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2.4.1 Consideration of Logical Domain Configuration


2.4.1 Consideration of Logical Domain Configuration
This section describes what should be considered when configuring a logical domain.
Consideration of the number of logical domains
The maximum number of logical domains that can be configured is the same as the number of virtual CPUs (threads) that can be assigned to logical domains. Also, the maximum number of logical domains in each physical partition is limited by software. Table 2-4 lists, by model, the maximum number of logical domains that can be configured.
Table 2-4  Maximum Number of Logical Domains by Model
Model Maximum Number of Logical Domains
SPARC M12-1 48
SPARC M12-2 192
SPARC M12-2S Number of threads per physical partition or 256, whichever the smaller
SPARC M10-1 32
SPARC M10-1 (3.7 GHz) 16
SPARC M10-4 128
SPARC M10-4 (3.7 GHz) 64
SPARC M10-4S Number of threads per physical partition or 256, whichever the smaller
Normally, assign virtual CPUs to a logical domain in units of cores.

Before creating more logical domains than the number of cores in a physical partition, perform verification such as an operation test.
Considerations when using the automatic replacement function for CPUs
You need to consider the CPU configuration when using the automatic replacement function for CPUs, which is supported by Oracle VM Server for SPARC 3.0 and later. For details, see "10.7 Setting Automatic Replacement of Failed CPU Cores" in the Fujitsu SPARC M12 and Fujitsu M10/SPARC M10 System Operation and Administration Guide.
Operation of the Logical Domains DR daemon
To assign hardware resources to a logical domain, the Logical Domains DR daemon (drd) must be operating on the control domain that manages the logical domain. For details of the drd daemon, see the Oracle VM Server for SPARC Reference Manual.
Registration of a CPU Activation key
Before a CPU core is assigned to a logical domain, it must be made available by assigning the CPU Activation key registered in the XSCF to the physical partition.

CPU Activation key is provided on the CD-ROM labeled "<model name> CPU Activation" supplied for server deployment. Have the CD-ROM on hand before registering a CPU Activation key.

The CPU Activation keys are contained in text files in the "ACTIVATION_KEY" folder on the CD-ROM. A file for registering the keys as a batch (XXXXX_XX.TXT) and another for registering them one at a time (XXXXX_XX_001.TXT, etc.) are provided. Use either file as needed for the situation.
Note - The XSCF for system deployment may already contain CPU Activation keys. The registered keys would be the same as those included on the CD-ROM that comes with the system. In this case, you do not have to register the keys to the XSCF.
Note - If the number of CPU cores made available by the CPU Activation keys decreases, reassign CPU cores so that the number of CPU cores assigned to physical partitions is the number of available CPU cores or less.
Notes on initial settings of the control domain
Do not use the memory dynamic reconfiguration (DR) function of the ldm command when making the initial settings of the control domain. Use delayed reconfiguration mode for the initial settings of the control domain. The mode reflects the configuration information through a logical domain restart.
Unit of virtual CPU assignment
Although virtual CPUs can be assigned in units of cores or threads, we recommend you normally assign them in units of cores. Figure 2-4 shows an example of normal assignment.
Figure 2-4  Example of Normal Assignment
Figure 2-4  Example of Normal Assignment
You should note that performance may deteriorate in cases where virtual CPUs are not assigned in units of cores. Figure 2-5 shows an example of performance deterioration.
Figure 2-5  Example of Undesirable Assignment
Figure 2-5  Example of Undesirable Assignment
CPU core ID specification
To assign or delete a named core by specifying a CPU core ID (CID) for a logical domain using the ldm command, you need to set the CID while understanding its relationship with the physical location of the CPU core.
Note - If you specify a CID to assign a CPU core to a logical domain, you cannot use the following functions. Make the settings after sufficiently understanding the content.
- Dynamic reconfiguration of CPUs

