User manual | aix0401

99
January 2004
In this issue
3 Automatic expanding
filesystems (jfs and jfs2)
12 Manage FTP process – revisited
13 Logical Partitioning Facility
(LPAR) planning and
implementation
26 Curses programming
48 Recovering deleted files
50 AIX news
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AIX
AIX Update
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Trevor Eddolls
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2
Automatic expanding filesystems (jfs and jfs2)
INTRODUCTION
Sites tend to buy gigabytes of storage when disks are filled with
data. Bytes are cheap to buy, and users don’t mind if they use
10KB or 1GB. They won’t clean it up and they need it all online.
Oracle, for example, copes with this by having databases with
self-expanding files.
Administrators are the people who maintain disk space and they
have to identify any problems. This can take a lot of time, and it
is always too late to ease the pain of users who can’t work any
more because of the problem.
The administrator can do a few things to make space available
in the filesystem, including:
•
Removing or zeroing files – this is the easiest way to create
free space. Sometimes, however, the freed space in the
filesystem is still not enough.
•
Expanding the filesystem, if possible. Sometimes the
volumegroup has to expand to give the filesystems space to
grow.
•
Create another filesystem, move files into it, and/or add/
move datafile(s) to a database.
We have agents running in the system, which notice whether a
filesystem is (eg) 85% full. We can get an e-mail saying,
‘filesystem A is 85% full’. Now we don’t have to inspect each
filesystem every day, but we do have to expand them by ourself.
If the users are complaining at 23:00 or batches are experiencing
errors because the filesystems are completely filled, I may not be
happy, but I can solve the problem.
I wrote a script that will expand the filesystem (jfs and jfs2) in
batch. This script can be executed every time a filesystem
reaches the maximum percentage full.
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3
The way to make it as fast as possible is to create volumegroups
with a pp-size corresponding to the filesystem size. This works
because a large filesystem of 50GB with a pp-size of 4MB will
need a lot of space to expand into. It would be better to place it
in a volumegroup with a pp-size of 128MB or more.
The agent does not work on AIX 5. To make it work, there is a
script called check_fsvg. This checks the filesystems that have
to be checked. If a filesystem is ‘overloaded’ and needs expanding,
it calls bigger_jfs, which releases any available free space in the
volumegroup(s) where the filesystem resides. We need to check
the free space to ensure that the filesystems can grow as much
as they need to. Once a day the administrator gets a single
message per volumegroup if the free space in the volumegroup
is too small. In the script the amount of free space, eg 10%, can
be set. This is for all volumegroups.
This script runs every 30 minutes. This is done by the crontab of
a user who is allowed to expand filesystems.
BIGGER_JFS SCRIPT
The script bigger_jfs is called by check_fsvg to expand the
filesystem. The script will check the named filesystem(s) and the
volumegroup(s) where the filesystem(s) resides. If there is too
little free space in a volumegroup, the administrator named at the
beginning of the script will be mailed.
# Name
: bigger_jfs
# Last change : 27_Ø8-Ø3 Teun Post creation script
# Description : expand a filesystem
# Example
: bigger_jfs /usr 85
#----------------------------------------------------------------------# Begin script bigger_jfs
if [ $# -lt 1 ]
then echo "Missing parameter. "
echo "Example call script using parameters: bigger_jfs fs 9Ø"
echo "
fs – filesystem, needed to be expanded. (mandatory )"
echo "
9Ø – filesystem max. % full, after expanding "
echo "
optional, default = 8Ø%, minimum = 6%"
exit 1
fi
4
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# Variables
unix_administrator="[email protected]"
# Get machine name, messages can appear on any machine
machine='uname -n'
# Check existence of the filesystem, if not: leave
df -I $1 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null
if [ $? -ne Ø ]
then echo "Filesystem $1 doesn't exist, script exiting"
echo "Exit 2 : bigger_jfs"
exit 2
fi
# Default perc. max filled = 8Ø, when given as parameter: use that one
max_perc=8Ø
if [ "$2" ]
then max_perc=$2
fi
# Max perc. smaller than 6? Don't bother – leave with a message.
if [ $max_perc -lt 6 ]
then echo "Maximum perc filled of ${2}% less than 6%, script exiting."
echo "Exit 3 : bigger_jfs"
exit 3
fi
# Get real size and perc filled, if perc less than max: exit
size='df -I $1| grep $1'
perc='echo $size | cut -f5 -d " "| tr -d "%"'
if [ $perc -lt $max_perc ]
then echo "Filesystem $1 has been filled for $perc%, max=$max_perc%,
filesystem will not been changed."
echo "Exit 4 : bigger_jfs"
exit 4
fi
# Redirect output to mail
exec >/tmp/bigger_jfs.$$
# Take a snapshot of the situation before expanding filesystem for
# administration purposes
size='echo $size | cut -f2 -d " "'
echo "Filesystem $1 in $machine has got "
echo " filled for \t\t: $perc%"
echo " maximum filled allowed: $max_perc%, "
echo " action \t\t\t\t\t: filesystem will be expanded."
echo "\nSize filesystem $1: size=$size blocks of 512 bytes before
expanding."
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5
# Expand the filesystem just 1 extra lp.
# Check the filesystem is below maximum given.
while [ $max_perc -lt $perc ]
do
let size=$size+1
# Actually change the filesystem
chfs -a size=$size $1 >/dev/null 2>/tmp/bigger_jfs.tmp
retc=$?
if [ $retc -ne Ø ]
then echo "\n\nError in expanding filesystem $1 info: Returncode $retc "
# There has been an error: full disk or max LP's of logical
# volume reached. Mail all messages ( including error! )
cat /tmp/bigger_jfs.tmp
size='df -I $1| grep $1'
size='echo $size | cut -f2 -d " "'
echo "\nInformation of filesystem $1 after error in expanding it: "
echo "
- filled\t: $perc%, "
echo "
- size \t: $size blocks of 512 bytes."
rm /tmp/bigger_jfs.tmp
# Mail all messages
mail -s "Error in expanding filesystem $1 in $machine"
$unix_administrator </tmp/bigger_jfs.$$
rm /tmp/bigger_jfs.$$
echo "Exit 5 bigger_jfs"
exit 5
fi
# Refresh variables for the next loop
size='df -I $1| grep $1'
perc='echo $size | cut -f5 -d " "| tr -d "%"'
size='echo $size | cut -f2 -d " "'
done
# Filesystem is succesfully expanded: mail it!
echo "\nInformation of filesystem $1 after expanding: "
echo "
- % filled\t: $perc%, "
echo "
- size \t: $size blocks of 512 bytes."
mail -s "Filesystem $1 expanded on $machine" $unix_administrator </tmp/
bigger_jfs.$$
# Get rid of temp file and leave the script
rm /tmp/bigger_jfs.$$
# End script bigger_jfs
CHECK_FSVG SCRIPT
# Name
6
: check_fsvg
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# Purpose
: - check if filesystems had to be expanded
#
- check if volumegroups had to be expanded
#
- generate mail if a volumegroup is too small
# Author
: T.W. Post
# Creation date : 31-1Ø-2ØØ3
# ============================================================
#
# Begin script check_fsvg
# Define variable volumegroup minimum free percentage (for all vgs)
vg_min_free_perc=1Ø
#
# Define variable administrator mail to get the mail generated by
# this script
administrator_mail="[email protected]"
# in filesystem_files resides the file which contains the
#
filesystems that had to be expanded + their max % filling
filesystems_file="/user_data/trigger_file_systems"
# Use date vars to make sure volumegroup mail
#
is just one time send in aday
DATE='date +%d%m'
date_file=/user_data/trigger_file_systems.date
# Part one: check filesystems
# Get all filesystems in a file
df -Ik | grep -v "Mounted on" >/tmp/trig_fs.tmp
# read filesystem name and perc. filled
cat /tmp/trig_fs.tmp | while read one two three four perc fs
do
check='fgrep $fs $filesystems_file'
if [ "$check" ]
then # filesystem has to be checked
max_perc_used='echo $check | cut -f1 -d" "'
per='echo $perc| tr "%" " "'
if [ "$max_perc_used" -lt "$per" ]
then # expand filesystem
bigger_jfs $fs $max_perc_used
fi
fi
done
#
# Part Two : check volumegroups in which the checked filesystems resides
#
# Check whether the script is running the first time this day
#
yes: clean it
#
no : ok.
