IBM Support

PTFs: Utilizing Remote Virtual Image Catalog

Troubleshooting


Problem

This document provides information on how to set up remote virtual image catalog when using the image catalog to distribute PTFs. With IBM i R610 and later, images in an IFS directory can be accessed directly from other systems within a network that uses an NFS-backed optical device. This process requires only one image catalog and one set of images to exist on the source system. The source system can manage the catalogs and images, and it can control which systems have access to the virtual media files.

Resolving The Problem

Remote Virtual Image Catalog Setup:
Note: Both the source and client systems must be at R610 and later to use remote virtual image catalogs.

  • - I. Setting up the server to share virtual optical image files with the client system



    1. Create an image catalog on the server side and add entries (ADDIMGCLGE) to it

    CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) DIR(/image-catalog-directory)

    Note: When sharing virtual images with other systems in your network, the image catalog directory name is limited to 127 characters. Path name characters are limited to A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and / (slash).

    ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) FROMDEV(optical-device-name)

    Note: An image catalog entry can be added to your catalog from a physical optical device, a file in the image catalog directory, a file from another IFS directory (results in a copy to the image catalog directory), or a new image that uses FROMFILE(*NEW). When sharing images, each image file name is limited to 127 characters.

    After your image catalog has been created and your virtual media images have been added, a virtual optical device is needed to load the image catalog into. You accomplish this with the following commands:

    CRTDEVOPT DEVD(device-description-name) RSRCNAME(*VRT)
    VRYCFG CFGOBJ(device-description-name) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)
    LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) DEV(device-description-name) OPTION(*LOAD)

    Your image catalog should now be in "Ready" status with the images accessible to the virtual optical device. To view the contents and status of the image catalog, issue the Work with Image Catalogs (WRKIMGCLG) command or the Work with Image Catalog Entries (WRKIMGCLGE) command, specifying the image catalog name.


    2. Verify the created image catalog for NFS-share

    The next step will allow the virtual images to be shared with other systems in your network. The Network File Server Share (NFSSHR) parameter has been added in IBM i R610. By specifying NFSSHR(*YES) on the VFYIMGCLG command, the required VOLUME_LIST file will be created in the image catalog directory. This allows the images to be shared with other systems in the network.

    VFYIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) TYPE(*OTHER) NFSSHR(*YES)

    Note: If this image catalog contains PTFs, specify TYPE(*PTF). If it contains images for an upgrade, specify TYPE(*UPGRADE).
    After the VFYIMGCLG command has completed, you can use the Work with Object Links (WRKLNK) command to view the contents of the image catalog directory. The directory should now contain the IFS image catalog (QIMGCLG) object, the volume list (VOLUME_LIST) file, and the virtual image files. Now that your volume list file has been created, your image catalog is capable to share images.


    3. Start the required NFS-servers on the server side

    At a minimum, NFS file backed optical requires that the *RPC, *SVR and *MNT servers are active. This is achieved by using the following Start NFS Server (STRNFSSVR) commands:

    STRNFSSVR *RPC
    STRNFSSVR *SVR
    STRNFSSVR *MNT

    or

    STRNFSSVR *ALL


    4. Set the NFS-export options. All subtrees of the specified directory will be available for the client

    To allow the 'image-catalog-directory' to be accessed by other systems in the network, the directory must be exported using the following Change NFS Export (CHGNFSEXP) command:

    CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS('-i -o ro') DIR('image-catalog-directory')

    This command exports the 'image-catalog-directory' for Read-Only access. For details on the various options of the CHGNFSEXP command, visit the 'Change NFS Export (CHGNFSEXP)' topic:

    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5?topic=ssw_ibm_i_75/cl/chgnfsexp.htm

    Note: The CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS('-i -o ro') DIR('image-catalog-directory') command will need to be run each time the source system is IPLed. If the source system is IPLed and this command is not run again, the client system(s) will not be able to access the images in the NFS shared directory.

    5. Set authority for shared directories

    Authority (*RX) must be granted to users of the 'image-catalog-directory'. In the example following, authority will be granted to *PUBLIC.

    CHGAUT OBJ('/image-catalog-directory') USER(*PUBLIC) DTAAUT(*RWX) SUBTREE(*ALL)







     

  • - II. Setting up the virtual optical device on the client system

    Note: The client system must be at R610 or later.


    1. Configure a service tools server for DST for the virtual optical device to use

    If Operations Console with LAN Connectivity is configured, you do not need to configure the Service Tools Server. If using a console other than LAN Operations Console, a LAN adapter or IOP must be tagged.

