Planning Superdome Configurations HP 9000 Computers Edition 1 E1200 United States © Copyright 1983-2000 Hewlett-Packard Company. All rights reserved..
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Publication History • First Edition: December 2000 (HP-UX 11i) 4
Contents 1. Planning Superdome Configurations How To Use this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Building Blocks and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Outline of this Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents Recommendations for Cabling Crossbar Controllers (XBCs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When Do You Need To Think about Cabling? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guidelines for Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing Cells for Partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Before you go on, read: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Planning Superdome Configurations 1 Planning Superdome Configurations What follows is a white paper intended to help system administrators and system architects plan, configure and reconfigure the structural components of a Superdome complex. It contains the following sections: 1. “How To Use this Document” on page 8. 2. “Building Blocks and Definitions” on page 10. 3. “Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex” on page 47.
Planning Superdome Configurations How To Use this Document How To Use this Document Terms: • Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. - Unassigned cell: see “Cell Types” on page 33. • Complex: see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16. • I/O chassis: see “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41. • Partition: see “What is a Partition?” on page 22. Full Glossary on page 11 .
Planning Superdome Configurations How To Use this Document You may be reading this paper in the form of an appendix to Managing Superdome Complexes, or as PDF file delivered in the /usr/share/doc directory of an HP-UX 11i system. The most recent version is published on Hewlett-Packard’s documentation website, docs.hp.com. To check that version for changes, go to docs.hp.com, then choose “Browse by Topic”, then “HP-UX 11i Operating System” and then “White Papers” under “System Administration”.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Building Blocks and Definitions Outline of this Section • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 “Glossary” on page 11 “What is a Superdome System?” on page 15 “What Is a Complex?” on page 16 “What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20 “What is a Partition?” on page 22 “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23 “What is a Cell?” on page 27 “What is an XBC (Crossbar Controller)?” on page 36 “Crossbar Connections” on page 38 “What is an I/O Chassis?” on
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Glossary • 16-, 32-, 64-way-capable system: The three Superdome models currently available; see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. • CPU cabinet: Superdome’s hardware “box”; see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. • Cell; cell board: Superdome’s hardware building blocks, containing memory, processors and other core components; see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. ❏ active cell: a cell in use in a partition; see “Active Cell” on page 33.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • Complex: A hardware configuration that can support multiple instances of an operating system (by means of partitions); see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16. • Complex Profile: The data structure managed by the Guardian Service Processor that represents the configuration of a complex. See “The Complex Profile” on page 16. • Core I/O: Comprises console support and 10/100 Base T LAN; see “Core I/O” on page 42.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • I/O slots: The slots in an I/O chassis; see “I/O Cards” on page 41. • IPL: Initial Program Load(er). See “What Happens when a Cell Boots” on page 35. • Local Bus Adapter: The chip that connects an individual I/O slot to the System Bus Adapter, and thence to a cell; see “Cell Connectivity” on page 32. • Monarch CPU: The processor that performs selftest and other functions when a cell is activated as part of a booting partition.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • SAM: The menu-driven System Administration Manager tool used to configure HP-UX. • Single Computer Board (SBC) and SBC Hub (SBCH): The components of the Guardian Service Processor (GSP). See “What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20. There is one SBC per complex, and one SBCH per CPU cabinet.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is a Superdome System? Terms: • • • • Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. Complex: see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16. CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. Partition: see “What is a Partition?” on page 22. Full Glossary on page 11 . Superdome is a high-end server that can be (though it does not have to be) partitioned into several systems-within-a-system, each running its own operating-system “image” or instance.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What Is a Complex? Terms: • • • • • • • • Active, inactive, unassigned cell: see “Active Cell” on page 33. Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. Core cell: see “Core Cell” on page 33. CPU cabinet; 32-way-capable system; 64-way-capable system: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. Guardian Service Processor (GSP): see “What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20. iCOD: see “Instant Capacity on Demand (iCOD)” on page 31.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • Stable complex configuration information (Group A), including: ❏ Attributes of the complex (its name, model number, serial number, etc) ❏ cell-to-partition assignments and unassigned cells ❏ XBC connections ❏ other complex-wide information • Dynamic complex configuration information (Group B).