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7
DATE_SEND='fgrep "$DATE" $date_file 2>/dev/null'
if [ ! "$DATE_SEND" ]
then >$date_file
fi
# List all online volumegroups
lsvg -o | while read volume_group
do
# List filesystems in the volumegroup
lsvg -l $volume_group >/tmp/trig_fs.tmp 2>/dev/null
# Check only a volumegroup if a checked filesystem resides in it
check=""
cat /home/data/trigger_file_systems | while read p fs
do
check='fgrep $fs /tmp/trig_fs.tmp'
if [ "$check" ]
then break
fi
done
if [ "$check" ]
then # volumegroup has to be checked: get data
lsvg $volume_group 2>/dev/null | grep -E "TOTAL PPs|FREE PPs"
>/tmp/trig_fs.tmp2
cat /tmp/trig_fs.tmp2 | while read one two tree four five got_it six
do
if [ "$vg_size" ]
then vg_free=$got_it
else vg_size=$got_it
fi
done
# get the minimum free pp's in the volumegroup
let vg_min=$vg_size*$vg_min_free_perc/1ØØ
if [ $vg_free -lt $vg_min ]
then # Volumegroup has to few free space
# Mail it to the group administrator
# Check whether mail for this volumegroup has been sent this day
DATE_SEND='fgrep "$DATE $volume_group" $date_file 2>/dev/null'
if [ "$DATE_SEND" ]
then continue
else echo "$DATE $volume_group" >>$date_file
fi
# get formatted data
lsvg $volume_group 2>/dev/null | grep "PP SIZE" >/tmp/trig_fs.tmp2
read one two tree four five got_it six</tmp/trig_fs.tmp2
exec >/tmp/trig_fs.tmp3
echo "Volumegroup $volume_group has to be expanded (
hostname : `hostname`)"
8
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echo "
actual data : pp-size $got_it $six"
echo "
total pp's: $vg_size "
echo "
free pp's: $vg_free "
let vg_free=$vg_free*$got_it
echo "
= $vg_free $six"
echo " "
echo "
minimal free % : $vg_min_free_perc "
echo "
= $vg_min PP's "
let vg_min_mb=$vg_min*$got_it
echo "
= $vg_min_mb $six"
exec >/dev/tty
# mail the message
mail -s "Volume group $volume_group in `hostname` has to
be expanded" $administrator_mail</tmp/trig_fs.tmp3
fi
fi
done
# remove work-files
rm /tmp/trig_fs.tmp
rm /tmp/trig_fs.tmp2
# >/dev/null because there isn't always mail! ( i presume )
rm /tmp/trig_fs.tmp3 2>/dev/null
# End script check_fsvg
EXAMPLE FILES
Example data in the file /user_data/trigger_file_systems:
8Ø /oracle_database_fs1
9Ø /oracle_archive
85 /user_data
This means that if the filesystem /oracle_database_fs1 grows to
more than 80%, the filesystem will be expanded by bigger_jfs.
/user_data/trigger_file_systems.date:
Ø611
Ø611 datavgØ1
Ø611 datavgØ3
Ø6 November volumegroup_mail_mailed_to_administrator
It will be filled by the script.
Crontab entry:
3Ø * * * * /usr/local/bin/check_fsvg
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9
This means that every 30 minutes every day the script /usr/local/
bin/check_fsvg will be run.
EXAMPLE OUTPUT
Example 1: output bigger_jfs
The filesystem has to be expanded, but the disk is full before the
filesystem reaches the maximum percentage to be used.
bigger_jfs /testme 6Ø
Mail Header:
Error in expanding filesystem /testme in AIX_machine1
Mail body:
Filesystem /testme in AIX_machine1 has got
filled for
: 88%
maximum filled allowed: 6Ø%,
action
: filesystem will be expanded.
Size filesystem /testme: size=524288 blocks of 512 bytes before
expanding.
Error in expanding filesystem /testme info: Returncode 1
Ø516-4Ø4 allocp: This system cannot fulfill the allocation request.
There are not enough free partitions or not enough physical volumes
to keep strictness and satisfy allocation requests. The command
should be retried with different allocation characteristics.
Information of filesystem /testme after error in expanding it:
- filled : 83%,
- size
: 557Ø56 blocks of 512 bytes.
This means that you must expand the volumegroup because
there is no free space available.
Example 2: output bigger_jfs
Here the filesystem has been successfully expanded:
bigger_jfs /testme
Mail header:
Filesystem /testme expanded on AIX_machine1
Mail body:
Filesystem /testme in AIX_machine1 has got
filled for
: 1ØØ%
maximum filled allowed: 8Ø%,
10
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action
: filesystem will be expanded.
Size filesystem /testme: size=229376 blocks of 512 bytes before
expanding
Information of filesystem /testme after expanding:
- % filled: 79%,
- size
: 294912 blocks of 512 bytes.
Example 3 : output check_fsvg
Here there is a 2,296MB filesystem that can still expand but the
volumegroup size must be increased to ensure that there will be
enough free space in the future.
Mail header:
Volume group datavgØ1 in AIX_machine1 has to be expanded
Mail body:
Volumegroup datavgØ1 has to be expanded ( hostname : AIX_machine1 )
actual data : pp-size 4 megabyte(s)
total pp's: 4341
free pp's: 574
= 2296 megabyte(s)
minimal free % : 1Ø
= 434 PP's
= 1736 megabyte(s)
Teun Post
AIX Administrator/Oracle DBA (The Netherlands)
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2. Alternatively, you can e-mail him at
[email protected]
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11
Manage FTP process – revisited
Last month we published the code for the mfp utility, which
automates the whole process of performing FTP. Here are an
example configuration record and a sample log file.
SAMPLE CONFIGURATION RECORD
# FTP Configuration file
# Do not Edit by Hand
# Use mfp.ksh to add/remove Entries
# Apply Appropriate File Protection to Safeguard Password Entries
# #C# Records are commented out
# #D# Records are logically deleted
# #D##C# Records are commented out and then logically deleted
#
#
# Entry History
# ------------# 26/Ø2/2ØØ3 at 17:Ø1:12 Creation
#
Remote_Host=mastst:Remote_Dir=/
tmp:Remote_File=f1.remote:Remote_Uid=zamana:Remote_Pwd=powerØ1:Local_Dir=/
tmp:Local_File=f1.local:Action=put:Comment=Test
#
# Entry History
# ------------# 26/Ø2/2ØØ3 at 17:Ø3:Ø1 Creation
#
Remote_Host=host1:Remote_Dir=/users/export/
zamana:Remote_File=test.dat:Remote_Uid=zamana:Remote_Pwd=powerØ1:Local_Dir=/
tmp:Local_File=f1.local:Action=put:Comment=Test
SAMPLE LOG FILE
FTP Log File On 26/Ø2/2ØØ3 at 17:ØØ:Ø1
======================================
mfp.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:11:Successfully started daemon script /
export/home/zamana/ftp/script/pfari.ksh
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Performing FTP for configuration
record Remote_Host=mastst:Remote_Dir=/
tmp:Remote_File=f1.remote:Remote_Uid=zamana:Remote_Pwd=powerØ1:Local_Dir=/
tmp:Local_File=f1.local:Action=put:Comment=Test
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Preparing script file
12
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pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Executing ftp command
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Successfully performed FTP
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Performing FTP for configuration
record Remote_Host=host1:Remote_Dir=/users/export/
zamana:Remote_File=test.dat:Remote_Uid=zamana:Remote_Pwd=powerØ1:Local_Dir=/
tmp:Local_File=f1.local:Action=put:Comment=Test
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Preparing script file
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:22:Executing ftp command
pfari.sh:ERROR:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:23:Failed to perform FTP
host1: unknown host
Verbose mode on.
