Front cover

Linux with xSeriess and

FAStT: Essentials
Enterprise-class solutions with Linux
and IBM TotalStorage

Focus on xSeries and FAStT

FAStT Management Software

overview

Bertrand Dufrasne
Jonathan Wright

ibm.com/redbooks
International Technical Support Organization

Linux with xSeries and FAStT: Essentials

September 2003

SG24-7026-00
 Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on
page xi.

First Edition (September 2003)

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2003. All rights reserved.

Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule
Contract with IBM Corp.
Contents

Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
The team that wrote this redbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Become a published author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Comments welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv

Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 The foundation for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The GNU General Public License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Open source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 Linux: The operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Where Linux fits in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.5.1 Working with other operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.5.2 Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.6 Linux distributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.6.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.6.2 SuSE Linux Enterprise Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.6.3 UnitedLinux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.1 IBM’s commitment to Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.1 The IBM Linux Technology Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Linux services and application solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2.1 IBM Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.2 IBM Global Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.3 IBM support Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.4 Linux consultancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.3 IBM services and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3.1 WebSphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3.2 DB2 for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.3 Tivoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.4 Lotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.4 Platform services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.4.1 zSeries services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.4.2 iSeries services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.4.3 pSeries services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.4.4 xSeries services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.4.5 Consolidated platform matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3.1 Introduction to xSeries and X-Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.2 Linux and functions of X-Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.2.1 Enterprise X-Architecture with Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. iii

 3.3 xSeries blade servers: BladeCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.4 Linux and xSeries clustering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.4.1 Different types of clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.4.2 Linux clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.4.3 Integrated Linux cluster: IBM eServer cluster 1350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.5 Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.1 Consolidating multiple systems previously spread around the enterprise . . . . . . 31
3.5.2 Consolidating many systems into a reduced number of larger servers . . . . . . . . 32
3.5.3 Consolidating data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.5.4 Consolidating applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4.1 IBM TotalStorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.1.1 Value proposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2 IBM TotalStorage Proven™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT product highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3.1 IBM TotalStorage FAStT200 Storage Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3.2 IBM TotalStorage FAStT500 Storage Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.3.3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT600 Storage Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.3.4 IBM TotalStorage FAStT700 Storage Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.3.5 IBM TotalStorage FAStT900 Storage Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.3.6 Expansion enclosures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.4 Premium Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.4.1 Introduction to storage partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.4.2 Introduction to FlashCopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.4.3 Introduction to Remote Mirroring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.4.4 Introduction to VolumeCopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.5 Attaching FAStT to an xSeries Linux host. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.5.1 Hardware requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.5.2 Software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.5.3 Connection requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Chapter 5. IBM FAStT Management software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

5.1 Management software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.1.1 IBM FAStT Storage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.1.2 IBM FAStT Management Suite Java. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.1.3 SANavigator Diagnostic and Management Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.1.4 FAStT Service Alert, a support option for FAStT Storage Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

A.1 Storage Manager concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A.1.1 Setting the IP and mask on a FAStT Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A.1.2 Is there a Storage Manager agent for Linux? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.1.3 Is there an RDAC driver for Linux?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.2 FAStT Storage Manager client: getting started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.2.1 Linux Install of the FAStT Storage Manager client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.2.2 Launching Storage Manager and connecting to the FAStT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A.3 Updating the FAStT firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
A.4 Setting up arrays, LUNs, and storage partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

B.1 FAStT MSJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
B.1.1 Installing FAStT MSJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
B.1.2 Configuring the LUN attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

iv Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 B.1.3 Use FAStT MSJ to configure Fibre Channel paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
B.1.4 Using FAStT as storage: A summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Appendix C. Workarounds with IBM TotalStorage Storage Servers and Linux . . . . . 85

Appendix D. Functions of the X-Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
How to get IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Help from IBM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Contents v
vi Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
Figures

3-1 The concept of xSeries: Learning the best from all IBM eServer product lines . . . . . 24
3-2 IBM BladeCenter chassis and blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3-3 A generic HA cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3-4 A generic High Performance Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3-5 IBM eServer Cluster 1350 with 39 cluster nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4-1 Evolution of the FAStT Storage Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4-2 IBM TotalStorage FAStT200 Storage Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4-3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT500 Storage Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4-4 IBM Total Storage FAStT 600 Storage Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4-5 IBM Total Storage FAStT 700 Storage Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4-6 IBM TotalStorage FAStT900 Storage Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4-7 Simple example of Storage on a SAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4-8 FlashCopy read and write schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4-9 Remote Volume Mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5-1 Typical Storage Manager Subsystem Management window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5-2 Typical view from the IBM FAStT Management Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5-3 Password prompt for shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5-4 netCfgShow screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5-5 Automatic Discovery screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5-6 Storage Manager Enterprise Management window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5-7 Add Device screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5-8 Subsystem Management window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5-9 Firmware Download Location screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5-10 Firmware update screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5-11 NVSRAM Download Location screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5-12 NVSRAM Update screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5-13 Default Host Type screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5-14 Logical Drive Wizard screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5-15 Create array screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5-16 Logical Drive Parameters screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5-17 Advanced Logical Drive Parameters screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5-18 Create a New Logical Drive screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5-19 Arrays and Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5-20 Mappings Startup Help screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5-21 Host Group added . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5-22 Hosts added. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5-23 Define Host Port screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5-24 Host Ports added . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5-25 Storage Partitioning Wizard screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5-26 Select Host Group or Host screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5-27 Select Logical Drives/LUNs screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
5-28 Logical drives added . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
5-29 Installation Splash screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5-30 FAStT_MSJ Introduction screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5-31 Product Features screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5-32 Building a ramdisk image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5-33 Example of qlremote running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5-34 FAStT_MSJ screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. vii

 5-35 FAStT_MSJ connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
5-36 Invalid Configuration screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5-37 Port Configuration screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5-38 Paths before balancing LUNs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5-39 Configuration Saved screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5-40 Balanced paths before rebooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5-41 Balanced paths after rebooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5-42 Example of modules.conf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

viii Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Tables

2-1 WebSphere for Linux product services matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2-2 IBM Tivoli Security Management product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2-3 IBM Tivoli Storage Management product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2-4 IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2-5 Tivoli Workload Scheduler product matrix for Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2-6 IBM Tivoli Performance and Availability product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2-7 Tivoli Enterprise Console product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2-8 IBM Tivoli NetView product matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2-9 TIBM Tivoli Service Level Advisor for Linux product matrix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2-10 Lotus support matrix for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2-11 zSeries Linux information matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2-12 iSeries Linux information matrix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2-13 xSeries Linux information matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2-14 IBM Web site matrix for each Linux platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3-1 IBM supports native Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3-2 Linux support with Enterprise X-Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4-1 IBM Storage for Linux summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4-2 Currently supported maximum storage partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5-1 Tested operating systems and kernel levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5-2 IBM FAStT supported adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5-3 List of limitations that apply with IBM TotalStorage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. ix

x Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
Notices

This information was developed for products and services offered in the U.S.A.

IBM may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other countries. Consult
your local IBM representative for information on the products and services currently available in your area. Any
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Information concerning non-IBM products was obtained from the suppliers of those products, their published
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This information contains examples of data and reports used in daily business operations. To illustrate them
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COPYRIGHT LICENSE:
This information contains sample application programs in source language, which illustrates programming
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© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. xi

Trademarks
The following terms are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation in the United States,
other countries, or both:
Redbooks(logo) ™ DB2® Predictive Failure Analysis®
eServer™ Enterprise Storage Server® Redbooks™
ibm.com® FlashCopy® S/390®
iSeries™ IBM TotalStorage Proven™ ServerProven®
pSeries™ IBM® ServeRAID™
xSeries® Lotus Notes® Tivoli Enterprise™
zSeries® Lotus® Tivoli Enterprise Console®
AIX® Multiprise® Tivoli®
Balance® MQSeries® TotalStorage Proven™
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The following terms are trademarks of other companies:

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Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems,
Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both.

C-bus is a trademark of Corollary, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.

SET, SET Secure Electronic Transaction, and the SET Logo are trademarks owned by SET Secure Electronic
Transaction LLC.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

xii Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Preface

IBM® has been committed to Linux long before it became trendy. This early adoption of the
Linux potential explains why today IBM offers the widest range of platforms and products for
deploying solutions on Linux, along with support and services.

IBM TotalStorage® products are known for their high quality and reliability and work well with
Linux. As part of a well designed Linux based e-business infrastructure, they can help you cut
costs, consolidate infrastructure, and position you for the new on demand world.

This IBM Redbook presents high-level information on Linux in conjunction with IBM
and TotalStorage products, giving proof points that these products can be deployed all
together to provide enterprise-class solutions. In particular, this book looks at Linux with the
xSeries® servers and IBM TotalStorage FAStT disk products.

This redbook is intended as a starting point and reference for IBM representatives, Business
Partners, and clients who are planning Linux based solutions with IBM xServers and FAStT
storage products.

Most of the information contained in this book is a compilation of the material from the Linux
Handbook, SG24-7000, and Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6262-01. We
encourage the reader to refer to these redbooks for more complete information or
implementation details.

The team that wrote this redbook

This redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the
International Technical Support Organization, San Jose Center.

Bertrand Dufrasne is a Certified Consulting I/T Specialist and Project Leader for Disk
Storage Systems at the International Technical Support Organization, San Jose Center. He
has worked at IBM for 21 years in many IT areas. Before joining the ITSO he worked for IBM
Global Services in the US as an IT Architect. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Jonathan Wright is a technical specialist in New Zealand. He has 10 years of experience in

the Intel server and storage field. His areas of expertise include xSeries hardware, Linux,
clustering and FAStT Storage.

Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:

Cristina Zabeu
IBM Linux Storage Solutions Market Leader

Mary T. Morris
IBM WW Linux Sales Leader

Nick Harris, Ralph Cooley, Cameron Hunt, Randy Kuseke, Dan Lacine, Tomomi Takada, Bob
Waite. Dirk Webbeler, Alexander Zaretsky, original authors of the Linux Handbook,
SG24-7000-00.

Ronald Annuss, James Goodwin, Paul McWatt, Arwed Tschoeke, original authors of the
redbook Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6261-01.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. xiii

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Your efforts will help increase product acceptance and customer satisfaction. As a bonus,
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Find out more about the residency program, browse the residency index, and apply online at:
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Comments welcome
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We want our Redbooks™ to be as helpful as possible. Send us your comments about this or
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򐂰 Use the online Contact us review redbook form found at:
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򐂰 Mail your comments to:
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Dept. QXXE Building 80-E2
650 Harry Road
San Jose, California 95120-6099

xiv Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 1

Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux

Linux is a UNIX-like open source operating system. It was the original creation of Linus
Torvalds from Helsinki, Finland in 1991. He wrote the first kernel, which is the underlying
program interfacing and running the computer hardware.

Since the Linux source code is freely available, several companies have developed different
distributions of Linux. A distribution is a complete system. The key component is the Linux
kernel. Other utilities, services, and various applications can be included as well, depending
on the distribution and the intended use. There is no standard distribution. Each distribution
that is available has unique advantages.

IBM was early to recognize the value of Linux:

򐂰 Investing in Linux-related product development
򐂰 Forming alliances with key Linux distributors
򐂰 Contributing to the open-source community
򐂰 Aggressively supporting the platform

IBM believes this investment will benefit its customers as they continue to exploit Linux for
their IT infrastructures and e-business.

This chapter provides a brief introduction to Linux, and an historical perspective to its origins
and relationship to open source and the GNU General Public License. The chapter continues
with a high-level description of the Linux operating systems and its components, where Linux
fits in the IT world, and Linux distributions.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 1

1.1 The foundation for Linux
We know that Linux refers to a UNIX-like operating system, so let us begin with a brief
overview of the development of portable operating systems and open source to see the
context in which Linux evolved.

1.2 The GNU General Public License

In 1969, several AT&T Bell Labs employees1 began work on an operating system (OS) that
would be called UNIX. A significant novelty of their development was that the OS was
portable across hardware platforms.

At the time, AT&T, for various legal reasons was permitting free academic access to the
source code to UNIX while charging over $20,000 (in 1976 dollars!) for commercial or
government access. AT&T then halted publication of the source code in university texts as
this revealed proprietary Bell Labs code. The era of collaborative programming had arrived.

In the US, the academic variant of interest to UNIX became the Berkeley Systems
Distribution (BSD),2 where virtual memory and networking were added. These advancements
permitted large collaborative projects with contributors scattered throughout the world.
Lawsuits eventually ensued among AT&T, the Regents of the University of California, and
other parties over access to and distribution of the OS source code. Such constraints on
intellectual property rights to code provided strong motivation for one researcher from the
Artificial Intelligence Laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to write an
operating system that was both portable, and also would be licensed in a manner that would
prevent its eventual constraint by intellectual property claims.

The new OS was to be named GNU, a recursive acronym for “Gnu’s Not UNIX.” This work
would be “copylefted” instead of copyrighted, licensed under the GNU General Public License
(GPL), which stipulates that all programs run under or derived from GNU must have their
source code published freely, relinquishing rights of control while retaining rights of
ownership. This was the birth of free (as in freedom) software, in contrast to software in the
public domain. By this time, vendors such as Sun, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM had proprietary
commercial offerings derived from licensed AT&T UNIX, which were gaining popularity with
corporate customers. The nascent GNU development effort began by making tools such as
editors, compilers, and file utilities available in source form that could be compiled and
executed on any platform, standardizing and improving upon those offered by commercial
vendors. Around 1990, programmers had contributed a nearly complete operating
environment to GNU, with the exception of a kernel. The GNU kernel was to be based on a
micro kernel architecture for improved portability.

In the meantime, a small scale UNIX-like skeleton of an operating system3 called Minix was
published in a text to be used as a teaching tool. It is here that Linus Torvalds enters the
story. He decided to write a UNIX-like OS with improved functionality over that of Minix to run
on readily available personal computers. He and colleague Lars Wirzenius published their
source code under the GPL on the Internet for public comment, and Linux was born.

Linux was a kernel without utilities, GNU was an operating environment lacking a finished
kernel, and unencumbered non-kernel BSD pieces were available to complete the picture. In
short order the components were combined with installation and maintenance tools and

1 Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and J.F. OssannaKen Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and J.F. Ossanna
2
Twenty Years of Berkeley UNIX: From AT&T-Owned to Freely Redistributable, Marshall Kirk McKusick, in Open
Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution, O’Reilly, 1999 1-56592-582-3
3 Dr. Andrew S. Tannenbaum, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 made available by distributors; the first of serious note is Slackware in 1993, followed by
many others, making the GNU/Linux (or simply Linux, as it has since come to be known)
combination readily available. In only a few years, a worldwide Linux community has evolved,
comprised of programmers and users attracted by the reliability and flexibility of this “free”
operating system.

The term “open source” began to replace the term “free software” as the commercial adoption
of GNU/Linux grew. There is in fact a difference, upon which hinges the fate of commercial
ventures in this arena.

1.3 Open source

Linux was developed under GNU, which has articulated a philosophy that defines “free code”
or the user’s right to use the code, rather than defining what they cannot do, which is the case
with proprietary software. This license allows the user to alter, distribute and even sell the
code covered under its license as long as they allow those to whom they distribute the code
to do the same.

The General Public License promotes free code on the GNU Web page. It also provides
protection for the developer and prevents a user from altering the code and then asserting
proprietorship over the code. This does not mean the code cannot be sold. According to the
GNU Web site, “free software” allows a user to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and
improve the software. It must also be available for commercial use.

Standards enable communication among heterogeneous software and systems. Open

source can be viewed as a manifestation of this process, and the process itself as a necessity
for extending the development of inter-networking. When there is a need for new software or
hardware support, or a defect is discovered and reported, the software (creation or
correction) can be swiftly done by the user who required the changes (or by the original
author), with no need for a design review, cost analysis, or other impositions of a centralized
development structure. This is made possible by open source code.

IBM has recognized the efficacy of this community and sees the benefit of the rapid and
innovative development of robust and stable code to provide the enabling layer for e-business
applications. As a result of the evolutionary development of Linux, pieces of the code are
located on various Web sites. Without some integration, it is difficult to install and upgrade the
product, keep track of module dependencies and acquire drivers for the hardware.
Distributions provide coherent bundles of software in one location that furnish the capabilities
needed for a usable server or desktop. Generally, the products of different distributors have a
lot of things in common, but there may be particular features or functions, which you may
require that are not available from a given distributor.

1.4 Linux: The operating system

Linux is a fully functional operating system similar to a UNIX system. It has all the standard
features of enterprise UNIX systems. Management of the command structure is enabled
through shells. We mention two of the many advanced shells that are available for Linux, the
Bourne Again Shell (bash), and the tsch shell. Both shells support a complete shell-based
programming language that you can use to create shell scripts.

There are four fundamental components of Linux:

򐂰 Kernel: Provides program and hardware device management (such as disks and printers)

Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux 3

 򐂰 Shell: Receives commands from the user and sends those commands to the kernel for
the execution through a standard user interface
򐂰 File structure: Files are organized into directories with the disk hardware. Each directory
may contain any number of subdirectories each holding files. This is a similar structure to
PC operating system file structures.
򐂰 Utilities

In some solutions, typically with clusters, the Linux server does not need the traditional PC
hardware BIOS. The hardware is directly controlled by Linux. This provides phenomenal
boot-up times (three seconds is the current record).

Linux has the same multiuser and multitasking capabilities as large UNIX servers. It provides
the same level of system administration that you find on standard UNIX systems. Users can
run several programs concurrently. You can create user accounts for different users and
define their access rights to the files and system components. Installation of new devices, and
network connection and control are also provided as standard in the Linux operating system.

As a development environment, Linux has a powerful set of development tools for creating
industrial-strength applications. The development toolset includes the GNU C Compiler.

The Linux structure provides the ability for programmers to access the hardware of the
computer and the networks to which it is connected. This is achieved by the provision of a
hardware abstraction layer where programs can take advantage of hardware features
through a standard applications programming interface (API).

Linux programs can be portable to other versions of UNIX systems. Linux can use ANSI C,
combined with one of several portability graphical user interface (GUI) toolkits. These
programs can be written for both UNIX systems and Windows servers.