- Automatic replacement function for CPUs

- CPU Dynamic Resource Management (DRM)
In Oracle VM Server for SPARC, a core ID (CID) is determined by the physical CPU number (PID) and the number of threads.
The following figures show the physical locations of the CPUs in each model of the SPARC M12/M10.
Figure 2-6  SPARC M12-1 CPU Locations
Figure 2-6  SPARC M12-1 CPU Locations
Figure 2-7  CPU Locations of the SPARC M12-2 or SPARC M12-2S (1 CPU Installed)
Figure 2-7  CPU Locations of the SPARC M12-2 or SPARC M12-2S (1 CPU Installed)
Figure 2-8  CPU Locations of the SPARC M12-2 or SPARC M12-2S (2 CPU Installed)
Figure 2-8  CPU Locations of the SPARC M12-2 or SPARC M12-2S (2 CPU Installed)
Figure 2-9  SPARC M10-1 CPU Locations
Figure 2-9  SPARC M10-1 CPU Locations
Figure 2-10   CPU Locations of the SPARC M10-4 or SPARC M10-4S (2 CPUs Installed)
Figure 2-10  <span class= CPU Locations of the SPARC M10-4 or SPARC M10-4S (2 CPUs Installed)"/>
Figure 2-11  CPU Locations of the SPARC M10-4 or SPARC M10-4S (4 CPUs Installed)
Figure 2-11  CPU Locations of the SPARC M10-4 or SPARC M10-4S (4 CPUs Installed)
For the SPARC M12/M10 system, the relationship between the physical location of a CPU and a CID is as follows.
In this section, as a parameter that indicates the location of the CPU, a CPU serial number on the logical system board (LSB) is called a CPU location number.
PID = LSB number x 1024 + CPU location number x 256 + CPU core number x 8 + thread number
CID = PID / number of threads
The range of each number used in the above formula is shown below.
Table 2-5  Range of Each Number Indicating a CPU Physical Location (SPARC M12)
Number Type Range
LSB number
0 to 15 (*1)
CPU location number 0, 2 (*2)
CPU core number 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14
(0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) (*3)
Thread number
0 to 7
Number of threads 8
*1 For SPARC M12-1/M12-2, the LSB number is fixed to 0. For SPARC M12-2S, the LSB number can be set with the setpcl command of the XSCF firmware.
*2 When one CPU is installed in SPARC M12-1/M12-2 or SPARC M12-2S, the CPU location number is 0. When two CPUs are installed, the CPU#0 for CMUL is 0, and the CPU#0 for CMUU is 2.
*3 The figures in parentheses are the CPU core numbers of the SPARC M12-1.
Table 2-6  Range of Each Number Indicating a CPU Physical Location (SPARC M10)
Number Type Range
LSB number
0 to 15 (*1)
CPU location number
0 to 3 (*2)
CPU core number
0 to 15 (0 to 7) (*3)
Thread number
0 to 1
Number of threads 2
*1 For SPARC M10-1 and M10-4, the LSB number is fixed to 0. For SPARC M10-4S, the LSB number can be set with the setpcl command of the XSCF firmware.
*2 When two CPUs are installed in SPARC M10-4 or M10-4S, the CPU location numbers are 0 to 1. When four CPUs are installed, the CPU location numbers are as follows: CMUL CPU#0 and #1 are 0 and 1, respectively, and CMUU CPU#0 and #1 are 2 and 3, respectively.
*3 The figures in parentheses are the CPU core numbers when SPARC64 X+ 8-core 3.7 GHz processors are mounted in SPARC M10-1/M10-4.
Accordingly, the relationship between the CPU core ID and physical location of each model of the SPARC M12 system is as shown in Table 2-7.
The relationship between the CPU core ID and physical location of each model of the SPARC M10 system is as shown in Table 2-8.
Table 2-7  List of CPU Core IDs of Each Model (SPARC M12)
Model LSB Number CPU Location
Number
PID CID
SPARC M12-1 0 0
0 to 55
0 to 6
SPARC M12-2 0 0
0 to 119
0 to 14
    2
512 to 631
64 to 78
SPARC M12-2S 0 0
0 to 119
0 to 14
    2
512 to 631
64 to 78
  1 0 1024 to 1143
128 to 142
    2 1536 to 1655
192 to 206
  2 0 2048 to 2167
256 to 270
    2 2560 to 2679
320 to 334
  3 0 3072 to 3191
384 to 398
    2 3584 to 3703
448 to 462
  4 0 4096 to 4215
512 to 526
    2 4608 to 4727
576 to 590
  5 0 5120 to 5239
640 to 654
    2 5632 to 5751
704 to 718
  6 0 6144 to 6263
768 to 782
    2 6656 to 6775
832 to 846
  7 0 7168 to 7287
896 to 910
    2 7680 to 7799
960 to 974
  8 0 8192 to 8311 1024 to 1038
    2 8704 to 8823 1088 to 1102
  9 0 9216 to 9335 1152 to 1166
    2 9728 to 9847 1216 to 1230
  10 0 10240 to 10359 1280 to 1294
    2 10752 to 10871 1344 to 1358
  11 0 11264 to 11383 1408 to 1422
    2 11776 to 11895 1472 to 1486
  12 0 12288 to 12407 1536 to 1550
    2 12800 to 12919 1600 to 1614
  13 0 13312 to 13431 1664 to 1678
    2 13824 to 13943 1728 to 1742
  14 0 14336 to 14455 1792 to 1806
    2 14848 to 14967 1856 to 1870
  15 0 15360 to 15479 1920 to 1934
    2 15872 to 15991 1984 to 1998
Table 2-8  List of CPU Core IDs of Each Model (SPARC M10)
Model LSB Number CPU Location Number PID CID
SPARC M10-1 0 0
0 to 121 (0 to 57) (*1)
0 to 60 (0 to 28) (*1)
SPARC M10-4 0 0
1
2
3
0 to 121 (0 to 57) (*1)

