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System partitioning, Server Consolidation, with the IBM, xSeries 440 and VMware ESX Server

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1.2 System partitioning Partitioning is the ability to divide a system to support multiple operating system images simultaneously. The benefits of system partitioning include: Hardware consolidation Software migration and coexistence Version control Development, testing and maintenance Workload isolation Resource optimization around a particular application and operating system combination Independent backup and recovery on a partition basis There are two types of system partitioning: physical partitioning (hardware-based, but not yet available) and logical partitioning (software-based, enabled with VMware ESX Server): Logical partitioning Using logical partitioning, administrators can partition a multinode complex at the individual processor level (with associated memory, I/O and other required resources) or even lower (that is, multiple partitions per processor) without shutting down and restarting the hardware and software. VMware ESX Server V1.5 supports one to eight partitions per CPU, up to a maximum total of 64 partitions. For example, in an eight-way server, you can have between eight partitions and 64 partitions. In V1.5, a partition cannot span multiple CPUs, but a partition can be allocated a fraction of a CPU, down to 1/8th of a CPU. ESX Server virtualizes the resources of the x440 and is the closest that Intel-based servers have come to date to the LPAR implementation of zSeries mainframes. When workload demands change, you can reassign resources from one logical partition to another without having to shut down and restart the system. ESX Server does not, however, support hot-adding of hardware (such as disks and adapters). For more information on ESX Server, see the redbook Server Consolidation with the IBM ^ xSeries 440 and VMware ESX Server, SG24-6852 and 3.5.7, "VMware ESX Server" on page 98. Physical partitioning This form of partitioning is available in 4Q 2002 with the release of System Partition Manager, a plug-in for IBM Director. 6 IBM ^ xSeries 440 Planning and Installation Guide

Section	Page
Front cover	1
Contents	5
Notices	9
Trademarks	10
Preface	11
The team that wrote this redbook	11
Become a published author	14
Comments welcome	14
Chapter 1. Technical description	15
1.1 The x440 product line	16
1.2 System partitioning	20
1.3 IBM XA-32 chipset	21
1.4 Processors	26
1.4.1 Intel Xeon Processor MP	27
1.4.2 Intel Xeon Processor DP	30
1.5 SMP Expansion Module	31
1.6 IBM XceL4 Server Accelerator Cache	33
1.7 System memory	33
1.8 PCI subsystem	37
1.9 Redundancy	38
1.10 Light Path Diagnostics	39
1.11 Remote Supervisor Adapter	41
1.12 Operating system support	42
1.13 IBM Director	44
Chapter 2. Positioning	49
2.1 xSeries 440 application solutions	50
2.1.1 Server consolidation	50
2.1.2 Enterprise applications	52
2.1.3 Infrastructure applications	54
2.1.4 Clustering	55
2.2 Why choose the x440	57
2.2.1 IBM XA-32 chipset	57
2.2.2 Intel Xeon MP and DP processors	58
2.2.3 XceL4 Server Accelerator Cache	60
2.2.4 High-performance memory subsystem	60
2.2.5 Active PCI-X	61
2.2.6 XpandOnDemand scalability	61
2.2.7 System Partition Manager	62
2.3 The benefits of system partitioning	63
2.4 Server consolidation	65
2.4.1 Types of server consolidation	65
2.4.2 Why consolidate servers	71
2.4.3 Benefits from server consolidation	71
Chapter 3. Planning	77
3.1 System hardware	78
3.1.1 Processors	78
3.1.2 Memory	79
3.1.3 PCI slot configuration	82
3.1.4 Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet controller	86
3.2 Cabling and connectivity	88
3.2.1 SMP Expansion Module connectivity	88
3.2.2 Remote Supervisor Adapter connectivity	91
3.2.3 Remote Expansion Enclosure	92
3.2.4 Serial connections	97
3.3 Storage considerations	97
3.3.1 xSeries storage solutions	98
3.3.2 Disk subsystem performance	102
3.3.3 Tape backup	103
3.4 Server partitioning and consolidation	104
3.5 Operating system considerations	104
3.5.1 Windows 2000 Datacenter Server	106
3.5.2 Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition	109
3.5.3 Microsoft Windows 2000 Server	110
3.5.4 Microsoft Windows .NET Server	111
3.5.5 Novell NetWare	111
3.5.6 Red Hat/SuSE Linux	111
3.5.7 VMware ESX Server	112
3.6 Application considerations	114
3.6.1 Scalability and performance considerations	114
3.6.2 SMP and server types	115
3.7 Rack installation	116
3.8 Power considerations	117
3.9 Solution Assurance Review	118
Chapter 4. Installation	121
4.1 System BIOS settings	122
4.1.1 Updating BIOS and firmware	122
4.1.2 Enabling memory mirroring	122
4.1.3 Enabling Hyper-Threading	123
4.2 Device drivers	125
4.3 Operating system installation	125
4.3.1 Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server	126
4.3.2 Red Hat Linux installation	133
4.3.3 NetWare installation	135
4.3.4 VMware ESX Server	142
4.4 Additional Information	142
Chapter 5. Management	143
5.1 Active PCI Manager	144
5.1.1 Using Active PCI Manager	146
5.1.2 Adding adapters to the system	150
5.1.3 Analyzing an existing configuration	158
5.2 System Partition Manager	164
5.3 Process Control	169
5.3.1 Process alias rules	170
5.3.2 Process execution rules	174
5.3.3 Group process execution rules	175
Abbreviations and acronyms	187
Related publications	189
IBM Redbooks	189
Referenced Web sites	189
How to get IBM Redbooks	192
IBM Redbooks collections	192
Index	193

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IBM

xSeries 440 Planning and Installation Guide

1.2

System partitioning

Partitioning is the ability to divide a system to support multiple operating system

images simultaneously. The benefits of system partitioning include:

Hardware consolidation

Software migration and coexistence

Version control

Development, testing and maintenance

Workload isolation

Resource optimization around a particular application and operating system

combination

Independent backup and recovery on a partition basis

There are two types of system partitioning: physical partitioning

(hardware-based, but not yet available) and logical partitioning (software-based,

enabled with VMware ESX Server):

Logical partitioning

Using logical partitioning, administrators can partition a multinode complex at

the individual processor level (with associated memory, I/O and other required

resources) or even lower (that is, multiple partitions per processor) without

shutting down and restarting the hardware and software.

VMware ESX Server V1.5 supports one to eight partitions per CPU, up to a

maximum total of 64 partitions. For example, in an eight-way server, you can

have between eight partitions and 64 partitions. In V1.5, a partition cannot

span multiple CPUs, but a partition can be allocated a fraction of a CPU,

down to 1/8th of a CPU.

ESX Server virtualizes the resources of the x440 and is the closest that

Intel-based servers have come to date to the LPAR implementation of zSeries

mainframes.

When workload demands change, you can reassign resources from one

logical partition to another without having to shut down and restart the

system. ESX Server does not, however, support hot-adding of hardware

(such as disks and adapters).

For more information on ESX Server, see the redbook

Server Consolidation

with the IBM

xSeries 440 and VMware ESX Server

, SG24-6852 and

3.5.7,

“

VMware ESX Server

”

on page 98.

Physical partitioning

This form of partitioning is available in 4Q 2002 with the release of System

Partition Manager, a plug-in for IBM Director.