1.5 Where Linux fits in

The adoption of Linux has been a rapid and changing process. It can be difficult to determine
where Linux fits into the modern IT world. Linux plays a role in almost every area and is
quickly making inroads where traditional operating systems ruled for years.

1.5.1 Working with other operating systems

Linux is being used not only as the single operating system on a given computer system. It is
also frequently used to populate virtual partitions on larger, non-Intel based systems such as
the IBM , iSeries™, pSeries™, and zSeries® servers. The virtual or logical partition
provide:
򐂰 Server consolidation: An organization with existing Linux or UNIX servers can save
hardware and personnel costs by consolidating those servers into virtual partitions on an
existing IBM eserver platform.
򐂰 High availability: Multiple virtual partitions can provide a level of availability and
application-based load balancing while retaining the management benefits of consolidated
hardware.
򐂰 Infrastructure: Linux virtual partitions can provide security and infrastructure services to
other partitions, which share the same virtual network.

4 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

1.5.2 Infrastructure
Linux enters the mainstream markets by providing critical infrastructure services.

Web serving
The combination of Linux and Apache offers an attractive package for customers. It provides
a low cost, flexible solution for Web servers, with over 30% of the world’s Web sites running
this combination. The demand is now moving toward high capacity Web sites, which users
can interact with and that support high transaction rates.

File and print serving

One of the basics for Linux implementation is the provision of inexpensive facilities such as
file and print services. Linux offers a rapid return on investment (ROI) in this part of the
infrastructure space. The management capabilities and low cost make this an easy solution to
justify. Also, this is an important environment, but it does not typically have the operational
importance of line-of-business applications. It is a relatively safe place for businesses to test
this new technology.

Domain name server (DNS) and DHCP

As a UNIX-clone, Linux is well proven at hosting Berkeley Internet Name Daemon (BIND)
name servers and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services.

Router
Linux is capable of advanced routing using inexpensive commodity hardware. Also, some
router vendors have chosen Linux to be their embedded operating system.

Firewall and Intrusion Detection Services (IDS)

Linux has been a popular provider of firewall and IDS services. Because of the advanced
configuration and customization options, along with a small memory footprint, Linux has been
an ideal solution for many organizations who want to avoid proprietary solutions.

1.6 Linux distributions

Linux is available in many configurations from a variety of distributors. Linux advocates have
strong preferences for one distribution over the other. Distributions from, for example, Red
Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, and Debian, are presently available and offer their own advantages in
package management, installation, development environment, and ease of use of various
tools.

In this book we only highlight two Linux distributors. IBM does not favor any specific Linux
distribution, but instead IBM pushes for the standardization of Linux in general.

1.6.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux

򐂰 Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS: Formerly known as Red Hat Linux Advanced Server, it is
the core operating system and infrastructure enterprise Linux solution from Red Hat,
supporting up to 8 CPUs and 16 GB of main memory, and is certified by the US Defense
Information Systems Agency (DISA) as a Common Operating Environment (COE)
compliant. It features High Availability Clustering and IP load balancing capabilities,
asynchronous I/O support, Linux standard base interface conformity, improved SMP
integration, and reduced I/O memory copy overhead.

Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux 5

 򐂰 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES: Provides the core operating system and networking
infrastructure specially suited for medium-scale, departmental applications.
򐂰 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS: The desktop/client counterpart for either Enterprise Linux
ES or AS.

Red Hat offers support and maintenance services for their enterprise distributions.

For more information regarding Red Hat Linux, please visit:

http://www.redhat.com

1.6.2 SuSE Linux Enterprise Edition

Founded in 1992, SuSE Linux is based in Nuremberg, Germany, and is the most widely used
distribution in Europe. The latest versions have a new graphical installation tool to simplify the
installation. The advanced features include hardware acceleration for 3-D graphic chips and a
journaling file system. SuSE also develops and supports a series of X Servers for newer,
high-end graphic cards. The installation is available in German, English, Italian, and French.
SuSE Linux comes with a large group of utilities and applications.

SuSE is available in business versions. These include SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES);
servers for zSeries, xSeries, pSeries, and iSeries; and versions that support Alpha,
PowerPC®, and Intel platforms.

SLES is a package distribution of United Linux (see 1.6.3, “UnitedLinux) intended for server
applications.

For more information regarding SuSE Linux, please visit:

http://www.suse.com

1.6.3 UnitedLinux
UnitedLinux is a consortium formed in May 2002, established to combine the development
efforts of several distributors.

The vision is simple: partners combine the very best server operating system technology from
leading distributors into a robust, single code based system. In January 2003 IBM joined
UnitedLinux as a technology partner.

The following United Linux consortium members have identical United Linux distributions:
򐂰 SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 (SLES 8)
򐂰 Turbolinux Enterprise Server 8 (TLES 8)
򐂰 Conectiva Linux Enterprise Edition Powered by United Linux

All three companies provide distributions for Intel (xSeries), iSeries, pSeries, and zSeries.
Turbolinux and Conectiva resell the SuSE distribution. Turbolinux markets primarily in the
Asia Pacific, while Conectiva markets primarily in Latin America. Turbolinux and Conectiva
will provide bug fixes to their customers within 30 days of their release by SuSE. SuSE is the
lead UnitedLinux developer.

Key elements of the UnitedLinux distribution include POSIX standard asynchronous I/O
(AIO), raw I/O enhancements that provide high-bandwidth, low-overhead SCSI disk I/O, and
direct I/O that moves data directly between the user space buffer, and the device performing
the I/O, avoiding expensive copy operations, and bypassing the operating system’s page
cache.

6 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Other functionality in focus includes Hyper-Threading to enable multi-threaded server
software applications to execute threads in parallel within each individual server processor;
large memory support to take advantage of the Intel Physical Address Extension to support
up to 64 GB of physical RAM and the full 4 GB of virtual addressing space per process;
Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), the next generation protocol designed by the IETF to
replace the current version Internet Protocol; and LDAPv3, the latest available Directory
Services protocol for better user base management, and application integration for mail
servers and authentication servers.

Chapter 1. Introduction to Linux 7

8 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
 2

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux

This chapter discusses IBM’s commitment to the Linux and open-source community, and
reviews available IBM services that help Linux customers gain the greatest advantage of a
Linux-powered IBM solution. It offers a scope of the tremendous acceptance and
commitment Linux has today.

The resources portrayed here provide a good, consolidated starting point to more detailed
information. We recommend that you read and learn about these resources to help you stay
current with Linux’s commitments and new services, which continue to grow rapidly.

The information in this chapter was correct at the time this book was written. However, some
of the information may change due to normal variations in the life cycle of each product. This
is true for products other than Linux as well. This means that IBM may not support a specific
product even though it may appear to be supported in this chapter. Therefore, we encourage
you to investigate topics such as end-of-service dates, product withdrawals, and other
support restrictions while gathering information from this chapter.

Important: The services portrayed here are for IBM customers only, and may not be
available in some specific countries or regions. Contact your local IBM Global Services
(IGS) representative for details.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 9

2.1 IBM’s commitment to Linux
The history of IBM’s involvement with Linux is so large as to be outside the scope of this
work. IBM is not a distributor of Linux. IBM is a contributor to Linux, a supplier of servers that
run Linux, and a provider of support for customers who choose to use Linux. IBM’s
commitment to Linux may best be illustrated with some of the many notable highlights over
the last several years:
򐂰 As early as March 1999, IBM had announced key alliances, products, and global support
for Linux, including among others distributors like SuSE Holding AG (all of which later
founded United Linux along with distributor Conectiva S.A22), and Red Hat Software Inc.
The IBM Thinkpad 600 became the first notebook computer listed as supported hardware
by Red Hat.
򐂰 Linux made its official debut on S/390® servers in May 2000, with commercial deployment
by a major ISP for server consolidation following shortly thereafter. In June, SuSE
announced Enterprise Linux for the RS6000.
򐂰 In 2001, IBM won top honors at LinuxWorld for zSeries and iSeries systems running
Linux, completing the availability of Linux across the entire eServer™ product line.
Complementing this was the announcement of a broad range of storage options for Linux
servers, including the Enterprise Storage Server® (ESS) and Fibre Array Storage System
(FAStT) external storage arrays. IBM’s Linux supercomputer systems were deployed in
research and also in oil and gas exploration, and prepackaged Linux clusters for
eBusiness made their debut.
򐂰 In 2002, continued emphasis on robust computing for small and medium businesses,
server consolidation, retail, network infrastructure, advertising, telecom, and life sciences
strengthened IBM’s position as the most committed Linux player across all market
segments. By December 2002 IBM had made the eServer p630 available, the first pSeries
system dedicated to Linux support. Internally, IBM began migrating its own
business-critical services to Linux, demonstrating both an indisputable commitment to,
and demonstrated scalability of, Linux eBusiness solutions.
򐂰 In 2003 IBM regularly announced new Linux hardware, ports of additional existing
software to Linux, and new Linux services and support options.

IBM industry leadership supporting Linux

IBM has over $1 billion investment in the Linux community. IBM has the Linux Technology
Center, IBM Research and Open Source Development Labs, and IBM Global Services
Consulting and Support, which all contribute to the Linux and open source community.

Linux support across IBM is growing across the entire product line with support for
TotalStorage disk and tape. IBM also supports middleware solutions such as DB2®,
Websphere, Lotus® Domino™, MQSeries®, Tivoli® Storage Manager and more, and
continues to work closely with many leading Linux distributors.

Worldwide IBM Linux commitment

The $200 million Linux initiative in each of the Europe and Asia Pacific markets including the
creation of Linux Solution Porting Centers. These centers are located all around the world
including Paris and Montpellier in France; Greenock and Hursley in the UK; Boeblingen in
Germany; Warsaw in Poland; Budapest in Hungary; Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul,
and Bangalore in the Asia Pacific; and U.S. centers in San Mateo, CA, Chicago, and
Waltham, MA.

Centers allow customers and key ISVs to transition their applications to Linux. IBM supports
application development on all IBM servers.

10 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

2.1.1 The IBM Linux Technology Centers
The IBM Linux Technology Center (LTC), whose mission is to work directly with the Linux
development community with a shared vision of making Linux succeed, has one of the
industry’s most comprehensive Linux development teams. They are a proven, accepted part
of the open source Linux community, successfully bringing enterprise features into Linux. By
doing so they provide Linux technical expertise to the community.

The LTC has a team of 250-plus, with a small part of the over community located in many
centers around the world. These centers are located in Adelaide, Austin, Bangalore,
Beaverton, Beijing, Bethesda, Boeblingen, Boston, Boulder, Cambridge, Canberra, Chicago,
Endicott, Hawthorne, Hursley, Kirkland, Mt. Laurel, New York City, Portland, Poughkeepsie,
Raleigh, Rochester, San Francisco, Somers, Urbana-Champaign, Yamato, and Yorktown.

The Linux Technology center can be located on the Web at:

http://www.ibm.com/linux/ltc

IBM contributes JFS to Linux Storage

IBM’s journaled file system (JFS) technology, currently used in IBM enterprise servers is
designed for high-throughput server environments, key to running intranet and other
high-performance e-business file servers. IBM is contributing this technology to the Linux
open source community with the hope that some or all of it will be useful in bringing the best
of journaling capabilities to the Linux operating system.

JFS is a log-based, byte-level file system, which was developed for transaction-oriented, high
performance, high-throughput server environments, and is key to running intranet and other
high-performance e-business file servers. JFS is a scalable and robust file system and
provides fast file system restarts in the event of a system crash.

JFS is currently shipping with many Linux distributions including Red Hat and SuSE Linux.

More information about JFS for Linux can be found at:

http://www-124.ibm.com/jfs/

EVMS
The LTC is also working on volume management technology in the form of the Enterprise
Volume Management System (EVMS), where the result of the effort is aimed at providing
more volume management capability and interoperability in the kernel.

For information on EVMS, refer to:

http://evms.sourceforge.net/

2.2 Linux services and application solutions

Although the general opinion is that Linux has a limited number of enterprise-level
applications available, the Linux applications featured in the IBM Global Solutions Directory
has grown to more than 2,900. IBM has ten porting centers around the world and is
continually enhancing this portfolio.

For more in depth information regarding Linux application solutions refer to Linux Handbook -
A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources, SG24-7000-00.

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 11

2.2.1 IBM Services
IBM’s main focus is on the creation, development, and manufacturing of the industry’s most
advanced information technologies. This includes computer systems, software, networking
systems, storage devices, and microelectronics.

IBM Global Services translates these advanced technologies into business value for
customers and helps in making information technology (IT) easy to acquire and manage. To
learn more about IBM Global Services, see:
http://www.ibm.com/services/

2.2.2 IBM Global Services

IBM helps customers optimize the business value of Linux-based solutions through
cost-effectiveness, choice, and competitive advantage. IBM has experienced Linux
consultants and architects engaged in thousands of open-source projects worldwide. With
this, IBM can help customers in all industries enhance resiliency, scalability, stability, and
security with their Linux deployments.

IBM Global Services is the largest part of IBM with over 140,000 employees in 164 countries
or regions. It is widely recognized as the largest service company in the world.

2.2.3 IBM support Line

IBM offers “enterprise-grade” support for Linux through the Internet, and voice support 24
hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. This support ranges from answering usage questions to
identifying problems, all revolving around the customer’s needs.

Recent analyst studies have shown that among the most important concerns related to Linux
implementations, support is an important consideration for both solution and vendor
selection. IBM offers world-class support for Linux as a standard offering, with several options
including the ability to customize support according to the skills and experience of the
customers current IT staff.

Support Line is IBM’s support offering for e-infrastructure software. It is an established

worldwide proven service, which covers IBM and non-IBM Software products. Support Line
offers:
򐂰 Years of experience in world-wide support for IBM and non-IBM operating systems
򐂰 World-wide support structure
򐂰 The right tools
򐂰 The right people
򐂰 The right alliances

IBM Operational Support Services: Support Line for Linux

This fee service provides remote Linux technical assistance to answer usage, installation,
and technical questions, to address product compatibility and inter operability concerns, and
to isolate and diagnose problems. IBM Linux engineers are available 24 hours-a-day to
provide defect support (fixes).

Support Line provides consistent, cross-platform Linux support for IBM platforms
and Intel/AMD OEM hardware. With this service, customers receive telephone access and
electronic access to IBM services specialists.

12 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 IBM Operational Support Services: Support Line for Linux Clusters
This fee service provides remote Linux cluster technical assistance to answer usage,
installation, and technical questions, to address product compatibility and inter operability
concerns, and to isolate and diagnose Linux cluster problems. It provides specialized Linux
cluster support with open source and OEM. It offers remote problem identification and
technical support for your Linux clustered environments. This service complements your
in-house skills by providing comprehensive knowledge of Linux cluster environments.

IBM Operational Support Services: Advanced Support

IBM's Advanced Support provides the highest level of remote support available through IBM.
The customer receives 24×7 coverage, 365 days-a-year. This service is tailored to meet
unique customer needs for continuous, business-critical Linux system operation.

IBM Operational Support Services: Custom Linux Support

IBM offers remote Linux engineering support for creating modified versions of Linux. This
services provides full remote support once you implement this custom distribution throughout
your enterprise or customer base. By leveraging IBM's vast industry of Linux knowledge, IBM
helps you to avoid serious pitfalls that can occur when you create your own distribution. We
help you understand the necessary interdependent packages and required modules.

IBM has the critical mass to deliver support teams in multiple worldwide locations. It has used
some of its best talent in multiple locations to create the Change team. IBM can draw on the
skills of over 200 key members of the Linux Technology Center found in more than 20
locations worldwide.

You can learn more about the support line at:

http://www.ibm.com/services/its/us/supportline.html

2.2.4 Linux consultancy

Linux acceptance by the marketplace is rapidly moving forward. It has gained credibility and
is being deployed widely for Web serving and scientific and technical computing clusters in a
relatively short time. It is now being ported as well to mission-critical areas such as workload
consolidation, retail points-of-sale, and financial branch automation.

IBM is committed to providing the same level of support normally associated with enterprise
computing environments as Linux continues to move in to those key business and industry
areas. IBM’s Linux service offerings are designed to help Linux customers achieve better
flexibility and cost-to-benefit rates.

IBM Global Services offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of Linux
consultative and support offerings, from planning and design, to implementation and technical
support. IGS also offers a full portfolio of Linux Services and has been doing so since
February 2001. Over 300 IBM consultants skilled in Linux are available worldwide to help
customers design, build, and enhance their Linux solutions.

For information about IBM’s services and support for Linux, refer to the following IBM Linux
Services and support Web sites at:

http://www.ibm.com/services/its/us

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 13

2.3 IBM services and software
IBM is rolling out services to help customers rapidly deploy and optimize Linux-based
e-business environments. IBM services for Linux covers Software Group products such as
WebSphere®, Data Management (DB2), Lotus, and Tivoli. IBM is also delivering migration
services to help customers port applications to a wide variety of IBM and non-IBM platforms
running Linux.

2.3.1 WebSphere
Many customers need WebSphere as a front end to their legacy applications. Customers
need to access legacy applications (for example, CICS®) through a browser interface to
provide users (internal or external) with Web-enabled access to multiple existing applications.
They also want solutions that do not require a long development cycle and that support an
open-standards compliant integrated infrastructure. Customers want to leverage existing
transactional applications, database assets, and existing investment in hardware platforms
that have a superior scalability characteristic on which to run their new application.

Every customer with an IBM mainframe capable of having Integrated Feature for Linux (IFL)
presents a good fit for WebSphere for Linux. IFL-capable systems are the 9672 G Series (G5
and G6), Multiprise® 3000, zSeries 800, and zSeries 900 vendors.

IBM provides a variety of services for WebSphere that go from migration to specific training in
all WebSphere products. For WebSphere Software Services, see:
http://www.ibm.com/software/ad/vaws-services/websphere.html

For more information about WebSphere training and technical enablement, see:
http://www.software.ibm.com/wsdd/education/enablement/

IBM also provides support for the wide range of WebSphere products made to fit the Linux
environment. Table 2-1 lists references where you can find support for WebSphere products
that run on Linux.

