HP-UX Workload Manager Toolkits User's Guide

HP-UX Workload Manager Overview
What is HP-UX Workload Manager?
Chapter 116
a workload. WLM is most effective managing applications that are
CPU-bound. It adjusts the CPU allocation of a workload based on
current needs and performance of that workload’s applications.
HP-UX WLM manages workloads based on parameters defined within a
configuration file. You define one or more SLOs for each workload, and
you can prioritize the SLOs so that an SLO assigned a higher priority is
given precedence over lower-priority SLOs. HP-UX WLM then manages
each workload’s resources, automatically allocating resources to achieve
the desired service level objectives.
HP-UX WLM automates many of the features of PRM (Process Resource
Manager) and HP-UX Virtual Partitions (vPars), including automatic
re-allocation of resources in response to SLO performance.
WLM is optimized for moving and balancing CPU resources across
partitions. Using hosts as workloads, WLM manages workload
allocations while maintaining the isolation of their HP-UX instances.
You can also use WLM to manage workloads so that resources are
divided and shared within a single HP-UX instance. These workloads are
based on PRM groups: Fair Share Scheduler (FSS) groups or groups
based on processor sets (PSETs). Within a single HP-UX instance, WLM
can manage a group’s CPU resources as well as real memory and disk
bandwidth. (Real memory and disk bandwidth allocations are statically
assigned in the configuration file.) When you configure WLM, you define
workload groups and assign processes to them based on specific
applications, users, or Unix groups. You can also create your own criteria
for placing application processes in specific workload groups by defining
process maps. In a process map, you map a group to a script or command
and its arguments that gathers process IDs and causes the identified
processes to be assigned to the group. (The WLM SAP Toolkit, in
conjunction with HP Serviceguard Extension for SAP [SGeSAP], takes
advantage of process maps, providing a script that enables you to place
specified SAP processes in specific workload groups managed by WLM.
For more information, see Chapter 5.) Another way to assign processes to
workload groups is by assigning secure compartments to the workload
groups. You create the secure compartment with the HP-UX feature
Security Containment. Secure compartments isolate files and processes.
WLM can then automatically allocate resources for these secure
compartments.
Using WLM in combination with HP-UX Workload Manager Toolkits
(WLMTK), you can quickly and effectively deploy WLM for use with your
key applications.