256 to 377 (256 to 313) (*1)

512 to 633 (512 to 569) (*1)

768 to 889 (768 to 825) (*1)
0 to 60 (0 to 28) (*1)

128 to 188 (128 to 156) (*1)

256 to 316 (256 to 284) (*1)

384 to 444 (384 to 412) (*1)
SPARC M10-4S 0 0
1
2
3
0 to 121

256 to 377

512 to 633

768 to 889
0 to 60

128 to 188

256 to 316

384 to 444
SPARC M10-4S 1 0
1
2
3
1024 to 1145
1280 to 1401
1536 to 1657
1792 to 1913
512 to 572

640 to 700

768 to 828

896 to 956
SPARC M10-4S 2 0
1
2
3
2048 to 2169
2304 to 2425
2560 to 2681
2816 to 2937
1024 to 1084
1152 to 1212
1280 to 1340
1408 to 1468
SPARC M10-4S 3 0
1
2
3
3072 to 3193
3328 to 3449
3584 to 3705
3840 to 3961
1536 to 1596
1664 to 1724
1792 to 1852
1920 to 1980
SPARC M10-4S 4 0
1
2
3
4096 to 4217
4352 to 4473
4608 to 4729
4864 to 4985
2048 to 2108
2176 to 2236
2304 to 2364
2432 to 2492
SPARC M10-4S 5 0
1
2
3
5120 to 5241
5376 to 5497
5632 to 5753
5888 to 6009
2560 to 2620
2688 to 2748
2816 to 2876
2944 to 3004
SPARC M10-4S 6 0
1
2
3
6144 to 6265
6400 to 6521
6656 to 6777
6912 to 7033
3072 to 3132
3200 to 3260
3328 to 3388
3456 to 3516
SPARC M10-4S 7 0
1
2
3
7168 to 7289
7424 to 7545
7680 to 7801
7936 to 8057
3584 to 3644
3712 to 3772
3840 to 3900
3968 to 4028
SPARC M10-4S 8 0
1
2
3
8192 to 8313
8448 to 8569
8704 to 8825
8960 to 9081
4096 to 4156
4224 to 4284
4352 to 4412
4480 to 4540
SPARC M10-4S 9 0
1
2
3
9216 to 9337
9472 to 9593
9728 to 9849
9984 to 10105
4608 to 4668
4736 to 4796
4864 to 4924
4992 to 5052
SPARC M10-4S 10 0
1
2
3
10240 to 10361
10496 to 10617
10752 to 10873
11008 to 11129
5120 to 5180
5248 to 5308
5376 to 5436
5504 to 5564
SPARC M10-4S 11 0
1
2
3
11264 to 11385
11520 to 11641
11776 to 11897
12032 to 12153
5632 to 5692
5760 to 5820
5888 to 5948
6016 to 6076
SPARC M10-4S 12 0
1
2
3
12288 to 12409
12544 to 12665
12800 to 12921
13056 to 13177
6144 to 6204
6272 to 6332
6400 to 6460
6528 to 6588
SPARC M10-4S 13 0
1
2
3
13312 to 13433
13568 to 13689
13824 to 13945
14080 to 14201
6656 to 6716
6784 to 6844
6912 to 6972
7040 to 7100
SPARC M10-4S 14 0
1
2
3
14336 to 14457
14592 to 14713
14848 to 14969
15104 to 15225
7168 to 7228
7296 to 7356
7424 to 7484
7552 to 7612
SPARC M10-4S 15 0
1
2
3
15360 to 15481
15616 to 15737
15872 to 15993
16128 to 16249
7680 to 7740
7808 to 7868
7936 to 7996
8064 to 8124
*1 The figures in parentheses are the pid and cid when SPARC64 X+ 8-core 3.7 GHz processors are mounted in the SPARC M10-1/M10-4.
To check the CID and PID of the CPU not assigned to the logical domain, use the ldm list-devices core command.
The following example executes the ldm list-devices core command.
[ID] indicates the CPU core ID (CID), and [CPUSET] indicates the physical CPU number (PID) of the CPU associated with the CPU core ID.
# ldm list-devices core
CORE
ID %FREE CPUSET
920 100 (1840, 1841)
924 100 (1848, 1849)
936 100 (1872, 1873)
940 100 (1880, 1881)
944 100 (1888, 1889)
948 100 (1896, 1897)
CID PID
To check the CID and PID of the CPU assigned to the logical domain, use the ldm list-domain -o core command.
The following example shows the CID and PID of the CPU core assigned to the control domain.
# ldm list-domain -o core primary
NAME
primary