Table 2-1 WebSphere for Linux product services matrix

WebSphere product Product detail Support

WebSphere Advanced Edition 4.0 for Linux http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com/cgi-bin/

Application Server on zSeries master?xh=a3KRKds8D5usfr1USenGnN9332&re
quest=announcements&parms=H%5f201%2d366
&xfr=N#div19

WebSphere Edge IBM WebSphere Edge Server http://www.ibm.com/software/

Server V2.0 for Linux multiplatform webservers/edgeserver/support.html

WebSphere WCS Business Edition for http://www.ibm.com/software/

Commerce Suite Linux Intel and Linux on the webservers/commerce/wc_be/support.html
zSeries

WCS Professional Edition for http://www.ibm.com/software/

Linux Intel webservers/commerce/wc_pe/support.html

WebSphere WebSphere Personalization http://www.ibm.com/software/

Personalization 4.0 for Linux on the zSeries webservers/personalization/support.html

WebSphere MQ MQ V 5.2 for Linux on Intel and http://www.ibm.com/software/ts/

(formerly MQ Series) zSeries mqseries/support/index.html

14 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 WebSphere product Product detail Support

WebSphere Portal WebSphere Portal 4.1 for the http://www.ibm.com/software/

Linux Intel Red Hat or SuSE 7.1 webservers/portal/support.html

WebSphere Studio WSAD V4.0 for Red Hat/SuSE http://www.ibm.com/software/ad/

Application Developer 7.1 or Higher on Intel studioappdev/support/

WebSphere Red Hat Linux V7.1or SuSE 6.4 http://www.ibm.com/software/

Transcoding on Intel webservers/transcoding/support.html
Publisher

2.3.2 DB2 for Linux

DB2 for Linux Beta Version 8.1 is now available. You can learn more about this release on
the IBM DB2 for Linux Web site at:
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/db2/linux/validate/

IBM offers the following services related to DB2 for Linux:

򐂰 Remote DB2 Installation: This service is supported for DB2 for Linux running under a
logical partition (LPAR), a guest system (VM), or a stand-alone Linux. For more
information, see:
http://www.ibm.com/services/its/us/drmklm12.html
IBM can also help customers to migrate to DB2 for Linux. Learn about a variety of options
and helpful information on the Web at:
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/db2/migration/
򐂰 DB2 for Linux support: For technical support, product information, and all other DB2 for
Linux support-related issues, go to:
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/db2/udb/support.html
For information about DB2 consulting services and other services, refer to:
http://www.ibm.com/services/

2.3.3 Tivoli
Customers’ growing use of Linux systems within their Tivoli-managed environments has
extended IBM’s commitment to scale Linux services and support to Tivoli products.

IBM announced Tivoli Linux enablement since the summer of 2002 for its security software
and Web management products. For more information, see:
http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/solutions/linux/

Linux enablement was also extended to Tivoli Storage Management, configuration,

operations, performance, and availability products. For details on the current Linux supported
Tivoli products, refer to:
http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/

You can access services for Linux supported Tivoli products, which include consulting,
training, and certification on the Tivoli services Web site at:
http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/services/

Tivoli’s customer support is quite extensive and complete. Some services are available only
for registered users. You can find Tivoli Customer Support on the Web at:

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 15

 http://www.ibm.com/software/sysmgmt/products/support/

Product support matrices for Tivoli

Table 2-2 through Table 2-9 on page 18 describe Tivoli product support matrices for Linux for
each area of Tivoli.

IBM Tivoli Security Management

Table 2-2 lists product detail for Tivoli Security Management.

Table 2-2 IBM Tivoli Security Management product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

Tivoli Access Manager for e-business Tivoli Access Manager for SuSE SLES7 for zSeries

IBM Tivoli Storage Management

Table 2-3 lists product details for Tivoli Storage Management.

Table 2-3 IBM Tivoli Storage Management product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

Tivoli Storage Manager TSM 5.15 Server for Linux on the x86 Platform

TSM 5.15 Clients for Red Hat 7.1 and 7.2 x86

TSM 5.15 Clients for SuSE 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 x86

IBM Tivoli configuration and operations

Table 2-4 lists product details for Tivoli configuration and operations.

Table 2-4 IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager TCM Server for SuSE 7.2 on x86

TCM Server for Red Hat on zSeries

TCM Gateway for SuSE 7.2 on x86

TCM Gateway for SuSE 7.0 and Red Hat on zSeries

TCM Web Gateway for Red Hat 7.1 on x86

TCM Endpoint on Red Hat 7.1 7.2 and SuSE 7.2 on x86

TCM Endpoint on Red Hat and SuSE 7.0 on zSeries

IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler

Table 2-5 lists product details for the Tivoli Workload Scheduler.

Table 2-5 Tivoli Workload Scheduler product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler TWS V8.1 Job Scheduler Console on Red Hat 7.1 for x86*

TWS V8.1Job Scheduler Connector on Red Hat 7.1 for x86

16 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

IBM Tivoli Performance and Availability Management products
IBM Tivoli Performance and Availability Management Products for Linux consists of:
򐂰 IBM Tivoli Monitoring
򐂰 IBM Tivoli Enterprise™ Console
򐂰 IBM Tivoli NetView®
򐂰 IBM Tivoli Service Level Advisor

The details for each product are provided in the following tables. Table 2-6 lists product details
for Tivoli Monitoring.

Table 2-6 IBM Tivoli Performance and Availability product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

IBMTivoli Monitoring IBM Tivoli Monitoring Server, Gateway and Endpoint for Red Hat 7.0 and
7.1 on Intel

IBM Tivoli Monitoring Server, Gateway and Endpoint for Turbo Linux 6.1
and 6.5 on Intel

IBM Tivoli Monitoring Server, Gateway and Endpoint for SuSE Linux 7.1
and 7.2 on Intel

IBM’s Tivoli Enterprise Console® consists of the following components:

򐂰 Event Server
򐂰 Gateway
򐂰 Endpoint Adapter
򐂰 UI Server
򐂰 Event Console

Table 2-7 outlines the support availability for each Tivoli Enterprise Console component on
Linux.

Table 2-7 Tivoli Enterprise Console product matrix for Linux

Supported version by Tivoli Enterprise Console component

platform

Red Hat Linux for Intel Event Gateway Endpoint UI Server Event
7.1 and 7.2 Server Adapters Console

SuSE Linux for Intel 7.0 Event Gateway Endpoint UI Server Event
and 7.1 Server Adapters Console

Turbo Linux for Intel 7.0 Event Gateway Endpoint UI Server Event
Server Adapters Console

Table 2-8 lists product details for IBM Tivoli NetView.

Table 2-8 IBM Tivoli NetView product matrix for Linux

Product Product detail

Tivoli NetView Tivoli NetView 7.1.2 for Red Hat or SuSE 7.1 on Intel

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 17

 Table 2-9 lists product details for IBM Tivoli Service Level Advisor.

Table 2-9 TIBM Tivoli Service Level Advisor for Linux product matrix

Product Product detail

Tivoli Service Level Advisor Service Level Advisor SLM component for Linux Red Hat or SuSE 7.1
on Intel

Service Level Advisor Reports Server for Linux Red Hat or SuSE 7.1
on Intel

2.3.4 Lotus
To support and enhance your Notes® and Domino environment, Lotus offers a full range of
professional services, including consulting, education, and customer support. See IBM’s
Lotus Software site for more information:
http://www.lotus.com/lotus/products.nsf/fa_prohomepage

Table 2-10 outlines the Lotus Family services and support matrix for Linux.

Table 2-10 Lotus support matrix for Linux

Product Product detail Service and support

Lotus Notes® Lotus Notes Domino V 6 Red Hat http://www.lotus.com/products/rnext.nsf/873769A79D9C5B22

Domino Linux, Version 7.2 or SuSE Linux, 85256A0800720B96/478B755CB7C8CB9C85256C400005EF2A?OpenDo
Version 8.0 on Intel cument&cwesite=domfamserv

2.4 Platform services

The xSeries, zSeries, iSeries, and pSeries platforms work with Linux as an operating system
today, among the other operating systems that exist in the marketplace. Just as
software-based services for Linux are needed, so is a well-founded, platform-based service
and support structure which is still growing.

The IBM Linux Support Line provides operational support services and a premier remote
technical support service. For more information, see:
http://www-1.ibm.com/services/its/us/supportline.html

IBM provides technical support for the major distributions of the Linux operating system
running in the xSeries, zSeries, iSeries, and pSeries platforms, as well as some non-IBM
applications that operate in a Linux environment. IBM helps answer how-to questions,
performs problem source determination, and provides mechanisms for a solution. In addition,
by leveraging partnerships with the key distributors of the Linux operating system, IBM
provides defect-level support for the Linux operating system. Remote assistance is available
through toll-free telephone or electronic access depending on the country or region.

IBM provides services for all currently supported xSeries (including BladeCenter™), zSeries,
iSeries, and pSeries platforms in a different degree of variety and complexity through its Linux
Portal. For more information see:
http://www.ibm.com/linux/

As Linux continues to grow, so will IBM’s commitment to enhance current services or provide
new ones.

18 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 IBM also provides Learning Services for customers who are interested in knowing more about
Linux, and making it their key operating environment for e-business. IBM’s Linux education
and training services offer a full curriculum and help to establish a personal Linux education
plan. For details about IBM’s Linux Learning services and Linux Training, you can visit:
http://www.ibm.com/services/learning/us/catalog/linux/

2.4.1 zSeries services

The IBM Managed Hosting for Linux on the zSeries service is intended to provide
cost-effective managed server capacity on demand. If you are new to e-business on demand,
you can find out more information on the Web at:
http://www.ibm.com/services/ondemand/thinking.html

With IBM Managed Hosting - Linux virtual services, the customer can tap into managed
server capacity without the up-front expense of buying the physical hardware. Instead of the
physical Web, database, and application servers that businesses currently rely on, virtual
servers on the zSeries running Linux can be leveraged. This means that availability and
reliability gain a boost while IT infrastructure is greatly simplified.

If you are interested in finding out more about this service, refer to:
http://www.ibm.com/services/e-business/hosting/mgdhosting/linux.html

Table 2-11 lists various resources for platform-based information about services that are
available for the zSeries server.

Table 2-11 zSeries Linux information matrix

Information Location on the Web

Linux for zSeries applications http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/

solutions/s390da/linuxisv.html

Linux for zSeries operating system http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/

download os/linux/dist.html

Linux for zSeries Development tools http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/

os/linux/ldt/

Linux for zSeries Library http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/

os/linux/press.html

Linux for zSeries Education http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/

os/linux/ed.html

2.4.2 iSeries services

IBM provides a variety of services for customers interested in consolidating their servers on
the iSeries server. To learn more about these services, see:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/linux/advs.html

Table 2-12 lists various references for platform-based information about services that are
available for the iSeries server.

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 19

 Table 2-12 iSeries Linux information matrix
Information Location on the Web

Linux for iSeries applications http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

linux/apps.html

Linux for iSeries Education http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

linux/educ.html

Linux for iSeries planning http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

linux/plan.html

Linux for iSeries Developer http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

Resources linux/resc.html

Linux for iSeries Reference Library http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

linux/library.html

Linux for the iSeries support http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/

linux/support.html

2.4.3 pSeries services

The pSeries server makes a reliable foundation for fast 64-bit native Linux servers.

IBM provides hardware and software support service for the new pSeries 630 6C4 and 630
6E4 Linux-ready express configurations that are now available.

For information about these models, see:

http://www.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/eServer/pSeries/
entry/6306C4.html
http://www.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/eServer/pSeries/
entry/6306E4.html

IBM will provide more services for Linux for pSeries in response to growing interest from
customers to use Linux as their native operating system in this platform.

For more information, see the IBM Linux for pSeries Web site at:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/linux/index.html

2.4.4 xSeries services

IBM is leveraging enterprise scalability and availability at attractive prices through xSeries
Linux enablement. IBM’s Linux combination with the xSeries has proven successful. Many
resources and information are available to users who are interested in using Linux on the
xSeries as their key environment to meet their needs.

Table 2-13 lists various references that provide platform-based information about services
that are available for the xSeries server.

Table 2-13 xSeries Linux information matrix

Information Location on the Web

Linux for the xSeries http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/eserver/xseries/

information index.html

eServer Blades Center http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/blades/

20 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Information Location on the Web

Linux clustering on xSeries http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/clusters/

Linux for xSeries ISV resources http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/offers/

linux-speed-start/isv.html

2.4.5 Consolidated platform matrix

For more valuable information about IBM Linux for all IBM ~ services, as well as latest
information, updates, new services available, etc., refer to the IBM Linux dedicated Web site
for each platform as listed in Table 2-14.

Table 2-14 IBM Web site matrix for each Linux platform

Platform Location on the Web

zSeries http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/os/linux/index.html

iSeries http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/linux/index.html

xSeries http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/linux/index.html

pSeries http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/linux/index.html

Chapter 2. IBM and Linux 21

22 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
 3

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux

This chapter provides an overview of the Linux implementation, solutions, and resources
available for the xSeries server.

This chapter covers the following topics:

򐂰 Introduction to X-Architecture™
򐂰 Linux and clustering
򐂰 xSeries and Linux as a server consolidation solution

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 23

3.1 Introduction to xSeries and X-Architecture
The xSeries server is based on X-Architecture, where IBM linked advanced technology from
years of enterprise server development, and the industry-standard technology represented by
the Intel CPU (Figure 3-1).

xSeries iSeries pSeries zSeries

Performance Scalable Manageable

Figure 3-1 The concept of xSeries: Learning the best from all IBM eServer product lines

While the xSeries server delivers advanced technology to customers at a low price, many
applications and services with industry standards are also usable. In the autumn 2001, IBM
announced the Enterprise X-Architecture. This new technology raises the bar on scalability,
flexibility, availability, and performance by a dynamic arrangement of server resources. IBM
offers Enterprise X-Architecture through core logic developed by IBM and realized through
the IBM XA-chip set corresponding to the IA-32 and IA-64 processors.

Operating system support for xSeries changes frequently. This information is available at the
IBM ServerProven® site on the Web at:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/compat/nos/matrix.shtml

You can find the drivers and documents for xSeries on the Web at:

http://www.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss

IBM X-Architecture™ technology is a blueprint for extending the benefits of

advanced availability technologies to IBM Intel processor-based servers. These benefits are
in the areas of availability, scalability, systems management, service, and support. IBM has
been delivering on the promise of the X-Architecture model since 1998. It has included such
innovative technologies as Active™ PCI, C2T Interconnect cabling, Chipkill™™ memory,
Predictive Failure Analysis®, Light Path Diagnostics™, and IBM Director Software
Rejuvenation.

Today, IBM continues to build on the X-Architecture blueprint with Enterprise X-Architecture
technologies. These technologies yield revolutionary advances in the input/output (I/O),
memory, and performance of xSeries servers. This peerless new server design creates a
flexible “pay as you grow” approach to buying high-end 32-bit and 64-bit xSeries servers. The
results are systems that can be scaled quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

24 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

3.2 Linux and functions of X-Architecture
Table 3-1 shows some of the features offered by the X-Architecture, and for which IBM has
developed drivers supporting a Linux environment.

Table 3-1 IBM supports native Linux

Functions Supported by Linux

Active PCI (hot-add and hot-swap) IBM-supplied drivers for Linux

Redundant NIC IBM-supplied drivers for Linux

Advanced Systems Management processors IBM-supplied drivers for Linux

IBM Director 4.1 IBM supports native Linux

Storage area network (SAN) IBM-supplied drivers for Linux

3.2.1 Enterprise X-Architecture with Linux

With support for both Microsoft and Linux operating systems, the application flexibility of
xSeries servers is extended. The hardware is optimized for the latest industry platforms. This
enables customers to choose from a broad portfolio of applications to best suit their business
needs. To further enhance flexibility, its physical partitioning, and a common platform design
help to ease the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit high-end computing.

New tools make systems management easier than ever before. With self-diagnosing and
self-healing technologies, such as Active PCI-X and third-generation Chipkill memory,
systems are designed to stay up and running continuously. The xSeries server provides high
availability and exceptional performance for systems that need to be scaled quickly, easily,
and inexpensively. Table 3-2 shows the Linux support that is available for Enterprise
X-Architecture.

Table 3-2 Linux support with Enterprise X-Architecture

Functions Correspondence by Linux

XpandOnDemenad Scalability Red Hat AS2.1, SuSE8.0

Remote I/O Kernel-2.4.9-31 or later

Table 5-3 Linux support with Enterprise X-Architecture

Enterprise X-Architecture technology enables the following capabilities:

򐂰 XpandOnDemand™ scalability
򐂰 System partitioning
򐂰 PCI-X I/O subsystem: Active PCI-X
򐂰 Remote I/O
򐂰 Active Memory™
– 256 GB memory capacity
– High-speed (DDR) memory
– Memory ProteXion™
– Chipkill™ memory
– Memory mirroring
– Hot-add/hot-swap memory
򐂰 533 MHz front side bus (FSB)
򐂰 XceL4 Server Accelerator Cache
򐂰 Real time diagnostics

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux 25

 In the following section is a brief description of the X-Architecture capabilities mentioned
above. Please refer to Appendix A, “Storage Manager and Linux” on page 57.

3.3 xSeries blade servers: BladeCenter

Blade servers are a relatively new technology that has captured industry focus because of its
modular design, which can reduce cost with a more efficient use of valuable floor space, and
its simplified management, which can help to speed up such tasks as deploying,
repositioning, updating, and troubleshooting hundreds of blade servers. All this can be done
remotely with one graphical console using IBM Director systems management tools. In
addition, blade servers provide improved performance by doubling current rack density. By
integrating resources and sharing key components, not only will costs be reduced, but
availability will be increased as well. The BladeCenter is ideally placed for High Performance
Computing clusters and Web farms. For more details see the following Redpaper: The Cutting
Edge: The IBM eServer BladeCenter, REDP3581, and also the redbook: IBM
BladeCenter, Linux, and Open Source, SG24-7034-00.

Figure 3-2 IBM BladeCenter chassis and blade

Both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server provide enterprise class
features that enable Linux-based solutions to be deployed across the widest range of
enterprise IT environments.

