IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery

    The IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery feature within ServiceNow's IT Operations Management allows users to discover and manage resources associated with the Hardware Management Console (HMC), IBM frames, and Logical Partition (LPAR) servers. This functionality is crucial for maintaining accurate Configuration Management Database (CMDB) entries for these resources.

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    Key Features

    • Discovery Support: The application supports discovery for HMC servers, IBM frames, and LPAR instances, enabling users to gather detailed information about their virtualized environments.
    • Command Permissions: Users must have the appropriate permissions for specific HMC and AIX commands to successfully run discovery, such as lssyscfg and lparstat -i.
    • SSH Configuration: Proper SSH credentials need to be configured on the ServiceNow AI Platform to facilitate secure connections during discovery.
    • Data Collection: Discovery collects various data fields during the process, including names, serial numbers, IP addresses, and performance metrics for HMC servers, frames, and LPAR instances.

    Key Outcomes

    By leveraging the IBM HMC Server pattern, ServiceNow customers can:

    • Accurately populate the CMDB with vital data, enhancing visibility into their IT infrastructure.
    • Establish relationships between CIs for better resource management and operational efficiency.
    • Ensure that their virtualization management is streamlined, leading to improved performance and reliability of IT services.

    The Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application uses the IBM HMC Server pattern to find information about Hardware Management Console (HMC), frame, and LPAR servers. Discovering some of these resources requires updating the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Discovery supports the following CIs:
    • HMC server
    • IBM frame
    • Logical partition (LPAR) instance

      An LPAR is the virtual machine equivalent of IBM.

    • LPAR resource

    Discovery is used on the HMC server and the individual AIX machines (LPARs).

    The IBM HMC Server pattern runs using SSH. It is supported to run on IBM AIX OS for LPAR and on Linux for HMC servers only.

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Prerequisites

    Verify that the applications are up to date
    • Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
    • CMDB CI Class Models
    Verify permissions for HMC and AIX servers
    • Verify you have permissions for the following HMC commands:
      • lssyscfg
      • lshmc
      • lshwres
    • Verify you have permissions for the following AIX (LPAR) command: lparstat -i.
      Note:
      The lparstat -i command is in addition to the commands required for AIX server discovery. For more information on AIX server discovery, see AIX server discovery. For a list of the AIX commands, see Service Mapping commands requiring a privileged user.
    Configure SSH credentials
    Configure SSH credentials on the ServiceNow AI Platform. For more information, see SSH credentials.
    Run a horizontal discovery for HMC Server and LPARs
    1. Run a discovery on the HMC IP address.
    2. Only when the HMC Server discovery has successfully completed, run a discovery on the LPARs using the AIX machine IP address.
    For more information on running a discovery, see Schedule a horizontal discovery.

    Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

    Discovery populates the data in the CMDB when running the IBM HMC Server pattern.

    Table 1. IBM HMC Server [cmdb_ci_hmc_server]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the HMC.
    Frame count [frame_count] Number of frames managed for the HMC.

    A frame is the physical machine on which the LPARs reside. A frame is the equivalent of an ESX machine.

    Serial number [serial number] Serial number of the HMC server.
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the HMC.
    OS Version [os_version] Operating system version.
    CPU type [cpu_type] CPU type.
    CPU speed (MHz) [cpu_speed] CPU speed.
    CPU count [cpu_count] CPU count.
    CPU core count [cpu_core_count] CPU core count.
    RAM (MB) [ram] Memory RAM.
    Table 2. IBM Frame [cmdb_ci_ibm_frame]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the frame.
    Serial number [serial number] Serial number of the Frame server.
    Current available processor units [curr_avail_sys_proc_units] Current available processor units.
    Configurable processor units [configurable_sys_proc_units] Configurable processor units.
    Installed processor units [installed_sys_proc_units] Installed processor units.
    Current available memory units [curr_avail_sys_mem] Current available memory units.
    Configurable memory units [configurable_sys_mem] Configurable memory units.
    Installed memory units [installed_sys_mem] Installed memory units.
    Table 3. IBM LPAR Instance [cmdb_ci_lpar_instance]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of LPAR instance.
    State [state] Operational state.
    • Running: translates to On.
    • Not Activated and Not Available: translate to Off.
    Serial number [serial_number] Serial number of the LPAR.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique object identifier. This identifier is concatenated from the frame serial number and the LPAR identifier.
    Is VIO [is_vio] Identifies the LPAR as a VIO server.

    A VIO server is the LPAR that manages the physical components for other LPARs, such as network interface cards (NICs) and optical drives.

    VIO Servers [vio_servers]
    • Client LPARs: identifies the VIO servers that manage the client LPARs.
    • VIO servers: identifies the Client LPARs the VIO servers manage.
    Current Min Proc Units [curr_min_proc_units] Minimum number of processing units that can be assigned to the partition dynamically.
    Running Proc Units [run_proc_units] Number of processing units that are varied on for the partition.
    Current Memory [curr_mem] The amount of memory in megabyte (MB) assigned to the partition.
    Running Memory [run_mem] Current amount of memory in MB that the partition has varied on.
    Table 4. LPAR Resource [cmdb_ci_lpar_resource]
    Field Description
    High Watermark VCPU [high_watermark_vcpu] Highest recorded value of the Online Virtual CPUs field, as collected by the lparstat-i command.

    Because the value is dynamic, the results of a discovery could affect the value:

    • If the value of the Online Virtual CPUs field is lower than the value collected by the lparstat-i command, the value does not change.
    • If the value of the Online Virtual CPUs field is higher than the value collected by the lparstat-i command, the higher value is used.
    Node name [node_name] Name of the instance, along with the field that refers to the LPAR instance CI.
    Table 5. Serial Number [cmdb_serial_number]
    Field Description
    Serial number [serial_number] Serial number of the CI.

    CI Relationships

    Discovery creates these relationships to support the IBM Virtualization and HMC discovery.

    CI Relationship CI
    IBM HMC Server [cmdb_ci_hmc_server] Defines resources for::Gets resources from IBM HMC Processor Pool [cmdb_ci_processor_pool]
    IBM LPAR Instance [cmdb_ci_lpar_instance] Virtualized by::Virtualizes IBM Frame [cmdb_ci_ibm_frame]
    IBM Frame [cmdb_ci_ibm_frame] Managed by::Manages IBM HMC Server [cmdb_ci_hmc_server]
    IBM HMC Processor Pool [cmdb_ci_processor_pool] Members::Member of IBM LPAR Instance [cmdb_ci_lpar_instance]