    One way to help determine whether your client system has a service tools server for DST configured, log on to SST, select Option 8. 'Work with service tools user IDs and Devices’, and press F5. A valid internet address must be specified. The display should look similar to the following screen, if a service tools server is configured:

    This is the 'Display LAN Adapter Configure on Dasd' screen. A valid Internet address will be  listed if a SST server is configured.


    Note: If you do not see a valid internet address, the service tools server is not configured. If you do see a valid internet address, this does not always indicate that the server is configured correctly.

    To simplify the tagging process, Program Temporary Fix (PTF) MF45702 (R610) is available. This fix is included in the base code of R611 and higher. This PTF allows you to tag the resource through the System Service Tools (SST) interface by selecting PF13 and eliminates the need for having to temporarily configure Operations Console on partitioned 5xx models.

    The following steps (assuming MF45702 is applied or the system is at R611 or higher) allow you to select and configure the Service Tools Server (STS):

    a) Start System Service Tools (STRSST).
    b) Work with service tools user IDs and Devices (Option 8).
    c) Select STS LAN adapter (F13) to see available adapters. (See following Notes for additional considerations)
    d) Press Enter.
    e) Enter the TCP/IP information. Your network administrator will need to provide a valid TCP/IP address that can be used for the service tools server for DST.
    f) Press F7 (Store).
    g) Press F14 (Activate).

    Notes for selecting the LAN adapter:
    1) If you press F13 and there are no available adapters listed, press F21 to show all adapters. F13 will not show a resource with an active line description. You can share a resource that is currently being used on the system; however, the resource assigned to the STS Lan adapter cannot be active on the system. You will have to end the interface and vary off the line using that resource before it will show up in SST as being available to be used. After the lines are varied off, F13 should list the adapter and allow you to select that adapter. After you assign it to the STS LAN adapter, you can vary on the line using the same resource on the system and start the interface.
    2) If possible, you can DLPAR a LAN adapter from another partition.

    General IP configuration information for LAN adapter configuration:
    •  On the server side, you need an interface configured and active. On the client side, the only requirement is to have a resource and IP address available to assign to the STS Lan adapter. The IP configuration that is required to make this work must meet normal IP configuration/routing requirements.
    •  You have to use a 1G Ethernet connection. It can be either a physical resource (5706, 5767, 1819, etc.) or if you are setting this up between LPARs on the same physical box you can configure virtual Ethernet.
    •  If using virtual Ethernet, the VLAN ID configured has to be the same on both the server and the client and you cannot use jumbo frames. Please follow technote, N1018813: Adding a Virtual Ethernet (F/C268C) on HMC V7 or Higher, to create a virtual Ethernet resource (268C) to use. When using virtual Ethernet, jumbo frames cannot be used because the NFS client/virtual optical (the altStack) does not support jumbo frames. The SERVER and the CLIENT partitions must configure the virtual Ethernet for standard-size frames (i.e. MAXFRAME(1496) on the line description or MTU <= 1500 on the TCP/IP interface).
    •  When using virtual Ethernet, if you want to test between the server and the client (either by using ping or issuing a MOUNT command), then you will need an additional IP address available on the client partition.
    •  If you are using virtual Ethernet, the IP addresses for the client and server must be in the same subnet and the resources used must have been configured with the same VLAN ID.
    •  If you are using physical resources, then normal IP routing will apply.
    • You should be able to ping the IP address assigned to the STS Lan adapter from the server partition after it has been stored and activated via SST.
    •  If you supply a 'Host name for service tools' when configuring the STS LAN adapter, a host table entry should be added with this name for reverse lookup resolution (NFS uses reverse lookup).
    •  Verify that a host table entry exists on the server for the client system and that the client has a host table entry for the server to allow for a successful NFS reverse lookup. When setting up to use virtual ethernet, you will likely need to add these host table entries.


    2. Create a device description for the virtual optical device:

    A new virtual optical device (632B-003) is also required on the target system to access the images that exist on the source system. This device is created using the Create Device Description Optical (CRTDEVOPT) command specifying values for new keywords introduced in IBM R610.

    CRTDEVOPT DEVD(target-device-description) RSRCNAME(*VRT) LCLINTNETA(*SRVLAN) RMTINTNETA('X.X.XXX.XXX') NETIMGDIR(image-catalog-directory) UID(0) GID(0)

    Notes:
    1) The RMTINTNETA is the remote internet address of the Network File system (NFS) server where this virtual optical device will look for virtual image file.
    2) The NETIMGDIR parameter specifies the network path on the Network File System (NFS) server containing the virtual image files that were prepared for use with this device. The path is limited to 127 characters. The character set is limited to A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and / (slash).
    3) Vary on the virtual optical device. The virtual_device_name specified on the VRYCFG command should be the same as the name specified for DEVD on the CRTDEVOPT command:

    VRYCFG CFGOBJ(target-device-description) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)

 

  • - III. Using images on the client system



    The following commands on the client system allow you to work with image files.