On the xSeries pages, you will find the latest drivers and firmware releases, as well as
documentation about installation for specific models.

Remember to also check compatibility of you disk systems by visiting:

http://www.storage.ibm.com/proven/index.html

Characteristics of the BladeCenter marketplace include:

򐂰 Server consolidation: BladeCenter is a great solution for a centralization-type server
consolidation.
򐂰 HPC/grid computing: BladeCenter is extremely good for HPC environments with the
highly efficient blade Intel Xeon processors running the following workloads:
– Linux cluster
– Genome

26 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 – Engineering Design Automation (EDA)
– Grid
򐂰 Application server: Since BladeCenter has the same performance and function as a
general-purpose server (for example, a SAN environment), the BladeCenter becomes the
optimum application server and can provide considerable space savings in the following
environments:
– File server
– Notes server
– WebSphere Application Server

3.4 Linux and xSeries clustering

In its simplest form, a cluster consists of two or more computers that work together to provide
a solution. This should not be confused with a more common client-server model of
computing where an application may be logically divided such that one or more clients
request services of one or more servers. The idea behind clusters is to join the computing
powers of the nodes involved to provide higher scalability, more combined computing power,
or to build in redundancy to provide higher availability. So, rather than a simple client making
requests of one or more servers, clusters utilize multiple machines to provide a more powerful
computing environment through a single system image.

Clusters of computers must be somewhat self-aware, that is, the work being done on a
specific node often must be coordinated with the work being done on other nodes. This can
result in complex connectivity configurations and sophisticated inter-process communications
between the nodes of a cluster. In addition, the sharing of data between the nodes of a cluster
through a common file system is almost always a requirement. There are many other
complexities that are introduced by clusters, such as the operational considerations of
dealing with a potentially large number of computers as a single resource.

For additional information, refer to the following Web site:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/ww/eserver/xseries/clustering/info.html

3.4.1 Different types of clusters

As just described, clusters may exist in many different forms. The most common cluster types
are:
򐂰 High availability (HA)
򐂰 High performance computing (HPC)
򐂰 Horizontal scaling (HS)

It should be noted that the boundaries between these cluster types are somewhat indistinct,
and often an actual cluster may have properties or provide the function of more than one of
these cluster types.

High availability
High-availability clusters are typically built with the intention of providing a fail-safe
environment through redundancy, that is, provide a computing environment where the failure
of one or more components (hardware, software, or networking) does not significantly affect
the availability of the application or applications being used. In the simplest case, two
computers may be configured identically with access to shared storage. During normal
operation, the application environment executes on one system, while the other system
simply stands by ready to take over running the application in the case of a failure. When a

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux 27

 failure does occur, the second system takes over the appropriate resources (storage,
networking address, and so on). This process is typically called failover. The second system
then completely replaces the failed system, and the end users have no need to know that
their applications are running on a different physical machine.

Figure 3-3 A generic HA cluster

High performance computing

High performance computing clusters are designed to use parallel computing to apply more
processing power to the solution of a problem. There are many examples of scientific
computing using multiple low-cost processors in parallel to perform large numbers of
operations. This is referred to as parallel computing or parallelism. In How to Build a Beowulf:
A Guide to the Implementation and Application of PC Clusters (Scientific and Engineering
Computation), by Sterling, et al1, parallelism is defined as “the ability of many independent
threads of control to make progress simultaneously toward the completion of a task.”

1
T.L. Sterling, J. Salmon, and D.J. Becker. How to build a Beowulf: A Guide to the Implementation and Application of
PC Clusters. MIT Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA, 1999.

28 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

High performance clusters are typically made up of a large number of computers. The design
of High Performance Clusters is a challenging process that needs careful examination of
items, such as the installation, maintenance, and management of a large number of
computers, the requirements for parallel, concurrent, and high performance access to the
same file system(s), and the inter-process communication between the nodes in order to
coordinate the work that must be done in parallel.

The goal is to provide the image of a single system by managing, operating, and coordinating
a large number of discrete computers.

Figure 3-4 A generic High Performance Cluster

Horizontal scaling
Horizontal scaling clusters are used to provide a single interface to a set of resources that can
arbitrarily grow (or shrink) in size over time. The most common example of this is a Web
server farm. In this example, a single interface (URL) is provided, but requests coming in

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux 29

 through that interface can be allocated across a large set of servers providing higher capacity
and the ability to manage the end-user experience through functions such as load balancing.

Of course, this kind of cluster also provides significant redundancy. If one server out of a
large farm fails, it will likely be transparent to the users. Therefore, this model also has many
of the attributes of a high-availability cluster. Likewise, because of the work being shared
among many nodes, it also is a form of high-performance computing.

3.4.2 Linux clusters

Linux clusters (on Intel processors) have become very popular in academia. They represent
an inexpensive platform for computer science issues like parallel programming, development
of parallel tools, and management of distributed systems. At the same time, Intel
processor-based Linux clusters have begun to appear in government and industrial research
installations, initially as proof of concept systems, and now as production machines for
scientific applications.

Linux clusters represent a better price/performance opportunity that takes advantage of a

familiar architecture and programming model. Using economical software such as Linux and
Linux-based programs on Intel-based hardware such as IBM , xSeries rack-mounted
servers make the overall cost of implementing a cluster much lower than it has been in the
past. Therefore, many enterprises are starting to make use of such clusters in environments
where they have previously not been justified.

3.4.3 Integrated Linux cluster: IBM eServer cluster 1350

The Cluster 1350 is an integrated offering. It is designed to be easy to configure and helps
businesses deploy applications rapidly. By reducing the time and resources needed for
researching, assembling, integrating, testing, and tuning a Linux cluster, the Cluster 1350 can
help an organization speed time-to-production.

Figure 3-5 IBM eServer Cluster 1350 with 39 cluster nodes

IBM provides installation support for the Cluster 1350. If an even higher level of support is
desired, the optional Support Line for Linux Clusters is staffed by experts who understand the
entire cluster environment, not just individual components. And IBM can provide project
management support to coordinate all aspects of delivery and installation, including hardware
and software setup services.

30 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 High-performance cluster management
IBM offers Cluster Systems Management (CSM) for Linux, advanced cluster management
software that allows a cluster to be managed from a single point-of-control. This simplifies the
management of the cluster, enabling it to scale up easily, and helping to improve the efficiency
of the system administrator. The CSM infrastructure monitors hardware and software events,
triggering automated recovery action when appropriate. By providing a single point-of-control
for a cluster, CSM can dramatically simplify total systems management, thereby enabling a
cost-effective approach to server consolidation solutions.

Advanced server technology

The Cluster 1350 is based on exclusive X-Architecture™ technology from IBM, which
incorporates some of the availability features of the IBM zSeries™ 900 server, and the
scalability features of IBM pSeries™ systems. As such, these industry standard Intel
processor-based servers are designed to provide enterprise-inspired power, scalability,
control, and service at very attractive prices.

Cluster 1350 nodes significantly reduce the number of cables needed in each system, helping
to speed upgrades while lowering costs. In addition, an integrated systems management
processor enables CSM to remotely manage the system nodes for enhanced server
productivity. System administrators specify which events to monitor and what actions to take
in the event of memory, processor, hard drive, fan, or power issues.

Standard configurations of the Cluster 1350 include a management node, up to 512 cluster
nodes, and up to 32 optional storage nodes that provide shared file storage. Larger
non-standard configurations are available by special bid. Each Cluster 1350 includes a
management Ethernet VLAN for secure internode communications, a cluster Ethernet VLAN
for application internode communication, and a terminal server network. The cluster comes
standard with one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch for the management VLAN, and a choice of
the 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch, Gigabit Ethernet switch, or Myrinet –2000 switch for the
cluster VLAN.

3.5 Consolidation
There are four types of workload consolidation (also referred to as server consolidation).
Each type offers significant benefits in the following areas:
򐂰 Reduced administrative costs because of central management
򐂰 Better management of system proliferation and more consistent architecture
򐂰 Management of purchasing to achieve volume purchasing discounts
򐂰 Consistent process for security, operating system levels, and updates

The four types of consolidation are:

򐂰 Consolidating multiple systems previously spread around the enterprise into fewer, more
centralized locations
򐂰 Consolidating many systems into a reduced number of larger servers
򐂰 Consolidating data
򐂰 Consolidating applications

3.5.1 Consolidating multiple systems previously spread around the enterprise

For this type of consolidation, xSeries and Linux together provide the following benefits:
򐂰 Reduced floor space: The xSeries features rack-dense solutions and cable-chaining
technology.

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux 31

 򐂰 IBM Director: This includes a function called Update Xpress, which allows you to
propagate system images and updates to all consolidated systems.
򐂰 Workload management solutions: They reschedule work from heavily loaded systems to
more lightly loaded systems.
򐂰 Availability through redundancy within systems and across systems: With a consolidated
environment, you can configure your solutions for maximum availability. The xSeries
server already has redundancy within systems for such things as power supplies. Now, in
a consolidated environment, you can set up another system to handle work from a failing
system or from a system you may want to take offline to replace.

3.5.2 Consolidating many systems into a reduced number of larger servers

򐂰 The xSeries Model 440 offers a strong value proposition with its Pay as You Grow feature.
This feature allows you to buy only the computer resources you need for the first stage of
your consolidation efforts and to add additional computer capacity as your consolidation
efforts grow or business expands.
򐂰 The remote I/O feature of the xSeries Model 440 allows you to increase the I/O capacity of
your systems without throwing out the base system. You can expand your computer
power with Pay as You Grow and customize the I/O needs as your consolidation
requirements change.
򐂰 Virtual or physical partitioning: The xSeries server allows you to create physical partitions,
each with its own memory and I/O. In addition, VMware offers virtual partitions. With both
partitioning configurations, failover between virtual or physical partitions is possible.
򐂰 This environment requires fewer administrators.
򐂰 This environment offers separate resource allocation, billing, and server-level
agreements.
򐂰 VMware and virtual partitions: VMware offers several key benefits as you implement
server consolidation. These benefits include:
– The ability to run Windows and Linux partitions side by side. You can run Windows
applications in one partition and Linux applications in a second partition. VMware
supports both SuSE and Red Hat as Linux operating environments.
– The ability to change partitions dynamically as computer needs change. You can add a
new partition or alter the I/O resources dedicated to it in a few minutes.
– You can set up partitions and customize them to serve specific workload requirements.
For example, you can set up two Web-serving partitions, a print-serving partition, and
two mail-serving partitions. The mail and Web-serving partitions may likely have
mission-critical requirements, so you can set up the second partition as a backup
partition, which you can shift workload to if one partition has capacity problems. The
print-serving partitions are likely set up with less I/O capacity dedicated to them than to
the mail-serving partition. This makes customization very flexible for your specific
workloads.

3.5.3 Consolidating data

The key differentiators and benefits that xSeries and Linux together bring to this area include:
򐂰 The ability to create highly available data configurations with System Area Networks
(SAN) and shared storage environments
򐂰 Data mirroring to ensure availability of data if disk failures occur. Improved security with
centralized security policies rather than fragmented data scattered around the enterprise

32 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 򐂰 Fewer database administrators required

3.5.4 Consolidating applications

The key differentiators and benefits that xSeries and Linux together bring to this area include
those mentioned above as well as these:
򐂰 A reduction in application licensing costs by consolidating application usage on one
system rather than multiple systems across the enterprise
򐂰 The ability to better manage new application migration plans with operating system or
application-level changes
򐂰 A reduction in compute capacity requirements by load balancing multiple application
requirements across systems

Chapter 3. xSeries and Linux 33

34 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
 4

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT

This chapter starts with a review of the major features and advantages of the IBM
TotalStorage offering and its support for Linux solutions.

This chapter continues with an overview of the IBM TotalStorage FAStT Storage Server
family of products, including a description of some of the Storage Manager premium features.

The entire product family is discussed in the redbook The IBM TotalStorage Solutions
Handbook, SG24-5250. Further details of IBM’s TotalStorage products, software and
solutions, including Linux support, can be found at the following Web sites:
http://www.storage.ibm.com
http://www.storage.ibm.com/linux

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 35

4.1 IBM TotalStorage
Linux-enabled storage is a requirement for all servers running Linux, regardless of the
hardware infrastructure they rely on. We can observe that as Linux moves from supporting
infrastructure workloads such as Web serving, networking, file and print operations into the
mission critical applications at the core of the data center, more stringent requirements are
placed on the storage infrastructure to deliver superior reliability, scalability, security, and
performance. These are not new requirements for IBM’s storage portfolio, which has
comprehensive Linux support today with a commitment to make it even stronger with our new
products and solutions.

IBM continues to support Linux across all its server platforms and leads the industry in
storage networking based on open, industry standards for heterogeneous platforms.

IBM is the leader in delivering world-class disk and tape systems, storage management
software, services, and integrated solutions, and incorporates the following:
򐂰 Highly scalable storage - Enables administrators to manage growth and quickly respond
to changing business needs, with ease of deployment and configuration
򐂰 High availability and fault-tolerant storage - Provides continuous and reliable access to
data using technologies like RAID and clustering
򐂰 Improved data management - Helps administrators better control the security and growth
of their data
򐂰 Increased storage utilization - Allocates storage through a centrally managed pool of
storage
򐂰 Reduced administrative costs - Manage additional storage without having to add staff, and
with IBM storage management tools, the ability to perform quicker problem resolution
򐂰 Platform independence - Enables sharing of data and possibility of simplification of
backup procedures
򐂰 Centrally managed - Enables administrators to quickly respond to changing business
needs, with ease of deployment and configuration
򐂰 Reduced administrative costs - Manage additional storage without having to add staff, and
with IBM storage management tools, the ability to perform quicker problem resolution

4.1.1 Value proposition

IBM provides a comprehensive Linux strategy that includes all elements, hardware, software,
and management tools to provide complete infrastructure for the major IT workloads.

IBM storage on Linux provides pre-tested combinations of disk (high-end and mid-range),
tape and network storage and the major Linux distributions, and a clear strategy of deploying
Linux in storage.

IBM storage on Linux also provides alignment with IBM and software to offer the
most appropriate combinations to serve a wide variety of customer needs, all exploiting the
benefits of open source and heterogeneous environments made possible by Linux.

36 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Table 4-1 IBM Storage for Linux summary
IBM Storage for Linux What it does What it means

Built on open standards, Allows IBM to bring a full array Variety of choice in selecting
demonstrating IBM's intention of products to the Linux the most appropriate storage
to support Linux on all its environment for your needs while limiting
products. investment in proprietary
infrastructures

Pre-tested, documented and Expedites implementation of IT Take the “guesswork” out when
supported Linux storage infrastructures with superior choosing storage for your IT
configurations - disk, tape and reliability and support. needs
networked storage.

Wide variety of choices of Linux Protect investment in IT Freedom of choice for your
distribution's and storage infrastructure preferred Linux distribution
attachments.

IBM TotalStorage’s major advantage is its ability to offer complete storage solutions in a Linux
environment. IBM’s statement of support is also more robust than that of the competition,
encompassing our IBM eServer software and storage products. Linux is part of IBM storage’s
core development, and Linux support for our advanced functions is growing.

For some of the limitations of Linux and the work-arounds, refer to Appendix B, “FAStT
Management Suite Java” on page 75.

4.2 IBM TotalStorage Proven™

IBM has introduced the TotalStorage Proven program to help customers identify storage
solutions and configurations that have been pre-tested for interoperability. This program is
also intended to ease the burden on IBM Business Partners, independent software vendors
(ISVs), and other storage solution providers with respect to independent interoperability
testing.

The IBM TotalStorage Proven program builds on IBM’s already extensive interoperability
efforts to develop and deliver products and solutions that work together with third party
products. Under the Storage Proven program, IBM will continue its work with hardware
vendors, ISVs, and solution developers to test their products on IBM’s extensive line of
storage products.

The continuing benefits would include:

򐂰 Intended customer value:
– Lower risk by investing in proven solutions
– Lower Integration costs
– Faster solution deployment

More information about TotalStorage Proven can be found at:

http://www.ibm.com/totalstorage/proven

You can find an updated list of companies that have tested their products with IBM storage in
a Linux environment at:
http://www.ibm.com/totalstorage/proven/solutions.htm

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 37

4.3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT product highlights
Figure 4-1 shows the evolution of the different products that make up the IBM TotalStorage
FAStT Storage Server family.

Any model can be attached to any xSeries server running specific version of Red Hat and
SuSE Linux.

The Range Evolves

y
anc
und FAST 900
ity,
Red
bil Dual 2Gb Controller(s)

Scala Raid Cache - 2GB

lity, Max Drives - 224
ilabi FAStT 700 4 Host Mini Hubs
, Ava Copy Services Options
nce Highest Performance
o rm Dual 2Gb Controller(s)
Perf FAST 600
Raid Cache - 2GB
Max Drives - 224
w/Turbo 4 Host Mini Hubs
w/Turbo Option
Option
Copy Services Options
Dual 2Gb Controller(s)
Raid Cache - 2MB
Max Drives - 112
4 Host FC Ports
Copy Service Options
FAST 600 30-100%+ Performance
boost over the base
Dual 2Gb Controller(s) FAST600
RAID Cache - 512MB
Max Drives - 56 SL
FAST 200 4 Host FC Ports

3U, Single/Dual 1Gb

Controller(s)
Raid Cache - 128MB single
controller
Cache Upgrade -256MB
single controller
Max Drives - 60 SL/HH
2 Host FC ports

Figure 4-1 Evolution of the FAStT Storage Servers

Note: IBM TotalStorage FAStT 500 Storage Server has been withdrawn from marketing
and is only included as a comparison.

4.3.1 IBM TotalStorage FAStT200 Storage Server

The FAStT200 is designed for workgroup and departmental servers that require an external
storage solution. The single controller model provides a cost-effective solution, while the
FAStT200 High Availability (HA) model features a fully redundant configuration with
dual-active controllers.