Not connected.
Not connected.
Local directory now /tmp
Not connected.
pfari.sh:INFO:26/Ø2/2ØØ3 18:12:23:Sleeping for 4
Arif Zaman
DBA/Developer (UK)
© Xephon 2004
Logical Partitioning Facility (LPAR) planning and
implementation
PARTITIONING OVERVIEW
Logical partitioning enables selected IBM pSeries systems
additional operation and configuration flexibility. Available for
free, LPAR allows system administrators to configure a single
computer into a number of independent systems. Each of these
systems, also referred to as partitions, can manage private
hardware resources such as processors, memory,
I/O adapters, and devices.
Logical partitioning (LPAR) does not limit the number of hardware
resources that are contained in a partition. A partition could have
any number of the available processors assigned to it, limited
only by the total number of processors. Similarly, a partition could
have any amount of memory, limited only by the total amount of
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
13
memory available. An I/O adapter is physically installed in one of
many slots in the system. However, with LPAR, any I/O adapter
in any I/O drawer can be assigned to any partition. Each partition
is an independent system running, possibly, different versions or
types of operating system.
Partitions, while sharing the same physical hardware, after
completion of the configuration, are booted and used as
independent systems.
Partition management is performed using the hardware
management console (HMC). Each system that is running
partitions and managed by the HMC is referred to as a managed
system. A managed system is capable of being configured to
use logical partitions (LPARs) or a full system partition. Each
partition on a server is defined by a profile. Profiles for logical
partitions are created and managed using the HMC.
If your computing needs are considered to be technical, realtime, or high-performance computing, a special type of partitioning
called affinity logical partitioning is recommended – if supported
by your hardware (presently models p670 and p690).
Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR) allows you to implement
changes to your partitions at any time without affecting a
partition’s operation.
Dynamically changing a partition enables a partition’s resources
to be changed while the partition is up and running. The operating
system that is running in the partition can configure and use
additional hardware without being rebooted. In a DLPAR
environment, the processors, memory, or input/output adapters
can be added, moved, or removed after the partition is up and
running.
Systems that are capable of performing dynamic logical
partitioning can support the following tasks:
•
Processor tasks:
–
14
adding processors to a partition
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•
•
–
moving processors from one partition to another
–
removing processors from a partition.
Memory tasks:
–
adding memory to a partition
–
moving memory from one partition to another
–
removing memory from a partition.
Input/output tasks:
– adding a PCI adapter
– moving a PCI adapter
– removing a PCI adapter.
An affinity logical partition is a special type of logical partition that
has its processors and memory resources located physically
close to one another in order to increase performance for
computing-intensive workloads. Processors needed for a partition
can be grouped to use the closest physical memory available.
Hardware resources for affinity partitioning are defined using the
HMC. When creating an affinity partition, the HMC automatically
determines which processors and memory are grouped and
allows you to choose which type of grouping you want. The HMC
then creates a profile for each affinity partition and a system
profile that contains the affinity partitions for the managed
system.
Affinity partitioning is best suited for use in technical computing,
real-time computing, and high-performance computing. A system
that is set up to use affinity logical partitions can dynamically
move I/O devices. However, in order to change the quantity of
processors or memory assigned to an affinity logical partition,
the partition must be rebooted
A special partition called the full system partition assigns all your
managed system’s resources to one large partition. The full
system partition is similar to the traditional, non-partitioned
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15
method of operating a system. Because all resources are
assigned to this partition, no other partitions can be started when
the full system partition is running. Likewise, the full system
partition cannot be started while other partitions are running.
The HMC allows you to switch from the full system partition to
logical partitions.
PARTITIONING BENEFITS
Partitioning enables more flexible computer systems deployment
and operation. The ability to confine workloads to dedicated
operating system instances, while sharing hardware and
environmental resources such as floor space, power supply, and
air conditioning, provides many opportunities that have not been
available in previous generations of servers. The following are
some examples of optimizations of computer operations
achievable with partitioning.
Server consolidation
Disparate computer workloads running on a number of smaller
servers can be consolidated to a single, larger machine sharing
environmental and machine resources. Additionally, it is possible
to adjust the configuration of partitions to reflect changes in the
demands of the workloads.
Merge development, test and production environments
The typical life-cycle of software project development can be
reflected in the partitioning of the server used. At the beginning,
most of the resources can be allocated to a partition used for
development purposes. When alpha and beta versions of a
project have been released, part of the resources can be taken
to form a test partition. With the release of the production version,
most of the resources can be allocated to the partition running
production, while development and testing partitions can be
reduced to a minimal set of resources needed for software
maintenance.
16
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Consolidating multiple versions of the same operating system
It is possible to configure separate partitions containing different
maintenance levels, and even different versions of operating
systems, to enable the thorough testing of mission-critical
applications before committing to adoption of the latest fixes
released by the operating system vendor.
Consolidating different operating systems
At present it is possible to configure separate partitions containing
installations of AIX and Linux on the same hardware, enabling
the use of different operating systems on a single server.
Scalability balancing
Partitioning enables systems managers to shift computer
resources according to the actual demand of the workloads
without oversizing system capabilities to fit peak demands. Such
adaptations can be performed automatically by the execution of
scripts according to predefined schedules or dynamic load
changes.
Consolidate applications requiring different time zone settings
Partitioning enables multiple regional workloads to be
consolidated onto a single server. The different workloads can
run in different partitions, with different operating systems, as
well as with different time and date settings.
PARTITIONING PLANNING
In the following sections I will present a case study describing the
implementation of a single partitioned system.
Requirements
The following are the requirements given to the system
administrator.
Design a system to provide a development project with two
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
17
servers. The first is to function as a development server with the
following capacity – two 1.45GHz Power4 processors and 4GB
of RAM. The second has to function as a test server with six
1.45GHz Power4 processors and 12GB of RAM. Both servers
are to run the latest maintenance level of AIX 5.2 operating
system. The system should have the ability to shift more
processor and memory capacity to the test server at the expense
of development server capacity.
According to the site’s server configuration standards, each
server has to fulfil the following additional demands:
•
It must contain two system disks – one on-line, the other
used for alt_disk_install back-up.
•
It must contain two fibre channel adapters for redundant
connection to a mass storage subsystem.
•
It must contain two network adapters – one Gigabit Ethernet,
the other Fast Ethernet.
•
Each system must have access (not necessarily concurrently)
to the following peripheral devices: CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
drive used for system and software installations; 4mm DAT
tape used for operating system back-ups and restores; and
an ASCII or graphical console.
Proposed hardware configuration
After consultation with IBM technical personnel, the following
system hardware was specified:
•
One eSeries pServer Model p650.
•
Eight 1.45GHz CPUs.
•
16GB of RAM.
