HP-UX Virtual Partitions Administrator Guide (includes A.05.09) (5900-2188, March 2012)

intctl Command
The intctl command is a HP-UX tool that allows you to manage I/O interrupts among active
CPUs.
For HP-UX 11i v2 and later, the software for intctl is part of the Core OS.
For more information, see the Interrupt Migration Product Note available on the BSC website at
http://www.hp.com/go/bizsupport or the intctl(1M) manpage.
Notes
• At boot time of a virtual partition, interrupts are processed by all the CPUs in the virtual partition.
• After boot, CPUs that are added to the virtual partition are not assigned to process I/O
interrupts. However, you can migrate I/O interrupts to any added CPU using intctl.
• After boot, CPUs that are deleted from a virtual partition no longer process I/O interrupts for
the partition. When a CPU is deleted from a virtual partition, if the deleted CPU has I/O
interrupts, the I/O interrupts are automatically and transparently reassigned to other active
CPUs in the partition.
NOTE: Repeatedly adding and deleting CPUs without a reboot of the target virtual partition may
cause an imbalance in the interrupt processing load across the CPUs of the virtual partition.
However, you can use intctl to rectify the imbalance if necessary.
CPU: Using iCAP (Instant Capacity on Demand) with vPars (vPars A.04.xx
and iCAP B.07)
iCAP CPUs are unlicensed CPUs. The unlicensed CPUs may be shown as available CPUs in the
vparstatus -A output. To use iCAP CPUs, you must first purchase them; then, you can activate
and assign them to a virtual partition.
For detailed information on using iCAP in vPars environment, including using earlier versions of
iCAP (formerly known as iCOD) with earlier versions of vPars, see the corresponding HP Instant
Capacity User’s Guide.
Purchasing Licenses for iCAP CPUs
To purchase licenses for any iCAP components, including iCAP CPUs, you must follow the normal
iCAP process as shown in the HP Instant Capacity User’s Guide. If you attempt to assign an iCAP
CPU before purchasing the license, you will get an iCAP authorization error.
Activating and Deactivating CPUs
When you are in standalone (PA-RISC) or nPars (Integrity) mode, you can activate CPUs using the
icod_modify -a command. Then, while you are in the vPars environment or vPars mode, you
can use vparmodify -a as long as you do not go above the number of Intended Active CPUs
(see “Intended Active Boundary” (page 221)).
When you are in the vPars environment or vPars mode, you can activate a CPU using icod_modify
-a. However, this automatically activates and assigns the CPU to the local partition (the virtual
partition from which the icod_modify -a was invoked). For example, after you have purchased
3 licenses, you can activate and assign the 3 CPUs to the local virtual partition using iCAP
commands:
winona1# icod_modify -a 3
1
1
Assign three CPUs to winona1.
220 CPU, Memory, and I/O Resources (A.04.xx)