38 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Figure 4-2 IBM TotalStorage FAStT200 Storage Server

Product highlights
򐂰 Provides an affordable RAID storage solution for workgroup and departmental servers
򐂰 Fully integrates Fibre Channel technology, from host attachment to disk drives
򐂰 Helps ensure high availability by using redundant, hot-swappable components
򐂰 With the High Availability model, supports transparent failover with dual-active RAID
controllers
򐂰 Provides a wide range of data protection options with RAID levels 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10

4.3.2 IBM TotalStorage FAStT500 Storage Server

The FAStT500 Storage Server is the storage of choice for those wanting the ultimate in
midrange storage consolidation, and data sharing on multiple or heterogeneous server
platforms. The FAStT500 supports rapid universal access to vast quantities of data through
many advanced functions and features, making it a workhorse for business-critical
applications.

Note: The IBM TotalStorage FAStT500 Storage Server has been withdrawn from
marketing.

Figure 4-3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT500 Storage Server

Product highlights
򐂰 Data protection with dual redundant components, multiple RAID levels, LUN masking, and
enhanced management options
򐂰 Storage consolidation for SAN, NAS, and direct-attach environments

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 39

 򐂰 Investment protection throughout the FAStT family of storage systems
򐂰 Heterogeneous support for IBM AIX ®, Microsoft ® Windows® 2000, Windows NT®, Sun
Solaris, HP-UX, Red Hat and SuSE Linux
򐂰 Linux Scales over 32 terabytes (TB) of capacity using flexible combinations of 18.2, 36.4,
73.4 and 146.8GB drives
򐂰 Software upgrade to support advanced copy services and remote mirroring

4.3.3 IBM TotalStorage FAStT600 Storage Server

The FAStT600 and FAStT600 Turbo are the latest additions to the FAStT family of products.
The FAStT600 is an entry level, highly scalable 2 Gb Fibre Channel Storage Server offering
best-in-class performance for an unbeatable solution in UNIX and Intel workgroups.

The IBM TotalStorage FAStT600 Storage Server is designed to a be cost-effective, scalable

storage server for consolidation and clustering applications. Its modular architecture can
support on demand business models by enabling an entry configuration, which can easily
grow as storage demands increase. With more than 6 TB of maximum capacity, this server is
well suited for consolidating direct-attached storage into a centrally managed, shared, or SAN
environment.

The FAStT600 Turbo is a mid-level storage server that can scale to over 16 TB, facilitating
storage consolidation for medium-sized customers. It uses the latest in storage networking
technology to provide an end-to-end 2 Gbps Fibre Channel solution. As part of the IBM FAStT
family, the Model 600 with Turbo uses the same common storage management software and
high performance hardware design, providing customers with enterprise like capabilities
found in high-end models, but at a much lower cost.

Figure 4-4 IBM Total Storage FAStT 600 Storage Server

FAStT 600 product highlights

򐂰 Provides four 2Gb Fibre Channel host ports designed to economically support multipath
failover for directly attached UNIX ® and Intel ® processor-based clustered servers
򐂰 Supports up to 56 hard disk drives and scales to more than 8 terabytes of capacity
򐂰 Includes failover drivers for Microsoft ® Windows ® 2000 and optional support for
AIX ®, Sun ™ Solaris ™, HP-UX, and other Intel processor-based platforms, including the
Novell Netware and Linux operating systems
򐂰 Designed to deliver high performance of up to 400 MB/sec
򐂰 Facilitates storage consolidation in Storage Area Network (SAN), Network Attached
Storage (NAS), and direct-attach environments

40 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 򐂰 Includes FAStT Storage Manager to help centrally manage all FAStT storage subsystems

FAStT600 Turbo highlights

򐂰 Up to 70% performance improvement with new Storage Manager v8.4 that ships with
Turbo
򐂰 Higher scalability over base FAStT600, scalable to 16.4 TB
򐂰 Increased cache from 256 MB per controller on base FAStT600 to 1 GB per controller on
Turbo
򐂰 Autonomic functions such as Dynamic Volume Expansion and Dynamic Capacity
Addition, allowing unused storage to be brought on-line without stopping operations, and
FAStT Service Alert, which is capable of automatically alerting IBM if a problem occurs.
򐂰 Host interface on base FAStT600 is 2 Gb, Turbo auto senses to connect to 1 Gb or 2 Gb
򐂰 Up to 64 storage partitions

4.3.4 IBM TotalStorage FAStT700 Storage Server

IBM FAStT700 Storage Server delivers superior performance with 2 Gbps Fibre Channel
technology. The FAStT700 is designed to offer investment protection with advanced functions
and flexible features. Scales from 36 GB to over 32 TB to support growing storage
requirements created by e-business applications. FAStT700 offers advanced replication
services to support business continuance. The FAStT700 is an effective storage server for
any enterprise seeking performance without borders.

Figure 4-5 IBM Total Storage FAStT 700 Storage Server

FAStT700 product highlights

򐂰 Data protection with dual redundant components, multiple RAID levels, LUN masking, and
enhanced management options
򐂰 Storage Consolidation for SAN, NAS and direct-attach environments
򐂰 Investment protection throughout the FAStT family of storage systems
򐂰 Support for IBM AIX ®, Microsoft ® Windows® 2000, Windows NT®, Novell® Netware®,
Sun Solaris, HP-UX, Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux
򐂰 Scales up to 32.8 terabytes (TB) of capacity using flexible combinations of 36.4 GB,
73.4 GB, and 146.8 GB 10,000 rpm drives as well as 18.2 GB, 36.4 GB and 73.4 GB
15,000 rpm drives (2 Gbps FC)

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 41

4.3.5 IBM TotalStorage FAStT900 Storage Server
IBM FAStT900 Storage Server delivers breakthrough disk performance and outstanding
reliability for demanding applications in compute-intensive environments. The FAStT900 is
designed to offer investment protection with advanced functions and flexible features.
Designed for today’s on demand business needs, the FAStT900 easily scales from 36 GB to
over 32 TB to support growing storage requirements. FAStT900 offers advanced replication
services to support business continuance and disaster recovery. The FAStT900 is an effective
storage server for any enterprise seeking performance without borders.

Figure 4-6 IBM TotalStorage FAStT900 Storage Server

FAStT900 Product highlights

򐂰 Data protection with dual redundant components, multiple RAID levels, LUN masking, and
enhanced management options
򐂰 Storage consolidation for SAN, NAS, and direct-attach environments
򐂰 Investment protection throughout the FAStT family of storage systems
򐂰 Support for IBM AIX ®, Microsoft ® Windows® 2000, Windows NT®, Novell™ Knitwear,
Sun Solaris, HP-UX, Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux, VMWare, Linux IA64
򐂰 Scales up to 32.8 terabytes (TB) of capacity using flexible combinations of 18.2, 36.4, 73.4
and 146.8 GB drives
򐂰 Supports existing EXP500 and EXP700 drive enclosures to preserve existing investment
in FAStT storage

4.3.6 Expansion enclosures

As your storage requirements grow, you can easily expand storage capacity by adding IBM
FAStT EXP500 or EXP700 Expansion Units.

EXP500 Expansion Unit product highlights

High-speed, highly scalable Netfinity® Fibre Array Storage Technology (FAStT) solutions are
ready to handle a wide range of Storage Area Network (SAN) applications for your
mission-critical enterprise network. These high-availability products support both dual-loop
hosts, and dual-loop drive storage configurations with fibre-to-fibre technology.

Key components include:

򐂰 Fully redundant base unit includes hot-plug redundant power supplies, fans, and 10 drive
bays
򐂰 Supports high-speed FC hard disk drives (HDDs)

42 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Netfinity FAStT Solutions bring fibre-to-fibre, advanced-technology SAN solutions to your
enterprise network.

Key features include:

򐂰 Flexible data storage configurations through multiple hosts and drive buses
򐂰 Supports mirroring, redundant loops, and pooling of disks and tape drives
򐂰 High availability technology throughout provides redundancy, hot-swap components, and
customer replaceable units (CRUs)
򐂰 High performance - allows up to 100 MB/sec data transfers
򐂰 Highly scalable - supports up to 220 FCAL HDDs with redundant loops
򐂰 Standard Netfinity FAStT Storage Manager - manages up to eight storage partitions
򐂰 Support for RAID levels 0, 1, 3, and 5
򐂰 Data storage up to 10 Km (6.2 miles) away - provides additional protection from
catastrophic occurrences
򐂰 Support for long and short-wave Fibre Channel environments with GBIC's and optical
cabling

EXP700 Expansion Unit product highlights

The IBM TotalStorage FAStT EXP700 Storage Expansion Unit expands the highly scalable,
high-performance FAStT family with a 14-bay, 2 GBps, rack-mountable Fiber Channel hard
disk drive enclosure. Used with the FAStT700, FAStT500, and FAStT200 storage servers,
the new EXP700 is designed to provide incremental support for over 1 TB of disk storage per
unit. When used with the FAStT700 storage server, it provides a full end-to-end 2 GBps Fiber
Channel storage solution, extending the FAStT family with the latest Fibre Channel
technology.

The EXP700 Expansion Unit supports four new, slim-profile, dual-loop, hot-swappable disk
drive modules:
򐂰 The four new 2 GB Fiber Channel disk modules can also be used with the FAStT EXP500
Storage Expansion Unit (3560-1RU/1RX), and with the FAStT200 storage server (3542)
operating at 1 GB.

A new PCI-X/133MHz, 2 GBps Fiber Channel Host Bus Adapter is being introduced for
attaching FAStT storage servers to IBM eServer xSeries and other Intel-based servers. The
IBM TotalStorage FAStT FC2-133 Host Bus Adapter is a 64-bit, low-profile adapter that
supports auto-sensing for 1 GBps or 2 GBps operations on point-to-point Fiber Channel
Arbitrated Loop (AL)-2 and switched fabric topologies with Fiber Channel SCSI and IP
protocols.

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 43

 Figure 4-7 Simple example of Storage on a SAN

4.4 Premium Features

Premium Features are advanced features of the IBM TotalStorage FAStT Storage Server and
must be purchased separately. These extra features include:
򐂰 Storage partitioning
򐂰 FlashCopy®
򐂰 Remote Volume Mirroring
򐂰 VolumeCopy

Note: Premium Features are a function of the IBM TotalStorage FAStT Storage Server
firmware, and are usable from Linux attached hosts in the same manner as they would
be from a host that is running any of the supported host operating systems.

4.4.1 Introduction to storage partitioning

Storage partitioning adds a high level of flexibility to the FAStT Storage Server. It allows you to
connect a much higher number of host systems, either in standalone, or clustered mode.

Intel processor-based host systems connected to the FAStT Storage Server usually run an
operating system with limited storage handling capabilities. Most of these operating systems
can only treat the storage as if it was locally attached to the host system. Two or more
individual host systems or clusters cannot access the same storage space, at least not
without disastrous results, unless third-party file sharing software is used. This is in conflict
with the idea of SAN, where the storage is supposed to be globally accessible to many host
systems.

Without storage partitioning, the logical drives configured on a FAStT Storage Server can
only be accessed by a single host system or by a single cluster. This can surely lead to
inefficient use of storage server hardware.

44 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Storage partitioning, on the other hand, allows you to create sets containing the hosts with
their Host Bus Adapters and the logical drives. We call these sets storage partitions. Now the
host systems can only access their assigned logical drives, just as if these logical drives were
locally attached to them. You can connect multiple hosts or clusters running the popular
Intel-platform operating systems to the same FAStT Storage Server. Storage partitioning
adapts the SAN idea of globally-accessible storage to the local-storage-minded operating
systems.

A storage partition contains several components:

򐂰 Logical drive mappings
򐂰 Hosts or host groups
򐂰 Host ports

A host group is a collection of hosts that are allowed to access the same logical drives, for
example a cluster of two systems.

A host is a single system that can be contained in a host group.

A host port is the FC port of the Host Bus Adapter in the host system. The host port is
identified by its world-wide name (WWN). A single host can contain more than one host port.
If you attach the servers in a redundant way (highly recommended), each server needs two
Host Bus Adapters. That is, it needs two host ports within the same host system.

The FAStT Storage Server only communicates through the use of the WWN. The storage
subsystem is not aware of which Host Bus Adapters are in the same server or in servers that
have a certain relationship, such as a cluster. The host groups, the hosts, and their host ports
actually reflect a logical view of the physical connections of your SAN as well as the logical
connection between servers, such as clusters.

With the logical setup defined previously, mappings are specific assignments of logical drives
to particular host groups or hosts.

The storage partition is the combination of all these components. It ensures proper access to
the different logical drives even if there are several hosts or clusters connected.

With FAStT Storage Manager you have the ability of the FAStT Storage Servers to support up
to 64 storage partitions. For number of maximum storage partitions for specific FAStT model
see Figure 4-2.

Table 4-2 Currently supported maximum storage partitions

FAStT Model Number of supported partitions

FAStT 200 16

FAStT 600 1, 4 or 8 - 64 on Turbo

FAStT 700 64

FAStT 900 64

Note: Note that on some FAStT models, the number of partitions also depends on the
(feature) licences that have been purchased.

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 45

4.4.2 Introduction to FlashCopy
A FlashCopy logical drive is a point-in-time image of a logical drive. It is the logical equivalent
of a complete physical copy, but you create it much more quickly than a physical copy and it
requires less disk space. In this release of the storage management software, the logical
drive from which you are basing the FlashCopy, called the base logical drive, must be a
standard logical drive in your storage subsystem. Typically, you create a FlashCopy so that
an application, for example a backup application, can access the FlashCopy and read the
data while the base logical drive remains online and user-accessible. When the backup
completes, the FlashCopy logical drive is no longer needed.

You can also create several FlashCopy of a base logical drive and write data to the FlashCopy
logical drives in order to perform testing and analysis. Before upgrading your database
management system, for example, you can use FlashCopy logical drives to test different
configurations. Then you can use the performance data provided by the storage management
software to help you decide how to configure your live database system.

When you take a FlashCopy, the controller suspends I/O to the base logical drive for a few
seconds while it creates a physical logical drive called the FlashCopy repository logical drive
to store FlashCopy metadata and copy-on-write data. When the controller is finished creating
the FlashCopy repository logical drive, I/O write requests to the base logical drive can
continue. However, before a data block on the base logical drive is modified, a copy-on-write
occurs, copying the contents of blocks that are to be modified into the FlashCopy repository
logical drive for safekeeping. Since the FlashCopy repository logical drive stores copies of the
original data in those data blocks, further changes to those data blocks write directly to the
base logical drive without another copy-on-write. And, since the only data blocks that are
physically stored in the FlashCopy repository logical drive are those that have changed since
the time of the FlashCopy, the FlashCopy technology uses less disk space than a full physical
copy.

When you create a FlashCopy logical drive, you specify where to create the FlashCopy
repository logical drive, its capacity, and other parameters. You can disable the FlashCopy
when you are finished with it, for example after a backup completes. Then, you can re-create
the FlashCopy the next time you do a backup and reuse the same FlashCopy repository
logical drive. Using the Disable FlashCopy and Re-create FlashCopy pull-down menu options
provides a shortcut to creating a new FlashCopy logical drive of a particular base logical drive
because you do not need to create a new FlashCopy repository logical drive.

46 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Base Logical Volume Repositary Volume Data
Metadata - Original
map

}
Overwritten

Copy-on-Write Free
Data

I/O Behavior
Base Flashcopy
Check Map:
Read from
Direct Read Base or
Read from Base Drive Repository if
data were
changed

Check Map: Check Map:

Copy Original Overwrite or
Write and Overwrite Establish New
Base Mapping

Figure 4-8 FlashCopy read and write schema

You can also delete a FlashCopy logical drive, which also deletes the associated FlashCopy
repository logical drive. The storage management software provides a warning message
when your FlashCopy repository logical drive nears a user-specified threshold (a percentage
of its full capacity, the default is 50%). When this condition occurs, you can use the storage
management software to expand the capacity of your FlashCopy repository logical drive from
free capacity on the array. If you are out of free capacity on the array, you can even add
unconfigured capacity to the array in order to expand the FlashCopy repository logical drive.

Note: FlashCopy is a premium feature. Contact your IBM reseller or IBM marketing
representative for more information.

4.4.3 Introduction to Remote Mirroring

The Remote Mirror option is a premium feature that comes with the IBM FAStT Storage
Manager 8.2, or newer, software, and is enabled by purchasing a premium feature key. The
Remote Mirror option is used for online, real-time replication of data between storage
subsystems over a remote distance. In the event of a disaster or unrecoverable error at one
storage subsystem, the Remote Mirror option enables you to promote a second storage
subsystem to take over responsibility for normal input/output (I/O) operations (Figure 4-9).

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 47

 Network Network

SAN SAN

Storage FC Storage
Array Fabric Array

V1 V2 V3m V1m V2m V3

Primary Data Center Backup Data Center

Figure 4-9 Remote Volume Mirroring

A mirroring relationship is on a volume basis:

򐂰 Associates two volumes (primary and secondary) using Storage Manager software
򐂰 Data is copied to secondary volume in the background

The mirroring is synchronous. The write must be completed to both volumes before the I/O is
complete.

A minimum of two arrays is required. One storage system can have primary volumes being
mirrored to other arrays, and hold secondary volumes from multiple arrays.

The maximum number of storage subsystems that can participate in a remote mirror
configuration is two. The two storage subsystems are called primary and secondary storage
subsystems or as local and remote storage subsystems. These names are used
interchangeably to describe remote mirror setups or concepts. The names do not refer to the
location of storage subsystems or the role storage subsystems have in a remote mirror
relationship.

Note: Remote Mirror is a premium feature. Contact your IBM reseller or IBM marketing
representative for more information.

4.4.4 Introduction to VolumeCopy

The VolumeCopy premium feature is available with Storage Manager v8.4 and is used to
copy data from one logical drive (the source logical drive) to another logical drive (the target
logical drive) in a single storage subsystem.

This feature can be used to copy data from arrays that use smaller capacity drives to arrays
that use larger capacity drives, to back up data, or to restore FlashCopy logical drive data to
the base logical drive. This premium feature includes a Create Copy Wizard to assist in

48 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 creating a logical drive copy, and a Copy Manager, to monitor logical drive copies after they
have been created.

Some of the advantages and uses of VolumeCopy premium feature:

Migration
As your storage requirements for a logical drive change, the VolumeCopy premium feature
can be used to copy data to a logical drive in an array that utilizes larger capacity disk drives
within the same storage subsystem. This provides an opportunity to move data to larger
drives (for example, 73 GB to 146 GB), change to drives with a higher data transfer rate (for
example, 1 Gb/s to 2 Gb/s), or to change to drives using new technologies for higher
performance.