CORE
CID CPUSET
0 (0, 1)
4 (8, 9)
8 (16, 17)
--- Omitted ---

896 (1792, 1793)
900 (1800, 1801)
904 (1808, 1809)
908 (1816, 1817)
912 (1824, 1825)
916 (1832, 1833)
CID PID
Memory assignment guideline for the logical domain
Assign 4 GB or more of virtual memory to the logical domain.
Memory size of a logical domain
If dynamic reconfiguration is not used to change the memory of the logical domain, the size of memory to be assigned to the logical domain can be set in units of 4 MB.
If you need to use dynamic reconfiguration to change the memory of the logical domain, the size of memory to be assigned to the logical domain must be set in units of 256 MB.
Saving of logical domain configuration information
After the logical domain configuration is complete, save the logical domain configuration information to the XSCF. Also save the logical domain configuration information before performing work related to configuring the logical domain. Saving the configuration information before the work is performed ensures that the logical domain can be restored without fail to its pre-configuration state.

A hardware failure or the like may cause a loss of logical domain configuration information. Therefore, after changing guest domain configuration information, use the ldm command of Logical Domains Manager, which is management software for Oracle VM Server for SPARC, to acquire the guest domain configuration information, and keep it in a safe location. Replicate the acquired configuration information to a tape device or file server to protect against data loss from the disk. Using the ldm command, you can also reconfigure a guest domain based on the acquired configuration information. For details, see the Oracle VM Server for SPARC Administration Guide and Oracle VM Server for SPARC Reference Manual of the version used.

You can back up the configuration information saved on the XSCF. To back up the configuration information to a file, use the dumpconfig command of the XSCF firmware. To restore the configuration information from the backup file, use the restoreconfig command.
Specified items when configuring a logical domain
To configure a logical domain, you need to define various names and specify various resources and their numbers. The following list shows items that you should define or specify when configuring a logical domain. Determine these items before starting work.
  1. Name of the virtual console terminal collection and distribution unit
  2. Virtual disk server name
  3. Virtual switch service name
  4. Virtual network device interface name
  5. Virtual device name
  6. Virtual disk name
  7. Guest domain name
  8. Name for logical domain configuration information
  9. Range for virtual console terminal port numbers
  10. Device used with the virtual switch service
  11. Device used with the virtual disk service
  12. Number of CPUs assigned to a guest domain
  13. Size of memory assigned to a guest domain
  14. Port number of the virtual console terminal assigned to a guest domain
Order of shutdown of logical domains
To use the ordered shutdown function and specify the shutdown order of each logical domain with the poweroff command of the XSCF, set a shutdown group for the created guest domain. Shutdown groups specify the order of shutdown of logical domains.

The shutdown groups range from 0 to 15. The group with a larger number shuts down earlier. Guest domains belong to group 15 by default. The control domain always belongs to group 0, and this cannot be changed. Set the shutdown order by considering the dependency of logical domains.