuration
of known WPARs. This includes active application WPARs, and all system WPARs,
both active and defined.
The ifconfig command from the global environment can be used to show the network
aliases that are currently in use.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-29

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Student Notebook

Create system WPAR examples

IBM Power Systems

• Example 1:
# mkwpar –h mercury169 –n SWPAR1

• Example 2:
# mkwpar –n mercury168 –g wparVG

• Example 3:
# mkwpar –n testWPAR –N address=192.168.1.103 –M
directory=/data vfs=namefs dev=/data mountopts=ro

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-24. Create system WPAR examples AT611.0

Notes:

Example 1
This command will create a system WPAR using the default file system options. The
WPAR is called SWPAR1, but the hostname of the WPAR is mercury169.

Example 2
This command will create a system WPAR using the default file system options,
however the local file systems will be created in the wparVG volume group. The WPAR
name, and the hostname, is mercury168.

Example 3
This command will create a system WPAR using the default file system options for the
required file systems. The WPAR name (and hostname) is testWPAR, and it will be
configured with the IP address 192.168.1.103, assuming the global environment has a

3-30 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty network interface connected to this network. In addition, the WPAR will be configured
with an additional file system called /data that is a read-only namefs mount of the /data
file system from the global environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-31

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Listing WPARs
IBM Power Systems

• Use the lswpar command to list information about known WPARs

• Lists information on all system WPARs, and information on active

application WPARs
– Type A = Application WPAR
– Type S = System WPAR

# lswpar
Name State Type Hostname Directory
-------------------------------------------------
APPWPAR1 A A mercury166 /
SWPAR1 A S mercury169 /wpars/SWPAR1
SWPAR2 D S mercury168 /wpars/SWPAR2
SWPAR3 A S mercury167 /wpars/SWPAR3

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-25. Listing WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Listing WPARs
The lswpar command can be used to list the status of known WPARs. This includes
information on all system WPARs, and active application WPARs.
A major difference between system WPARs and application WPARs is that no
application needs to be running for the system WPAR to be Active. That is, you can
create a system WPAR (state=Defined), start the WPAR (state=Active), then login to
the WPAR, and then start the application. For application WPARs, there is no Defined
state - the application is started when the application WPAR is created.

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WPAR states
IBM Power Systems

• The lswpar command lists the state of known WPARs

State Description
A Active - The WPAR is running normally.
D Defined - The WPAR has been defined by mkwpar,
but is not currently active. This only applies to system
WPARs.
T Transitional - An administrative operation is in
progress. The WPAR is in the process of being
created, started, stopped, etc.
B Broken - An administrative operation failed, leaving the
WPAR in an unusable state.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-26. WPAR states AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR states
The table on the visual above shows the possible states for system WPARs. The single
letter state value is shown in the output of the lswpar command.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-33

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Listing details of WPAR file systems

IBM Power Systems

• Use the lswpar command with –M to list information about the

WPAR’s file systems
– Works even when system WPAR is not active

# lswpar -M SWPAR3
Name MountPoint Device Vfs Nodename Options
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3 /dev/fslv05 jfs2
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/home /dev/fslv06 jfs2
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/opt /dev/fslv07 jfs2 rw
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/proc /proc namefs rw
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/tmp /dev/fslv08 jfs2
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/usr /dev/fslv09 jfs2 rw
SWPAR3 /wpars/SWPAR3/var /dev/fslv10 jfs2

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-27. Listing details of WPAR file systems AT611.0

Notes:

File system details

The lswpar command can also be used to list the file system configuration of system
WPARs. This information can be displayed even when the WPAR is not currently active.

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Changing a system WPAR

IBM Power Systems

• Use the chwpar command to change a system WPAR

– The WPAR can be Active or Defined
– Some changes only allowed when in the Defined state
– Cannot change file system definitions

• Can be used to remove an existing attribute

– Example:
chwpar –K –N address=192.168.240.104 SWPAR1

• Can be used to modify existing attributes

– Example:
chwpar –d /syswpars/SWPAR3 SWPAR3

• Can be used to add new attributes

– Example:
chwpar –N address=9.47.87.168 SWPAR3
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-28. Changing a system WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Changing attributes
The chwpar command can be used to add, change or delete many attributes of a
system WPAR. Many attributes can be changed when the WPAR is Active. Some
attributes, such as the WPAR name or hostname, can only be changed if the WPAR is
in the Defined state.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-35

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Starting a system WPAR

IBM Power Systems

• Use the startwpar command to start a system WPAR

startwpar WPARNAME

• Can also start the WPAR when creating it with mkwpar

• The –A flag of mkwpar indicates the WPAR should be started at boot
time, or whenever /etc/rc.wpars is run
• The startwpar command:
– Mounts the WPAR’s file systems, as defined in /etc/filesystems
– Exports the pseudo devices to the WPAR
– Assigns and activates the IP addresses for the WPAR
– Changes the WPAR’s state to Active
# startwpar SWPAR1
Starting workload partition SWPAR1.
Mounting all workload partition file systems.
Loading workload partition.
Exporting workload partition devices.
Starting workload partition subsystem cor_SWPAR1.
0513-059 The cor_SWPAR1 Subsystem has been started. Subsystem PID is 544978.
Verifying workload partition startup.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-29. Starting a system WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Startup
The startwpar command is used to start a system WPAR.