Backing up data
The VolumeCopy premium feature allows you to create a backup of a logical drive by copying
data from one logical drive to another logical drive in the same storage subsystem. The target
logical drive can be used as a backup for the source logical drive, for system testing, or to
back up to another device, such as a tape drive.

Restoring FlashCopy logical drive data to the base logical drive

If you need to restore data to the base logical drive from its associated FlashCopy logical
drive, the VolumeCopy premium feature can be used to copy the data from the FlashCopy
logical drive to the base logical drive. You can create a logical drive copy of the data on the
FlashCopy logical drive, then copy the data to the base logical drive.

4.5 Attaching FAStT to an xSeries Linux host

When planning your installation, consider carefully all of the system requirements.

Prior to implementation, all firmware and BIOS levels must be verified and updated if
necessary. To get the latest information and downloads visit the following site:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/support/

On the xSeries pages, you will find the latest drivers and firmware releases as well as
documentation about installation for specific models.

Remember to also check compatibility of you disk systems by visiting:

http://www.storage.ibm.com/proven/index.html

Note: For step-by-step instructions on how to install Linux and configure an xSeries
system for attachment to FAStT, refer to Chapter 5 of the IBM Redbook: Implementing
Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6261-01.

4.5.1 Hardware requirements

The xSeries servers currently range from single processor to 16-way processor systems.
Memory ranges from 128 MB to 64 GB. Requirements will be dependant on workload: for
example, a large database would be well suited to a system with plenty of memory and CPU
power, whereas a Web server would be better with more networking resources. Many options
are available and supported in IBM xSeries servers. You can view the latest list at the
following site:

Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage and FAStT 49

 http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/compat/index.html

Red Hat and Suse also have a list of tested and supported hardware with their distribution of
Linux, respectively at:
http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl or
http://www.suse.com/us/business/certifications/certified_hardware

For attaching to external storage, you will need a Host Bus Adapter. You can find the list of
supported adapters by going to:
http://www.storage.ibm.com

After selecting your storage type, look for interoperability matrix.

4.5.2 Software requirements

The following is a list of software used to setup Fibre Channel storage with xSeries and
BladeCenter.
򐂰 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (release AS if setting up a high availability cluster), or SuSE
Linux Enterprise Server 8 (SLES8)
򐂰 IBM FAStT Host Bus Adapter drivers

To attach to FAStT, you will need:

򐂰 Storage Manager
򐂰 IBM FAStT Management Suite for Java (MSJ)

These are described in Chapter 5., “IBM FAStT Management software” on page 51.

4.5.3 Connection requirements

A network switch is required for systems management and to configure the Fibre Channel
storage. The servers may be connected to the storage through fibre switches or hubs. All
connections have to be planned and set up carefully. The topic is beyond the scope of this
book and we assume that you are familiar with SAN and its implications. For an introduction
please refer to Introduction to Storage Area Networks, SG24-5470.

50 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 5

Chapter 5. IBM FAStT Management software

This chapter describes the software needed to manage the BM FAStT Storage Server with
Linux. This includes the following:
򐂰 IBM FAStT Storage Manager
򐂰 IBM FAStT MSJ
򐂰 SANavigator Diagnostic and Management Software
򐂰 IBM Service Alert

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 51

5.1 Management software
This section describes some of the software that is needed to manage the IBM FAStT
Storage Server in the Linux environment.

5.1.1 IBM FAStT Storage Manager

You would use IBM FAStT Storage Manager to configure, manage, and troubleshoot the
FAStT Storage Servers. Storage Manager is a Java-based GUI utility that is available for
various operating systems and is primarily used to:
򐂰 Configure arrays and logical drives
򐂰 Assign your logical drives into storage partitions
򐂰 Replace and rebuild failed disk drives
򐂰 Logical drive maintenance
򐂰 Configure advanced features (FlashCopy, Remote Volume Mirroring, and VolumeCopy)

Storage Manager also allows you to do troubleshooting and management tasks:

򐂰 Checking the status of the storage server components
򐂰 Check error logs and preform recovery operations
򐂰 Updating firmware

Figure 5-1 Typical Storage Manager Subsystem Management window

Operating system requirements for IBM FAStT Storage Manager

The following vendor kernels listed in Table 5-1 have been tested and are required for proper
support.

Table 5-1 Tested operating systems and kernel levels

Operating system Kernel

Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1 2.4.9-e.12

Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.4.18-19.7.x

52 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Operating system Kernel

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 8 (SLES 8) 2.4.19

Note: Linux supports a maximum of 128 logical drives with 32 LUNs per storage partition.

5.1.2 IBM FAStT Management Suite Java

If your Linux installation uses the IBM FAStT Host Bus Adapter, then you will use the IBM
FAStT HBA driver. If you have multiple paths to your storage, this driver can provide a
fail-over capability, but the paths must be configured.

When using two adapters, it is necessary to hide one path to the LUN away from Linux. This
is necessary because, like most operating systems, Linux does not support multipathing by
itself. At boot time, the adapters negotiate the preferred path, which will be the only visible
one. However, with the management tool, it is possible to make an adequate configuration
instead of getting the results of FC protocol negotiations and driver design. Additionally, it is
possible to choose the LUNs visible for the OS. Also, included is static load balancing that
distributes access to the individual LUNs through several paths.

This is the function of IBM FAStT Management Suite Java (MSJ) Diagnostic and
Configuration Utility. The IBM FAStT Management Suite Java (FAStT MSJ) is an application
designed for the monitor and configuration of a SAN environment. This application is
specifically designed for IBM Fibre Channel in such an environment.

Together with HBA components, storage devices, and host systems, this application helps
complete a Storage Area Network.

FAStT MSJ is a network-capable (client/server) application that can connect to and configure
a remote Windows NT, Linux, or Novell Netware systems. The networking capability of the
application allows for centralized management and configuration of the entire SAN.

With the application, you can use the following four types of operations to configure devices in
the system:
򐂰 Disable (un-configure) a device on a Host Bus Adapter
When a device is set as un-configured by the utility, it is not recognized by the HBA and is
inaccessible to that HBA on that system.
򐂰 Enable a device
To add a device and make it accessible to the HBA on the system
򐂰 Designate a path as preferred or alternate
When a LUN is accessible from more than one adapter in the same system, one path can
be assigned as the preferred path and the other one as the alternate path. If for some
reason the preferred path fails, the system switches to the alternate path to assure that the
transfer of data is not interrupted.
򐂰 Replace a device that has been removed with a device that has been inserted
In a hot-plug environment, the IBM driver does not automatically purge a device that has
been physically removed. Similarly, it does not delete a device that is no longer accessible
because of errors or failure. Internally, the driver keeps the device in its database and
marks it as invisible.

Chapter 5. IBM FAStT Management software 53

 As for a new device that is inserted, even in the same slot as the removed one, the driver just
adds it to the database.

FAStT MSJ provides the function to delete the removed device data from the driver’s
database and to assign the inserted device to the same slot as the one that it replaces.

Some of the features include:

򐂰 Timely and accurate detection of I/O failures
򐂰 Local and remote management of adapters
򐂰 Device/port configuration for fail-over capability (Linux)
򐂰 Performance statistics
򐂰 Central control point in a network environment
򐂰 Diagnostics and utilities

The IBM FAStT Host Bus Adapters (2200 and above) support full duplex mode which enables
loop back capability.

IBM FAStT MSJ supports the following HBAs (Table 5-2).

Table 5-2 IBM FAStT supported adapters

FAStT Adapter Qlogic Adapter IBM feature code IBM option P/N

FAStT Host Adapter QLA2200F/66-IBM-SP FC2102 00N6881

FAStT FC2 QLA2310FL-IBM-SP FC2130 19K1246

FAStT FC2-133 QLA2340-IBM-SP FC2104 24P0960

FAStT FC2-133 2-port QLA2342-IBM-SP 24P8053

Figure 5-2 Typical view from the IBM FAStT Management Suite

54 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

5.1.3 SANavigator Diagnostic and Management Software
SANavigator management software provides easy, centralized management and diagnosis of
your SAN, and quick access to all device configuration applications. SANavigator is provided
as a trial version and will run for 30 days. If you require to use it longer you can purchase the
product by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

It provides an intuitive interface and powerful point and click functionality. Through its
graphical display of the complete SAN, administrators of all levels can manage their networks
with ease.

With SANavigator you can monitor the health of your SAN and identify potential problems that
may impact the performance and the availability of your SAN.

Along with the available Problem Determination MAPS (PDs), SANavigator greatly facilitates
problem isolation and repair of your SAN.

Some of the features include:

򐂰 Intuitive GUI with physical topology display
򐂰 Out-of-band and in-band management (requires API library)
򐂰 Quick identification of port connections for each of your devices
򐂰 Launch capability of applications and tools such as the IBM FAStT Storage Manager and
IBM FAStT MSJ diagnostic
򐂰 Event logging
򐂰 Ability to easily export SAN files so that they can be imported into a remote SANavigator
system, displayed and analyzed

5.1.4 FAStT Service Alert, a support option for FAStT Storage Servers
FAStT Service Alert is available to all current and new FAStT Storage Server customers.
FAStT Service Alert (hereafter called Service Alert) enables the IBM TotalStorage FAStT
Storage Manager to monitor system health and automatically notify the IBM Support Center
when problems occur. Service Alert sends an e-mail to an IBM call management center that
identifies your system and location details such as your phone number. The IBM support
center analyzes the contents of the e-mail alert and contacts you to begin problem
determination. The service is available worldwide.

For more information on the FAStT Service Alert visit:

http://w3-1.ibm.com/sales/systems/ibmsm.nsf/docnames/fasttservalert

Chapter 5. IBM FAStT Management software 55

56 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
 A

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux

In this appendix we provide additional details and usage information for the FAStT Storage
Manager in a Linux environment.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 57

A.1 Storage Manager concepts
Management of the FAStT storage subsystem requires an instance of the FAStT Storage
Manager client on a management station. Because the FAStT Storage Manager is a
Java-based application, any suitable management station1 may be used provided it can
communicate with the FAStT storage subsystem in one of two ways:

In-band
The Storage Manager client communicates with an agent process over either a physical or
loopback network connection. The agent process runs on one or more of the systems
connected through Fibre Channel to the FAStT storage subsystem. The agent process
communicates with the storage controllers over the Fibre Channel by means of a special
interface in the controller known as an Access LUN. This method is also known as indirect
control because of the intermediary agent process. No connection is required to the network
ports on the FAStT controllers.

Out-of-band
The Storage Manager client communicates over physical network connections to the FAStT
controllers. The Access LUN is not used. This method is also known as direct control since no
additional agent process is required, and no control communication takes place over the Fibre
Channel. The default settings are 192.168.128.101 and 192.168.128.102. Linux
communicates with the FAStT out-of-band, so if these IPs do not fit in with your network then
these will need to be changed.

A.1.1 Setting the IP and mask on a FAStT Controller

Connect a serial null modem cable between a serial port on the server (otherwise, use a
client system) and Port A on the FAStT. This allows the configuration of Controller A.

Use a terminal program such as minicom under Linux or HyperTerminal under Microsoft
Windows.

Use the following settings:

򐂰 Serial device (devv/ttyS1)
򐂰 Speed (9600)
򐂰 Data/parity/stop bits (8N1)
򐂰 Hardware Flow Control (Yes)
򐂰 Software Flow Control (No)

If using minicom, press Ctrl-A F to send a break. If using HyperTerminal, press Ctrl-Break
every 5 seconds until the ASCII characters become human readable.

Press Escape to enter the FAStT shell.

The shell prompts you for a password (Figure 5-3). The default is infiniti

1 Supported systems include Linux, AIX, Windows, Solaris, Novell NetWare and HP-UX

58 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Figure 5-3 Password prompt for shell

Type netCfgShow to view the current settings (Figure 5-4).

Figure 5-4 netCfgShow screen

Type netCfgSet to change the settings. Change only My IP Address and Subnet Mask. Press
Enter to bypass the other settings.

Important: Do not change any other settings unless advised to do so by IBM Level 2
Technical Support. Any other alterations will place the FAStT in an unsupported
configuration.

Once complete type sysReboot to restart the controller blade.

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 59

 Wait for the reboot to complete and repeat this whole process again for Controller B by
connecting the null modem cable to Port B, and reconnecting the terminal software.

A.1.2 Is there a Storage Manager agent for Linux?

The FAStT Storage Manager software does not include an agent process for all operating
systems. For example, there is no agent that runs under Linux. A Linux system can run the
Storage Manager client and manage a FAStT system using in-band control if there is a host
that has a Fibre Channel connection to the FAStT and runs the Storage Manager agent. In
this case the Storage Manager client on the Linux system would communicate with the agent
on the non-Linux system. However, if the only hosts that are attached to the FAStT storage
subsystem are Linux hosts, or if there are no attached hosts for which agent software is
available that can be considered as management agent candidates, then out-of-band
management must be used.

For this discussion we assume that the environment is purely Linux, and that out-of-band
control will be used to manage the FAStT.

A.1.3 Is there an RDAC driver for Linux?

At the time of this writing, the Redundant Disk Array Controller (RDAC) is not available for
Linux. This means that Linux hosts using storage on the FAStT have volume transfers within
the FAStT managed by the FAStT itself. Multipathing is done using the appropriate driver for
the Host Bus Adapter (HBA) and additional software called FAStT MSJ, that is used to
manage the paths with the Host Bus Adapters. FAStT MSJ is described in Appendix B.,
“FAStT Management Suite Java” on page 75.

A.2 FAStT Storage Manager client: getting started

The FAStT Storage Manager client is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) that controls one or
more FAStT storage subsystems. Because this is a Java application, a Java runtime
environment (provided on the FAStT Storage Manager CD) must be installed as well.

A.2.1 Linux Install of the FAStT Storage Manager client

Linux distributions of interest to us in this redbook come equipped with the rpm package
manager. This tool maintains a dependency list such that if one package requires another,
the user will be notified. When installing the Storage Manager client under Linux, you should
install the Java runtime environment before the client software.

In our implementation, the FAStT Storage Manager client resides on a Linux management
station that can communicate with the FAStT controllers through the network. Such a
management station may also be a host that is attached to the FAStT storage through Fibre
Channel, but this is not required. To be clear, in the Linux environment, there is no Storage
Manager agent available. So even if the Storage Manager client is installed on a host that is
attached through Fibre Channel to the storage, the management still takes place out-of-band
and requires network connectivity to the FAStT controllers. Both the client and the runtime
environment are provided on the FAStT CD but the latest versions (as well as the latest
firmware for the FAStT controllers and expansion modules, please see Appendix A.3,
“Updating the FAStT firmware” on page 63 for detailed instructions on updating firmware) can
be obtained from the following URL:
http://www.storage.ibm.com

60 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 From there, navigate to Disk Storage Systems2, then FAStT Storage Server and then select
your FAStT model; use the pull-down menu to select Downloads, then select FAStT Storage
Manager Downloads as appropriate for your version.

Read and accept the terms and conditions, and you now see a selection of both software and
documentation. Please obtain and read the documentation entitled “IBM TotalStorage FAStT
Storage Manager Version X.Y Installation and Support Guide for Linux” (where X.Y
corresponds to your version number). Use your browser’s “back” button and then select
LINUX operating system; this action takes you to the download page for the code and the
README file. Please look at the README file before installing, as it contains the latest
information for the code release.

The package is rather large (over 30 MB) and requires another 70 MB to install, including the
Java Runtime Environment; make sure you allow enough room for unpacking the code,
storing the rpm files, and the installed code. Also, please note that the Storage Manager client
GUI requires the X window system be running on the management workstation.

You need to have root privilege to install the client. Site administrators may make their own
decisions regarding access control to the Storage Manager client. The FAStT itself can be
protected by password from changes to the storage configuration independently of access to
the Storage Manager client.

First, uninstall any previous version of Storage Manager before installing the new version. To
check for prior installations, query the packages that are installed and select only those
containing the letters “SM” with the following command3:
rpm --query --all | grep SM

Use the output from this command to remove any prior version of the Storage Manager
software by package name. For example:
rpm --uninstall SMruntime-XX.YY.ZZ-1

When you have obtained the latest version of Storage Manager, extract the contents of the
gzipped tar file:
tar zxvf *.tgz

The required rpm files for installation are extracted into ./Linux/SMXclientcode where
X=Storage Manager major version.

The Storage Manager components should be installed in the following order:

rpm --install --verify SMruntime-<version>.rpm
rpm --install --verify SMclient-LINUX-<version>.rpm
rpm --install --verify SMutil-<version>.rpm

The Storage Manager software is installed in /opt/IBM_FAStT, with the client and command
line interface, SMcli, installed in the /opt/IBM_FAStT/client directory.

A.2.2 Launching Storage Manager and connecting to the FAStT

To launch Storage Manager, open a terminal window and type SMclient4. Alternatively, you
can launch Storage Manager from the graphical interface menus: Click the Gnome or KDE
icon -> Programs -> Utilities -> IBM FAStT Storage Manager.

2 Navigation details may change from time to time, these instructions were correct as of April 2003
3
We have used the long option names for clarity. Experienced users will know of shorthand versions of the options.
Please see the rpm documentation (man rpm) for more information
4 You may need to add the directory to your path. Otherwise, type the full path to SMclient

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 61

 The screen shown in Figure appears, asking if you wish to Automatically Discover the
storage. This method will not find direct-attached storage controllers. Close this screen to see
the Enterprise Management Window (Figure 5-6).

Figure 5-5 Automatic Discovery screen

Figure 5-6 Storage Manager Enterprise Management window

Select Edit -> Add Device from the menu. On the next screen, enter a Hostname or IP
Address for each controller blade in the FAStT (Figure 5-7).

Enter a Hostname or IP Address you set on the FAStT and click Add. Repeat the process for
the second controller blade.

62 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Figure 5-7 Add Device screen

Highlight Storage Subsystem <unnamed> and select Tools -> Manage Device.

If there was no configuration previously on the storage, you should see a Subsystem
Management screen similar to Figure 5-8.

