A reminder of the command syntax, which is easy to learn with simple examples.
![Nigels Banner](/support/pages/system/files/inline-images/nag_banner1400.png)
Here are my notes of the Shared Storage Pools commands that you need to remember.
SSP is large on concepts and system admin time-saving but simple to operate.
Updated Oct 2017
Creating the pool (once only) by example:
- Assumption: 1 GB Repository disk = hdisk15 and Pool data disks = hdisk7 to hdisk14, cluster and pool both called "alpha"
- Assumption: IBM V7000 A has LUNs: hdisk7 hdisk8 hisk9 hdisk10
- Assumption: IBM V7000 B has LUNs: hdisk11 hdisk12 hisk13 hdisk14
Examples
cluster -create -clustername alpha -spname alpha -repopvs hdisk15 -sppvs hdisk7 hdisk8 -hostname orangevios1.domain.com
cluster -addnode -clustername alpha -hostname silvervios1.domain.com
failgrp -modify -fg Default -attr FGName=V7000A
failgrp -create -fg V7000B: hdisk11 hdisk12
pv -add -fg V7000A: hdisk9 hdisk10 V7000B: hdisk13 hdisk14
Shared Storage Pools - Daily work
Create a LU (Logical Unit - virtual disk in the pool)
lu -remove | -map | -unmap | -list [-lu name]
lu -create -lu name -size nnG -vadapter vhostXX [-thick]
Examples
lu -create -lu lu42 -size 32G -vadapter vhost66 -thick
lu -map -lu lu42 -vadapter vhost22
lu -list
lu -list -verbose
lu -remove -lu lu42
Snapshots - stop the VM for a safe consistent disk image but you could (if confident) take a live snapshot and rely on filesystem logs and appliapplication-based recovery like RDBMS transaction logs
snapshot [-create -delete -rollback -list] name [-lu <list-LU-names>] -clustername x -spname z
Examples
snapshot -create bkup1 -lu lu42 lu43 -clustername alpha -spname alpha
snapshot -rollback bkup1 -clustername alpha -spname alpha
snapshot -delete bkup1 -clustername alpha -spname alpha
Shared Storage Pool – Weekly Configuration & Monitoring
Configuration Details
Monitor pool use
lssp -clustername alpha
lssp -clustername alpha -sp alpha -bd
Monitor for issues
alert -set -type {threshold | overcommit} -value N
alert -list
Shared Storage Pool – Quarterly or Yearly Maintenance
Pool mirroring check
failgrp -create <-- once only when creating the pool
failgrp -list [-verbose]
Growing the pool size and monitoring
pv -list [-verbose]
pv -list -capable <-- check new LUN ready
pv -add -fg a: hdisk100 b: hdisk101
Moving the pool to a different disk subsystem
pv -oldpv hdisk100 -newpv hdisk200
Shared Storage Pool – Tiers feature added in phase 5 Nov 2015 NEW
- Tiers allow LUNs to be grouped and you decide where to place your LU or it goes to the default tier.
- You have up to 9 tiers
- One tier includes the SSP metadata and is called the SYSTEM tier
Good reasons for Tiers
- Fast new disk Units, slower last years disk, and slow older disk units
- Flash systems, regular disks, and cheap'n'cheerful disks
- Production, in-house, and test
- Computer room A, B, and C so the tier reminds you where the disks are
You can mirror (have a second failgrp) at the tier level
Tier commands
tier -create -tier blue: <list of LUNs>
lu -create -lu fred -size 32G -tier blue
- Without the -tier, the LU is created in the tier marked as default
- SSP LU moves a LU between tiers with: lu -move -lu vm42 -dsttier blue
- SSP LU Resize (grow only, saves admin time) also added with tiers: lu -resize-lu vm42 -size 128G
- SSP + Tier support in HMC Enhanced+ view
- VIOS alerts escalated to HMC for Tiers
Shared Storage Pool – Phase 6 November 2016 NEW
New features for this release but many are internal with no new commands
- Increased SSP VIOS nodes from 16 to 24 - normally this means 12 Servers with dual VIOS
- Fully support the DeveloperWorks SSP Disaster Recovery software see the viosbr command options for details
- RAS (Reliable, Available & Serviceable)
- Find out whether an LU is mapped to an LPAR: lu -list -attr provisioned=<true/false>
- HMC further GUI support for SSP? Arrives with HMC 860 and more with HMC 870
- HMC Performance & Capacity Metrics (SSP Performance stats) See other AIXpert Blogs for details.
Other places to find content from Nigel Griffiths IBM (retired)
[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SWG10","label":"AIX"},"Component":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF002","label":"AIX"}],"Version":"All Versions","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB08","label":"Cognitive Systems"}},{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"HW1W1","label":"Power -\u003EPowerLinux"},"Component":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"}],"Version":"All Versions","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SWG60","label":"IBM i"},"Component":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF012","label":"IBM i"}],"Version":"All Versions","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB57","label":"Power"}}]