The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems Volume 2: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 Servers

The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems Volume 2: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 Servers

by Lydia Parziale, Berthold Gunreben, Felipe Miranda, Paul W Novak, Ken Werner
Released August 2015
Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
ISBN: 9780738440910

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Book description

This IBM® Redbooks® publication is Volume 2 of a series of three books that is called The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems. The other two volumes are listed:

  • The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems Volume 1: IBM z/VM 6.3, SG24-8147-01

  • The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems Volume 3: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, SG24-8890


    • It is recommended that you start with Volume 1 of this series because IBM z/VM® is the base "layer" when you install Linux on IBM z Systems™. Volume 1 starts with an introduction, discusses planning, then describes z/VM installation into a two-node single system image (SSI) cluster, configuration, hardening, automation, and servicing. It adopts a cookbook format that provides a concise, repeatable set of procedures for installing and configuring z/VM by using the Single System Image (SSI) clustering feature.

    Volumes 2 and 3 describe how to customize your own Linux virtual servers on IBM z Systems hardware under IBM z/VM. The cookbook format continues with installing and customizing Linux.

    Volume 2 focuses on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It consists of the following key chapters:

  • Chapter 1, "Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on LNXADMIN" on page 3, describes how to install and configure RHEL onto the Linux Administration server, which performs the cloning and other tasks.

  • Chapter 2, "Automated Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations by using kickstart" on page 27, describes how to use Red Hat's kickstart tool to create Linux systems. This tool is fundamentally different from cloning in that an automated installation is implemented. You can try kickstart and you can also try cloning. Understand that they try to accomplish the same goal of being able to quickly get Linux systems up and running, and that you do not need to use both.

  • Chapter 3, "Service Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Red Hat Customer Portal" on page 37, describes how the Red Hat Network works. It provides centralized management and provisioning for multiple RHEL systems.


    • Kickstart is an easy and fast way to provision your Linux guests in any supported Linux platform. It re-creates the operating system (OS) from the beginning by using the kickstart profile configuration file that installs the new OS unattended and sets up the new guest according to the definition that was previously set up in the kickstart file. Usually, Linux administration is performed by the same team that manages Linux on all platforms. By using kickstart, you can create a basic profile that can be used in all supported platforms and customize Linux profiles, as needed.

    Cloning is another technique to provision Linux guests. This technique requires a better understanding of the z/VM environment and z/VM skills. It is a fast process if you enable the IBM FlashCopy® feature in advance. It basically clones the disks from a golden image to new disks that will be used by the new Linux guest. The process can be automated by using the cloning scripts that are supplied with this book.

    This book series assumes that you are generally familiar with z Systems technology and terminology. It does not assume an in-depth understanding of z/VM or Linux. It is written for those individuals who want to start quickly with z/VM and Linux on the mainframe, and get virtual servers up and running in a short time (days, not weeks or months).