Figure 5-8 Subsystem Management window

A.3 Updating the FAStT firmware

Obtain the latest firmware and NVSRAM for the FAStT controller as described in A.2.1, “Linux
Install of the FAStT Storage Manager client” on page 60. Unzip the file to a temporary folder:
unzip *.zip

This extracts the firmware and NVSRAM files for all of the current models of FAStT
controllers to the following folders:
./CONTROLLER CODE/FIRMWARE/<controller model>
./CONTROLLER CODE/NVSRAM/<controller model>

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 63

 Note: You must first update the firmware and then the NVSRAM.

To update the controller firmware select Storage Subsystem -> Download -> Firmware.
The screen shown in Figure 5-9 displays. Enter the location of the update file and click OK
(Figure 5-9).

Figure 5-9 Firmware Download Location screen

You now see a screen similar to Figure 5-10. This graphic persists until the firmware is
transferred to the controllers and updated, which may take a few minutes.

Figure 5-10 Firmware update screen

Next, update the NVSRAM. Select Storage Subsystem -> Download -> NVSRAM. Enter
the location of the NVSRAM update file and click Add (Figure 5-11).

64 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 Figure 5-11 NVSRAM Download Location screen

A a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 5-12 displays.

Figure 5-12 NVSRAM Update screen

Confirm both controllers are at the same level by selecting View -> System Profile.

Now that the controllers have been updated, we can use the Storage Manager to prepare the
storage for attachment to the host systems.

A.4 Setting up arrays, LUNs, and storage partitioning

This section takes you through the steps to set up storage arrays, LUNs, and storage
partitioning. Refer to the redbook, Fibre Array Storage Technology - A FAStT Introduction,
SG24-6246, for more on creating arrays and LUNs, selecting RAID levels, storage partitioning
topics, for considerations on the Access LUN when defining the storage partitions (the sets of
related logical drive mappings, host groups, and host ports).

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 65

 The system is now ready to start creating arrays, LUNs, storage partitioning. In this example
we use small logical drive sizes to save on initialization time. Your requirements will likely be
different in detail, but similar in many respects.

Highlight the Unconfigured Capacity and select Logical Drive -> Create from the menu.

Select Linux from the Default Host Type screen and click OK (Figure 5-13).

Figure 5-13 Default Host Type screen

The Create Logical Drive Wizard starts. The wizard takes you through the stages of creating
arrays and logical drives. The first step is to select from the following options:
򐂰 Free capacity on existing arrays
򐂰 Unconfigured capacity (create new array)

As we have no existing arrays at the stage we select Unconfigured capacity, and click Next
(Figure 5-14).

66 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Figure 5-14 Logical Drive Wizard screen

Next, select a RAID level, and the number of drives to be included in the array. You also get
the following choices:
򐂰 Automatic - select from list of provided capacities/drives
򐂰 Manual - select your own drives to obtain capacity

In most cases we recommend that you select Automatic. This is because the FAStT
allocation heuristic does a reasonable job of distributing I/O traffic across available resources.
However, manual selection may be preferable if there are but few physical disks to be
allocated, or if other special circumstances warrant. With Automatic mode of this example,
click Next (Figure 5-15).

Figure 5-15 Create array screen

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 67

 Now, you must specify the logical drive parameters. Enter the logical drive capacity and a
name. You also have the following options:
򐂰 Use the recommended settings.
򐂰 Customize settings (I/O characteristics, controller ownership, logical drive to LUN
mappings.

Select Customize and click Next (Figure 5-16).

Figure 5-16 Logical Drive Parameters screen

You can then specify advanced logical drive parameters. You can set the drive I/O
characteristics, preferred controller ownership, and drive-to-LUN mapping.

Make any changes to suit your environment. Logical drive-to-LUN mapping should be left at
Map later with Storage Partitioning. Click Finish (Figure 5-17).

Note: Carefully consider any changes as they could dramatically effect the performance of
your storage.

68 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Figure 5-17 Advanced Logical Drive Parameters screen

The next screen (Figure 5-18) prompts you - Would you like to create another logical
drive - and gives you the following options:
򐂰 Same array
򐂰 Different array

In our case, we select Different array to create a RAID5 array and then Same array to create
four logical drives within it (Figure 5-19).

Figure 5-18 Create a New Logical Drive screen

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 69

 Figure 5-19 Arrays and Logical Drives

The systems involved in storage partitioning should be up and running in order to get the Host
Port Identifiers. You should not use the Default Group for security reasons, but you should
not delete this group.

Select the Mappings View tab in the Subsystem Management window. This displays the
Mappings Startup Help message. Read the text and close the window (Figure 5-20).

Figure 5-20 Mappings Startup Help screen

Create a group for your storage partitioning. Select Mappings -> Define -> Host Group.
Enter a name a click Add (Figure 5-21).

70 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Figure 5-21 Host Group added

Highlight the new Host Group and select Mappings -> Define -> Host. Enter a host name
and click Add. Repeat this for each system which is to be a part of this group. We are setting
up a High Availability cluster so we have two systems in the group (Figure 5-22).

Figure 5-22 Hosts added

Highlight the first Host in the new group. Select Mappings -> Define -> Host Port. Select the
Host Port Identifier (collected earlier in the Fibre HBA BIOS setup), which matches the first
card in this system. Select Linux as the Host Type (Figure 5-23).

Tip: If the Host Port Identifier drop-down is empty or missing the correct entries, close
Storage Manager and restart the relevant system.

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 71

 Figure 5-23 Define Host Port screen

Repeat this process for each Fibre HBA in the system. Repeat the process again for each
system in the group (Figure 5-24).

Figure 5-24 Host Ports added

Highlight the new Host Group, select Mappings -> Define -> Storage Partitioning. The
storage partitioning wizard will appear. Read the text and click Next (Figure 5-25).

72 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Figure 5-25 Storage Partitioning Wizard screen

Select a Host Group or single Host for this partition. Click Next (Figure 5-26).

Figure 5-26 Select Host Group or Host screen

Select the logical drives to include in the partition and assign LUN IDs. These IDs must start
at zero and continue sequentially, you cannot miss a number out. If you later remove a LUN
you must re-assign the LUN IDs to continue without skipping a number (Figure 5-27).

Appendix A. Storage Manager and Linux 73

 Figure 5-27 Select Logical Drives/LUNs screen

Highlight the logical drives to be included and click Add (Figure 5-28). Once you have added
all of the required logical drives, click Finish.

Figure 5-28 Logical drives added

The Access LUN (31) will probably be listed under Defined Mapping in your new Host Group.
This LUN is used by some other operating systems. Delete this LUN as it may cause
problems with multipathing under Linux. Highlight LUN31, press Delete, click Yes to confirm.

As final step you have to reboot your system. If you want an automatic mount of your volumes
you have to enter the appropriate parameters in /etc/fstab.

Important: Remember to make a copy of the FAStT profile.

For more about Storage Area Networks, please consult any of several IBM Redbooks on the
topic.

74 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 B

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java

This appendix contains a description of the FAStT Management Suite Java Diagnostic and
Configuration Utility. FAStT MSJ software is used to manage paths available from
fibre-attached hosts to storage.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 75

B.1 FAStT MSJ
If your installation uses the IBM FAStT Host Bus Adapter, then you will use the IBM FAStT
HBA driver. If you have multiple paths to your storage, this driver can provide a fail-over
capability, but the paths must be configured. This is the function of IBM FAStT Management
Suite Java (MSJ) Diagnostic and Configuration Utility. This tool allows you to view the current
HBA configuration, attached nodes, LUNs, paths. It will allow you to configure paths and
perform some diagnostics.

FAStT MSJ has a GUI component. It also has an agent that runs on the host containing the
HBAs. The agent, qlremote, is quite small but the GUI is rather large, so allow sufficient
space (say 50 MB) for unpacking and installing the product.

B.1.1 Installing FAStT MSJ

Obtain the latest version of the IBM FAStT MSJ from the Web.

The FAStT MSJ version is closely tied with the HBA version. Ensure that you have the correct
version. Extract the gzipped tar file:
tar zxvf *.tgz

This will extract the required files to ./FAStT_MSJ/Linux

As root, install FAStT_MSJ using the following command:

sh ./FAStTMSJ_install.bin

You should see a screen similar to Figure 5-29.

Figure 5-29 Installation Splash screen

You should then see the Introduction screen (Figure 5-30). Read the text and click Next and
continue through the License screen and the Readme screen.

76 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

.

Figure 5-30 FAStT_MSJ Introduction screen

The next screen (Figure 5-31) allows you to choose which features of the product you wish to
install. You have four choices:
򐂰 GUI and Linux Agent - this installs both on one system
򐂰 GUI - console for remote administration
򐂰 Linux Agent - for systems to be managed remotely
򐂰 Custom - to customize the components to be installed

The default selection installs the GUI and Linux Agent. Click Next.

Figure 5-31 Product Features screen

Next, you are prompted for a location in which to install the software. The default folder is
/opt/IBM_FAStT_MSJ. Click Next to accept the default, or choose a different location
according to your preference. Software installation will take a few moments.

Once installation is complete, click Done.

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java 77

B.1.2 Configuring the LUN attachment
This section introduces you to the basic steps for administering your Fibre Channel
environment. Prior to describing how the settings are made, let us take a moment to
understand how the fibre-attached devices (or any devices, in general) become effective.
Device interfaces to the kernel are done using software components called device drivers.
Linux has two different ways of integrating device drivers:
򐂰 Directly compiled to the kernel
򐂰 As loadable modules

To have the drivers at boot time, they may be compiled into the kernel, or the boot loader
(GRUB) can load an initial ramdisk which contains all necessary drivers (see Figure 5-32).

Figure 5-32 Building a ramdisk image

You can see that mkinitrd scans modules.conf for the required modules, including all options
for the particular modules. As you can see in this case, the drivers for the network, the
ServeRAID™, the Fibre Channel, and other modules are included. In addition, a long options
list (generated by FAStT MSJ, we will see how to do this in B.1.3, “Use FAStT MSJ to
configure Fibre Channel paths” on page 79) is submitted as well. These options contain all
the necessary path and LUN information to set up the FAStT multipath driver during boot.
This leads to the following results:
򐂰 Every time a change to your configuration occurs, you have to generate a new initial
ramdisk and reboot (or unload and reload the Fibre driver).
򐂰 It is quite useful to keep an additional bootable ramdisk with no options for the FAStT HBA
in reserve. After booting this ramdisk, the driver detects attached devices and sets
preferred paths, but these are not overruled by the options. Then, with MSJ, you can
generate a new, error free option string.

Note: Any change in the configuration of your SAN causes you to reconfigure your
paths and create a new initial ramdisk.

78 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

B.1.3 Use FAStT MSJ to configure Fibre Channel paths
In this section we set up the preferred and alternate paths for the LUNs.

The Linux agent is qlremote. This has to be running on the host before you open the GUI
client software. Open a terminal window and run qlremote (Figure 5-33).

Figure 5-33 Example of qlremote running

If the MSJ software is installed on the same host, leave this to run and open another terminal
window. Otherwise, open a terminal window on the management workstation. In either case,
type the following to run FAStT MSJ client:
/opt/IBM_FAStT_MSJ/FAStT

When the FAStT MSJ is launched, a screen similar to Figure 5-34 should appear.

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java 79

 Figure 5-34 FAStT_MSJ screen

Click Connect to connect to the agent you wish to administer. Enter the IP address of the
system where the qlremote agent is running and click Connect. You should see a screen
similar to Figure 5-35 showing you storage and LUNs.

The management system’s /etc/hosts file or the site DNS services should be up to date as
this program will try to resolve a hostname to the IP address. You will get errors if this is not
correct.

Figure 5-35 FAStT_MSJ connected

80 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

After connecting, the FAStT MSJ displays the adapters installed in the specific host. In
addition, you can see the Fibre Channel nodes attached to the Fibre HBAs.

To configure your environment, highlight either the host machine or an adapter and click
Configure. You will receive an error message (Figure 5-36). This is because there is no
configuration set up yet. Click OK and continue.

Figure 5-36 Invalid Configuration screen

You should then see a screen similar to Figure 5-37.

Figure 5-37 Port Configuration screen

For the easiest way to configure the ports, click Device -> AutoConfigure. You will receive a
message asking: Also configure LUNs after clicking Yes, the preferred path is shown in
white, while the hidden paths are shown in black. Hidden means that these paths are not
visible to the operating system. Because the multipath driver is handling all I/O, they can be
used as redundant paths without interfering with the operating system’s view.

Before balancing the LUNs, the configuration will look something like Figure 5-38. Select
Configure, highlight the Node Name, select Device -> Configure LUNs. You will see the
preferred paths are highlighted in blue, while the alternate paths are yellow. Also, you can see
the preferred paths are marked with a green circle, because this matches the settings that the
drivers did at boot time (and hence the paths are “seen” by Linux).

Figure 5-38 Paths before balancing LUNs

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java 81

 Load balancing by path allocation
Select LUNs -> Load Balance -> All LUNs. When prompted to accept the configuration,
click Yes.

Click Save, enter the password and click OK. A screen will pop-up (Figure 5-39) informing
you that the configuration has been saved and you must reboot for the changes to take effect.
Of course, this reboot requirement refers to the system containing the HBAs.

Figure 5-39 Configuration Saved screen

The current status of the paths will look something like Figure 5-40, the red circles indicate
the new preferred path. This is marked red as you cannot change the paths during runtime.

Figure 5-40 Balanced paths before rebooting

Once you have rebooted, you can launch the FAStT MSJ again, and view how the paths have
been configured. (Figure 5-41).

Figure 5-41 Balanced paths after rebooting

Exit from FAStT MSJ, click File -> Exit. Stop qlremote on the host system by pressing Ctrl-C
in the correct terminal window or type the following:

82 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 killall -TERM qlremote

If you now view /etc/modules.conf you will notice that FAStT MSJ has added a large options
string. This string is used by the Fibre HBA drivers (Figure 5-42).

Figure 5-42 Example of modules.conf

As changes have been made to modules.conf we need to rebuild the ramdisk. First run
depmod -a to update the modules.dep file.

Build the ramdisk as before:

mkinitrd -f /boot/<newname>.img <kernel-version>

The -f option allows you to build a ramdisk to a name which already exists, i.e overwrite it. In
our case, we used the following command with Red Hat Advanced Server (your naming
convention may vary from this example):
mkinitrd -f /boot/initrd-storage-2.4.9-e.12summit.img 2.4.9-e.12summit

If you used a new name for the ramdisk, update /etc/grub and reboot the system.

B.1.4 Using FAStT as storage: A summary

As described before, you must set up your storage before building the initial ramdisk.
Otherwise, the module will be loaded without a path configuration and no manual load
balancing will be possible.

First, you install the required management software. Install (at least) qlremote from the FAStT
MSJ package on the host. After you have configured your storage, launch the qlremote agent
and access it with the MSJ (either locally or from a management station). After you have set
up your paths, MSJ instructs qlremote to write an option string to the modules.conf, which is
used to configure the driver module during system boot.

Note: Run qlremote only during the usage of FAStT MSJ. Once you are done and the
output string is written to the modules.conf, stop qlremote immediately!

You can verify your setup by unloading the module with rmmod qla2x00 and reload with
modprobe qla2x00. During this load the module will use the option string carrying the path

Appendix B. FAStT Management Suite Java 83

 definitions and activate them. Then start qlremote again and check the setting with FAStT
MSJ.

SuSE notes
Before you build the new ramdisk, you have to make the following change to the file
/etc/sysconfig/kernel: add qla2200 or qla2300 to the string behind INITRD_MODULES,
depending on your HBA designation:
INITRD_MODULES=”aic7xxx reiserfs qla2300”

The script /sbin/mk_initrd uses this string as input. By running mk_initrd a new version of
the initial ramdisk is built in the /boot directory. Even though this is convenient you might built
a new ramdisk instead of replacing the existing one. Have a look at the mk_initrd script, it
offers you quite some useful (and sometimes colorful) options.

Red Hat notes

Before you restart, you should add the kernel parameter max_scsi_luns=128 to the
modules.conf file. This is necessary because the kernel does not probe the full range of LUNs
by default. However, this is only critical if you are using a large amount of SAN volumes.

Note: Every change in the configuration of your SAN causes the need to reconfigure your
paths and rebuild the initial ramdisk!

For more about Storage Area Networks, please consult any of several IBM Redbooks on the
topic.1

As final step you have to reboot your system. If you want an automatic mount of your volumes
you have to enter the appropriate parameters in /etc/fstab.

Important: Keep in mind, failure of a volume prior or during reboot may cause a change in
the SCSI device numbering sequence.

1
Introduction to Storage Area Networks, SG24-5470-01 and Designing and Optimizing an IBM Storage Area
Network, SG24-6419-00 are just two examples.

84 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 C

Appendix C. Workarounds with IBM

TotalStorage Storage Servers
and Linux
As with all operating systems, Linux has some limitations. This appendix provides a
description of some of the limitations of using Linux with the IBM FAStT TotalStorage Servers
and provides some workarounds.

Supported logical drives

The supported logical drive limits are as follows:
򐂰 When using Linux Storage Management Services (SMS), you can configure up to 128
LUNs or the maximum for the host adapter model.
򐂰 Host adapters support a specific number of logical drives. See the host adapter
documentation for specific information.

Linux Limitations and workarounds

The following table lists the limitations that apply when you use IBM TotalStorage FAStT
Storage Manager Version 8.3 with Linux (Table 5-3).

Table 5-3 List of limitations that apply with IBM TotalStorage Manager
Limitations Workaround

Vixel Rapport 2000 Fibre Channel hubs Do not use Vixel Rapport 2000 Fibre Channel
using controllers with firmware version hubs when your system is operating in a
04.01.02 cause problems, including controller or an I/O path fault-tolerant
damage to data, system instability, and environment.
disrupted loop activity.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 85

 Limitations Workaround

The maximum number of physical drives None

allowed in a single RAID 5 logical drive is
29. The maximum number of physical
drives allowed in a single RAID 1 logical
drive is 28.

After removing all drives from a storage Add one of the drives to the storage
subsystem, you are prompted for a subsystem and attempt the operation again.
password at software startup, or when you
perform protected operations, all passwords
you enter fail.

