Properties Of Npartitions - HP Rx2620-2 - Integrity - 0 MB RAM Manual

The hardware of a cell-based server—including all cells, I/O expansion cabinets, cables, cabinet
hardware, fans, and power and utility components—is known as a server complex.
• A Superdome server complex can consist of one or two server cabinets and can also include
one or two I/O expansion cabinets (which provide additional I/O chassis).
• An rx8620 or rx8640 server complex consists of a single server cabinet and can include one
I/O expansion cabinet (which provides two additional I/O chassis).
• An rx7620 or rx7640 server complex consists of a single server cabinet only.
An nPartition is a partition of the server complex that you can reconfigure without physically
modifying the server hardware. An nPartition contains one or more cells communicating
coherently over a high-bandwidth, low-latency, crossbar fabric. Special firmware in each cell
defines the boundaries of an nPartition to ensure isolation from other nPartitions.
Each nPartition has exclusive use of the memory, processor, and I/O resources belonging to the
cells that are assigned to that nPartition. An nPartition must have at least one core I/O card to
support console services, booting, and management operations. Each nPartition has its own
system boot interface, boots independently, and executes its own operating system image.

Properties of nPartitions

An nPartition has the following properties:
Partition Numbers
Assigned and Unassigned Cells
Base Cells
Active and Inactive Cells
Each nPartition is identified by a unique partition number.
When you create an nPartition, it is assigned the lowest
available number. That is, the first nPartition always is
partition number 0 and the second nPartition is partition
number 1.
When you remove an nPartition, its partition number is
released and you can reuse it when you create a new
nPartition. Consider a server with partitions numbered 0,
1, 2, and 3. When you remove partition 2, for example, and
then create a new nPartition, the new nPartition is
identified as partition 2.
If a cell in a server complex is not assigned to an nPartition,
the cell is considered unassigned. If an I/O chassis is
attached to an assigned cell, then the chassis is likewise
assigned to that nPartition. Cells that are unassigned are
considered to be available resources; they are free to be
assigned to any existing nPartition or used to create a new
nPartition.
All cells within an nPartition are base cells. If you do not
specify the cell type, the nPartition administration tools
automatically set the cell type to base cell.
Active cells are assigned cells that boot to form an
nPartition whose resources (processors, memory, and any
attached I/O) can be used by software running in that
nPartition.
Cells that are inactive are either not assigned to an
nPartition or have not participated in partition rendezvous
with other cells in the nPartition to form an nPartition.
(Partition rendezvous is the event during the nPartition
boot process when all available cells in an nPartition join
to determine which cells are active for the current boot of
the nPartition.) The resources belonging to inactive cells
are not used by an nPartition.
Getting to know nPartitions 13