Chapter 12. Managing your system workload partition with Network Installation Manager 295
12.10.2 Specification file for application WPARs
Application WPARs provide an environment for the isolation of applications and their resource
to enable checkpoint, restart, and relocation at the application level.
The application WPAR profile is erased from the default location after the application WPAR is
stopped.
If the specification file does not exist, we have to recreate the application WPAR; otherwise,
we run wparexec -f <spec_file> to start and reuse an application WPAR.
After the application WPAR has been created, we extract the specification file, or we merely
copy it from /etc/wpars/<wparname>.cf.
12.11 Application WPARs and NIM
Application WPARs are not intended to be managed from NIM.
Managing application WPARs from NIM is not possible. The only commands that can be
called directly or indirectly in NIM are mkwpar, restwpar, chwpar, savewpar, and syncwpar.
12.12 WPAR cloning
The cloning process requires the definition of the resources of the WPAR in the NIM server:
WPAR image.data file
WPAR specification file
An existing savewpar file
The cloning process includes a preliminary savewpar command execution, image.data file
extraction, and a modified specification file. All of these files need to be defined as resources
in the NIM server. The cloning is available only from the command line.
We create a backup savewpar file from the desired WPAR that needs to be cloned using the
NIM GUI or the savewpar command. Refer to Example 12-25.
Example 12-25 Creating a WPAR machine on NIM
Define a Machine
Type or select values in entry fields.
Press Enter AFTER making all desired changes.
[Entry Fields]
* NIM Machine Name [wparm91]
* Machine Type [wpar]
+
* Hardware Platform Type [chrp]
+
For more information: Resource definitions in the NIM server are explained in detail in
the IBM Redbooks publication, NIM from A to Z in AIX 5L, SG24-7296:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247296.pdf
296 Exploiting IBM AIX Workload Partitions
Kernel to use for Network Boot [64]
+
Communication Protocol used by client []
+
Primary Network Install Interface
* Cable Type bnc
+
Network Speed Setting []
+
Network Duplex Setting []
+
* NIM Network nim172
* Host Name wparm91
Network Adapter Hardware Address [0]
Network Adapter Logical Device Name []
IPL ROM Emulation Device []
+/
CPU Id []
Machine Group []
+
Managing System Information
WPAR Options
Managing System [750_2_LPAR_4]
-OR-
LPAR Options
Identity []
Management Source []
Comments
[]
In the next step, we define a new savewpar NIM resource. We use the smit nim_mkres
fastpath, and we choose the savewpar resource, as shown in Example 12-26.
Example 12-26 Defining the savewpar resource in NIM
Define a Resource
Type or select values in entry fields.
Press Enter AFTER making all desired changes.
[Entry Fields]
* Resource Name [wparm91_savewpar_1]
* Resource Type savewpar
* Server of Resource [master]
+
* Location of Resource [/nimrepo/sawe/wparm91_savewpar_1]
/
NFS Client Security Method []
+
NFS Version Access []
+
Comments []
Source for Replication []
+
-OR-
System Backup Image Creation Options:
CREATE system backup image? yes
+
Chapter 12. Managing your system workload partition with Network Installation Manager 297
WPAR to backup [wparm91]
+
PREVIEW only? no
+
IGNORE space requirements? no
+
EXPAND /tmp if needed? yes
+
Create MAP files? yes
+
Backup extended attributes? yes
+
Number of BLOCKS to write in a single output []
#
(leave blank to use system default)
Use local EXCLUDE file? no
+
(specify no to include all files in backup)
-OR-
EXCLUDE_FILES resource []
+
(leave blank to include all files in backup)
Backup encrypted files? yes
+
Backup DMAPI filesystem files? yes
+
Disable software packing of backup? no
+
A complete backup of the WPAR is done. Now, we have a full backup of our WPAR that is
saved in NIM, as shown in Example 12-27.
Example 12-27 Savewpar command output
Command: OK stdout: yes stderr: no
Before command completion, additional instructions may appear below.
Creating list of files to back up
Backing up 91814 files..............................
60200 of 91814 files backed up (65%)........
91814 of 91814 files backed up (100%)
0512-038 savewpar: Backup Completed Successfully.
We proceed to define the image.data file for the WPAR. We execute mkwpardata
<name_wpar>. This command places the image.data file in
Important: If the WPAR has file systems in the Network File System (NFS), you use the
savewpar command from the command line with -N flag.
The command savewpar with the -N flag backs up files from writable NFS-mounted file
systems in the mount group for the WPAR.
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