RE: Can VPM be used on system with HMC?

[PaulMmn <PaulMmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's why you need a business partner with the technical chops to 
configure everything and make it work!  We don't have the in-house 
expertise to virtualize the tape drives to all of our iSeries LPARs, 
but they do!  And it all works ver nicely!

--Paul E Musselman

.

At 7:19 AM -0500 4/24/18, Jim Oberholtzer wrote:
> Rob:
>
> Many (most) shops do not have the will, desire, nor expertise to put up VIOS
> to virtualize tape/Ethernet, even while leaving storage in direct
> connection.  To be honest, unless you are making the jump all the way to a
> dual VIOS setup it hardly makes sense to add that level of complexity to the
> server when CLP/SSH can effectively do the job for small environments.
> There are exceptions to that rule but the will be far between each other.
> Also remember the level of complexity and expense (Fibre switches are not
> cheap) to set that up.   A CL program and SSH key are free. 
>
> That said, you are absolutely correct, once VIOS has the tape virtualized,
> it's a breeze to manage and by far and away the best choice. 
>
> --
> Jim Oberholtzer
> Agile Technology Architects
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MIDRANGE-L [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rob
> Berendt
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2018 6:52 AM
> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: Can VPM be used on system with HMC?
>
> I agree, why would anyone want to use VPM if they have an HMC?
>
> However, I wonder why one would even need to dynamically move the tape
> library around.  We have ONE fiber channel port coming out of our Power 8.
>  It is controlled by a VIOS lpar.  It goes to a SAN switch.  From there it
> goes to our tape library.  Our tape library has multiple drives.  All the
> lpars of IBM i can do a WRKMLBSTS and see the library, and it's drives:
> Device/
>   Resource     Status                 Allocation
> KDVLVTL        VARIED ON
>   TAP13        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP16        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP20        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP22        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP23        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP31        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP32        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>   TAP33        OPERATIONAL            UNPROTECTED
>
> Each lpar can run backups at the same time as other lpars as long as you do
> not exceed the number of drives.
> We have so many drives we tell BRMS to back up using four drives at a time.
> So we do stagger our backup times a little.
>
> But if you just HAVE to dynamically lpar (like perhaps you have an
> insistence on SCSI connection for some strange reason) then there are ways
> to execute commands on the HMC from programs on IBM i to get it to do so
> automatically.  Al Barsa used to peddle a product to do this
>
>
> Rob Berendt
> --
> IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail
> to:  2505 Dekko Drive
>           Garrett, IN 46738
> Ship to:  Dock 108
>           6928N 400E
>           Kendallville, IN 46755
> http://www.dekko.com
>
>
>
>
>
> From:   "Jim Oberholtzer" <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To:     "'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'"
> <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date:   04/23/2018 06:48 PM
> Subject:        RE: Can VPM be used on system with HMC?
> Sent by:        "MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
>
> You are correct, you cannot use VPM, but then again why would you want to
> when you have the HMC right there?  It's not that hard to set up a CL
> program that can move the tape devices for you (sending commands to the
> HMC via SSH) so you don't even need to sign on to the HMC.
>
> Assuming the classic interface moving a device is simple and once you done
> it, it'll stick in memory.
>
> --
> Jim Oberholtzer
> Agile Technology Architects
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MIDRANGE-L [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> Thomas Garvey
> Sent: Monday, April 23, 2018 5:20 PM
> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Can VPM be used on system with HMC?
>
> Hi,
>
> I need to create a hosted partition on my Power7 server.
> We have v7r3 and need a v7r1 partition that shares the tape library and
> optical drive.
> Thought I might use Virtual Partition Manager to do it but we use HMC to
> manage our several servers.
> Does having an HMC preclude being able to use the VPM?
> I tried starting it through STRSST and got the following...
>
> Logical Partitioning Environment Not Supported
> System:   S107603P
> Virtual Partition Manager is not supported and this service function
> cannot be started.  The system is in a state that does not allow this
> operating system to partition the server.  Refer to the Virtual Partition
> Manager documentation for more information.
>
> If  VPM is not an option, I'll have to look for that slideshow
> presentation where someone gives a step by step on how to do it with the
> HMC.
> <<< I've got it here somewhere :::::: >>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Thomas Garvey