AIX Workload Partions

Viraf Patel
viraf@us.ibm.com

© 2007 IBM Corporation

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What are AIX Workload Partitions?

¾ Created via software as virtualized environments
in a single AIX instance

¾ 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 Workload Workload
services (e.g. telnetd, etc.) Partition Partition
App Svr Billing Svr
¾ Separate Administrative control
9 Each Workload partition is a separate Workload
Partition
administrative and security domain
Workload Test Svr
Workload
¾ Shared system resources Partition
Partition
Web Svr
9 I/O Devices E

9 Processor
9 Operating system
9 Shared Library and Text
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AIX Workload Partitions can be used in LPARs

Dedicated Dedicated MicroPartition Processor Pool

Processor Processor
LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR LPAR
Finance Planning Americas Asia EMEA

WPAR #1 WPAR #1 WPAR #1

Bus Dev MFG eMail

VIO
Server WPAR #2
Test

WPAR #2
Planning WPAR #3
Billing

POWER Hypervisor

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Resource Control of WPARs

¾To initialize resource control settings, run the following

mkwpar command
9 mkwpar -n wpar_name -R active=yes CPU=10%-20%,50% totalProcesses=1024
– A minimum of 10% of the global environment’s processors upon request
– A maximum of 20% of the global environment’s processors when there is contention
– A maximum of 50% of the global environment’s processors when there is no contention
– A maximum of 1024 processes at a time

¾Change resource control settings dynamically for an

existing active or inactive application WPAR
9 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

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Resource Control of WPARs

¾Understanding CPU shares

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

¾Memory shares operate similarly

¾By default number of shares for each WPAR is unlimited

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Listing Resource of WPARs

¾CPU shares – (lswpar –L edited output)

RESOURCE CONTROLS
Active: yes
Resource Set:
CPU Shares: unlimited
CPU Limits: 0%-100%,100%
Memory Shares: unlimited
Memory Limits: 0%-100%,100%
Per-Process Virtual Memory Limit: unlimited
Total Processes: unlimited
Total Threads: unlimited

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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

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Commands available within WPAR

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

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WPAR monitoring tools

¾Limited 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
size inuse free pin virtual
memory 524288 10541 175618 130036 148410
pg space 131072 1148

work pers clnt other

pin -24581 0 0 24693
in use 7411 0 3130

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Performance tools for WPARs

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Topas in WPAR global environment

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Topas in WPAR environment

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vmstat in WPAR global environment

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vmstat in WPAR environment

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