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions ❏ iCOD information indicating how many processors in the partition, if any, you have not purchased; see “Instant Capacity on Demand (iCOD)” on page 31.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • If the partition configuration information (Group C) has changed: ❏ The changes are broadcast to the cells in that partition immediately, though the information will normally not be used until the next time the partition boots. Point to note: The GSP will not update stable complex configuration information (Group A) for any cell unless it can update all cells, and it cannot update the partition assignment of an active cell.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is the Guardian Service Processor? Terms: • • • • Complex: see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16. CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. Partition: see “What is a Partition?” on page 22. Support Management Station (SMS): see “Support Management Station (SMS)” on page 46. Full Glossary on page 11 .
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions • Always-on capability. The GSP is alive so long as the circuit breakers are closed. • Access control. Provides three levels of capabilities. • Multiple access methods: ❏ Local RS232 port, providing support for directly connected terminal or laptop computer. ❏ Remote-modem port. ❏ Customer LAN port, providing support for telnet access.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is a Partition? Terms: • • • • Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. Complex: see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16. CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. I/O chassis: see “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41. Full Glossary on page 11 . A partition corresponds roughly to a single, standalone system.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is a CPU Cabinet? Terms: • • • • Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27 Complex: see “What Is a Complex?” on page 16 I/O chassis: see “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41 Guardian Service Processor: see“What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions A CPU cabinet is Superdome's hardware “box.” It contains: • cells; • The Guardian Service Processor (one per complex); • I/O chassis (a maximum of four chassis for a maximum of 48 slots); • five top-venting I/O fans; • four top-venting cabinet fans; • six power supplies, connected to the power source by one or (for redundancy) two cables. This block diagram shows how all the components in a 32-way-capable system communicate.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Chapter 1 25
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions NOTE A CPU cabinet has no room for internal disks; all peripherals are external, attached to the I/O chassis. Cabinets can be cabled together to form a complex. A complex comprises a maximum of two cabinets. A single cabinet is a 16-way-capable (SD1600) or 32-way-capable (SD3200) system; two contiguous cabinets cabled together are a 64-way-capable system (SD6400).
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is a Cell? Terms: • • • • • • • • • • • • CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. Cell Controller (CC): see “Cell Controller (CC)” on page 30. Complex: see“What Is a Complex?” on page 16. Complex profile: see “The Complex Profile” on page 16. Core I/O: see “Core I/O” on page 42. GSP: see “What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20. I/O chassis: see “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions A cell, or cell board, is the basic building block of a Superdome system. When configuring or reconfiguring a complex, you assign cells to partitions. A cell provides processing power comparable to that of a mid-range server, but a Superdome system supports this processing power with much greater memory capacity and I/O bandwidth. For more information, see: • • • • • “Cell Components” on page 28. “Cell Compatibility” on page 32.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions This cell contains four double speed busses, each connecting a single processor to the cell controller(CC) chip, which controls the cell's memory and links the cell to other cells and to I/O.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Cell Controller (CC) The cell controller chip co-ordinates memory between the major components of a cell board • memory controllers (DIMMs), • processors, • the I/O bus (System Bus Adapter) - and determines if a request requires communication with another cell or with the I/O subsystem.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Processors Each cell contains four processors. All the processors in the same partition must be of the same type (the partition will not boot if they are not). At first release, the only processor type available is PA-8600. Instant Capacity on Demand (iCOD) All cells are delivered with four processors, but you pay only for the processors you use.