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Uempty

Stopping a system WPAR

IBM Power Systems

• Stop a system WPAR using the stopwpar command

stopwpar WPARNAME

• The command:
– Stops the processes running in the WPAR
– Deactivates the IP addresses (if any)
– Unmounts the WPAR’s file systems
– Changes the WPAR’s state to Defined

• The stopwpar command will fail if any processes cannot be

terminated using the kill command, or if any file system cannot be
unmounted
– In this case, use the –F flag to force
# stopwpar SWPAR1
Stopping workload partition SWPAR1.
Stopping workload partition subsystem cor_SWPAR1.
0513-044 The cor_SWPAR1 Subsystem was requested to stop.
stopwpar: 0960-261 Waiting up to 600 seconds for workload partition to halt.
Shutting down all workload partition processes.
Unmounting all workload partition file systems.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-30. Stopping a system WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Stopping
The stopwpar command is used to stop a system WPAR. Instead of running this
command, you could login to the WPAR and issue the shutdown command.
Depending on the application being run in the WPAR, it may be best to login and stop
the application before shutting down the WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-37

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Removing a system WPAR

IBM Power Systems

• The rmwpar command is used to remove a system WPAR

rmwpar WPARNAME

• Removes the WPAR from the database, and deletes the WPAR’s file
systems
• The –p flag performs a preservation removal
– The WPAR is removed from the database, however the configured local file
systems (logical volumes, or directories within other file systems) are not
removed

• The –s flag will shutdown the WPAR if it is still running

– Equivalent to calling stopwpar before running rmwpar
# rmwpar SWPAR2
rmwpar: Removing file system /wpars/SWPAR2/usr.
rmwpar: Removing file system /wpars/SWPAR2/proc.
rmwpar: Removing file system /wpars/SWPAR2/opt.
rmwpar: Removing file system /wpars/SWPAR2.
rmlv: Logical volume fslv04 is removed.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-31. Removing a system WPAR AT611.0

Notes:

Removing a system WPAR

The rmwpar command is used to remove a system WPAR.
The -p flag performs a preservation removal, which removes the WPAR from the
database, but does not remove any local file systems. These can then be used when
creating another WPAR using existing file systems instead of creating new ones.

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Administrative data for system WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• Defined system WPARs are listed in the WPAR database

• The information consists of:
– An entry in the index file /etc/wpars/index
– A configuration file /etc/wpars/wparname.cf
– Stanzas in /etc/filesystems

# ls /etc/wpars
devexports index lastkey myWPAR.cf
gconfig indexlock locks secattrs

• The index file contains information about the name and ID of running
application WPARs, and all system WPARs (whether running or not)
• The WPAR configuration file and /etc/filesystems contain information
required to start the system WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-32. Administrative data for system WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR data
Configuration information for system WPARs is kept in multiple locations. The WPAR
index file contains name and ID information about all system WPARs, and all active
application WPARs.
When a system WPAR is defined, a configuration file is created in the /etc/wpars
directory. The /etc/filesystems configuration file in the global environment also
contains information about the file systems that need to be mounted for each system
WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-39

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Software maintenance for system WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• There are no issues with software maintenance for application WPARs,

since they share the global environment’s file systems

• The complexity of software maintenance for a system WPAR depends

on if it is using shared or private /usr and /opt file systems

• Operating system updates must be applied to all WPARs within the

same global environment
– Since all the WPARs are sharing the same running kernel image

• If using shared /usr and /opt, install/update operating system and

application software from the global environment, then synchronize the
WPAR’s file systems

• If using private /usr and /opt, install/update operating system software

from the global environment, then again in the WPAR, and
install/update application software only from within the WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-33. Software maintenance for system WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Software maintenance
The step required for software maintenance depends on whether the WPAR is using
shared or private /usr and /opt file systems, and whether the software you’re
maintaining or installing is application software, or operating system software.
Operating system software and updates must be identical across all WPARs in the
same global environment, even if the WPARs have private /usr and /opt file systems.
This is because all the WPARs are sharing the same running kernel image, so the files
and commands across all the file systems should match.
There are two basic methods that can be used for software maintenance.
When using shared /usr and /opt, it is best to install/update software from the global
environment, and then synchronize the WPARs.