•
Four 36GB internal disks. The system has been explicitly
ordered with split internal SCSI connections enabling each
pair of disks to connect to separate SCSI adapters, with each
adapter assigned to a different partition. One of the adapters
18
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is a built-in, on-board adapter while the other is a separate,
external adapter.
•
Four fibre channel adapters.
•
Two Gigabit Ethernet adapters.
•
One Fast Ethernet adapter (one built-in Fast Ethernet adapter
to be used as well).
•
One GXT135 graphical adapter.
•
One internal DVD-ROM.
•
One external 4mm DAT tape.
•
One external DVD-ROM.
•
Two dual-ported SCSI adapters.
The total number of non-built-in adapters is ten. The basic
system drawer CEC has only seven I/O slots, one of which is
occupied by a special SCSI bus splitter card. Therefore an
additional D10 I/O drawer had to be ordered to accommodate all
adapters.
The external DVD-ROM and DAT tape are installed in a separate
external I/O device drawer.
HMC controller, which is Model 365 Intel server running RedHat
Linux 7.2, is another essential addition to the system.
We have chosen a compact drawer containing a keyboard and
a flat screen to double as the system console and the HMC
console. In order to achieve this we had to order a special KVM
switch from IBM.
All the equipment has been installed in a single T00 Rack.
Actual partition set-up
This section will describe how the initial requirements have been
fulfilled by allocation of particular system resources to different
partitions.
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
19
Processor allocation
No special issues here. Each LPAR needs at least one processor.
The development partition has been defined with one as the
minimum number of processors, and two as the desired and
maximal number. The testing partition has been defined with six
as the minimum and desired number of processors and seven
as the maximum number.
Memory allocation
When a machine is in full system partition mode (no LPARs), all
the memory is dedicated to AIX 5L. When a machine is in LPAR
mode, some of the memory used by AIX is relocated outside the
AIX-defined memory range. For instance in the case of a single
small partition (256MB), the first 256MB of memory will be
allocated to the hypervisor, part of the system firmware
implementing partitioning support, 256MB is allocated to
Translation Control Entries (TCEs) and to hypervisor per partition
page tables, and 256MB for the first page table for the first
partition. TCE memory is used to translate the I/O addresses to
system memory addresses. Additional small page tables for
additional small partitions will fit in the page table block. Therefore,
the memory allocated independently of AIX to create a single
256MB partition is 768MB (0.75GB).
With the previous memory statements in mind, the LPAR
requires at least 2GB of memory for two or more LPARs.
The following rules apply only for partitions with AIX 5L or Linux
(if available):
•
The minimum memory for an LPAR is 256MB. Additional
memory can be configured in increments of 256MB.
•
The memory consumed outside AIX is from 0.75GB up to
2GB, depending on the amount of memory and the number
of LPARs.
•
For AIX 5L Version 5.1, the number of LPARs larger than
16GB is limited to two in a system with 64GB of installed
memory, because of the memory alignment in AIX 5L
Version 5.1.
20
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Installed memory: 16384 MB
Partition name
development
test
Memory amount (MB)
11,520
4,224
Page table usage
256
128
Figure 1: Installed memory
LPARs that are larger than 16GB are aligned on a 16GB
boundary. Because the hypervisor memory resides at the
lower end of the memory and TCE resides at the upper end,
only two 16GB boundaries are available.
•
With AIX 5L Version 5.2, there are no predefined limits
concerning partitions larger than 16GB, but the total amount
of memory and hypervisor overhead remains a practical
limit.
Note: to create LPARs running AIX 5L Version 5.2 or Linux larger
than 16GB, the checkbox Small Real Mode Address Region
must be checked (on the HMC, LPAR Profile, and Memory
Options dialog). Do not select this box if you are running AIX 5L
Version 5.1.
Page 16 of Planning for Partitioned-System Operations contains
a table detailing the approximate memory overhead and
approximate memory available for partitions for different
combinations of total memory size, number of partitions, and
versions of the operating system running in the partition.
In our two-partition 16GB RAM system, the actual size of the
memory available for allocation to partitions in a 16GB RAM
system with all LPARs running AIX 5.2 is between 15GB and
15.25GB.
The development partition has been defined with 2GB as the
minimum size of memory and 4GB as the desired and maximum
size. The testing partition has been defined with 8GB as minimum,
1GB as the desired size of memory, and 15GB as the maximum
size.
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
21
An examination of the memory tab of the system properties of our
system displays the table shown in Figure 1.
Our preference has been to allocate the smaller partition with all
the required memory at the expense of the partition containing
the greater amount of the resource.
I/O slots allocation and peripheral devices mapping
This section requires careful planning and knowledge of particular
computer resources.
The I/O devices are assigned at the slot level to the LPARs,
meaning an adapter installed in a specific slot can be assigned
to only one LPAR. If an adapter has multiple devices, such as the
4-port Ethernet adapter or the Dual Ultra3 SCSI adapter, all
devices are automatically assigned to one LPAR and cannot be
shared.
The internal devices can also be assigned to LPARs, but in this
case the internal connections must be taken into account.
Devices connected to an internal SCSI controller must be treated
as a group, as must devices containing an IDE device that share
the same PCI bridge.
The internal disks, the media bays, and the external SCSI port
of systems with internal disks are all driven by one SCSI chip on
the I/O backplane. This chip is connected to one of the PCI-X-toPCI-X bridges, which in terms of an LPAR is equal to a slot.
Therefore, in a standard configuration, all SCSI resources in the
disk and media bays, including external disks connected to the
external SCSI port, must be assigned together to the same
LPAR. There is no requirement to assign them to a particular
LPAR – in fact, they can remain unassigned if the LPAR
minimum requirements are obtained using devices attached to
a SCSI adapter in the CEC or I/O drawer.
This can result in complications when an LPAR with the internal
SCSI resources is active and a second LPAR needs to be
installed using the internal media devices. In a standard
configuration, this is not possible without shutting down the
22
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active LPAR containing all the internal SCSI devices. In this
scenario, when the second LPAR is installed using all the internal
SCSI devices, you must be careful not to override the disks of the
first LPAR.
To avoid this problem, the best solution for providing access to
CD-ROMs and DVD-RAMs for different LPARs is probably to use
an externally-attached DVD-RAM (FC 7210 Model 025) with a
storage device enclosure (FC 7212 Model 102). This external
DVD-RAM could be connected to a PCI SCSI adapter (FC 6203),
which makes it easy to move the DVD-RAM between different
LPARs. This solution also provides the advantages of sharing
this DVD-RAM between several servers by attaching it to SCSI
adapters in different servers.
Every LPAR needs its disks for the operating system. Systems
with internal disks are connected to the internal SCSI port. As
described previously, all SCSI devices, including all internal
disks, could be assigned only to the same LPAR unless the
Physical location
U0.1-P2-I1
U0.1-P2-I2
Adapter
10/100/1000 Base-TX
PCI-X adapter
FC adapter
U0.1-P2-I3
GXT135P graphics adapter
U0.1-P2/Z1
Wide/Ultra-3 SCSI I/O
controller internal port 1
Wide/Ultra-3 SCSI I/O
controller internal port 2
10/100 Mbps Ethernet PCI
adapter II – internal
FC adapter
U0.1-P2/Z2
U0.1-P2/E1
U0.1-P2-I6
I/O Group/Group
_128/U0.1-P2
ISA bus
Purpose
Network
connectivity
SAN
connectivity
Graphical
console
Built-in DVDROM connectivity
Internal disks
connectivity
Network
connectivity
SAN
connectivity
Keyboard, mouse
and serial ports
connectivity
Figure 2: I/O adapters for the development partition
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
23
Physical location
U0.2-P1-I1
Adapter
FC adapter
U0.2-P1-I2
10/100/1000 Base-TX
PCI-X adapter
10/100 Mbps Ethernet
PCI Adapter II
Wide/Ultra-3 SCSI I/O
Controller port 1
Wide/Ultra-3 SCSI I/O
Controller port 2
FC Adapter
Wide/Ultra-3 SCSI I/O
Controller port 2
U0.2-P1-I3
U0.2-P1-I4/Z1
U0.2-P1-I4/Z2
U0.2-P1-I6
U0.1-P2-I5
(The only exception
to our I/O slot
assignment
preference rule)
Purpose
SAN
connectivity
Network
connectivity
Network
connectivity
External DVDROM connectivity
External
tape connectivity
SAN connectivity
Internal disks
connectivity
Figure 3: I/O adapters for the test partition
system has the capacity to install SCSI splitters, enabling the
connection of groups of internal disks to different SCSI adapters.