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Memory Each cell can contain up to 16 GB RAM in 2 GB increments. Performance and High Availability For high availability reasons, a cell should contain at least 8 memory DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory Modules) for a minimum of 4 GB RAM. For the best performance, all the cells in a partition should contain the same amount of RAM.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Crossbar Link to CPU Cabinet Cells are connected to the cabinet by means of the cell controller's crossbar (XBC) link. A maximum of four cells plug into a crossbar; there are two crossbar in a CPU cabinet. See “What is an XBC (Crossbar Controller)?” on page 36 for more information.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions NOTE In a booted partition that has more than one viable core cell, the only core I/O card that is active is the core cell’s. How the Core Cell is Selected. If a partition has more than one viable core cell, PDC (Processor Dependent Code) decides when the partition is booting which cell should be the core cell. It does this on the basis of a prioritized list which is part of the Partition Configuration Data maintained by the GSP.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What Happens when a Cell Boots This section explains how a cell becomes active as its partition boots. The sequence is as follows: 1. The system administrator enables power to the cell. (This can be done by means of the HP-UX frupower command, or from SAM or the GSP.) 2. The cell is held in the reset state until power stabilizes. 3. The cell is released from reset and boot is blocked (that is, the cell is on but is not allowed to boot). 4.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is an XBC (Crossbar Controller)? Terms: • 64-way-capable system; CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. • Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. • Cell Controller: see “Cell Controller (CC)” on page 30. • Partition: see “What is a Partition?” on page 22. Full Glossary on page 11 . Each CPU cabinet contains two crossbar backplane boards.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Chapter 1 37
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions The two XBCs in a cabinet are connected to each other and, in a 64-way-capable system, to the two XBCs in the other cabinet as well. These connections allow cells to communicate and to share memory both within and across crossbars, allowing partitions comprising more than four cells. You need to be careful when configuring partitions that cross crossbar boundaries; not all configurations which are physically possible are supported.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions In a 64-way-capable-system, another of these three ports connects the crossbar to the corresponding XBC in the other cabinet: Direct and Flex Links (64-way-capable-system) +------+ +------+ | | B | | | XBC0 |----------| XBC8 | | | | | +------+ +------+ |A |A | | +------+ +------+ | | B | | | XBC4 |----------|XBC12 | | | | | +------+ +------+ This figure shows the XBC-XBC links between crossbars (A) and the flex links between corresponding XB
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions U-Turn (32-way-capable-system) +------+ | | B | XBC0 |-----| | +------+ A| |C | | +------+ | | B | XBC4 |-----| | +------+ In this figure, C shows a second XBC-XBC link (a flex link) between XBCs in the same cabinet. This is a U-Turn configuration for a 32-way-capable-system. Note that the ports labeled B are not connected to anything.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is an I/O Chassis? Terms: • • • • CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. Cell: see “What is a Cell?” on page 27. Partition: see “What is a Partition?” on page 22. GSP (Guardian Service Processor): see “What is the Guardian Service Processor?” on page 20. Full Glossary on page 11 . An I/O chassis enables a cell, and hence a partition to communicate with I/O devices such as the system console, disk drives and the network.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Core I/O Each partition must contain at least one cell that is attached to an I/O chassis containing core I/O, which comprises primarily: • console support • 10/100 BaseT LAN Placement of Core I/O, Boot and Removable Media Cards: • Put the core-I/O card in the rightmost slot (slot 0) of an I/O chassis (this is the only slot it can go in). • Put the boot device controller in the same I/O chassis as the core I/O card.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Configuring and Controlling an I/O Chassis Before a chassis is installed in its I/O bay and cabled to a cell, you will not be able to power it on. Once the chassis is cabled to a cell, powering on the cell will power on the chassis and powering off the cell will power off the chassis. Powering off a chassis that is attached to an active cell requires some planning.
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions What is an I/O Expansion Cabinet? Terms: • CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. • I/O chassis: see “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41. Full Glossary on page 11 . NOTE I/O expansion cabinets are not available with early shipments of Superdome. Contact your HP Sales Representative for up-to-date information. An I/O expansion cabinet contains up to six twelve-slot I/O chassis (cardcages).