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Uempty When using private /usr and /opt, operating system software must be installed/updated
in the global environment, and then in the WPAR. Application software need only be
installed/updated from within the WPAR.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-41

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Accessing software images (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• The global environment is a normal AIX instance

– Can use NIM, CD/DVD media, or NFS mount to access product images

• Not quite so easy for a system WPAR

– Not possible to use NIM, since the WPAR doesn’t own the network adapter
– WPAR can’t access the CD/DVD drive directly

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-34. Accessing software images (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Image access
The global environment is a regular AIX instance, so installing and updating software is
the same as previous AIX versions. You can perform software maintenance directly
from the product CD-ROM or DVD-ROM media, copy the product images into the file
system for later use, or use a NIM server.
For a WPAR environment, things are not quite so simple, for a number of reasons. The
WPAR can’t access the DVD device directly, since all physical devices are owned by
the global environment. It is not possible for a WPAR to be a NIM client, since the
WPAR does not have direct access to the network adapter. The first thing to consider
when performing software maintenance inside a WPAR is obtaining access to the
software images.

3-42 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

Accessing software images (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• Multiple methods for making the software available in the WPAR

• Temporarily mount the CD/DVD/NFS file system in the global

environment as part of the WPAR file system tree
– For example:
# mkdir /wpars/SWPAR3/cdrom
# mount –v cdrfs /dev/cd0 /wpars/SWPAR3/cdrom

• Copy the images to a file system on a server, and use NFS within the
WPAR to mount the file system

• Mount the CD/DVD/NFS file system in the global environment and then
copy the software images into a directory already mounted by the
WPAR

• Mount the CD/DVD/NFS file system in the global environment, then

make the mounted file system available as a namefs mount to the
WPAR at creation time © Copyright IBM Corporation 2009
Figure 3-35. Accessing software images (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Multiple methods
There are many methods for providing a WPAR with access to software images. These
are described on the visual above.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-43

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (1 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• If /usr and /opt are shared, install and update software from the global
environment
– The WPAR’s sharing the /usr and /opt file systems will see the same version
of software

• Use the installp command (or SMIT), to install/update software in

the global environment

• After install/update, must synchronize the WPAR’s root component

– The /usr and /opt file systems seen by the WPAR are updated, but the
WPAR’s / (root) file system is out of date

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-36. Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Shared file systems

Maintaining shared file systems is quite easy. Operating system software and
application software should be installed and updated in the global environment. Once
this has been performed, the WPAR’s file systems should be synchronized.
In this environment, all WPARs using the shared file systems will see the same version
of code.

3-44 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (2 of 2)

IBM Power Systems

• Two methods available to synchronize the WPAR’s root file system

– Use the syncwpar command from the global environment
– Use the syncroot command from within the WPAR

• Usage of syncwpar:
– To synchronize a specific WPAR: syncwpar WPARNAME
– To synchronize all WPARs: syncwpar –A

• Software products that are not required in the WPARs can be marked
as private before the WPAR’s file systems are created
– Use swvpdmgr –p to mark a package as private
– Use swvpdmgr –s to mark a package as shared

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-37. Maintaining shared /usr and /opt (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

Synchronization
Synchronizing the WPAR’s file systems can be done in one of two ways:
- Use the syncwpar command from the global environment
- Use the syncroot command from within each WPAR
When using the syncwpar command, you can either specify the name of the WPAR you
want to synchronize, or use the -A flag to synchronize all WPARs.
Software products in the global environment can be hidden from WPARs in a shared file
system configuration by using the swvpdmgr command. Software products are shared
by default, and can be hidden using the -p flag, and shared again using the -s flag.
When a software product is marked as private, it will not be copied into the WPAR’s root
file system when the WPAR is created. Additionally, it will not be synchronized when the
syncwpar or syncroot commands are run.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-45

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

After installing or updating operating system software, the global environment may
need to be rebooted, which of course will impact all WPARs.

3-46 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

Maintaining private /usr and /opt WPARs

IBM Power Systems

• When using private /usr and /opt file systems, need to consider if software
being installed/updated is operating system or application

• Application software can be installed within a WPAR using private /usr and
/opt without updating the global environment
– Since all file systems are private to the WPAR

• Operating system software in the WPAR must be the same level as the
global environment
– First perform install/update in global environment
– Next perform the same install/update from within the WPAR
– No need to synchronize using syncwpar or syncroot, since the WPAR’s /,
/usr, and /opt file systems are all private

• The global environment may need to be rebooted after installing operating

system software updates
– This will impact all hosted WPARs
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-38. Maintaining private /usr and /opt WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Private file systems

Operating system software must always be installed and updated first in the global
environment, and then again in each WPAR using private file systems. This is because
all WPARs in the global environment share the same running kernel image, therefore
they must also have the same versions of operating system files in their file systems.
There is no need to use the syncwpar or syncroot commands when dealing with
WPARs using private /usr and /opt file systems, since the WPAR’s file systems are kept
in sync with the global environment by the system administrator performing the same
installation/update operations in each environment.
Application software need only be installed and updated from within the WPAR,
although special consideration must be given to applications that provide kernel
extensions, since these will be loaded into the running kernel image.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-47

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

After installing or updating operating system software, the global environment may
need to be rebooted, which of course will impact all WPARs.

