AIX Workload Partions

Viraf Patel
viraf@us.ibm.com

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

What are AIX Workload Partitions?

Created via software as virtualized environments
in a single AIX instance
Partitioned system capacity

AIX Image

9 Each Workload Partition obtains a regulated

share of the processor and memory
resources
9 Each Workload Partition has separate
network and filesystems and many system
services (e.g. telnetd, etc.)

Separate Administrative control

9 Each Workload partition is a separate
administrative and security domain

Shared system resources

9 I/O Devices

Workload
Partition
App Svr

Workload
Partition
Web Svr

Workload
Partition
Billing Svr
Workload
Partition
Test Svr

Workload
Partition
E

9 Processor
9 Operating system
9 Shared Library and Text
2

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

AIX Workload Partitions can be used in LPARs

Dedicated Dedicated
Processor Processor
LPAR
LPAR
Finance
Planning

MicroPartition Processor Pool

LPAR

LPAR
Americas
WPAR #1
MFG

WPAR #1
Bus Dev

VIO
Server

LPAR
Asia

LPAR
EMEA

WPAR #1
eMail

WPAR #2
Test
WPAR #2
Planning

WPAR #3
Billing

POWER Hypervisor

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Resource Control of WPARs

To initialize resource control settings, run the following
mkwpar command
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mkwpar -n wpar_name -R active=yes CPU=10%-20%,50% totalProcesses=1024

A minimum of 10% of the global environments processors upon request

A maximum of 20% of the global environments processors when there is contention
A maximum of 50% of the global environments processors when there is no contention
A maximum of 1024 processes at a time

Change resource control settings dynamically for an

existing active or inactive application WPAR
chwpar -R totalThreads=2048 shares_memory=100
wpar_name
9 chwpar R shares_CPU=70 wpar_name
9 chwpar R CPU=5%-20%,50% wpar_name
9

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Resource Control of WPARs

Understanding CPU shares
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wpar A has 4 shares, wpar B has 8 shares, wpar C has 12 shares

total shares=4+8+12=24
allocation would be wpar A = 4/24=16.6% , B=8/24=33.3%, C=12/24=50%
If another wpar is added shares would alll be adjusted
added wpar D 6 shares
wpar A =4/30=13.3% .. wpar D = 6/30=20%.... wpar C=12/30=40%

Memory shares operate similarly

By default number of shares for each WPAR is unlimited

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Listing Resource of WPARs

CPU shares (lswpar L edited output)
RESOURCE CONTROLS
Active:
Resource Set:
CPU Shares:
CPU Limits:
Memory Shares:
Memory Limits:
Per-Process Virtual Memory Limit:
Total Processes:
Total Threads:

yes
unlimited
0%-100%,100%
unlimited
0%-100%,100%
unlimited
unlimited
unlimited

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Tools available within WPAR

# ps
PID TTY TIME CMD
335920 pts/0 0:00 -ksh
491650 pts/0 0:00 ps
# wlmstat
CLASS CPU MEM DKIO
ec12 0.45 0.41 0.00
TOTAL 0.45 0.41 0.00
# df
Filesystem 512-blocks
Free %Used Iused %Iused Mounted on
/dev/fslv01
131072 93472 29% 1632 14% /
/dev/fslv02
131072 128272 3%
7 1% /home
/opt
1572864 1460984 8% 1108 1% /opt
/proc
- - - /proc
/dev/fslv03
262144 256696 3%
13 1% /tmp
/usr
3407872 566160 84% 33479 34% /usr
/dev/fslv04
262144 237464 10%
396 2% /var
# users
root

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Commands available within WPAR

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curt
filemon
iostat
Ipcs
netstat
nfsstat
netpmon
procmon
proctree
pprof
svmon
trace
tprof
topas
vmstat

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

WPAR monitoring tools

Limited support for
# netstat -i
Name Mtu Network Address
ZoneID Ipkts Ierrs Opkts Oerrs Coll
en0 1500 link#2
0.9.6b.dd.43.ba
3256 0 2207 0 0
en0 1500 9.19.51 9.19.51.139
3256 0 2207 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1
1495 0 1525 0 0
lo0 16896 127
loopback
1495 0 1525 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1
0 1495 0 1525 0 0
#w
03:00PM up 4:12, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
User tty
login@
idle
JCPU
PCPU what
root pts/0
02:54PM
0
4
0w
# svmon

memory
pg space

size
inuse
free
524288
10541
131072
1148

pin
in use

work
pers
-24581
0
7411
0

pin virtual
175618 130036

148410

clnt other
0
24693
3130

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Performance tools for WPARs

10

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Topas in WPAR global environment

11

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

Topas in WPAR environment

12

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

vmstat in WPAR global environment

13

2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Systems Group

vmstat in WPAR environment

14

2007 IBM Corporation