Removing a set of drives that are Contact an IBM technical support

configured with logical drives from one representative for assistance.
storage subsystem for insertion into another
storage subsystem is not supported
because it might cause loss of
configuration.

A standard non-network configuration is not Install the TCP/IP software on the Linux
supported when the Linux host does not host computer and assign the host a static
have the TCP/IP software installed. IP address

Multipath failover will work only if the When you configure the storage
storage controllers are in active/active subsystem, change both controllers to
mode. active status.

The controller firmware does not recognize When you configure a new storage
or communicate with a single controller until subsystem with a single controller, you must
slot A is populated. This restriction does not place the controller in slot A.
apply to storage subsystems that were
originally configured with two controllers.

Your windows and online help display a Run the Storage Manager 8.3 application in
brownish hash pattern when you run in 256 a higher display mode.
color mode.

When performing a redundancy check None

(parity scan) from the storage-management
application, machine type 3542 can take
several minutes longer than machine type
1742 and 3552 controller platforms.

You might not see the maximum number of Use Manual Configuration to select
drives during Automatic Configuration if you individual drives and select the maximum
are using drives of different capacities. number of drives allowed.

When you connect an IBM TotalStorage None

FAStT EXP700 Storage Expansion Unit to a
FAStT200, the drive speed must be set to
1 Gb per second.

86 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 D

Appendix D. Functions of the X-Architecture

This appendix provides a brief description of the X-Architecture capabilities that were
introduced in 3.2, “Linux and functions of X-Architecture” on page 25.

XpandOnDemand
XpandOnDemand is part of the X-Architecture. The power of a 16-way server is now available
with the xSeries 440 to take charge of advanced enterprise applications and drive a higher
level of performance on this flagship server. Powered by Enterprise X-Architecture™
technology, these 4U rack-optimized, industry-standard servers support up to 16-way
processing by interconnecting two xSeries 440 chassis as a single 8U configuration. This
makes it one of the most rack-dense 16-way servers in the world.

XpandOnDemand offers scalability in the way you buy and grow. This revolutionizes data
center servers with a modular, pay-as-you-grow building block design. This design offers low
entry price points and upgradability to powerful 16-way SMP and remote I/O.
XpandOnDemand allows you to purchase only the performance and I/O capacity that you
need, when you need it, without having to buy costly upfront infrastructure.

System partitioning
System partitioning is another of the many mainframe capabilities that Enterprise
X-Architecture technology brings to Intel architecture servers. Among the benefits of system
partitioning are hardware consolidation; software migration and coexistence; version control;
development, testing and maintenance; workload isolation and independent backup; and
recovery on a partition basis.

PCI-X
PCI-X provides a new generation of capabilities for the PCI bus, including more efficient data
transfers, more adapters per bus segment, and faster bus speeds for server systems. PCI-X
enhances the PCI standard by doubling the throughput capability and providing new
adapter-performance options while maintaining compatibility with PCI adapters. PCI-X allows
all current 66MHz PCI adapters (either 32-bit or 64-bit) to operate normally on the PCI-X bus.
PCI-X adapters take advantage of the new 100MHz and 133MHz bus speeds, which allow a
single 64-bit adapter to move as much as 1 GB of data per second. (The next PCI-X
specification (2.0) will support bus speeds of up to 266MHz.) Additionally, PCI-X supports
twice as many 66MHz/64-bit adapters in a single bus as PCI.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 87

 Active PCI-X
Building upon the success of IBM Active PCI, Enterprise X-Architecture design introduces
Active PCI-X with support for both PCI and PCI-X adapters in selected xSeries servers.
Active PCI-X provides another IBM solution to increase total server availability. Active PCI-X
features can be categorized as follows:
򐂰 Hot-swap - Allows you to replace without having to shut down and restart the server
򐂰 Hot-add - Provides easy upgradeability, by allowing you to add new adapters to the server
while it’s running. (IBM was the first in the industry to offer this capability.)
򐂰 Failover - Allows a second backup adapter to pick up the workload on the fly if the primary
adapter fails

Remote I/O
Using IBM Enterprise X-Architecture remote I/O (RIO) enclosure support, it is possible to add
dozens of PCI/PCI-X adapter slots through external I/O expansion boxes to a single server3,
providing incredible I/O scalability. This is yet another example of what we mean by “pay as
you grow” scalability. Buy only what you need, when you need it. It allows IBM to continue to
shrink server cabinets while increasing I/O scalability through external expansion units.

Active Memory
IBM is delivering a number of memory technology breakthroughs through Active Memory that
increase capacity, performance, and reliability:
򐂰 Large memory capacity - There are any number of reasons to buy additional servers. You
may have run out of room to add processors, or you may need more adapter slots
(something that is solved through Enterprise X-Architecture remote I/O), or you may need
more memory than your server can hold. While some servers are constrained by the
number of memory sockets they can hold, others are limited by the maximum amount of
memory that can be addressed by the chipset the server is using. Most servers are limited
to 16 GB of RAM or less for these reasons.
The Enterprise X-Architecture design smashes that barrier by enabling the use of as much
as 256 GB of RAM in a 64-bit Itanium-based server (64 GB in a 32-bit Xeon MP server).
This is enough to hold most databases entirely in memory, with potentially huge gains in
performance over databases that are accessed primarily from disk. The concern
preventing most users from considering running their databases entirely from memory is
the fear of a memory failure causing a system crash, with an attendant loss of data. The
possibility of such a failure is the reason for the major enhancements in memory reliability
and availability provided by the Enterprise X-Architecture solution.
򐂰 High-speed memory access - Today, the fastest Intel processor-based servers have a
front-side bus (FSB) speed of 133 MHz (many servers still use a 100 MHz FSB). This
determines how fast the processor can access main memory and external cache memory.
By contrast, Enterprise X-Architecture technology enables servers to implement the 400
MHz FSB of the Intel Xeon (Foster) and second-generation Itanium (McKinley)
processors. This means reads and writes of memory by the processor will be at triple
today’s servers’ best speed, due to higher bandwidth and lower latency (waiting for the
memory to be ready for the next read/write). In addition, Enterprise X-Architecture design
also supports the use of double data rate (DDR) main memory, for even higher
performance.
򐂰 Memory ProteXion - Memory ProteXion helps protect you from unplanned outages due to
memory errors far more effectively than standard ECC technology, even while using
standard ECC DIMMs. It works somewhat like hot-spare disk sectors in the Windows
NTFS file system, where if the operating system detects bad sectors on disk, it will write
the data to spare sectors set aside for that purpose. Think of Memory ProteXion as
providing hot-spare bits. The error correction is handled by the memory controller, so there

88 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

 is no operating system overhead or support requirements; it is transparent to the OS.
Because it operates on standard ECC DIMMs, you do not have to pay extra for this
protection either.
򐂰 IBM Chipkill ECC memory (now in its third generation in industry-standard computers)
comes into play only if a server encounters so many errors in a short span of time that
Memory ProteXion cannot handle them all. This should be a rare occurrence, but if it does
happen if you are still protected. Like Memory ProteXion, Chipkill memory goes well
beyond the error-correction afforded by standard ECC memory, providing correction for up
to 4-bits per DIMM (eight bits per memory controller), whether on a single chip or multiple.
Also, like Memory ProteXion, Chipkill support is provided by the memory controller, so it is
implemented using standard ECC DIMMs and is transparent to the OS.
򐂰 The third line of defense against server downtime due to memory failure is memory
mirroring. Should a server somehow encounter so many memory errors that Memory
ProteXion and Chipkill memory together cannot correct them all, mirroring will keep your
system running. Memory mirroring conceptually works much like RAID-1 disk mirroring, in
that data is simultaneously written to two independent memory cards. (Each card is
configured identically.)
򐂰 Hot-add/Hot-swap memory allows failing parts to be replaced while the server is still
running. Likewise, hot-add support allows new DIMMs to be added to a running server as
memory demands increase. Selected IBM xSeries servers already permit service
personnel to hot add new drives, adapters, power supplies, and fans as needed. Now we
have added memory to the list.

XceL4 Server Accelerator Cache

Another advanced performance-enhancing feature is support for a huge Level 4 (L4) system
cache, with up to 64 MB4 of double data rate (DDR) high-speed ECC memory per four-way
central electronics complex (CEC) in Itanium-based servers or 32MB in Xeon MP systems.
Years ago when microprocessor vendors were looking for ways to improve system
performance, they ruled out using FASTt, but expensive SRAM chips for main memory.
Fortunately, they discovered that using a smaller amount of high-speed memory in a separate
processor cache (which held a copy of the most frequently accessed data from main
memory) provided much of the same performance boost, but at a much lower cost. From that
point on microprocessors have included built-in cache memory.

Active Diagnostics
Expandability, performance, and economy are all important features in a server, but equally
important is your ability to prevent or minimize server downtime. A technology new to
industry-standard servers that helps in that regard is IBM Active Diagnostics. Although not
directly enabled by the XA-32/XA-64 chipsets, Active Diagnostics is another Enterprise
X-Architecture feature that will be incorporated in many of the servers that use the chipsets.

If you are looking for all of these abilities in an industry-standard server today, they are
available from IBM. These features deliver application flexibility, innovative technology, and
new tools for managing e-business. They bring to industry-standard servers the kinds of
capabilities that were formerly available only to users of mainframes and other high-end
systems. Combined with existing X-Architecture technologies, these innovations result in
unprecedented “economies of scalability” unmatched flexibility, and new levels of server
availability and performance for Intel processor-based servers. In Intel-Architecture (IA)
servers, Linux has evolved quickly. When compared with other operating systems, new
drivers and functions were incorporated one after another from the great development
environment surrounding open source software. Since distributions with kernel-2.4 appeared,
Linux for Intel-Architecture servers has been accepted as an operating system with the
function and stability that can fully be used as an enterprise operating system. While the

Appendix D. Functions of the X-Architecture 89

 market share of other platforms has increased little, the Intel-Architecture server market with
Linux has increased dramatically.

For more information on X-Architecture™ visit:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/eserver/xseries/xarchitecture/enterprise/index.html

90 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Related publications

The publications listed in this section are considered particularly suitable for a more detailed
discussion of the topics covered in this redbook.

IBM Redbooks
For information on ordering these publications, see “How to get IBM Redbooks” on page 91.
Note that some of the documents referenced here may be available in softcopy only.
򐂰 Linux Handbook A Guide to IBM Linux Solutions and Resources, SG24-7000
򐂰 Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6261-01
򐂰 The IBM TotalStorage Solutions Handbook, SG24-5250
򐂰 Introduction to Storage Area Networks, SG24-5470
򐂰 Fibre Array Storage Technology - A FAStT Introduction, SG24-6246
򐂰 IBM TotalStorage FAStT700 and Copy Services, SG24-6808

Online resources
These Web sites and URLs are also relevant as further information sources:
򐂰 IBM Linux Web site
http://www.ibm.com/linux/
򐂰 The Linux Technology Center
http://www.ibm.com/linux/ltc
򐂰 The IBM TotalStorage Web site
http://www.storage.ibm.com/
򐂰 The IBM TotalStorage SAN fabric Web site
http://www.storage.ibm.com/ibmsan/products/sanfabric.html
򐂰 The IBM eServer Web site
http://www.ibm.com/eserver

How to get IBM Redbooks

You can search for, view, or download Redbooks, Redpapers, Hints and Tips, draft
publications and Additional materials, as well as order hardcopy Redbooks or CD-ROMs, at
this Web site:
ibm.com/redbooks

Help from IBM

IBM Support and downloads
ibm.com/support

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 91

 IBM Global Services
ibm.com/services

92 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

Index

A E
ESS 10
access LUN 58
Ethernet VLAN 31
Active Memory 25
EXP500 42
Active PCI 24–25
EXP700 43, 86
Active PCI-X 88
Expansion Unit
application consolidation 33
EXP500 42
application server 27
Expansion unit
array 66, 69
EXP700 43
Automatic Discovery screen 62

B F
FAStT 10
base logical drive 46
controller 58, 60
BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Daemon) 5
firmware 60, 63
blade server 26
host 71, 73
BladeCenter 26
host port 71
requirements 50
Management Suite for Java 60
BM ServerProven 24
Management Suite Java 53, 75
boot loader
MSJ 50, 53
GRUB 78
NVSRAM 63
Bourne Again Shell (Bash) 3
Premium Features 44
BSD (Berkeley Systems Distribution) 2
Service Alert 55
Storage Manager 52
C agent 60
C2T Interconnect 24 client 60
Chipkill 24–25, 89 Storage Partitioning 65, 68
cluster 13, 26–27, 36, 44 Storage partitioning 70, 72
Beowulf 28 FAStT200 38, 43, 86
Cluster 1350 30 FAStT500 39, 43
High availability (HA) 27 FAStT600 40
High performance computing (HPC) 27–29 FAStT600 Turbo 40
Horizontal scaling (HS) 27, 29 FAStT700 41, 43
Linux 30 FAStT900 42
Cluster Systems Management (CSM) 31 file and print serving 5
Connection requirements 50 file structure 4
consolidating applications 33 firewall 5
consolidating data 32 FlashCopy 46
consolidation 26, 31
copy-on-write 46
G
GNU 1–3
D GNU C Compiler (gcc) 4
data consolidation 32 GPL (General Public License) 1–2
data management grid computing 26
services for Linux 15 GRUB 78
DB2
for Linux Migration Services 15
support for Linux 15
H
Hardware requirements 49
device driver 26, 49–50, 78
HBA 50, 76, 81
DHCP 5
High Availability 38
distribution 1, 3, 10, 13
high availability 4
domain name server (DNS) 5
host 45
driver (see device driver)
host group 45
host port 45

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2003. All rights reserved. 93

I O
IBM open source 1, 3, 11
Global Services 12
Linux Consultancy 13
services for Linux 9 P
Services introduction 12 path
IBM Director 32 configure 79, 82
IBM Director Software Rejuvenation 24 Pay as You Grow 32
IBM Global Services 12 PCI-X 87
IBM Support Line 12 personal Linux education plan 19
IBM TotalStorage port
Proven 37 configure 81
IBM XA-chip 24 preferred path 53
IDS (Intrusion Detection Services) 5 Premium Features 44, 47
infrastructure 4 Proven 37
iSeries pSeries
iSeries Linux information matrix 20 Linux for pSeries offerings 20
iSeries services for Linux 19
Linux services for the iSeries 19 Q
qlremote 76, 79–80, 82–83
J
JFS (Journaled File System) 11 R
RAID 36, 39, 67, 69, 86
K ramdisk 78, 83
kernel 1–3 RDAC 60
Redbooks Web site 91
Contact us xiv
L Remote Mirroring 47
legacy applications 14 repository logical drive 46
Linux root
cluster 13, 30 user 61, 76
distribution 1, 3, 13 router 5
Integrated Feature for 14
Web site platform matrix 21
Linux Technology Center (LTC) 11 S
LinuxWorld 10 SANavigator 55
load balancing 82–83 server
logical drive 66, 68, 74, 85 consolidation 4
Lotus Server Accelerator Cache 89
IBM’s Linux services for 18 server consolidation 26
LUN 65, 68, 73, 76, 85 server farm 29
access 58, 65 Service Alert 55
configure 78, 81 services
LUN masking 39 and IBM Software 14
IBM Managed Hosting 19
IBM’s Linux Learning services 19
M shell 3–4
Management Suite Java 53, 75 Bash 3
Minix 2 TSCH 3
mk_initrd 84 Software requirements 50
mkinitrd 78, 83 standard logical drive 46
MSJ 50, 53 Storage Area Network (SAN) 40
install 76 Storage area network (SAN) 25
multipath 53, 76, 78, 86 Storage Manager 50, 52
Myrinet 31 agent 60
client
in-band 58, 60
N out-of-band 58, 60
NVSRAM 63 Storage partitioning 44

94 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials

support
IBM’s Linux Support Line 18
Support Line 13

T
TCSH shell 3
Technology Center 10
Technology Partner 6
Tivoli 15–16, 18
Linux supported Tivoli products 15

U
UnitedLinux 6
UNIX 2–3

V
VMware 32
VolumeCopy 48–49

W
Web serving 5
WebSphere
product services matrix for Linux 14
services for Linux 14
workload consolidation 31
workload management solution 32
WWN 45

X
X-Architecture 24, 87
XpandOnDemand 87
xSeries
requirements 50
xSeries Linux information matrix 20
xSeries services for Linux 20

Z
zSeries
zSeries Linux information matrix 19
zSeries services for Linux 19

Index 95
96 Linux with xSeries and FAStT - Essentials
Linux with xSeries and FAStT: Essentials
(0.2”spine)
0.17”<->0.473”
90<->249 pages
 Back cover ®

Linux with xSeries and

FAStT: Essentials

Enterprise-class IBM TotalStorage products are known for their high quality and
reliability and work well with Linux. As part of a well designed
INTERNATIONAL
solutions with Linux
Linux based e-business infrastructure, they can help you cut TECHNICAL
and IBM TotalStorage
costs, consolidate infrastructure, and position you for the new SUPPORT
Focus on xSeries and on-demand world. ORGANIZATION
FAStT
This IBM Redbook presents high-level information on Linux in
conjunction with IBM and TotalStorage products, giving
FAStT Management proof points that these products can be deployed all together to
Software overview BUILDING TECHNICAL
provide enterprise-class solutions. In particular this book looks at INFORMATION BASED ON
Linux with the xSeries servers and IBM TotalStorage FAStT disk PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
products.
IBM Redbooks are developed
This redbook is intended as a starting point and reference for IBM by the IBM International
representatives, Business Partners, or clients who are planning Technical Support
Linux based solutions with IBM xServers and FAStT storage Organization. Experts from
IBM, Customers and Partners
products. from around the world create
timely technical information
Most of the information contained in this book is a compilation of based on realistic scenarios.
the material from the Linux Handbook, SG24-7000-00, and Specific recommendations
Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6262-01. We are provided to help you
implement IT solutions more
encourage the reader to refer to these IBM Redbooks for more effectively in your
complete information or implementation details. environment.

For more information:

ibm.com/redbooks

SG24-7026-00 ISBN 0738499188