3-48 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

System WPAR demonstration

IBM Power Systems

• Create WPARs with mkwpar

• Start WPARs with startwpar
• View information about WPARs
• Login with clogin and telnet
• View commands from within a WPAR
• Stop a WPAR
• Remove a WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-39. System WPAR demonstration AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-49

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Student Notebook

Checkpoint (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: By default, all file systems for a system WPAR are created
as local file systems.

2. True/False: A system WPAR may be configured with multiple IP

addresses.

3. True/False: A system WPAR can be configured to use unique user

IDs.

4. True/False: All physical devices are owned by the global environment.

5. Which one of the following cannot be performed with a system WPAR:

a. Access additional file systems using NFS
b. Write to a shared copy of /usr
c. Write to a shared copy of /proc
d. Install a different version of application software from the global
environment

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-40. Checkpoint (1 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

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Uempty

Checkpoint (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

6. Which one of the following procedures is used to update operating

system software in WPARs using shared /usr and /opt file
systems:
a. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar –A command from the global environment
b. Login to the WPAR and update the software
c. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar command from within each WPAR

7. Which one of the following procedures can be used to update

operating system software in WPARs using private /usr and /opt
file systems:
a. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar –A command from the global environment
b. Login to the WPAR and update the software
c. Update the software in the global environment, then login to each
WPAR, and update the software
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-41. Checkpoint (2 of 2) AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 3. System WPARs 3-51

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Unit summary
IBM Power Systems

• A system WPAR is easy to configure and start:

– It has its own file systems, users and groups, and network interfaces from the
global environment

• There are some new commands which have been added to manage
system WPARs:
– mkwpar, lswpar, clogin, startwpar, stopwpar, rmwpar

• System WPARs are defined using the mkwpar command by supplying

configuration options, or using a specification file, or copying an existing
WPAR
• Once defined, a system WPAR is started using the startwpar
command
• All WPARs hosted in a global environment must have the same version
of operating system software
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 3-42. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:

3-52 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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V5.3
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Uempty Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application

mobility

What this unit is about

This unit describes the IBM Workload Partitions Manager licensed
program product, and how it can be used to perform Live Application
Mobility operations.

What you should be able to do

After completing this unit, you should be able to:
• Describe the function of the Workload Partitions Manager software
• Describe the architecture of a Workload Partitions Manager
environment
• List the configuration requirements for Live Application Mobility
• List the components used to perform Live Application Mobility

How you will check your progress

Accountability:
• Checkpoint
• Machine demonstration

References
SC23-5241 IBM Workload Partitions Manager for AIX

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-1
Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

Unit objectives
IBM Power Systems

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

• Describe the function of the Workload Partitions Manager
software
• Describe the architecture of a Workload Partitions Manager
environment
• List the configuration requirements for Live Application Mobility
• List the components used to perform Live Application Mobility

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-1. Unit objectives AT611.0

Notes:

4-2 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Workload partitions manager

IBM Power Systems

• Web-based, graphical, cross system

management for WPARs
– Create, view, modify, start, stop, etc.
• Manual or policy-driven WPAR mobility
– When system resources are constrained action can be automatically taken
– Allows action to be taken before problems exist
• Role-based views and tasks
• Displays information collected by agents running in managed global
environments
• WPAR feature is included with AIX
• WPAR Manager is a chargeable product

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-2. Workload partitions manager AT611.0

Notes:

Overview
WPAR Manager is a platform management solution that provides multiple functions.
WPAR Manager includes the following features:
- Cross-system management of WPARs, including lifecycle management
- Global load balancing with application mobility
- Web-based administration of basic WPAR operations and advanced management
tasks
- Monitoring and reporting of WPAR performance metrics
WPAR technology is included in the base AIX 6 operating system. WPAR Manager is a
chargeable product.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-3
Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

WPAR manager architecture (1 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR Manager
– Runs in any AIX 6 instance
– Includes the GUI, the management software, and the data repository

• WPAR Agent Manager

– Control point for all WPAR agents
– Usually runs on same system as WPAR Manager

• Filesets for WPAR Manager and WPAR Agent Manager are:

– wparmgt.mgr
– wparmgt.cas.agentmgr
– wparmgt.db
– tivoli.tivguid

• WPAR Manager also includes DB2, however it is not in installp format

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-3. WPAR manager architecture (1 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR Manager architecture

The WPAR Manager component is split into multiple parts. The product is designed to
run under AIX 6. The product can be run in an LPAR or a standalone machine, but
cannot be installed in a WPAR.
WPAR Manager includes a DB2 database for use as the data repository, however the
files for this product are not in installp format.
By default, the WPAR Manager and WPAR Agent Manager components will be installed
on the same system.

