Re: Setting up a Service Tools Server - to use for sharing PTF image catalog between partitions -- MIDRANGE-L

Jim,

Basically you need to figure out how with your network you can create a Service Tools interface on both 525 partitions and 2 of the 720 partitions.

Jim O. mentioned using a VLAN between partitions and that works marvelously for all the partitions that are on that server. The Host partition (in your case Test) gets a normal IBM i Ethernet line and private IP address on that new VLAN. The other two partitions will have their service tools ('Lan Console') interface on that VLAN. WHen you create the virtual optical device here the IP you reference will be the IP address of the Host(Test) on that private VLAN.

For the 525 partitions you'll need to come up with one additional physical Ethernet port for each partition. That port will be connected to your production network just as if it were a true LAN Console and it will be assigned a unique IP address in that same network. WHen you create the virtual optical device here the IP you reference will be the IP address of the Host(Test) on the production network.

For all practical purposes the port cannot be shared between Service Tools and IBM i, they are two different TCP stacks in two different parts of the code.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

www.frankeni.com
www.iDevCloud.com
www.iInTheCloud.com

On 12/26/2013 3:00 PM, Jim Essinger wrote:

Thank you Jim and Larry,

So I have 2 partitions on a 525, and 3 partitions on a 720. The testing
partition on the 720 has the images loaded. Do I set up the VLAN on that
partition, or do I set up 4 VLANs on the target partitions? Both?

I will need an actual gigabit Ethernet adapter configured, right? Can
this adapter be shared with other normal Ethernet traffic?

I don't see any IBM documentation to support this configuration or give me
instructions for creating the correct interfaces through the HMC. Can you
point me in the right direction for that documentation for VLAN creation?

Thanks!

Jim Essinger
Western Power Sports
Boise ID

On Thu, Dec 26, 2013 at 12:51 PM, DrFranken <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Jim is right, ignore the message. It's telling you that if you truly
wanted to do LAN console it wouldn't work as it's not a supported
adapter for that specific function. For the purposes of PTFs though it
provides the connection we need.

If the host partition with the PTF images is not a partition on this
same system then the selected adapter needs to be a physical adapter on
the LAN segment with the host OR needs to be a virtual adapter on a VLAN
that is externally bridged with either VIOS or IBM i.

Always remember the admonishment to NOT have jumbo frames enabled on the
line description used by the HOST partition to share the images via NSF.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

www.frankeni.com
www.iDevCloud.com
www.iInTheCloud.com

On 12/26/2013 2:39 PM, Jim Oberholtzer wrote:

The code in DST always assumes you want to set up a LAN console, you can
ignore that message. It is in fact true since you would not put the LAN
console there if you had one, but nonetheless, it's a false message for

your

purposes.

The device that's used for the Service LAN is usually a virtual Ethernet
device you've created in the HMC. I ordinarily use VLAN 1 for any user
based communications on the virtual Ethernet, VLAN2 for all system level
communications and VLAN3 for the service LAN.

It is best when used with an HMC.

--
Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jim Essinger
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 12:53 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Setting up a Service Tools Server - to use for sharing PTF image
catalog between partitions

I have been meaning to follow up on Larry's post from a few months ago,

and

get my partitions to use one PTF image catalog to upgrade all 5 of my

active

partitions. His post copied below.

As I have been going through the directions, both his and the IBM
documentation on the Information Center for V7.1, I have run into a snag

in

setting up the Service Tools Server.

We have an HMC to serve as the console for all our partitions, so LAN
Console is not setup. I try going into SST to configure a service tools

LAN

adapter, and It tells me "No valid LAN Console adapter available".

Is this something that can only be done if you have a LAN Console adapter
installed? What about those of us with HMC controlled systems?

I will keep researching, but this seems to be a limitation to older??
technology and excludes HMC console configured partitions.

Any insight will be appreciated.

Thanks!

Jim Essinger
Western Power Sports
Boise Id

...

Welcome to the 21st Century where we don't even move the PTF images any
longer, we just share them!

This is all documented in the Infocenter but the essentials are this:

Put them on one server. Create image catalog there. When you do the
VFYIMGCLG indicate *YES for the NFS Share parameter. Importantly this
creates the file VOLUME_LIST in the image catalog director.

Start the NFS Servers on this server.
STRNFSSVR *ALL

Change the authority for the directory tree containing the images

(starting

at the top) to PUBLIC *READ and *EXECUTE. e.g.
CHGAUT OBJ('/ibmi') USER(*PUBLIC) DTAAUT(*RX) SUBTREE(*ALL)

Export the Directory with CHGNFSEXP. e.g.
CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS('-i -o ro') DIR('/ibmi/v7r1/ptf')

Done on the 'server' side.

Now on the 'client' or 'guest' side, which can be on ANY machine same or

not

LPARed or not, just needs to be IBM i 6.1 or 7.1.

Configure the Service Tools interface, also known as the Lan Console
interface. It must be on a network that is available from the 'server'
system. It can be a virtual LAN or a physical LAN and it CANNOT have

Jumbo

Frames enabled. You MUST be able to PING the service tools interface from
the server. Until you can do that do not go further!

Now create a new virtual optical drive. For the local address specify
*SRVLAN and for the server address enter that of the 'server'. Enter the
directory name EXACTLY as exported in the EXPORTFS. e.g.
CRTDEVOPT DEVD(OPTNET01)
RSRCNAME(*VRT)
LCLINTNETA(*SRVLAN)
RMTINTNETA('172.29.2.41')
NETIMGDIR('/ibmi/v7r1/ptf')
TEXT('Virtual Optical drive across network.')

Vary it on. Now check /QOPT to see if there is a directory in there that
matches the first entry in the image catalog on the server.

GO PTF option 8 and watch them fly.

Coolest thing in sysadmin ever.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

www.frankeni.com
www.iDevCloud.com <http://www.idevcloud.com/> www.iInTheCloud.com
<http://www.iinthecloud.com/>
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