Windows nPartition Guide v5.5
Table Of Contents
- nPartition Administrator's Guide
- Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction
- Quick Start
- Getting to know nPartitions
- Choosing a management tool
- Management interface options
- Choosing a management mode
- Setting up the management station
- Performing nPartition management tasks
- 2 Installing nPartition Management Utilities
- 3 Using Partition Manager
- 4 Using Other Tools to Manage nPartitions
- Complex-level tasks
- nPartition-level tasks
- Boot configuration options for nPartition systems
- Find bootable devices
- List nPartition configurations
- List the local (current) nPartition number
- List memory configurations
- Configure boot paths and options
- Configure autoboot options
- Configure boot-time system tests
- Boot Windows Server 2003
- Boot over a network
- Shut down Windows Server 2003
- Reboot and reset
- Reboot for reconfiguration
- Shut down to a shutdown for reconfig (inactive) state
- Boot an inactive nPartition
- Perform a transfer of control reset
- Create a Genesis Partition
- Create a new nPartition
- Remove (delete) an nPartition
- Add cells to an nPartition
- Set core cell choices
- Rename an nPartition
- Cell-level tasks
- Power-, status-, and hardware-level tasks
- List input/output (I/O) configurations
- List cabinets in a server complex
- List power status and power supplies
- List fan and blower status
- Turn attention indicators (LEDs) on and off
- Power server cabinets on and off
- Power cells and I/O chassis on and off
- Configure and deconfigure cells
- Configure and deconfigure processors (CPUs)
- Configure and deconfigure memory (DIMMs)
- 5 nPartition Commands Reference
- 6 Troubleshooting
- Installation problems
- Checking component installation and operation
- Operational problems
- All commands: ordinal not found
- All commands: required data unavailable or locked
- Fruled: LED error messages (mid-range servers only)
- Frupower: cannot power off error
- Parcreate and parmodify: cell local memory warnings
- Parcreate, parmodify, and parremove: failure to update stable complex configuration data (SCCD)
- Parremove: shutdown and reset instructions
- Parstatus -c -V: apparent incorrect output
- Parstatus -p -V: apparent incorrect output
- Parstatus: local partition error
- Parstatus: unable to get read lock error
- Using WMIOP.EXE to pinpoint problems
- Error messages and corrective actions
- Index
Getting to know nPartitions
Partitions are physical or logical mechanisms for demarcating operational environments within
a single system or across multiple systems. Partitioning lets you consolidate systems, allocate
computing resources in response to fluctuations in demand, maximize resource use, and protect
operating environments from disruptive events.
Partitioning continuum
HP offers a continuum of partitioning technologies, as shown in Figure 1-2.
Figure 1-2 Partitioning continuum
virtual
partition
virtual
partition
Virtual Partitions
within a hard
partition
Partitioning
Continuum
application
application
application
application
Resource
Partitions
within an OS
Flexibility
nPartition
nPartition
nPartition
Hard
Partitions
within a node
Isolation
Node Partition A node partition (nPartition) is a hard partition within a cell-based
server. Cell-based servers can be configured either as a single large
symmetric multiprocessor or as several independent systems. An
nPartition has exclusive use of the memory, processor, and I/O
resources belonging to the cells that are assigned to that partition
and can execute its own operating system image.
Virtual Partition A virtual partition is a soft partition within a node or an nPartition.
A virtual partition uses a subset of the system processor, memory,
and I/O resources, and includes operating system and
application-related software. Windows Server 2003 does not support
virtual partitions.
Resource Partition A resource partition is a soft partition within either hard partitions
or virtual partitions and is controlled by workload management
services within the operating system. Resource partitions enable an
operating system instance to allocate resources between competing
applications. Windows Server 2003 does not support resource partitions.
This document focuses on nPartitions running Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
Cell structure of nPartitions
HP Integrity mid-range and high-end servers (rx7620/rx7640, rx8620/rx8640, and Superdome)
are composed of basic building blocks known as cells or cell boards. A cell consists of up to four
processor modules, contains memory modules (up to 32 DIMMs for Superdome cells, up to 16
DIMMs for rx7260 and rx8620 cells), and can connect to an I/O chassis that has I/O cards. A server
cabinet can have several I/O chassis. Some cell-based servers support I/O expansion cabinets to
provide additional I/O chassis.
12 Introduction