4-4 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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Uempty

WPAR manager architecture (2 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR Agent
– Installed and configured in all managed global environments
– Filesets for the agent are:
• wparmgt.agent
• wparmgt.cas.agent
• mcr
• tivoli.tivguid

• WPAR Manager uses the Common Agent Services framework, which

has three components:
– Common agent and product-specific subagent - this is the CAS Agent and
WPAR Agent component
– Agent manager - this is CAS Agent Manager
– Resource manager - this is the WPAR Manager component
– Each component can be deployed on a different server
– By default, WPAR Manager and CAS Agent Manager are installed on the
same system, which will be the management server
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-4. WPAR manager architecture (2 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR agent
The WPAR agent is a management component that provides a secure interface for the
WPAR Manager to perform operations on a managed system. The WPAR agent must
be installed on all managed systems. It enables support for the following functions:
- Performing remote operations on WPARs (for example, create, start, stop, or
remove)
- Collecting performance metrics on a managed system for automated relocation and
reporting system status
- Determining the compatibility profile of the managed system and providing this
information to the WPAR Manager for relocation
There are four filesets that together make up the WPAR agent. The mcr fileset provides
the Metacluster Checkpoint Restart functionality, which is the basis for relocation.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-5
Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

CAS framework
WPAR Manager is based on the Tivoli Common Services Agent framework.
An agent is a program that automatically performs some service, such as data
collection. The agent is split into two parts. The common agent is a common container
for all the subagents to run within. It enables multiple management applications to share
resources when managing a system. The common agent is installed once on each
endpoint. The product specific subagent (WPAR agent in this case), uses the services
of the common agent to provide secure communication with other components.
The Agent Manager is the server component of the common agent that provides
functions that allow clients to get information about agents and resource managers. It
enables secure connections between managed endpoints, maintains the database
information about the endpoints and the software running on those endpoints, and
processes queries against that database from resource managers. It also includes a
registry and an agent recovery service.
A resource manager is the server component of a management application product that
manages the agents.

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WPAR manager architecture (3 of 3)

IBM Power Systems

Browser based
console
WPAR Manager system
DB

CAS Agent Manager WPAR Manager Database

Agent access
Discovery

Agent SSL Manager to

Registration Agent
Communication

WPAR Manager WPAR Manager

Agent Agent

Mobility operations Mobility operations

MCR MCR

Managed system/LPAR Managed system/LPAR

NFS exports for mobility

NFS Server

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-5. WPAR manager architecture (3 of 3) AT611.0

Notes:

Overview
The diagram on the visual above illustrates the architecture of a WPAR Manager
installation. One WPAR Manager server is in contact with multiple global environments,
each capable of hosting WPARs.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-7
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Student Notebook

WPAR manager port numbers

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR Manager listens on ports 14080 and 14443

– Used for communication with the browser based GUI

• Ports 9510, 9511, 9512, and 9513 are used for communication between
WPAR Manager, CAS Agent Manager, and WPAR Agents

• These are default ports that can be overridden by the user during
configuration

• Ensure ports are opened on any firewalls

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-6. WPAR manager port numbers AT611.0

Notes:

Port numbers
WPAR Manager uses different port numbers for communication between components.
You connect to the user interface on the WPAR Manager using a browser connected to
port 14080 (http), or 14443 (https). Ports 9510, 9511, 9512 and 9513 are used for
communications between WPAR Manager, the CAS Agent Manager and the WPAR
Agents on the managed systems. These default port values can be changed during
configuration.

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WPAR manager installation

IBM Power Systems

• Install the WPAR Manager filesets

• Mount the CD containing the WPAR Manager software

mount –v cdrfs /dev/cd0 /mnt

• Change directory to /opt/IBM/WPAR/manager/db/bin

– Install script will not work if you're in a different directory

• Run the database installation script:

./DBInstall.sh -dbpassword passwd -dbinstallerdir
/mnt/db2
– This copies the DB2 files from the media in to the file system

• Agent installation is simpler – just install the filesets

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-7. WPAR manager installation AT611.0

Notes:

Installation
Installing the WPAR Manager system is more complex than simply installing the
required filesets. Once the manager filesets are installed, the DBInstall.sh script must
be run to copy the DB2 files from the product media into the file system, and create the
database instance. Make sure that you have changed directory to
/opt/IBM/WPAR/manager/db/bin before running the script, otherwise it will not
complete correctly. Refer to the product documentation for full installation instructions
and options.
Installation on the agent side is much simpler - just install the required filesets.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-9
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Student Notebook

WPAR manager configuration

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR Manager is configured using

/opt/IBM/WPAR/manager/bin/WPMConfig.sh
– An interactive script which prompts for options, including passwords

• Optionally, copy and edit the properties file

/opt/IBM/WPAR/manager/config/wpmInstall.properties
• Then supply this file as an argument to WPMConfig.sh as follows:
/opt/IBM/WPAR/manager/bin/WPMConfig.sh –i silent
–f copyofwpmInstall.properties
– Allows for non-prompted configuration of WPAR manager

• Once WPAR Manager is setup, configure the agent in each global

environment that is to be managed
/opt/IBM/WPAR/agent/bin/configure-agent –hostname
WPARmgrhost

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-8. WPAR manager configuration AT611.0

Notes:

Configuration
Once the manager software has been installed, it needs to be configured. The
WPMConfig.sh script is used to perform this task. By default, the script runs in
interactive mode, and will prompt when required for password information. A
non-prompted configuration is possible when using a modified wpmInstall.properties
file, which details information about the database, port numbers, and the required
passwords.
Once the manager has been configured, you can run the configure-agent command
in each global environment to register with the WPAR Manager.

