Managing Superdome Complexes: A Guide for HP-UX System Administrators

Configuring and Managing Superdome Partitions
Overview of Superdome Partition Concepts
Chapter 4120
that point install HP-UX. This installation requires either having access
to an HP-UX install server, or a DVD-ROM drive (and associated PCI
card) connected to the I/O chassis.
After you boot HP-UX on the Genesis Partition, you can modify the
partition to include additional cells. You also can create other, new
partitions and can modify them from the Genesis Partition or any other
partition running HP-UX.
Note that—once you create additional partitions—you do not necessarily
have to use the Genesis Partition to perform your partition management
and configuration tasks.
Other than being the first (and initially the only) partition, the Genesis
Partition does not have any special properties not available to other
partitions.
Partition Numbers Each partition has its own unique partition number that the partition
commands and utilities use to identify it.
When you create a partition, the Guardian Service Processor (GSP)
assigns the partition the lowest available partition number. For example,
the Genesis Partition always is partition number 0 because it is the first
partition to be created, and the second partition is partition number 1.
After you remove a partition, the GSP also unassigns the partition
number; as a result the GSP can assign the number when it creates a
new partition. For example, if you remove partition number 2 then the
GSP can reassign partition number 2 when it creates a new partition if
all lower numbers (partition numbers 0 and 1) already are assigned.
Complex Profiles When you configure and reconfigure partitions and modify partition
settings, you do so by using utilities to manipulate the Superdome
server’s complex profile.
The Guardian Service Processor (GSP) manages the complex profile in
different portions. Each portion of the complex profile defines attributes
that determine how the complex’s hardware resources are made
available and are used.
To modify the configuration information kept in the complex profile, you
can use the GSP command menu, the partition Boot Console Handler
interface, or the HP-UX partition commands and Partition Manager.