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Client virtual devices (optical and tape)

Client virtual device support allows multiple IBM® i partitions to share the same devices without needing to use dynamic logical partitioning.

An IBM i server partition running IBM i 6.1 or later on an IBM Power System, Power6 or later, can share a natively attached optical device or an IBM i virtual optical device (optical image catalog) with multiple client partitions running IBM i 6.1 or later.

Note: The IBM i client partition sees the virtualized optical device provided by the IBM i server partition as a device type 632C.

An IBM i server partition running IBM i 7.1 TR2 on an IBM Power System, Power6 or later, can share a natively attached DAT or LTO tape device with multiple IBM i client partitions running IBM i 6.1.1 or later. The tape devices must be attached in an IOPless configuration on the server. If they are in a tape library device, the tape library device must be running in sequential mode. For additional information and the PTF levels required, view info APAR II14615 by going to Support for IBM System i® and searching for II14615.

Note: IBM i virtual tape devices (tape image catalog) are not virtualized to IBM i client partitions. When a high speed tape device (such as LTO5) is virtualized to an IBM i client partition the client partition may not be able to run the tape device at full speed.
Optical and tape devices are configured to be used by IBM i client partitions by creating a Virtual SCSI server (VSCSI) adapter in the IBM i server partition and a VSCSI client adapter in the IBM i client partition. In addition to the VSCSI connections, a Network Server Description (NWSD) is needed in the IBM i server partition.
  • Up to 16 optical devices available in the server partition are virtualized to the client partitions for each NWSD.
  • Up to 4 tape devices available in the server partition are virtualized to the client partitions for each NWSD.
Note: The NWSD parameter RSTDDEVRSC (Restricted device resources) can be used to restrict which virtualized devices the client partition can access. If you define multiple Network Server descriptions then you must use the RSTDDEVRSC parameter to prevent the same device from appearing multiple times on the client partitions. The RSTDDEVRSC parameter is limited to a maximum of 10 entries.
Note: An existing VSCSI server adapter and NWSD in the IBM i server partition can be used, but creating new ones to use for optical and tape is recommended.

A virtualized optical or tape device in the server partition can be used for a D-mode Initial Program Load (IPL) and install of the client partition, installing program temporary fixes (PTFs), for save/restore, and for any other I/O operations.

Note: When an IBM i server partition uses an image catalog to provide a virtualized optical device to an IBM i client partition, the next volume will not load automatically for the client partition unless the server and client partitions are running IBM i release 7.1 or later with the correct PTF levels and if the optical device was already varied on when the network server was varied on. For the PTF levels and additional information go to Embedded media changer.
Parent topic: Virtual storage