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Accessing the WPAR manager interface

IBM Power Systems

• Once the WPAR Manager is installed and configured, use one of these
URLs in a web browser to access:
– Public - http://hostname:14080/ibm/console
– Secure - https://hostname:14443/ibm/console
– Login as the root user

• AIX userids on the WPAR manager system can be configured to

access the console
– Can be assigned roles which limit the tasks they can use
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-9. Accessing the WPAR manager interface AT611.0

Notes:

WPAR Manager console

Use a web browser to connect to the WPAR Manager console running on the WPAR
Manager system. You can use either a public or secure connection.
The root user on the WPAR Manager system is configured to be able to login to the
console. The user authentication for the console is based on the user IDs defined on
the WPAR Manager system, although by default only the root user is configured for
access.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-11
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Student Notebook

Navigation area
IBM Power Systems

• Panel split into Navigation and Work areas

Tabs

• Tables displayed in a similar fashion to HMC v7 GUI

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-10. Navigation area AT611.0

Notes:

Interface layout
The user interface of the console is split into a navigation area on the left side, and a set
of tabbed work areas on the right. Initially only one work area will be active. Data in
tables is displayed in a similar style to that used in the HMC V7 user interface.

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Managed systems
IBM Power Systems

• Once WPAR agent is installed in a global environment, you can register

with WPAR Manager
• A "managed system" to WPAR Manager has an AIX image and is a
stand-alone system or LPAR
• If the managed system is not automatically displayed, in the Resource
Views, under Managed Systems, click the Discover button:

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-11. Managed systems AT611.0

Notes:

Managed systems
In the WPAR Manager context, a managed system is simply an instance of AIX capable
of hosting WPARs. The instance could be running inside an LPAR, or be on a
standalone server.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-13
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Student Notebook

Existing WPARs
IBM Power Systems

• Active and defined WPARs in the registered global environments will

show up in WPAR Manager

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-12. Existing WPARs AT611.0

Notes:

Existing WPARs
When you select the Workload Partitions resource view, it will list the active and defined
WPARs on the registered global environments. There is no need to register each WPAR
individually - the information is provided by the agent in the global environment.

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Defining a WPAR using WPAR manager

IBM Power Systems

• WPAR Manager provides a wizard

to define new WPARs
• Click Create Workload Partition in
Guided Activities list in the
navigation panel

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-13. Defining a WPAR using WPAR manager AT611.0

Notes:

Lifecycle management
WPAR Manager can be used for lifecycle management of WPARs. You can create,
start, stop and delete WPARs from the graphical interface.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-15
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Student Notebook

WPAR management terminology

IBM Power Systems

• When a WPAR is created using WPAR Manager, the

configuration is stored by WPAR Manager
• At first the WPAR is Undeployed
• An Undeployed WPAR can then be Deployed on a managed
system
– That is, the WPAR is Defined in a particular global environment
• Once in the Defined state, a WPAR can be Started
– State changes to Active
• An Active WPAR can be Stopped, Paused, Relocated or
Removed
• A Paused WPAR can be Resumed
– A Paused WPAR cannot be Relocated
• Live Application Mobility is the marketing term for relocation of
a running WPAR © Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-14. WPAR management terminology AT611.0

Notes:

Additional terminology
WPAR Manager introduces additional terminology when it comes to describing the state
of a WPAR. When a WPAR is defined using WPAR manager, the configuration is stored
in the WPAR Manager data repository - not in any global environment. In this state, the
WPAR is Undeployed.
Deploying a WPAR is the action of defining it on a particular global environment. Once a
WPAR has been deployed, it can be started and stopped, as described in the previous
units of this course.
Additional functionality provided by WPAR Manager, in conjunction with the Metacluster
Checkpoint Restart fileset, includes the ability to pause an active WPAR, resume a
paused WPAR, and relocate an active WPAR. These features apply to both system and
application WPARs. Live Application Mobility is the marketing term for relocation of a
running WPAR. When a WPAR is removed, there is an option to remove the WPAR

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Uempty Manager database definition for the WPAR. If the definition is not removed, the WPAR
returns to the Undeployed state.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-17
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Student Notebook