Without such a solution being available to a particular server,
external disk space is necessary in order to configure multiple
LPARs. Space has to be allocated for external disk subsystems
or additional I/O drawers containing disks. The external disk
space must be attached with a separate adapter for each LPAR
by using SCSI, SSA, or fibre-channel adapters, depending on
the subsystem.
The internal serial ports, diskette drive, keyboard, and mouse are
connected to an ISA bus that is finally connected to the RIO to
PCI-X host bridge. Therefore, these ports and the diskette drive
could only be assigned together to one LPAR, but these resources
are independent of the SCSI resources.
The number of RIO cards installed has no effect on the number
of LPARs supported other than the limitations related to the total
number of I/O drawers supported, and the ability to meet the
24
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
LPAR minimum requirements in a particular configuration.
In addition to these limitations, the ISA I/O resources can neither
be added nor removed using dynamic LPAR, including any
devices sharing the same PCI-X bridge, such as serial ports,
native keyboard and mouse ports, and the diskette drive.
For consistency, we have decided to stick to the following rule as
much as possible: we prefer to allocate I/O adapters from a CEC
drawer (U0.1) to a development partition, and I/O adapters from
an external drawer (U0.2) to a test partition.
Figure 2 shows the list of I/O adapters required for the development
partition.
In Figure 3 is the list of I/O adapters required for the test partition.
We have met all permanent I/O adapter assignment needs. We
can transfer the slot U0.2-P1-I4/Z2 from the test partition to the
development partition (and back) in order to provide access to a
tape device. We can transfer the slots I/O Group/Group_128/
U0.1-P2 and U0.1-P2-I3 from the development partition to the
test partition in order to provide access to the console display and
keyboard/mouse.
REFERENCES
1
AIX 5L Version 5.2 AIX Installation in Partitioned Environment,
SC23-4382. IBM Corporation
2
Effective System Management Using the IBM Hardware
Management Console for pSeries, SC24-7038, IBM
Corporation
3
Planning for Partitioned-System Operations, SA38-0626,
IBM Corporation
4
Site and Hardware Planning Information, SA38-0508, IBM
Corporation
5
IBM Hardware Management Console for pSeries Installation
and Operations Guide, SA38-0590, IBM Corporation
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
25
6
Electronic Service Agent for eServer pSeries User’s Guide,
LCD4-1060, IBM Corporation
7
PCI Adapter Placement reference, SA38-0538, IBM
Corporation
Alex Polak
System Engineer
APS (Israel)
© Xephon 2004
Curses programming
What is curses? Curses is a package of functions in the Unix
library for use in C programs that need to manipulate screens in
a non-line-oriented way. Before the advent of GUIs (Graphical
User Interfaces), curses packages were used widely to create
user interfaces for any interactive programs. For example,
SQL*Forms, Oracle’s flagship product for creating database
application, used the curses package to create all its user
interfaces.
Curses programming is all about creating interactive applications
(reading input from a box on the terminal or outputting a piece of
data in a box drawn at a certain location on the terminal, etc)
using special curses functions.
The word ‘curses’ is also used to refer to this concept of
interactive programming under Unix.
EXAMPLE SOURCE CODE LISTING
1
2
3
4
5
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7
8
9
26
#include <curses.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <signal.h>
/*************************************************************
* Name
: uaccess.c
*
* Overview : The program draws a window on the screen and
*
accepts two separate inputs, userid and
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
1Ø
*
password, from two separate fields.
11
* Notes
: 1. To compile this program do as follows:
12
*
cc -o password password.c /usr/lib/libcurses.a
13
*
14
*************************************************************/
15
16
/*
17
#
18
# Function Prototypes
19
#
2Ø
*/
21
int main ( void );
22
void MakeField ( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, short
field_length ) ;
23
void ClearField ( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, short
field_length );
24
void ClearMessage
( WINDOW *ptr ) ;
25
void DisplayMessage ( WINDOW *ptr, char *msg ) ;
26
void WriteText
( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, char
*text ) ;
27
void GetUserid
(void) ;
28
void GetPassword (void);
29
void DisplayTime (WINDOW *ptr);
3Ø
void HandleInterrupt (int);
31
/*
32
#
33
# declare global variables
34
#
35
*/
36
WINDOW
*wptr;
/* pointer to the window structure */
37
WINDOW
*subwptr;
/* pointer to the window structure */
38
char dummy[2];
39
char uid[2Ø];
4Ø
char pwd[2Ø];
41
42
int WINWIDTH
= 8Ø; /* width for main window
*/
43
int WINHEIGHT
= 23; /* heigh for main window
*/
44
int WINXCOR
= Ø;
/* x coordinate for location
*/
45
int WINYCOR
= Ø;
/* y coordinate for location
*/
46
47
int SUBWINWIDTH
= 4Ø; /* width for subwindow
*/
48
int SUBWINHEIGHT
= 1Ø; /* heigh for subwindow
*/
49
int SUBWINXCOR
= 15; /* x coordinate for location
*/
5Ø
int SUBWINYCOR
= 5;
/* y coordinate for location
*/
51
52
53
54
int UIDFIELDXCOR
= 12; /* x coordinate for userid field */
55
int UIDFIELDYCOR
= 4;
/* y coordinate for userid field */
56
int UIDFIELDLEN
= 2Ø; /* field length for userdid field*/
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
27
57
int PWDFIELDXCOR
= 12; /*x coordinate for password field*/
58
int PWDFIELDYCOR
= 6;
/*y coordinate for password field*/
59
int PWDFIELDLEN
= 2Ø; /*field lenght for password field*/
6Ø
61
int UIDTEXTXCOR
= 2;
/*x coordinate for userid boiler
plate text
*/
62
int UIDTEXTYCOR
= 4;
/* y coordinate for userid boiler
plate text
*/
63
int PWDTEXTXCOR
= 2;
/* x coordinate for password boiler
plate text */
64
int PWDTEXTYCOR
= 6;
/* y coordinate for password boiler
plate text */
65
66
int WHTEXTXCOR
= 1Ø; /* x coordinate for text in window
heading */
67
int WHTEXTYCOR
= 2;
/* y coordinate for text in window
heading */
68
69
int MSGFIELDXCOR
= 1;
/* x coordinate for message field*/
7Ø
int MSGFIELDYCOR
= 2Ø; /* y coordinate for message field*/
71
int MSGFIELDLEN
= 77; /* field length for message field*/
72
int MSGTEXTXCOR
= 1;
/* x coordinate for message
*/
73
int MSGTEXTYCOR
= 2Ø;
/* y coordinate for message
*/
74
75
int MSGACKXCOR
= 1;
/* x coordinate for message
acknowledge field
*/
76
int MSGACKYCOR
= 21;
/* y coordinate for message
acknowledge field
*/
77
int MSGACKLEN
= 6Ø;
/* field length for message
acknowledge field
*/
78
79
int TIMEFIELDXCOR
= 59;
/* x coordinate for time field*/
8Ø
int TIMEFIELDYCOR
= 1;
/* y coordinate for time field*/
81
int TIMEFIELDLEN
= 19;
/* field length for time field*/
82
83
/*************************************************************
84
*
85
* Name
: main ()
86
*
87
* Overview : The functions implements processing structure.