Configuring an optical or tape device for use by an IBM i client partition

Use the following procedure to configure an optical or tape device to be used by an IBM i client partition:
  1. Use the managing HMC to create a new VSCSI server adapter on the IBM i server partition. Perform the following steps to do so:
    1. In the navigation pane open Systems Management > Servers, and select the managed system on which the IBM i server partition resides.
    2. Select the IBM i server partition, click the Tasks button, and choose Dynamic Logical Partitioning > Virtual Adapters.
    3. Click Actions and choose Create > SCSI adapter.
    4. Use the default Adapter number or provide your own number. This number is the Server adapter ID, which you need to record for later use.
      • In the Type of adapter field, select Server.
      • Click Only selected client partition can use and select the client partition name.
      • Enter a Client adapter ID that is not already defined by the client partition. To see which client adapter IDS are already defined for the client partition display the properties for the client partition and choose the Virtual Adapters tab to see which client adapter IDs are already defined. Record the client adapter ID for later use.
      • Select OK to create the adapter.
    5. Create the VSCSI adapter within the partition profile for the IBM i server partition so that the VSCSI adapter continues to exist after you restart the partition. To do this edit the partition profile, select the Virtual Adapters tab, and repeat steps c and d above.
  2. Create a Network Server Description (NWSD) on the IBM i server partition. Perform the following steps to do so:
    1. Determine the correct VSCSI server resource name by entering WKRHDWRSC *CMN command on the command line of the IBM i server partition. Look at the controller resources with type 290B. Use option 7 to display the resource details and look at the last digits of the location code. The controller resource which has a location code ending with the VSCSI adapter number you created in step 1d is the controller resource name to be used when creating the NWSD. Record the controller resource name for later use. For example, if the VSCSI adapter number you created in step 1d was 7, then the location code would have the following format: 
      Location: U9409.E8A.10F02CE-V1-C7
    2. At the IBM i command line on the IBM i server partition, enter CRTNWSD to create a network server description, and press F4 for prompts, then F9 to display all parameters. Enter the following values:
      • Network Server Description: Provide a name for the Network server description. For example, if you plan to use partition 8 as the client partition you could use the name CLIENT8 for the NWSD.
      • Resource Name: Provide the resource name recorded in step 2a.
      • Network server type: *GUEST
      • Server operating system: *OPSYS
      • Online at IPL: *YES
      • Code page: 437
      • Restricted service resources: Use *NONE if you do not want to restrict any resources from being seen by the clients. You can also provide a list of up to 10 specific resource names to restrict, or you can use *ALLOPT or *ALLTAPE to restrict all optical or all tape devices.
      • Power Control: Specify *NO.
      For example, if you were creating a Network Server Description that you intended to be used by partition 8, your controller resource name was CTL09, and you didn't want the client partition to see tape resource TAP01, you would use the following command:
      CRTNWSD NWSD(CLIENT8) RSRCNAME(CTL09) TYPE(*GUEST *OPSYS) ONLINE(*YES) CODEPAGE(437) RSTDDEVRSC(TAP01) PWRCTL(*NO)
  3. Start the NWSD on the IBM i server partition by performing the following steps:
    1. Vary on any optical devices that you want the client partitions to use. Do not vary on the tape devices.
    2. Enter the WRKCFGSTS *NWS IBM i command.
    3. Use option 1=Vary on for the NWSD that you want to start and press Enter.
  4. Create the VSCSI client adapter in the IBM i client partition by performing the following steps:
    1. In the navigation pane, openSystems Management > Servers, and select the managed system on which the IBM i client logical partition resides.
    2. Select the IBM i client partition, click Tasks, and choose Dynamic Logical Partitioning > Virtual Adapters
    3. Click Actions and choose Create > SCSI Adapter.
    4. Enter the client adapter ID you recorded in step 1d for the Adapter number and select client for the type of adapter.
    5. Select the IBM i server partition that owns the virtualized device as the server partition and specify the Server adapter ID from step 1d. Select OK.
    6. Create the VSCSI adapter within the partition profile for the IBM i client partition so that the VSCSI adapter continues to exist after you restart the partition. To do this edit the partition profile, select the Virtual Adapters tab, and repeat steps c, d, and e above.
  5. Enter the WRKHDWRSC *STG IBM i command to locate the virtual devices in the IBM i client partition. The virtual devices will be associated with a type 290A storage controller.
    1. Select option 7 to display resource detail next to each of the 290A storage controller resources listed.
    2. Look at the last digits for the location code Cxx where xx corresponds to the virtual adapter number you wrote down in step 1d.
    3. When you find the correct storage controller resource, look for the DC0xx resource and select option 9 to work with resources.

    A virtualized optical device resource is shown as device type 632C in the IBM i client partition. A virtualized tape device resource shows the same device type on the client partition as on the server partition.

    Note: For tape devices, the client partition may display the serial number in a different format than on the server partition. For example, a SAS tape device could have a serial number of YSA068000277 on the server partition and a serial number of 00-8000277 on the client partition.
  6. Vary on the virtual devices from the IBM i client partitions.
    • For virtualized optical devices, the corresponding optical device on the server partition must be varied on before the client partitions can use the device.
    • For virtualized tape devices, the corresponding tape device on the server partition must be varied off before the client partitions can use the device. If you want multiple client partitions to be able to vary on the device at the same time, then the device description Assign device at vary on parameter must be set to *NO on the client partitions.
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