How to create an alternate VPAR database vpdb | How to use alternate vpdb for VPARs

Note: These apply to VPARs versions 4.x/5.x . For the latest in case of any differences refer to the latest documents on the VPARs




How can we use an Alternate VPAR Partition Database file?

The main VPAR DB file is the /stand/vpdb. The Alternate VPDB file is addressed using the option –D /stand/vpdb.alt where the /stand/vpdb.alt is the alternate VPDB file.

The alternate VPDB file can be created easily with an entirely different configuration for the VPARs even when all the VPARs are up and running without disturbing the Live partition database in the VPMON memory.

On a running VPAR we can create the VPDB.ALT

Keira1#vparcreate –p new_vpar1 –D /stand/vpdb.alt –a cpu::4 –a cpu:::4 –a mem::1600 –a io:0.0 –a io:0.4 –a io:0.0.2.0.6.0:BOOT

Keira1#vparcreate –p new_vpar2 –D /stand/vpdb.alt –a cpu::4 –a cpu:::4 –a mem::1600 –a io:0.8 –a io:1.10 –a io:1.2 –a io:0.8.0.0.5.0:BOOT

Keira1# vparstatus;shutdown –hy 00

Keira2# vparstatus;shutdown –hy 00

Keira3# vparstatus;shutdown –hy 00

MON>reboot

BCH/COMMAND> Interrupt the Autoboot

ISL> boot /stand/vpmon –D /stand/vpdb.alt –a

This boots the VPMON and loads the same into the memory with the VPAR config information as present in the VPDB.ALT.

In case of Integrity Systems


EFI SHELL>fso:
Fs0:>boot vpmon –D /stand/vpdb.alt –a

Once this VPAR is booted and we need to change some config information as for the VPARs we need not mention the DB file as /stand/vpdb.alt as that only is now current in the Memory and all changes without specifying the DB file shall modify the configurations as mentioned in the /stand/vpdb.alt only.


NOTE:


On Integrity the DB file is actually /stand/boot.sys/stand/vpdb.alt and that is soft linked to the file /stand/vpdb.alt. The command vparcreate creates the link transparently for this file the first time when the first VPAR is created.



NOTE:


1) The –D option should be used with care as lesser checks are performed when creating an alternate VPDB.ALT, that the VPDB.ALT may be totally invalid.
2) The LVM rules always apply that we will have to vgexport and again vgimport the VGs so that we are able to use the VGs.
3) The VPDB and VPDB.ALT must be in the /stand that is HFS filesystem so that the VPMON reads only the HFS partition at boot.
4) What is the VPDB that the monitor has currently booted with can only be known using the VPDB time stamps as these VPDB are synchronized every 5 minutes with the copies in all the VPARs.