88
*
89
* Notes
:
9Ø
*************************************************************/
91
int main ( void )
92
{
93
94
signal (SIGINT, ( void * )HandleInterrupt );
95
96
/*
97
* initialise the screen
28
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
98
*/
99
initscr( );
/* mandatory
function call */
1ØØ
1Ø1
/*
1Ø2
* create main window
1Ø3
*/
1Ø4
wptr = newwin(WINHEIGHT,WINWIDTH,WINYCOR,WINXCOR);
1Ø5
1Ø6
if ( wptr == (WINDOW * ) NULL )
1Ø7
{
1Ø8
printf("ERROR:Failed to create the window\n");
1Ø9
exit (1);
11Ø
}
111
/*
112
* draw a box around the main window
113
*/
114
box(wptr,Ø,Ø );
/* X and Y cordinates relative to window */
115
/*
116
* refresh screen
117
*/
118
wrefresh(wptr);
119
/*
12Ø
* make sub-window
121
*/
122
subwptr =
subwin(wptr,SUBWINHEIGHT,SUBWINWIDTH,SUBWINYCOR,SUBWINXCOR);
123
if ( subwptr == (WINDOW * ) NULL )
124
{
125
printf("Failed to create the sub-window\n");
126
exit (1);
127
}
128
/*
129
* draw a box around the sub window
13Ø
*/
131
box(subwptr,Ø,Ø );
132
wrefresh(subwptr);
133
/*
134
* write heading in the sub-window window
135
*/
136
WriteText(subwptr,WHTEXTYCOR,WHTEXTXCOR, "User Access Form" );
137
/*
138
* make field for accepting userid
139
*/
14Ø
MakeField(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,UIDFIELDXCOR, UIDFIELDLEN);
141
/*
142
* write boiler plate text for userid field
143
*/
144
WriteText(subwptr,UIDTEXTYCOR,UIDTEXTXCOR,"Userid");
145
/*
146
* make field for accepting pwd
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
29
147
148
149
15Ø
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16Ø
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17Ø
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18Ø
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187
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189
19Ø
191
192
193
194
*text )
195
*/
MakeField(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,PWDFIELDXCOR, PWDFIELDLEN);
/*
* write boiler plate text for password
*/
WriteText(subwptr,PWDTEXTYCOR,PWDTEXTXCOR,"Password");
/*
* make the field for message
*/
MakeField(wptr,MSGFIELDYCOR,MSGFIELDXCOR, MSGFIELDLEN);
/*
* make the field for date and time
*/
MakeField(wptr,TIMEFIELDYCOR,TIMEFIELDXCOR, TIMEFIELDLEN);
DisplayTime ( wptr);
/*
* get inputs
*/
while (1)
{
GetUserid () ;
GetPassword ();
30
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
/*
* password must be the same as userid
*/
if ( strcmp(uid, pwd) )
DisplayMessage(wptr, "ERROR:Invalid password");
else
break ;
}
/*
* remove all
*/
endwin ( );
the window resources
}
/*************************************************************
*
* Name
: WriteText ()
*
* Overview : The functions writes text on the screen
*
* Notes
:
*************************************************************/
void WriteText ( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, char
{
196
/*
197
* move the cursor to right location
198
*/
199
wmove(ptr,ycor,xcor);
2ØØ
waddstr(ptr,text);
2Ø1
wrefresh(ptr);
2Ø2
2Ø3
2Ø4
}
2Ø5
2Ø6
/*************************************************************
2Ø7
*
2Ø8
* Name
: DisplayMessage ()
2Ø9
*
21Ø
* Overview : The functions displays an informatiove or error
211
*
message on message line
212
*
213
* Notes
:
214
*************************************************************/
215
void DisplayMessage ( WINDOW *ptr, char *msg )
216
{
217
218
/*
219
* display error/informative message
22Ø
*/
221
wattron ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
222
WriteText(ptr,MSGTEXTYCOR,MSGTEXTXCOR,msg);
223
wattroff ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
224
/*
225
* display acknowledgement message
226
*/
227
WriteText(ptr,MSGACKYCOR,MSGACKXCOR,"Please acknowledge
message...");
228
wgetstr(ptr,dummy);
229
23Ø
}
231
232
/*************************************************************
233
*
234
* Name
: ClearMessage ()
235
*
236
* Overview : The functions clears the message from from the
237
*
message line and acknowledgement message from
238
*
the acknowledgement message line
239
* Notes
:
24Ø
*************************************************************/
241
void ClearMessage ( WINDOW *ptr )
242
{
243
244
/*
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
31
245
* clear message line
246
*/
247
short i ;
248
short xcor = MSGFIELDXCOR ;
249
25Ø
wattron ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
251
for ( i=Ø ; i<MSGFIELDLEN ; i++ )
252
{
253
wmove(ptr,MSGFIELDYCOR, xcor);
254
waddstr(ptr," ");
255
xcor++ ;
256
i++ ;
257
wrefresh(ptr);
258
259
}
26Ø
261
/*
262
* clear message acknowledge line
263
*/
264
wattroff ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
265
266
xcor = MSGACKXCOR ;
267
268
for ( i=Ø ; i<MSGACKLEN ; i++ )
269
{
27Ø
wmove(ptr,MSGACKYCOR, xcor);
271
waddstr(ptr," ");
272
xcor++ ;
273
i++ ;
274
275
}
276
277
wrefresh(ptr);
278
279
28Ø
}
281
282
/*************************************************************
283
*
284
* Name
: ClearField ()
285
*
286
* Overview : The functions clears the field
287
*
288
* Notes
:
289
*************************************************************/
29Ø
void ClearField ( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, short
field_length )
291
{
292
293
static short i ;
32
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
294
295
wattron ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
296
for ( i=Ø ; i<field_length ; i++ )
297
{
298
echo();
299
wmove(ptr,ycor,xcor);
3ØØ
waddstr(ptr," ");
3Ø1
xcor++ ;
3Ø2
wrefresh(ptr);
3Ø3
3Ø4
}
3Ø5
3Ø6
3Ø7
}
3Ø8
3Ø9
31Ø
311
/*************************************************************
312
*
313
* Name
: MakeField ()
314
*
315
* Overview : The functions draws a field on the screen within
316
*
the main window
317
* Notes
:
318
*************************************************************/
319
void MakeField ( WINDOW *ptr, short ycor, short xcor, short
field_length )
32Ø
{
321
/*
322
* make field
323
*/
324
short i ;
325
wattron ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
326
327
wmove(ptr,ycor,xcor);
328
329
for ( i = Ø; i < field_length; i ++ )
33Ø
waddstr(ptr," ");
331
wattroff ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
332
wrefresh(ptr);
333
334
}
335
/*************************************************************
336
*
337
* Name
: GetUserid ()
338
*
339
* Overview : The functions accepts input from userid field.
