Migrating from WLM to gWLM

gWLM terms to know

Here are some terms to know when using gWLM:

• Workload

The collection of processes that are within a single compartment. gWLM manages a workload by

adjusting the system resource allocations for its compartment.

• Compartment

An entity with its resource allocation being managed by gWLM. A compartment can be an

nPartition, a virtual partition, a virtual machine, a processor set (pset), or a Fair Share Scheduler

(fss) group.

Multiple compartments are grouped to form a shared resource domain, or SRD. The compartments

all share the resources within the SRD. Each compartment holds a workload and can be in only one

deployed SRD. gWLM manages each workload by adjusting the resource allocation for its

compartment.

• Shared Resource Domain (SRD)

A collection of compartments that share system resources.

gWLM creates SRDs when you use the Manage Systems and Workloads wizard.

• Policy

A policy is a collection of settings that instruct gWLM how to manage a compartment’s resources—

and thus the resources available to the workload within the compartment. For example, a policy

can indicate the amount of CPU resources a workload owns (and is allocated when needed), how

much of those resources the workload can lend to other workloads, and how much the workload

can borrow from other workloads.

A single policy can be associated, or applied, to multiple workloads.

• Mode

gWLM offers two modes: advisory and managed. Advisory mode allows you to see what CPU

resource requests gWLM would make for a compartment—without actually affecting resource

allocation. You can use this mode when creating and fine-tuning your policies. Once you are

comfortable with your policies, use managed mode to have gWLM automatically adjust the

resource allocations for your defined compartments. (Advisory mode is not available for SRDs

containing virtual machines, psets, or fss groups.)

You can only set the mode on the SRD level: All compartments within an SRD operate in the same

mode, either advisory or managed.

• Deploy

Enable gWLM control of an SRD.

Deploying an SRD in managed mode enables gWLM control of resource allocation within the SRD.

When deploying an SRD in advisory mode, gWLM simply reports what the allocation would be—

without actually affecting resource allocations on a system.

• Undeploy

Disable gWLM’s management of resources in a specified SRD.

If an SRD is in managed mode, undeploying stops the migration of system resources among

compartments in the SRD. If the SRD is in advisory mode, gWLM no longer provides information on

what requests would have been made.