Re: Using NFS to distribute ptfs

Rob,

No mis-information in your post but a couple clarifications. The system or partition that is hosting the images and serving them to the others DOES use the current Ethernet and IP stack so that partition is not affected. However it CAN NOT be configured for Jumbo Frames or you will never connect. This is due to the client side bits not supporting Jumbos.

The client side servers and partitions require an available Ethernet port to configure in Service Tools. (This is the same port that is used for LAN console so if you have LAN console you're already good to go!) The port does NOT have to be fully capable of being a LAN console however just any available port. This can be the second port of a FC #5706 for example or a separate card altogether. As you mention if there is only one port available then you do need to shut down your IP interfaces and vary off the Ethernet line.

As suggested for LPAR configurations I use a private internal VLAN that carries nothing but this NFS traffic and it works marvelously.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

On 9/27/2011 11:41 AM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Came this close to using NFS to distribute PTFs between my various lpars
and machines this week. Couldn't quite get it to work so I opened up a
pmr. Turns out that it can't go out over hardware currently in use. For
example if you are using CMN01 for your regular TCP/IP communications
(let's say line LANLINE) you cannot have LANLINE varied on when using it.
So you either have to vary the line off (really unpopular when people are
using it) or use another resource. Apparently virtual lan is really
popular for inter lpar communications and is one solution that people are
using. IBM admitted that the inability to share a resource is one big
bummer in adoption of this method.

Those of you using NFS for this, am I off base here?


Rob Berendt