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions The Console and the Support Management System Chapter 1 45
Planning Superdome Configurations Building Blocks and Definitions Support Management Station (SMS) The Support Management Station (SMS), sometimes called a scan station, is an HP-UX workstation (A500 or equivalent) that runs Superdome diagnostics and testing tools. These tools are used by HP Customer Engineers or Service Engineers to monitor the health of your Superdome systems and to aid in system upgrades and hardware replacement.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex This section contains information on the following topics: • “Recommendations for Cabling Crossbar Controllers (XBCs)” on page 48. • “Choosing Cells for Partitions” on page 49. • “Partitions, Cells and I/O Chassis” on page 60. • “Checklist for Performance” on page 69. • “Checklist for High Availability” on page 70.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Recommendations for Cabling Crossbar Controllers (XBCs) Before you go on, read: • “What is a Partition?” on page 22. • “What is a Cell?” on page 27. • “What is an XBC (Crossbar Controller)?” on page 36: - “Crossbar Connections” on page 38. Other terms and concepts: • 32-way, 64-way-capable system: see“What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23. • CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Choosing Cells for Partitions Before you go on, read: • “What is a Partition?” on page 22. • “What is a Cell?” on page 27: - “Core Cell” on page 33 • “What is an XBC (Crossbar Controller)?” on page 36: - “Crossbar Connections” on page 38. Other terms and concepts: • “Recommendations for Cabling Crossbar Controllers (XBCs)” on page 48. • 16-, 32- 64-way-capable-system, CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex redundant connections between crossbars in the same cabinet. This means that in 64-way-capable complexes containing a partition larger than six cells, the best performance comes from spreading out the cells among the four crossbars so as not to overload any single crossbar-to-crossbar link. These and other considerations are spelled out in the guidelines that follow the tables.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Superdome 16-way and Superdome 32-way Recommended Partition Configurations Cell Slots Config Set Superdome 16-way 0 1 2 3 2B Two-Cell Partitions 1 2A 2B 2A Three-Cell Partition 2 3A 3A 3A Four-Cell Partition 3 4A 4A 4A 4A Superdome 32-way Cell Slots 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2C 2B 2D 2B 2D 3B 3B 3B 4B 4B 4B Two-Cell Partitions 4 2A 2C 2A Three-Cell Partitions 5 3A 3A 3A Four-Cell Part
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Two-Cell Partitions 11 Superdome 64-way Cabinet 0 Superdome 64-way Cabinet 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2A 2E 2A 2E 2C 2G 2C 2G 2B 2F 2B 2F 2D 2H 2D 2H 2I 2I 12 13 Three-Cell Partitions 14 2J 2J 3A 3A 3A 3C 3C 3C 3B 3B 3B 3D 15 Four-Cell Partitions 16 4A 4A 4A 4A 4C 4C 4E 17 4C 4C 4B 4B 4B 4B 4D 18 5A 5A 5A 5A Six-Cell Partitions 19 6A 6A 6A
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Building a Complex from Scratch When building a complex from scratch, begin with the largest partition and proceed to the smallest. Put the first cell of the largest partition in slot 0 of the left CPU cabinet, then start the next largest partition in the lowest-numbered of the remaining empty slots, and so on.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Starting-slots for new partitions.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Where To Add Cells • If the cells in a given partition will not fill all four of the slots in a given crossbar, plug the cells into alternate slots. Explanation: Pairs of slots (0 and 1, 2 and 3, etc.) share ports on the crossbar controller (XBC). To even out traffic, a partition that uses only two slots in a crossbar should use slots that don’t share ports, such as 0 and 2, or 1 and 3.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex • If a partition comprises four cells or fewer, all the cells should be connected to the same crossbar. For example, two four-cell partitions should be configured such that the cells of each plug into a single crossbar. Explanation: There are two crossbars to a CPU cabinet, and a maximum of four cells can plug into each.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Exception: A 64-way-capable system containing a large partition may need to break this rule. See the Exceptions under the previous guideline and “Building a Complex from Scratch” on page 53.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Distributing Resources • Each partition should consist of at least two cells. • Each partition should contain at least two viable core cells. See “Partitions, Cells and I/O Chassis” on page 60 for more information. • Each cell should have at least two active CPUs. • Configure cells into partitions by powers of two if possible.