Re: Using NFS to distribute ptfs

[DrFranken <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rob,

    No mis-information in your post but a couple clarifications. The 
system or partition that is hosting the images and serving them to the 
others DOES use the current Ethernet and IP stack so that partition is 
not affected. However it CAN NOT be configured for Jumbo Frames or you 
will never connect. This is due to the client side bits not supporting 
Jumbos.

    The client side servers and partitions require an available 
Ethernet port to configure in Service Tools. (This is the same port that 
is used for LAN console so if you have LAN console you're already good 
to go!) The port does NOT have to be fully capable of being a LAN 
console however just any available port. This can be the second port of 
a FC #5706 for example or a separate card altogether. As you mention if 
there is only one port available then you do need to shut down your IP 
interfaces and vary off the Ethernet line.

    As suggested for LPAR configurations I use a private internal VLAN 
that carries nothing but this NFS traffic and it works marvelously.

    - Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

On 9/27/2011 11:41 AM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Came this close to using NFS to distribute PTFs between my various lpars
> and machines this week.  Couldn't quite get it to work so I opened up a
> pmr.  Turns out that it can't go out over hardware currently in use.  For
> example if you are using CMN01 for your regular TCP/IP communications
> (let's say line LANLINE) you cannot have LANLINE varied on when using it.
> So you either have to vary the line off (really unpopular when people are
> using it) or use another resource.  Apparently virtual lan is really
> popular for inter lpar communications and is one solution that people are
> using.  IBM admitted that the inability to share a resource is one big
> bummer in adoption of this method.
>
> Those of you using NFS for this, am I off base here?
>
>
> Rob Berendt