34Ø
*
341
* Notes
:
342
*************************************************************/
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
33
343
void GetUserid ( void )
344
{
345
346
347
int xcor_var, xcor, ycor ;
/* absolute xcoordinate within
field */
348
int last_pos = Ø ; /* last positon indicator for field */
349
int ch ;
35Ø
int i = Ø ;
351
352
while ( 1)
353
{
354
keypad(subwptr, TRUE );
355
/*
356
raw();
357
*/
358
ClearField(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,UIDFIELDXCOR, UIDFIELDLEN);
359
ClearMessage(wptr);
36Ø
strcpy(uid,"");
361
wattron ( subwptr, A_REVERSE);
362
/*
363
* place the cursor on the first character position in field
364
*/
365
wmove(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,UIDFIELDXCOR);
366
xcor_var =Ø;
367
noecho();
368
i=Ø ;
369
while (1)
37Ø
{
371
/*
372
* accept a character but it wouldn't be displayed
373
* we need to explicitly add this character to the field
374
*/
375
ch=wgetch(subwptr);
376
if ( ch == 1Ø )
377
{
378
/*
379
* newline entered ; assume input completed
38Ø
*/
381
uid[i]='\Ø';
382
break ;
383
}
384
385
else if ( ch == KEY_LEFT )
386
{
387
/*
388
* only move cursor to the left if a character has
389
* been typed in the field
39Ø
*/
391
if ( xcor_var > Ø )
34
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
4ØØ
4Ø1
4Ø2
4Ø3
4Ø4
4Ø5
4Ø6
4Ø7
4Ø8
4Ø9
41Ø
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
42Ø
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
43Ø
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
44Ø
441
{
/*
* adjust x-coordinate
*/
xcor_var--;
wmove(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,(UIDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ));
/*
* set last position indicator to false
*/
last_pos = Ø;
}
}
else if ( ch == KEY_BACKSPACE )
{
if ( xcor_var > Ø )
{
xcor_var--;
wmove(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,(UIDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
waddch(subwptr,' ');
wmove(subwptr,UIDFIELDYCOR,(UIDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
wrefresh(subwptr);
last_pos = Ø;
i-- ;
}
}
else if ( xcor_var == ( UIDFIELDLEN - 1 ) )
{
/*
* cursor is on last character position in the field
*/
if ( last_pos )
{
/*
* a character has already been accepted for
* the last position in the field
*/
beep();
}
else
{
/*
* accept this character in the last position and display it
*/
if ( isalnum (ch) || isspace (ch) )
{
waddch(subwptr, ch);
wrefresh(subwptr);
uid[i]=ch ;
i++;
/*
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
35
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
45Ø
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
46Ø
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
47Ø
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
48Ø
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
49Ø
491
36
* set the last position indicator to true
*/
last_pos = 1;
}
}
}
else
{
/*
* check for acceptable characters
*/
if ( isalnum (ch) || isspace (ch) )
{
waddch(subwptr, ch);
xcor=Ø ;
getsyx(ycor,xcor);
/* uid[i]=ch ; */
uid[xcor - 27 ]=ch ;
xcor_var++;
i++;
}
}
}
/*
* check the input string
*/
if ( strcmp(uid,"") == Ø )
DisplayMessage(wptr, "ERROR:Must enter user id");
else
break ;
}
}
/*************************************************************
*
* Name
: GetPassword ()
*
* Overview : The functions accepts input from password
*
field.
* Notes
:
*************************************************************/
void GetPassword ( void )
{
int xcor_var, xcor, ycor
int last_pos = Ø ;
int
ch ;
int i = Ø ;
;
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
5ØØ
5Ø1
5Ø2
5Ø3
5Ø4
5Ø5
5Ø6
5Ø7
5Ø8
5Ø9
51Ø
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
52Ø
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
53Ø
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
54Ø
541
while ( 1)
{
keypad(subwptr, TRUE );
raw();
ClearField(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,PWDFIELDXCOR, PWDFIELDLEN);
ClearMessage(wptr);
strcpy(pwd,"");
wattron ( subwptr, A_REVERSE);
/*
* place the cursor on the first character position in field
*/
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,PWDFIELDXCOR);
xcor_var =Ø;
noecho();
i=Ø ;
while (1)
{
/*
* accept a character but it wouldn't be displayed
*/
ch=wgetch(subwptr);
if ( ch == 1Ø )
{
/*
* newline entered ; assume input completed
*/
pwd[i]='\Ø';
break ;
}
else if ( ch == KEY_LEFT )
{
if ( xcor_var > Ø )
{
xcor_var--;
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,(PWDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ));
last_pos = Ø;
}
}
else if ( ch == KEY_BACKSPACE )
{
if ( xcor_var > Ø )
{
xcor_var--;
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,(PWDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
waddch(subwptr,' ');
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,(PWDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
wrefresh(subwptr);
last_pos = Ø;
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
37
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
55Ø
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
56Ø
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
57Ø
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
58Ø
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
59Ø
591
38
i-- ;
}
}
else if ( xcor_var == ( PWDFIELDLEN - 1 ) )
{
/*
* cursor is on last character position in the field
*/
if ( last_pos )
{
/*
* a character has already been accepted for
* the last position in the field
*/
beep();
}
else
{
/*
* accept this character in the last position and display it
*/
if ( isalnum (ch) || isspace (ch) )
{
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,(PWDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
wrefresh(subwptr);
pwd[i]=ch ;
i++;
/*
* set the last position indicator to true
*/
last_pos = 1;
}
}
}
else
{
/*
* check for acceptable characters
*/
if ( isalnum (ch) || isspace (ch) )
{
xcor=Ø ;
getsyx(ycor,xcor);
pwd[xcor - 27 ]=ch ;
xcor_var++;
i++;
wmove(subwptr,PWDFIELDYCOR,(PWDFIELDXCOR + xcor_var ) );
}
}
}
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
592
/*
593
* check the input string
594
*/
595
if ( strcmp(pwd,"") == Ø )
596
DisplayMessage(wptr, "ERROR:Must enter password");
597
598
else
599
break ;
6ØØ
}
6Ø1
6Ø2
}
6Ø3
6Ø4
6Ø5
6Ø6
/*************************************************************
6Ø7
*
6Ø8
* Name
: DisplayTime ()
6Ø9
*
61Ø
* Overview : The function displays the data and time.
611
*
612
* Notes
: 1. tm_s->tm_year will return year from 19ØØ.
613
*
614
*************************************************************/
615
void DisplayTime ( WINDOW *ptr )
616
{
617
618
time_t
time_int ;
619
struct tm
*tm_s ;
62Ø
621
char
today[3Ø];
622
623
time(&time_int);
624
tm_s = localtime(&time_int);
625
626
627
sprintf (today,"%Ø2d/%Ø2d/%Ø2d %Ø2d:%Ø2d:%Ø2d", tm_s>tm_mday,tm_s->tm_mon +1,
628
tm_s->tm_year + 19ØØ,
629
tm_s->tm_hour,tm_s->tm_min, tm_s->tm_sec);
63Ø
wmove(ptr,TIMEFIELDYCOR, TIMEFIELDXCOR);
631
wattron ( ptr, A_REVERSE);
632
waddstr(ptr,today);
633
wrefresh(ptr);
634
635
636
}
637
/*************************************************************
638
*
639
* Name
: HandleInterrupt ()
64Ø
*
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
39
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
early");
65Ø
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
* Overview : The function displays a message and exits.
*
* Notes
:
*
*************************************************************/
void HandleInterrupt ( int signo )
{
DisplayMessage(wptr, "ERROR:Program interrupted; quitting
/*
* remove all
*/
endwin ( );
the window resources
exit (1);
}
SOURCE CODE ANALYSIS
1-3
Header files. Curses.h is relevant to all curses
programming.
