HP Instant Capacity Version 10.x User Guide (762794-001, March 2014)

Instant Capacity can be present on systems or partitions where virtual partition technology is
employed. In a virtual partition environment, cores that are not assigned to any virtual partition
are considered inactive (in addition to other classes of inactive cores). Unassigned cores can be
assigned (activated) or assigned core can be deassigned (deactivated) using either the icapmodify
command or the vparmodify command, depending on the type of adjustment needed, the version
of vPars being used, and the level of logging or reporting desired.
One important consideration is that vparmodify can be used to activate or deactivate cores in
other virtual partitions within the nPartition; icapmodify activates or deactivates only the cores
present within the current virtual partition (the partition where the command is invoked). Another
consideration is that core assignment via the vparmodify command does not result in logging
of the activation, email configuration change notification, or transmission of an asset report to HP.
However, the most important consideration is that the icapmodify command must be used in a
virtual partition environment when you make any adjustment to an nPartition. If you are adjusting
core assignments across virtual partitions in a single nPartition, use the vparmodify command
for the best coordination between the Instant Capacity software and the vPars software, and for
optimized performance. The vparmodify command is the fastest and most efficient way to adjust
capacity within virtual partitions of a single hard partition, but it does not affect the intended
active count for the nPartition. Therefore, it cannot be used to migrate unused capacity either to
or from other nPartitions.
Note that with vPars A.03.05 or greater, a compliance check is performed whenever a virtual
partition is booted. If the total number of cores assigned to all virtual partitions in the current vPar
database exceeds the nPartition’s intended active core count, the Instant Capacity software
notifies the vPar monitor, and the monitor prevents booting of any virtual partition until the user
performs a hard partition boot and modifies either the vPar configuration or the Instant Capacity
intended active count for the nPartition.
For more information about virtual partitions, see vparmodify(1M).
HP Integrity Virtual Machines (Integrity VM)
In an Integrity VM environment, Instant Capacity software provides meaningful functionality only
on the VM Host; it does not run on a virtual machine (also known as a guest). In particular, Instant
Capacity commands report an error if an attempt is made to run on a virtual machine from a guest.
You cannot run a GiCAP Group Manager on a guest, nor can you specify a guest be specified in
the host list for a GiCAP group member.
Processor sets
In an environment where processor sets are used, the icapmodify command activates Instant
Capacity cores into the default processor set and deactivates cores from only the default processor
set. Activation or deactivation of cores in non-default processor sets is a two-step operation. The
first step involves the user migrating the cores into or out of the default processor set; the second
step is the activation or deactivation of those cores using the icapmodify command.
For more information about processor sets, see psrset(1M).
TiCAP program
Customers can purchase an amount of temporary capacity time. This temporary capacity can be
used to activate one or more cores beyond the number for which usage rights have been purchased.
These extra cores can remain active until they consume the available temporary capacity time.
This allows temporary activation of cores without requiring the purchase and activation of an RTU
codeword for permanent activation.
Whenever an Instant Capacity component without usage rights is purchased, an amount of Instant
Access Capacity (IAC) might also be included. Instant Access Capacity is exactly the same as
temporary capacity, except that it is automatically provided with an Instant Capacity component
and is not separately purchased. It provides an immediate buffer of temporary capacity, in case
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