    •  The Work with Optical Volumes (WRKOPTVOL) command shows a list of optical volumes that are known to the system. WRKOPTVOL only shows the volume that is mounted.

    •  The Work with Image Catalog Entries (WRKIMGCLGE) command allows you to work with the entries for the specified virtual optical device. WRKIMGCLGE command shows the mounted and loaded volumes. You must specify IMGCLG(*DEV) and the NFS backed optical device for the DEV parameter as shown:


    WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(*DEV) DEV(target-device-description)

    •  The Work with Object Links (WRKLNK) command shows a list of names of objects in a directory. The directory QOPT contains the connected remote virtual image catalogs as distributed directories.

    •  To verify that the NFS is working, create a directory on the client server that you can mount over and issue a MOUNT command.


    For example:

    •  CRTDIR DIR('/mount_over_dir')
    •  MOUNT TYPE(*NFS) MFS('ip_address_of_NFS_SERVER:/directory_nam_containing_images') MNTOVRDIR('/mount_over_dir') OPTIONS(SOFT)
    •  Issue the command WRKLNK OBJ('/mount_over_dir'). You should see an output on the screen similar to the following:


    Work with Object Links

    Directory . . . . : /mount_over_dir

    Type options, press Enter.
    2=Edit 3=Copy 4=Remove 5=Display 7=Rename 8=Display attributes
    11=Change current directory ...

    Opt Object link Type Attribute Text
    QIMGCLG STMF
    SF99187_1.bin STMF
    VOLUME_LIST STMF



  • - Quick Start Guide



    Steps to perform on the Server side:

    1. Create an image catalog on the server side and add entries (ADDIMGCLGE) to it

    CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) DIR(/image-catalog-directory)
    ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) FROMDEV(optical-device-name)
    CRTDEVOPT DEVD(device-description-name) RSRCNAME(*VRT)
    VRYCFG CFGOBJ(device-description-name) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)
    LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) DEV(device-description-name) OPTION(*LOAD)

    2. Verify the created image catalog for NFS-share

    VFYIMGCLG IMGCLG(image-catalog-name) TYPE(*OTHER) NFSSHR(*YES)

    3. Start the required NFS-servers on the server side

    STRNFSSVR *ALL

    4. Set the NFS-export options. All subtrees of the specified directory will be available for the client

    CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS('-i -o ro') DIR('image-catalog-directory')

    5. Set authority for shared directories

    CHGAUT OBJ('/image-catalog-directory') USER(*PUBLIC) DTAAUT(*RX) SUBTREE(*ALL)


    Steps to perform on the Client side:

    1. Configure a service tools server for DST for the virtual optical device to use

    Note: If Operations Console with LAN Connectivity is configured on the client system, skip to Step 2. If any other console type is used on the client system, this step must be performed.

    •  Start System Service Tools (STRSST).
    •  Work with service tools user IDs and Devices (Option 8).
    •  Select STS LAN adapter (F13) to see available adapters.
    •  Press Enter.
    •  Enter the TCP/IP information. Your network administrator will need to provide a valid TCP/IP address that can be used for the service tools server for DST.
    •  Press F7 (Store).
    •  Press F14 (Activate).


    2. Create a device description for the virtual optical device:

    CRTDEVOPT DEVD(target-device-description) RSRCNAME(*VRT) LCLINTNETA(*SRVLAN) RMTINTNETA('X.X.XXX.XXX') NETIMGDIR(image-catalog-directory) UID(0) GID(0)

    •  The RMTINTNETA is the remote internet address of the Network File system (NFS) server where this virtual optical device will look for virtual image file.
    •  The NETIMGDIR parameter specifies the network path on the Network File System (NFS) server containing the virtual image files that were prepared for use with this device.


    3. Vary on the virtual optical device:

    VRYCFG CFGOBJ(target-device-description) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)

    4. Verify you are able to access images that reside on source system:

    WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(*DEV) DEV(target-device-description)



Notes:
1) Refer to the more detailed sections in this document if the steps in the Quick Start Guide section were unsuccessful.
2) Refer to the Information Center topic Virtual optical storage using the Network File System for additional documentation:

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5?topic=storage-virtual-optical-using-network-file-system
3) To use a remote virtual image catalog for a V6R1M1 or higher installation or upgrade, refer to the Installing, Upgrading, or Deleting IBM i and Related Software manual or refer to the following links:

[{"Type":"MASTER","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB57","label":"Power"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SWG60","label":"IBM i"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF012","label":"IBM i"}],"Version":"7.1.0"}]

Historical Number

498866667

Document Information

Modified date:
12 September 2022

UID

nas8N1013479