Presentation exploit power vm features to maximize performance & efficiencies

Chris Churchey – Principal ATS Group, LLC
churchey@TheATSgroup.com (610-574-0207)
October 2013
Exploit PowerVM Features to Maximize
Performance & Efficiencies
© 2013 IBM Corporation

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Exploit PowerVM Features to Maximize Performance & Efficiencies
Multiple Shared
Processor Pools
(MSPP)
3 © 2013 IBM Corporation

What is MSPP?
 Group of physical processors
 Shared among multiple logical partitions
 The sum of the assigned capacity for each LPAR cannot exceed the total capacity of the
processor group
 Applies to Power6 and above

Why use MSPPs?
 Reduce software license (e.g. # of cores) costs by placing LPAR(s) in their own pool
– Customers have reported saving $100K to >$8M a year
 Share the software license across LPAR(s) by placing them in the same pool (e.g. Float
across Prod & Dev)
 Limit a group of LPAR(s) to a combined MAX CPU consumption to protect others
– Example: Power 770 with 32 cores
• Dev LPAR(s) pool Max CPU=5
• Prod LPAR(s) pool Max CPU=32 (All)

MSPP Analysis
1. Identify candidate LPAR(s)
– Software licensed by # of cores currently Dedicated or Capped, or license ALL cores on
the server
2. Collect physical CPU usage for candidate LPAR(s)
3. View the candidate LPAR(s) over a period of time
4. Determine usage mix and observed Peaks
– The pool’s Maximum Processing Units = “peak observed + projected growth + buffer”
 NOTE: Galileo Performance Explorer makes this easy using Virtual Groups to view
candidate LPAR(s)!

MSPP Analysis
p795 with 23 LPARs, peaking 23 cores

MSPP Analysis
Selected 7 Oracle LPARs, peaking 12 Cores

MSPP Analysis
“What If” Shared Pool Analysis

MSPP Analysis
Performance View of Pool 0 and Pool 1

MSPP Analysis
Detailed Performance View of Pool 1 (Oracle Pool)

MSPP Resources
 IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247940.html
 Exploiting IBM PowerVM Virtualization Features with IBM Cognos 8 Business
Intelligence http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247842.html?Open
 Try it! MSPP Pools can be dynamically created, move LPAR(s) in & out, and
increase/decrease MAX
 ATS can help analyze and implement MSPP

Shared Ethernet
Adapters (SEA)

What is a SEA?
 Group Virtual I/O Server component that bridges a physical Ethernet adapter and Ethernet
adapters
 LPAR(s) on the virtual network can share access to the physical network
 LPAR(s) on the virtual network can communicate with stand-alone servers and logical
partitions on other systems
 Eliminates the need for each client logical partition to a dedicated physical adapter

Why use SEAs?
 Required for Live Partition Mobility (LPM)
 Eliminate dedicated adapters to LPARs
 Reduce network switches, ports and cabling
 Reduce # of adapters, thus reduce slots/IO-drawers
 Share network bandwidth across LPARs
 Balance CPU load across VIO’s (1 often 100% Busy)
 Maximize network throughput using ALL adapters

SEA Options
 SEA-NIB (Network Interface Backup) + vSwitches
– (2) Virtual Ethernet adapters per LPAR
– EtherChannel used on Client LPAR to designate Primary VIO
– Script to balance Even/Odd LPAR to primary Even/Odd VIO
– Preferred for Max Network Throughput and Availability
– Multiple VLANs NOT required
 SEA-HA (High Availability)
– (1) Virtual Ethernet adapter per LPAR
– All LPAR(s) network goes through 1 VIO w/failover to 2nd VIO
– 2nd VIO Ethernet ports idle, unused performance
 SEA-HA Load Sharing (aka Load Balancing)
– Requires multiple VLANs which are balanced between VIO’s
– It chooses which VLANs go to which VIO’s
– Requires manual ‘chdev’ to restart if failover

SEA Architecture – NIB w/vSwitches
1Gb (80-100MB/s) + 1Gb (80-100MB/s)
Load Balance=200MB/s

