Introduction to the HP Virtual Server Environment

Chapter 5: VSE Utility Pricing Solutions

Utility Pricing Solutions can be applied to any cell-based HP server. The server does not have to be

partitioned. However, the Utility Pricing Solutions are integrated with partitioning, so it is possible to

use both if needed.

This section briefly describes the Utility Pricing Solutions available as part of the VSE suite of

technologies. The focus here is in describing how these solutions can be used as part of the flexibility

requirements for Adaptive Infrastructure.

Instant Capacity

Instant Capacity (iCAP) enables you to purchase and install additional processing power through the

use of a two-step purchase model. Initially, you purchase system components (processors, cell boards,

or memory) at a fraction of the regular purchase price because the usage rights are not included.

These iCAP components are inactive, but installed and ready for use. When extra capacity is

needed, you pay the remainder of the regular purchase price for the usage rights to activate the

component or components. This greatly simplifies capacity planning and helps avoid

overprovisioning for unexpected capacity growth. If and when the additional capacity is needed, it

can be activated dynamically.

Also, and perhaps even more important than the two-step purchase model, is the fact that the iCAP

software keeps track of only the number of usage rights you purchase for a particular server; it does

not track which physical components you purchase without usage rights. This feature allows for great

flexibility because the usage rights can essentially flow from partition to partition as needed,

depending on capacity demands. When one partition needs more capacity, cores can be deactivated

in other partitions in order to release usage rights which can be used to activate cores in the partition

that needs extra capacity. The only requirement is that the number of activated cores across the entire

server does not exceed the number of purchased usage rights or purchased temporary capacity. This

means that iCAP can be used to flex nPartitions.

Figure 6 shows how this flexibility works. The diagram shows a cell-based system configured as two

dual-cell nPartitions. Each nPartition has a total of 8 physical (single-core) processors, but the

complex has 4 iCAP processors. This means that 12 cores on the server are active and 4 are

inactive. For iCAP, it does not matter which partition contains the inactive cores. In the diagram, the

partitions can each have 6 active cores, or nPar1 can have 8 cores while the nPar2 has 4, or nPar2

can have 8 cores, while nPar1 has 4. As long as the number of active cores does not exceed 12

across all the partitions, these reconfigurations can be done in any combination. This allows each

partition to contain from 4 cores to 8 cores, in single-core increments, while both partitions are up

and running and under load, and while maintaining full electrical isolation between the partitions.