HP Instant Capacity Version 10.x User Guide (5900-2170, January 2012)

Virtual Partitions
Instant Capacity has a minimum version dependency on vPars A.03.05. For versions of vPars
before A.03.05, the icapmodify command for activating or deactivating cores in a virtual
partition fails with an error message indicating the vPars version dependency.
Instant Capacity can be present on systems or partitions where virtual partition technology is
employed. In a virtual partition environment, cores that are not assigned to any virtual partition
are considered inactive (in addition to other classes of inactive cores). Unassigned cores can be
assigned (activated) or deassigned (deactivated) using either the icapmodify command or the
vparmodify command, depending on the type of adjustment needed, the version of vPars being
used, and the level of logging or reporting desired.
One important consideration is that vparmodify can be used to activate or deactivate cores in
other virtual partitions within the nPartition; icapmodify only activates or deactivates cores within
the current virtual partition (the partition where the command is invoked).
However, the most important consideration is that the icapmodify command must be used in a
virtual partition environment when you make any adjustment to an nPartition.
Note that with vPars A.03.05 or greater, a compliance check is performed whenever a virtual
partition is booted. If the total number of cores assigned to all virtual partitions in the current vPar
database exceeds the nPartition’s intended active core count, the Instant Capacity software
notifies the vPar monitor, and the monitor prevents booting of any virtual partition until the user
performs a hard partition boot and modifies either the vPar configuration or the Instant Capacity
intended active count for the nPartition.
For more information about virtual partitions, see vparmodify(1M).
HP Integrity Virtual Machines (Integrity VM)
In an Integrity VM environment, Instant Capacity software provides meaningful functionality only
on the VM Host; it does not run on a virtual machine (also known as a guest). In particular, Instant
Capacity commands report an error if an attempt to run on a virtual machine is made from a guest.
You cannot run a GiCAP Group Manager on a guest, nor can you specify a guest in the host list
for a GiCAP group member.
Processor sets
In an environment where processor sets are used, the icapmodify command activates Instant
Capacity cores into the default processor set and deactivates cores from only the default processor
set. Activation or deactivation of cores in non-default processor sets is a two-step operation. The
first step involves the user migrating the cores into or out of the default processor set; the second
step is the activation or deactivation of those cores using the icapmodify command.
For more information about processor sets, see psrset(1M).
TiCAP Program
Customers can purchase an amount of temporary capacity time. This temporary capacity can be
used to activate one or more cores beyond the number for which usage rights have been purchased.
These extra cores can remain active until they consume the available temporary capacity time.
This allows temporary activation of cores without requiring the purchase and activation of an RTU
codeword for permanent activation.
Whenever an Instant Capacity component without usage rights is purchased, an amount of Instant
Access Capacity (IAC) might also be included. Instant Access Capacity is exactly the same as
temporary capacity, except that it is automatically provided with an Instant Capacity component
and is not separately purchased. It provides an immediate buffer of temporary capacity, in case
extra capacity is needed before you purchase either an RTU codeword, a temporary capacity
codeword, or setup a GiCAPgroup.
TiCAP can be added to the complex by applying a temporary capacity codeword (available from
the HP Utility Pricing Solutions portal) using the icapmodify command. Information about the
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