    Table of contents

    1. Front cover
    2. Notices
      1. Trademarks
    3. IBM Redbooks promotions
    4. Preface
      1. Description of the volumes in this series
      2. Conventions
      3. Operating system releases that are used in this book
      4. Authors
      5. Special thanks
      6. Now you can become a published author, too!
      7. Comments welcome
      8. Stay connected to IBM Redbooks
    5. Summary of changes
      1. Summary of changes in this book
    6. Innovation Data Processing
    7. Part 1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 Servers
    8. Chapter 1. Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on LNXADMIN
      1. 1.1 Install the Linux administration system
        1. 1.1.1 Prepare RHEL 7.1 bootstrap files for LNXADMIN
        2. 1.1.2 Install RHEL 7.1
        3. 1.1.3 Stage 2 of the RHEL 7.1 installation
        4. 1.1.4 Boot your new Linux system from disk
        5. 1.1.5 Set up the data DASD disk after the installation process
      2. 1.2 Configure the Linux administration system
        1. 1.2.1 Enable swap on virtual disks (VDISKs)
        2. 1.2.2 Copy the RHEL 7.1 installation tree to LNXADMIN
        3. 1.2.3 Configure the yum DVD repository
        4. 1.2.4 Configure vsftpd
        5. 1.2.5 Configure IUCV Linux Terminal Server
        6. 1.2.6 Configure kickstart
        7. 1.2.7 Configure the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) server
        8. 1.2.8 Copy the files that are associated with this book
        9. 1.2.9 Reboot the system
    9. Chapter 2. Automated Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations by using kickstart
      1. 2.1 Configure LINUX1 for kickstart by using emulated DASD devices
      2. 2.2 Configure LINUX2 for kickstart by using Fibre Channel Protocol devices
        1. 2.2.1 How to IPL Small Computer System Interface over FCP (LINUX2)
    10. Chapter 3. Service Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Red Hat Customer Portal
      1. 3.1 Register your RHEL system with the Red Hat Customer Portal by using subscription-manager
      2. 3.2 Using yum
    11. Part 2 Other topics
    12. Chapter 4. Working with disks
      1. 4.1 Add disk space to virtual machines
        1. 4.1.1 Make new minidisks or count key data DASD available in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1
        2. 4.1.2 Make new emulated DASD available in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1
        3. 4.1.3 Make a new zFCP LUN available in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1
      2. 4.2 Add a logical volume
        1. 4.2.1 Create a logical volume and file system
        2. 4.2.2 Update the file system table
      3. 4.3 Extend an existing logical volume
      4. 4.4 Moving a physical volume
    13. Chapter 5. Monitor z/VM and Linux
      1. 5.1 Use basic z/VM commands
        1. 5.1.1 Use the INDICATE command
        2. 5.1.2 Use other basic commands
      2. 5.2 IBM z/VM Performance Toolkit
        1. 5.2.1 Configure Performance Toolkit for VM
        2. 5.2.2 Configure web browser support
        3. 5.2.3 Configure PERFSVM
        4. 5.2.4 Start IBM Performance Toolkit for VM
        5. 5.2.5 Use IBM Performance Toolkit for VM
      3. 5.3 Collect and use raw CP monitor data
        1. 5.3.1 Collect CP monitor data
        2. 5.3.2 Use CP monitor data
      4. 5.4 Monitor Linux performance and troubleshooting
        1. 5.4.1 Monitor Linux performance from z/VM
        2. 5.4.2 Monitor Linux performance from inside Linux
    14. Chapter 6. Configure Linux for cloning
      1. 6.1 Create a golden image for cloning
      2. 6.2 Clone the golden image by using DirMaint
      3. 6.3 Send the configuration update to the cloned system
      4. 6.4 IPL the cloned system
    15. Chapter 7. Working with systemd
      1. 7.1 Getting started with systemd
      2. 7.2 Using systemd units
        1. 7.2.1 Managing services
        2. 7.2.2 Managing systemd target units
      3. 7.3 Working with the systemd journal
        1. 7.3.1 Getting started with the journal
        2. 7.3.2 Viewing the journal
        3. 7.3.3 Filtering the journal
      4. 7.4 System boot process
      5. 7.5 Analyzing Linux instances that use systemd
        1. 7.5.1 Retrieving performance statistics
        2. 7.5.2 Retrieving information about unit dependencies
    16. Chapter 8. Miscellaneous helpful information
      1. 8.1 Rescue a Linux system
        1. 8.1.1 Initrd shell and systemd targets
        2. 8.1.2 Enter a rescue environment mode with RHEL
      2. 8.2 Set up Memory Hotplugging
      3. 8.3 Use the cpuplugd service
        1. 8.3.1 Determine the virtual CPUs that are used
        2. 8.3.2 Generating a workload to demonstrate cpuplugd
        3. 8.3.3 Setting memory sizes with cpuplugd
      4. 8.4 Hardware cryptographic support for OpenSSH with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1
      5. 8.5 X Window System
        1. 8.5.1 VNC server
        2. 8.5.2 Using embedded SSH to forward X with Red Hat Enterprise Linux
      6. 8.6 Set up the IUCV Linux Terminal Server
        1. 8.6.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 configuration for IUCV Linux Terminal Server
      7. 8.7 Issue z/VM CP commands from Linux
      8. 8.8 Access z/VM CMS disks from Linux
        1. 8.8.1 Use the CMS file system tools
        2. 8.8.2 Mount a CMS disk by using cmsfs-fuse
      9. 8.9 Network File System mounting the LNXADMIN SFS directory from Linux
    17. Part 3 Appendixes
    18. Appendix A. Reference sheets, cheat sheets, and blank worksheets
      1. Important z/VM files
      2. Cheat sheets
      3. Blank planning worksheet
        1. 8.9.1 Host names and IP addresses worksheet
    19. Appendix B. Additional material
      1. Locating the web material
      2. Using the web material
      3. z/VM REXX EXECs and XEDIT macros
      4. Sample files
      5. Linux sample scripts
    20. Related publications
      1. IBM Redbooks
      2. Other publications
      3. Online resources
      4. Help from IBM
    21. Back cover

    Product information

    • Title: The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM z Systems Volume 2: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 Servers
    • Author(s): Lydia Parziale, Berthold Gunreben, Felipe Miranda, Paul W Novak, Ken Werner
    • Release date: August 2015
    • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
    • ISBN: 9780738440910