HP 9000 rp7410 nPartition Administrator's Guide, Second Edition - Page 37

The Complex Profile consists of three parts, or groups of data, which are described in detail in Table 1-5 (page 40): • "Stable Complex Configuration Data" (page 40) - This group contains complex-wide settings, including the complex name, serial number, the nPartition assignment for each cell, and other details that apply to the entire server complex. The Complex Profile contains one Stable Complex Configuration Data entry. • "Dynamic Complex Configuration Data" (page 40) - Architecturally reserved data. • "Partition Configuration Data" (page 40) - This group contains individual nPartition settings, including the nPartition name, core cell choices, and other details that are specific to an nPartition. The Complex Profile contains a Partition Configuration Data entry for each possible nPartition. (A server complex may have a maximum of sixteen nPartitions, globally numbered from 0-15.) The master copy of all parts of the Complex Profile resides on the service processor (MP or GSP) for the complex. Each cell in the complex also has a copy of the Stable Complex Configuration Data and a copy of the Partition Configuration Data for the nPartition to which it is assigned. The service processor (MP or GSP) in the server manages all Complex Profile data and keeps all copies of the data coherent using a locking mechanism, as described in the next sections. Changing the Server Complex Profile To modify the Complex Profile and thus change the server complex configuration, you use an administration tool such as Partition Manager or one of the nPartition commands. See "Administration Tools for nPartitions" (page 18) for details. You cannot directly edit the Complex Profile data for a server. The service processor maintains a set of locks that are used to ensure that only one set of changes to the Complex Profile occurs at a time. When you configure nPartitions, the administration tools you use revise the Complex Profile for the server in coordination with the service processor. The tools acquire and release locks as needed when modifying Complex Profile entries. You do not directly manage Complex Profile locks under normal circumstances, but you can force an entry to be unlocked if required. How the Complex Profile is Updated A server Complex Profile is updated when you use one of the nPartition administration tools (such as Partition Manager or commands) to create, modify, or delete an nPartition or modify complex-wide data. The general process by which changes to the Complex Profile occur is as follows: 1. An administrator uses an nPartition administration tool to request that a specific configuration change occurs. This is a request to create, modify, or delete an nPartition or modify complex-wide data such as the complex name. 2. The tool acquires a lock from the service processor (MP or GSP) for the Complex Profile entry that will be revised. The lock ensures that no other changes to the Complex Profile entry will occur while the tool revises it. If the entry already is locked, that Complex Profile entry cannot be updated and the request will fail and the tool exits with an error message. 3. The tool reads the Complex Profile entry whose lock it has acquired. 4. The tool revises the Complex Profile entry according to the administrator request. Complex Profile 37