HP Instant Capacity User's Guide for Versions 8.x

GiCAP Grouping Rules
Once you have determined which system will host a Group Manager, you must acquire grouping
rules from the portal and install the encrypted file on the Group Manager system using the
icapmanage -i command. Under some circumstances you may need to acquire newer grouping
rules from the portal (for example, when adding new hardware not covered by the grouping
rules currently in use).
GiCAP Sharing Rights
In order to create a GiCAP group with members, you must purchase GiCAP Sharing Rights,
acquire the GiCAP codeword from the HP Utility Pricing Solutions portal
(http://www.hp.com/go/icap/portal), and apply the associated codeword to the Group Manager
system. You purchase at least as many GiCAP Sharing Rights as the total number of cores without
usage rights across all the potential group members. Members can be added to a GiCAP group
as long as there are sufficient Sharing Rights available, and as long as the grouping rules indicate
hardware compatibility.
Note that unlike other iCAP codewords, GiCAP codewords must be generated for, and applied
to, a specific partition if the Group Manager is on a partitionable system. This means that in order
to retrieve the codeword, you must specify the purchase order number, the system serial number
and partition information, if any. Use the icapmanage -s command on the Group Manager
system to get the serial number and nPar ID, or vPar code that is applicable.
GiCAP codewords also have a sequence value and must be applied in the order in which they
were generated for the Group Manager system. However, GiCAP codewords are sequenced
independently from any other types of iCAP codewords that might be generated for the same
system, and can therefore be applied independently from iCAP codewords.
GiCAP Group Creation
After the Sharing Rights codeword and the grouping rules have been applied to the Group
Manager (as needed), a GiCAP group can be created by issuing the icapmanage command
using the -a and -g options. Members are added by issuing the icapmanage command using
the -a option, the -g option to select the group name, and the -m option to specify a name for
the new member along with a list of hosts running on the system. The list of hosts must include
at least one host per nPartition or virtual partition on the system.
Note that a single partition of a complex cannot join a GiCAP group; all partitions of a complex
must be specified when creating a group member. Each member that joins the group decreases
the available GiCAP Sharing Rights by the number of cores without usage rights contributed by
that member complex.
GiCAP Resource Sharing
Once a group has been established, Instant Capacity resources (core, cell board, memory usage
rights, and temporary capacity) may be shared among all the members of the group.
Usage rights are shared by deactivating resources on one group member, and then activating
resources on another member of the group. In effect, the system on which the resources were
deactivated is loaning usage rights to the activating (or borrowing) system. The activation and
deactivation commands are done using the usual icapmodify commands on the individual
member systems to effect this “loan” operation (also sometimes referred to as a transfer of usage
rights).
Any temporary capacity available to individual members of the group is combined into a larger
pool of temporary capacity that is available for consumption by any and all members of the
group, as needed. Usage of shared temporary capacity is exactly the same as with individually
purchased TiCAP: group members use the icapmodify -a -t command to activate shared
temporary capacity. Note that this differs from the sharing of usage rights in that temporary
capacity is never a “loan” to be returned; it is always depleted through its usage over time.
140