The Value of the VIOS Media Library

 Introduction

I was recently tasked with building a new AIX 7.1 LPAR on a customer IBM Power 750. This LPAR was to become the NIM Master for the customers’ environment. Naturally, I looked for the quickest, most efficient method to accomplish the installation.
 

Overview

The system setup consisted of a HMC, dual VIOS configuration and my newly created HMC LPAR profile, minus its’ O/S. There was no other easily available installation device to deploy from, so my options were limited in terms of the AIX installation process.

In the past, this scenario would have meant obtaining the physical AIX 7.1 Base Operating System DVD media and travelling to the customer site to insert the installation disk into the DVD drive to perform the AIX install.

However, with the VIOS already in place, I figured out that I could utilise IBM virtualisation technology to install my new AIX 7.1 O/S.

With the setup as it was, I had the ability to create and configure a VIOS Virtual Media Library. I could then use this Virtual Media Library to store an .iso file image of the AIX 7.1 Base Operating System and use this image to boot and install AIX 7.1 onto my new LPAR.

Prerequisites

·         There should be an existing pair of virtual SCSI adapters paired between the VIOS and the client LPAR. In my case, since the client did not have an OS installed, I verified the adapter pairing through the partition properties profile on the HMC.

·         Works with VIOS running ioslevels 2.2.0, 2.2.1.1

·         There needs to be sufficient space on your VIOS to accommodate the .iso file, typically, ~5G.

·         The ‘padmin’ password on your VIOS.

 OK, So…

What's the procedure to create and use a VIOS Virtual Media Library?

What's the procedure to install an AIX base ISO to an AIX LPAR using a VIOS Virtual Machine Library?

 

Let’s Setup the Virtual Machine Library to Perform the AIX Install…

First of all, I downloaded the AIX 7.1 Base Operating System disk 1 of 2 AIX_7100-03-03_BASE_DSK_1_OF_2.ISO file from the IBM Software Access Catalogue and transferred the file to my newly created /home/padmin/AIX_iso sub-directory on the customer VIOS.

With the .iso file safely on the VIOS, I could now go ahead and create my media repository. But first of all, I had to make sure a repository didn’t already exist:

$ lsrep

The DVD repository has not been created yet.

$

OK, no repository exists, so it was safe for me to create it. My VIOS contained only rootvg, and I decided to allocate the repository 10G of space:

$ mkrep -sp rootvg -size 10G

Virtual Media Repository Created

Repository created within "VMLibrary" logical volume

$

A re-run of the lsrep command now showed me that the DVD repository had been successfully created:

$ lsrep

Size(mb) Free(mb) Parent Pool         Parent Size      Parent Free

   10198    10198 rootvg                   279552           214016

$

It was now time to create the virtual media disk – I decided to call it “base_71_TL3”. This command took a couple of minutes to run:

$ mkvopt -name base_71_TL3 -file /home/padmin/AIX_iso/AIX_7100-03-03_BASE_DSK_1_OF_2.ISO -ro

$

I could now verify that the virtual media disk was part of the repository:

$ lsrep

Size(mb) Free(mb) Parent Pool         Parent Size      Parent Free

   10198     6109 rootvg                   279552           214016

Name                                    File Size Optical         Access

base_71_TL3                                  4089 None            ro

$

In my customer environment, vhost2 happened to be the vhost ID associated with my new LPAR profile that I had already set up on the HMC. The next step was to create the file backed adapter and map it to vhost2:

$ mkvdev -fbo -vadapter vhost2

vtopt1 Available

$

Next, I loaded the virtual media disk onto the vtopt device:

$ loadopt -vtd vtopt1 -disk base_71_TL3

$

Notice now that the ‘Optical’ value has changed from 'None' to 'vtopt1':

$ lsrep

Size(mb) Free(mb) Parent Pool         Parent Size      Parent Free

   10198     6109 rootvg                   279552           214016

Name                                    File Size Optical         Access

base_71_TL3                                  4089 vtopt1          ro

$

I verified that the vtopt1 backing device was in fact the virtual media disk location:

$ lsmap -vadapter vhost2

SVSA            Physloc                                      Client Partition ID

--------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------

vhost2          U8233.E8B.06C7BCP-V1-C4                      0x00000014

VTD                   vtopt1

Status                Available

LUN                   0x8100000000000000

Backing device        /var/vio/VMLibrary/base_71_TL3

Physloc

Mirrored              N/A

$

 At this point, I was ready to install AIX onto my new LPAR using the VIOS Virtual Machine Library

The Benefits…

It took me twenty six minutes to transfer the AIX .iso file from my local machine to the destination VIOS.

There was no requirement to physically attend the customer site to insert the media. The AIX installation was performed remotely throughout its entirety.

Savings were made in terms of travel costs, hotel and subsistence expenses. There was no time wasted travelling to and from site and there was no harm caused to the environment.

There was no inconvenience to the customer in terms of having to book and sign me onto site, to reserve a parking space.

The distance from my place of work to the customer data centre is nearly 200 miles. The car journey would have taken three hours and nineteen minutes ‘in current traffic’. To accomplish the same time savings by car, I would have had to drive at an average non-stop speed of 456.92 mph!  

Should you require any further information regarding a VIOS Virtual Media Library please do not hesitate to contact Celerity

Chris Lang, Technical Consultant

Celerity Limited 

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