nPartition Administrator's Guide

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.
5. The tool sends the revised Complex Profile entry back to the service processor along with
the corresponding lock key.
6. The service processor then "pushes out" the new, revised Complex Profile entry by updating
its copy and updating all cells that have a copy of the entry.
However, the service processor will not push out a revised Complex Profile entry that affects
the nPartition assignment of an active cell. In this case the revised entry will remain pending
until the cell becomes inactive, for example during a reboot for reconfig or shutdown for
reconfig of the nPartition to which the cell is assigned.
7. After the service processor has pushed out the revised Complex Profile entry it clears the
lock for the entry.
After the entry is unlocked then, as needed, another nPartition configuration task can lock
and revise that portion of the Complex Profile.
A single administration task can revise multiple Complex Profile entries. For example, you can
create a new nPartition and assign its name in a single action. In this case the tool you use must
lock both the Stable Complex Configuration Data and the Partition Configuration Data entry for
the new nPartition before revising the data according to the administration request.
Multiple nPartition configuration tasks can occur essentially concurrently if all tasks revise
different Complex Profile entries (thus allowing each task to acquire a lock for the entry it revises).
38 Getting Started with nPartitions