SEA Architecture – HA
1Gb (80-100MB/s) 1Gb (80-100MB/s)
Backup-Wasted

SEA Architecture – HA Load Sharing
1Gb (80-100MB/s) + 1Gb (80-100MB/s)
Load Sharing=200MB/s

SEA Analysis
1. Collect physical CPU and SEA usage for VIO LPARs
– View VIO LPARs over a period of time
2. Look for:
– 1 VIO with high/max CPU and other minimal
– 1 VIO SEA at max throughput (flat line) and other minimal
3. If using SEA-NIB today, balance script on all LPARs
4. If using SEA-HA today, use Load Sharing feature
– NOTE: Galileo Performance Explorer can display this performance information quickly
and easily!

SEA Analysis - NIB
 Host SEA Network Packet Send & Receive
Throughput
 Host Physical CPU Utilization Summary

SEA Analysis - HA
 Host SEA Network Packet Send & Receive
Throughput
 Host Physical CPU Utilization Summary

NPIV vs. vSCSI
Performance

What is NPIV and vSCSI?
NPIV
 Allows a single HBA to register multiple
WWPNs
 Each virtual server presents a different
WWPN to the SAN
 Each virtual server will see its own
unique storage
vSCSI
 A SCSI disk, or a volume or file in a VIO
Server that is exported to a virtual IO
client
 LUNs implement a sub-set of the SCSI
protocol

Why NPIV over vSCSI?
 Higher throughput from client LPAR
 Higher IOps from client LPAR
 Better hdisk Service Time from client LPAR
 Less CPU usage by the VIO LPAR
 Load Balance IO across HBAs from client LPAR

NPIV vs. vSCSI Architecture

NPIV/vSCSI Test configuration
 AIX LPAR (gvicaix71-10) on a p700 blade and IVM
– (2) 8Gb HBA to V7000
• (4) 100GB vdisks (LUNs) created…same mdisk/array group
– (vSCSI) =(2) 100GB LUNs mapped to VIO, mkvdev to AIX LPAR
• hdisk3 and hdisk4 on gvicaix71-10
– (vfc) =(2) 100GB LUNs mapped to (2) wwpn’s on AIX LPAR
• hdisk1 and hdisk2 on gvicaix71-10
 ndisk64 Seq./Random Read/Write 4K/256K tests

NPIV/vSCSI Test configuration

NPIV vs. vSCSI IOps
NPIV: Over 500
more IOps!
NPIV vSCSI

NPIV vs. vSCSI Read Service-Times
NPIV: 0.75ms
faster!
NPIV vSCSI

NPIV vs. vSCSI Write Service-Times
NPIV: 0.50ms
faster!
NPIV vSCSI

Questions and Answers

 We can help analyze and implement. Contact us!
 Check-out Galileo Performance Explorer™
– Visit our booth for a hands-on demo
– Complimentary* no-strings attached 6 months use for Conference attendees
– Budget-friendly subscription pricing request
www.GalileoSuite.com
* First time Galileo user

Referenced Material
 IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247940.html
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247842.html (Managing and Monitoring)
 SEA‐NIB vs. SEA‐HA vs. SEA‐HA‐Load Sharing
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/blogs/aixpert/entry/shared_ethernet_adapter_sea_failover_with_l
oad_balancing198?lang=en
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/blogs/AIXDownUnder/entry/shared_ethernet_adapter_load_sharin
g_and_virtual_switches133?lang=en
 SEA‐NIB‐vSwitches
http://www‐
03.ibm.com/support/techdocs/atsmastr.nsf/fe582a1e48331b5585256de50062ae1c/81c729a840b213b98625779e000722f4/$FI
LE/PowerVM‐VirtualSwitches‐091010.pdf
http://ibmsystemsmag.blogs.com/aixchange/2011/09/higher‐availability‐for‐vio‐clients‐an‐alternative.html
 NPIV
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/aix/library/au‐NPIV/index.html
 Galileo Performance Explorer
http://www.galileosuite.com
* First time Galileo user

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