Using HP-UX Workload Manager: A quick reference

You must use Instant Capacity cores (formerly known as iCOD CPUs) on the nPartitions for WLM

management. (A core is the actual data processing engine within a processor; a processor can have

multiple cores.) WLM provides a global arbiter, wlmpard, that can take input from the WLM

instances on the individual partitions. The global arbiter then moves cores between partitions, if

needed, to better achieve the SLOs specified in the WLM configuration files that are active in the

partitions. These partitions can be nested—and even contain FSS and PSET-based workload groups.

(wlmpard can be running in one of the managed partitions or on a supported platform with network

connectivity to the managed partitions.)

HP-UX Virtual Partitions and Integrity VM hosts are software-based virtual systems, each running its

own instance of the HP-UX operating system. WLM can move processors among virtual partitions to

better achieve the SLOs you define.

nPartitions (nPars) are hardware-based partitions, each running its own instance of the HP-UX

operating system. Using Instant Capacity (formerly known as iCOD) software, WLM can manage your

SLOs across nPartitions by simulating the movement of processors among nPartitions. The processor

movement is simulated by deactivating a core on one nPartition and activating a core on another

nPartition. WLM can move processors among nPartitions on which VMs are running.

Configuring WLM to manage SLOs across virtual partitions and nPartitions requires the following

steps. For more details, see the wlmpard(1M) and wlmparconf(4) manpages and the HP-UX Workload

Manager User’s Guide.

1. (Optional) Set up secure WLM communications.

Follow the procedure HOW TO SECURE COMMUNICATIONS in the wlmcert(1M) manpage—

skipping the step about starting/restarting the WLM daemons. You will do that later in this

procedure.

2. Create a WLM configuration file for each partition.

Each partition on the system must have the WLM daemon wlmd running. Create a WLM

configuration file for each partition, ensuring each configuration uses the primary_host

keyword to reference the partition where the global arbiter is running. For information on the

primary_host syntax, see the wlmconf(4) manpage.

3. (Optional) Activate each partition’s WLM configuration in passive mode.

WLM operates in “passive mode” when you include the -p option in your command to activate a

configuration. With passive mode, you can see approximately how a particular configuration is

going to affect your system—without the configuration actually taking control of your system.

Activate each partition’s WLM configuration file configfile in passive mode as follows:

# wlmd -p -a configfile

For information on passive mode, including its limitations, see PASSIVE MODE VERSUS ACTUAL

WLM MANAGEMENT in the wlm(5) manpage.

4. Activate each partition’s WLM configuration

After verifying and fine-tuning each partition’s WLM configuration file configfile, activate it as

follows:

# wlmd -a configfile

To use secure communications, activate the file using the -s option:

# wlmd -s -a configfile