WPAR relocation requirements

IBM Power Systems

• A WPAR that is configured as Mobile can be relocated from

one managed system to another
– Both application and system WPARs can be relocated
– Application code must be in an NFS mounted file system, even for
an application WPAR
– Uses Metacluster Checkpoint Restart software to freeze the
processes in the WPAR prior to relocation
• Requirements for relocation:
– The managed systems must be on the same subnet
– The private file systems for the WPAR must be provided by an
NFS server
• Best performance is provided with default namefs /usr and /opt
– The NFS server must export the file systems to the departure
system, the arrival system, and the WPAR
– The managed systems must pass compatibility tests
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-15. WPAR relocation requirements AT611.0

Notes:

Requirements
In order to be relocated, a WPAR must meet certain configuration requirements. The
WPAR must be marked as mobile when configured. Additionally, the WPAR must be
configured such that its private file systems are provided by an NFS server.
Normally an application WPAR shares the file systems of the hosting global
environment. In order to be relocated, an application WPAR must be configured in such
a way that the application code and data is provided by a file system mounted from an
NFS server.
In order for relocation to work, the departure and arrival global environments must be on
the same subnet. The private file systems for the WPAR must be provided by an NFS
server, that has exported the file systems to both the arrival system and departure
system, in addition to the WPAR itself. The managed systems must also pass
compatibility tests.

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Application mobility compatibility

IBM Power Systems

• When a managed system is registered, WPAR Manager

compares the properties against all existing systems
– Compatibility tests are performed, comparing departure and arrival
systems when a WPAR is to be relocated
– Mandatory critical tests
– Optional additional tests

• An attempted relocation will have a compatibility state, based

on the departure and arrival systems
– Fully compatible
– Outbound compatible
– Inbound compatible
– Incompatible

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-16. Application mobility compatibility AT611.0

Notes:

Background task
When a managed system is registered, WPAR Manager starts a background task to
compare the properties of the new system with all existing systems.

Critical compatibility tests

The critical compatibility tests that are carried out to consider if a relocation is possible
are as follows:
- The operating system type must be the same on the arrival system and departure
system
- The operating system version on the arrival system must be at least as high as the
version on the departure system
- The processor class on the arrival system must be at least as high as the processor
class on the departure system

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-19
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Student Notebook

- The operating system level on the arrival system must be at least as high as the
level on the departure system
- The version, release, modification, and fix level of the bos.rte fileset on the arrival
system must be at least as high as the level on the departure system
- The version, release, modification, and fix level of the bos.wpars fileset on the arrival
system must be at least as high as the level on the departure system
- The bos.rte.libc file must be the same on the arrival system and the departure
system
- There must be at least as many storage keys on the arrival system as on the
departure system

Optional compatibility tests

In addition to the critical compatibility tests, some additional tests are optional. They are
as follows:
- NTP must be enabled on the arrival system and the departure system
- The amount of physical memory on the arrival system must be at least as much the
amount on the departure system
- The processor speed for the arrival system must be at least as high as the
processor speed for the departure system

Compatibility states
Depending on the results of compatibility testing, two managed systems might be fully
compatible, outbound compatible, inbound compatible, or incompatible. The
compatibility states are as follows:
- Fully compatible
All critical and user-selected tests comparing the system properties of the departure
system to the system properties of the arrival system pass. All tests comparing the
properties of the arrival system to the departure system also pass. A WPAR can be
relocated from the departure system to the arrival system and can also be relocated
from the arrival system back to the departure system.
- Outbound compatible
Compatibility testing shows that a WPAR can be relocated from the departure
system to the arrival system, but it cannot be relocated back from the arrival system
to the departure system. Relocation to a newer hardware environment might require
changes to an application that cannot be reversed, or the application might begin to
exploit certain hardware features, causing a relocation back to an earlier hardware
version to fail.
- Inbound compatible
Compatibility testing shows that a WPAR can be relocated from the arrival system to

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Uempty the departure system, but it cannot be safely relocated from the departure system to
the arrival system. A system that is inbound compatible is not a good candidate for
relocation. If the WPAR were already on the arrival system it could be moved back
to the original system. A failure might occur if you try to move the WPAR to the
inbound compatible system, but it is possible, in some cases, that the relocation
might succeed.
- Incompatible
Compatibility testing shows that a WPAR cannot be safely relocated either from the
departure system to the arrival system, or from the arrival system to the departure
system.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-21
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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

WPAR manager demonstration

IBM Power Systems

• Create WPARs with WPAR Manager

• View information about WPARs
• Deploy WPARs using WPAR Manager
• Relocate a WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-17. WPAR manager demonstration AT611.0

Notes:

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Checkpoint
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: Only system WPARs can be relocated.

2. True/False: A WPAR using local file systems can be relocated.

3. True/False: The departure system and arrival system must be on

the same subnet.

4. True/False: The NFS server must export the WPAR's file systems
to the departure system, the arrival system and the WPAR.