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Guidelines for Expandability When populating a CPU cabinet, plan, as far as possible, not only for your immediate needs but also for what you may want to add in the future. For example, if you define four 2-cell partitions in a 32-way-capable system, you are leaving no room for expansion in that cabinet.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Partitions, Cells and I/O Chassis Before you go on, read: • “What is a Cell?” on page 27: - “Cell I/O” on page 32. - “Core Cell” on page 33. • “What is an I/O Chassis?” on page 41: - “Core I/O” on page 42 • “What is an I/O Expansion Cabinet?” on page 44. • “What is a Partition?” on page 22. Other terms and concepts: • 16-, 32-way, 64-way-capable system; CPU cabinet: see “What is a CPU Cabinet?” on page 23.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex • A cell must be active in a partition before the partition can use an I/O chassis attached to that cell. That is, the cell that is attached to the I/O chassis must not only have been assigned to the partition, but also powered on and booted; see “What Happens when a Cell Boots” on page 35. • A 16- or 32-way-capable system should have at least two I/O chassis, and a 64-way-capable system should have at least four I/O chassis.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Loading and Assigning I/O Chassis As shipped from the factory, I/O chassis will be loaded into the CPU cabinet and assigned to cells in the following order: I/O Bay# Chassis# Position 1 3 rear right 0 1 front left 1 1 rear left 0 3 front right It’s a good idea to keep to this order when you add I/O chassis to an installed system. Given the above layout, populate an empty CPU cabinet as follows.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex • A partition’s core cell (the cell it boots from by default) should normally be its lowest-numbered cell. • Each partition’s core cell should be attached to an I/O chassis inside the CPU cabinet if possible. • When configuring additional (alternate) core cells for a partition, use the partition’s next lowest-numbered cells, and, if the partition crosses CPU cabinet boundaries, use the cells in the left cabinet first.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Rules • Each I/O chassis can be connected to only one cell, and each cell can be connected to only one I/O chassis. See “Cell I/O” on page 32 for more information. • Each partition must contain at least one cell that is attached to an I/O chassis containing core I/O. This cell should be the lowest-numbered cell in the partition (the leftmost cell in the partition when you are looking at the cabinet from the front).
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex • An I/O expansion cabinet can be used by only one complex. This means that the two CPU cabinets in a 64-way-capable system can share an expansion cabinet, but two 32-way-capable systems (that is, single cabinets not combined into a 64-way-capable system) cannot. NOTE The two CPU cabinets in a 64-way-capable system can share the first expansion cabinet, but the second can be used by cells in the right CPU cabinet only.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Guidelines for High Availability • Make sure that more than one cell in each partition has an I/O chassis containing core I/O (partitions containing only one cell, or connected to only one I/O chassis, are not recommended). The cells attached to chassis containing core I/O should be the partition’s lowest-numbered cells.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Paths to boot and root disk For a partition performing mission-critical tasks, configure the following paths to the boot device: 1. Primary attached to one viable core cell. 2. Secondary attached to the same viable core cell. 3.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Guidelines for Performance • If more than one cell in a partition is attached to an I/O chassis, spread out the I/O devices amongst the cells. Performance will probably not be as good if all or most I/O operations go through one cell. • Do not use the core I/O card as the partition’s main connection to the network (to your site LAN, for example).
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Checklist for Performance This section summarizes the recommendations in “Recommendations for Cabling Crossbar Controllers (XBCs)” on page 48, “Choosing Cells for Partitions” on page 49 and “Partitions, Cells and I/O Chassis” on page 60. Explanations and exceptions are in those sections or as noted in parentheses below; this section is for quick reference only.
Planning Superdome Configurations Rules and Guidelines for Configuring a Complex Checklist for High Availability In many cases, best practices for high availability are the same as those for performance, though the underlying reasons are different. This section summarizes the recommendations in “Choosing Cells for Partitions” on page 49 and “Partitions, Cells and I/O Chassis” on page 60. Explanations and exceptions are in those sections; this section is for quick reference only.