5. Which one of the following cannot be performed using WPAR

Manager:
a. Create a WPAR
b. Delete a WPAR
c. Deploy a WPAR on a managed system
d. Manage software inside a WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-18. Checkpoint AT611.0

Notes:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Unit 4. WPAR manager and live application mobility 4-23
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Student Notebook

Unit summary
IBM Power Systems

• IBM WPAR Manager is a chargeable software product

• WPAR Manger has multiple components:
– WPAR Manager, which also includes a GUI, and a database
– WPAR Agent Manager
– WPAR Agent in each managed system

• WPARs can be created and managed using WPAR Manager

• WPARs that are configured as mobile can be relocated from one
managed system to another
• The destination and arrival systems must pass compatibility tests for a
WPAR to be relocated
• WPAR relocation is facilitated by Metacluster Checkpoint Restart
software
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

Figure 4-19. Unit summary AT611.0

Notes:

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V5.3
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AP Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions

Unit 1

Checkpoint solutions (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: WPARs can be used on any system running AIX 6.

2. Which one of the following terms is given to the operating system that hosts
WPARs?
a. WPAR Manager
b. System WPAR
c. Global environment
d. Live Application Mobility

3. Which one of the following is not a benefit of WPARs?

a. There are fewer operating system images to maintain.
b. Along with the WPAR Manager software, WPARs provide the ability to
move running applications from one LPAR to another using Live Application
Mobility.
c. There is stronger security for multiple applications in one LPAR when each
is in its own WPAR.
d. Provides enablement for Live Partition Mobility if using the WPAR Manager
GUI software. This is false. It provides enablement for Live Application
Mobility with the WPAR Manager GUI software.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions A-1

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Student Notebook

Unit 1 (cont.)

Checkpoint solutions (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

4. Which one of the following is a false statement about WPARs?

a. A system WPAR has its own init process.
b. You can telnet to both system WPARs and application WPARs.
c. Unique users can be created in system WPARs only.
d. Live Application Mobility can be utilized for both system and application
WPARs.

5. True/False: WPAR capability is included in the base AIX 6 operating system.

6. True/False: With WPAR resource control you can use a configuration based
on shares, percentages, and WPAR load averages. Only shares and
percentages-based control can be configured.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

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AP Unit 2

Checkpoint solutions (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: Application WPARs have visibility to all file systems in

the global environment.

2. True/False: If an application WPAR needs access to a network, it

must be configured with a unique IP address and hostname.

3. Which one of the following cannot be performed with an

application WPAR:
a. Create the WPAR with a specification file
b. Use SMIT to configure and manage the WPAR
c. Login to the WPAR with clogin
d. Change the name of a running WPAR

4. True/False: An application WPAR can be configured to use

unique user IDs.

5. True/False: All physical devices are owned by the global

environment.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions A-3

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Student Notebook

Unit 2 (cont.)

Checkpoint solutions (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

6. True/False: When an application WPAR is created, a *.cf file is

created in the /etc/wpars directory, where * represents the name
of the WPAR.

7. What is the new flag that will cause many AIX commands to
display WPAR-specific information? Choose one of the following:
a. The –WPAR flag
b. The -@ flag
c. The -& flag
d. The -# flag

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

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AP Unit 3

Checkpoint solutions (1 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: By default, all file systems for a system WPAR are created
as local file systems. /usr and /opt are namefs mounts.

2. True/False: A system WPAR may be configured with multiple IP

addresses.

3. True/False: A system WPAR can be configured to use unique user

IDs.

4. True/False: All physical devices are owned by the global environment.

5. Which one of the following cannot be performed with a system WPAR:

a. Access additional file systems using NFS
b. Write to a shared copy of /usr
c. Write to a shared copy of /proc
d. Install a different version of application software from the global
environment

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions A-5

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Student Notebook

Unit 3 (cont.)

Checkpoint solutions (2 of 2)
IBM Power Systems

6. Which one of the following procedures is used to update operating

system software in WPARs using shared /usr and /opt file
systems:
a. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar –A command from the global environment
b. Login to the WPAR and update the software
c. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar command from within each WPAR

7. Which one of the following procedures can be used to update

operating system software in WPARs using private /usr and /opt
file systems:
a. Update the software in the global environment, then run the
syncwpar –A command from the global environment
b. Login to the WPAR and update the software
c. Update the software in the global environment, then login to each
WPAR, and update the software
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

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AP Unit 4

Checkpoint solutions
IBM Power Systems

1. True/False: Only system WPARs can be relocated. Both system and

application WPARs can be relocated.

2. True/False: A WPAR using local file systems can be relocated. The

private file systems for the WPAR must come from an NFS server.

3. True/False: The departure system and arrival system must be on the

same subnet.

4. True/False: The NFS server must export the WPAR's file systems to the
departure system, the arrival system and the WPAR.

5. Which one of the following cannot be performed using WPAR Manager:

a. Create a WPAR
b. Delete a WPAR
c. Deploy a WPAR on a managed system
d. Manage software inside a WPAR

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2009 Appendix A. Checkpoint solutions A-7

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without the prior written permission of IBM.
Student Notebook

A-8 Exploring WPAR © Copyright IBM Corp. 2009

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