21-30
Function prototypes.
36-37
Two pointer declarations. These pointers point to a
pre-defined structure called a WINDOW. Curses.h
includes the definition for WINDOW.
38-81
Variable declarations, used for dimensions of specific
windows.
91
Main ().
94
Function call for the interrupt signal.
99
Function call to initscr (). It’s a mandatory function call
for all curses programming. It must be made at the
beginning of any curses activity.
104-110 Creation of the main window. The function used is
newwin ( ) with the desired dimensions. The returned
pointer is assigned to wptr.
40
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114
Draw a box around the main window. The function
used is box ( ).
118
Refresh the screen using wrefresh ( ). Having defined
a window, any subsequent activity in that window must
follow a call to wrefresh ().
122-127 Draw a sub-window. The function used is subwin ( )
with the desired arguments.
131
Draw a box around the sub-window.
132
Refresh the screen.
136
Write heading for the sub-window by invoking WriteText
( ), which is defined in the program.
140-144 Draw a field on-creen to capture the user-id by calling
MakeField () and WriteText ().
148-152 Draw a field on-screen to capture a password by
calling MakeField ( ) and WriteText ( ).
156
Draw a field on-screen for displaying the message.
160-161 Draw a field on-screen for display date and time.
Display data and tile by calling DisplayTime( ).
165-178 Get user-id from the screen. Get password from the
screen. If they are the same
Break
Else
Continue
182 Curses function call to endwin ( ). This is required in order
to return the terminal to normal working mode.
CONCEPT OF A WINDOW
A window is an internal data representation of an image of what
a particular rectangular section of the terminal display may look
like. The terminal display as a whole could be said to be a
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
41
window, in which case its dimensions will be defined as 25 x 80.
A window with dimensions of one character in length and one
character in height is, in fact, a window of the size of a character.
This is the smallest window that curses could possibly handle,
but a window could also have dimensions of 128 characters in
length and 50 characters in height. This would be bigger than
most terminal screens, but, nonetheless, it is still a window.
Data structure called window
To master the various functions used in the example above, you
need to understand the curses data structure known as a
window, since almost all of the curses routines manipulate this
structure in some way.
It is defined in curses.h as follows:
struct _win_st
{
short
_cury, _curx; /* current coordinates */
short
_maxy, _maxx; /* max coordinates
*/
short
_begy, _begx; /* (Ø,Ø) screen coordinates */
char
_flags;
short
_yoffset;
/* actual begy is _begy+_yoffset */
bool
_clear,
/* clearok() info */
_leave,
/* leaveok() info */
_immed,
/* window in immediate mode */
_sync;
/* auto syncup of parent */
WINDOW
*_padwin; /* "pad" area for current window */
#ifdef
_VR3_COMPAT_CODE
_ochtype **_y16;
/* MUST stay at this offset in WINDOW */
#endif
short
*_firstch;
/* first change in line */
short
*_lastch;
/* last change in line */
short
_tmarg, _bmarg;
/* scrolling region bounds */
/* MUST stay at this offset in WINDOW */
unsigned _scroll
: 1; /* scrollok() info */
unsigned _use_idl : 1;
unsigned _use_keypad
: 1;
unsigned _notimeout
: 1;
unsigned _use_idc : 1;
chtype
_attrs; /* current window attributes */
chtype
_bkgd;
/* background, normally blank */
int
_delay;
/* delay period on wgetch */
/* Ø: for nodelay */
/* <Ø: for infinite delay */
/* >Ø: delay time in millisec */
42
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
short
short
WINDOW
chtype
short
short
char
bool
_ndescs;
/* number of descendants */
_parx, _pary; /* coords relative to parent (Ø,Ø) */
*_parent; /* the parent if this is a subwin */
**_y;
/* lines of data */
_nbyte;
/* number of bytes to come */
_index;
/* index to hold coming char */
_waitc[CSMAX];/* array to hold partial m-width char */
_insmode;
/* TRUE for inserting, */
/* FALSE for adding */
};
typedef
extern
struct
WINDOW
_win_st
*stdscr
WINDOW ;
, *curscr ;
This structure is in fact curses’ internal representation of a
window. It contains all the necessary data and information which
curses needs to manage the window on the terminal screen. For
curses, anything inside or belonging to a window is modifiable.
Physical terminal screen and default window
Before curses can manage the terminal screen it needs to know
what it looks like. Therefore, when curses starts up (after the
invocation of initscr ( ) ), the first thing it does is clear the screen.
It then places the cursor in the home position, which is the top lefthand corner of the screen. Curses then knows exactly what the
physical screen looks like and where the cursor is situated.
The external pointer variables stdscr and curscr defined in
<curses.h> are two virtual-window pointers. These windows are
initially the size of the physical screen and created by the curses
start-up function initscr (). The stdscr window is provided for
developers, while the curscr window is generally reserved for
internal curses use.
Physical terminal dimensions and windows
A window can be the same size as or smaller or bigger than the
physical terminal screen. A physical terminal can display more
than one window. The home coordinates (0,0) for any window is
the top left-hand corner of the screen.
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
43
SCREENS, WINDOWS, AND TERMINALS
The following list defines each of these terms, which are used
widely in the discussion of curses programming.
Screen
A screen is a terminal’s physical output device.
Window
Window objects are two-dimensional arrays of characters. Curses
provide stdscr, a default window which is the size of the terminal
screen. You can use the newwin function to create others.
To refer to a window, use a variable declared as WINDOW *.
There are three sub-types of window:
•
Subwindow – a window that has been created within another
window (the parent window) and whose position has been
specified with absolute screen coordinates.
•
Derived window – a subwindow whose position is defined
relative to the parent window’s coordinates rather than in
absolute terms.
•
Pad – a special type of window that can be larger than the
screen.
Terminal
A terminal is the input and output device that character-based
applications use to interact with the user.
CREATING NEW WINDOWS, SUBWINDOWS, AND DERIVED
WINDOWS
New windows
If you want to use a window other than the default windows
supplied by curses (stdscr and curscr), you need to create it
44
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before it can be accessed. Curses provides the following function:
WINDOW
*neww_ptr
neww_ptr =
newwin (
lines,
cols,
begy,
begx) .
where:
•
lines is the maximum vertical dimension of the new window,
specified in units of lines.
•
cols
is the maximum horizontal dimension of the new
window, specified in units of columns.
•
begy is the Y coordinate for the new window in relation to the
stdscr (0, 0).
•
begx is the X coordinate for the new window in relation to the
stdscr (0, 0).
Note: the X and Y coordinates are relative to the home coordinates
of the default window, pointed to by stdscr, and are located at 0,
0.
Subwindows
WINDOW *subw_ptr
subw_ptr = newwin (neww_ptr, lines, cols, begy, begx) .
The X and Y coordinates are relative to the home coordinates of
the default window, pointed to by stdscr, and are located at 0,0.
Derived windows
WINDOW *derw_ptr
derw_ptr = newwin (neww_ptr, lines, cols, begy, begx) .
The X and Y coordinates are relative to the home coordinates for
the parent window.
CURSES FUNCTIONS
There are a lot of curses functions for screen manipulation. In
fact, for each standard input and output function there exists a
corresponding curses function.
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
45
In general, functions that take a pointer to a window as one of the
parameters are prefixed with w (eg, wrefresh, wmove, etc);
otherwise, functions act on the default window pointed to by
stdscr (eg refresh, getch etc).
Curses library
The library is libcurses.a and its usual location is /usr/include/lib.
INTERACTIVE SHELL
The program creates the effect of two independent windows on
the terminal screen with a shell running in each.
/***********************************************************************
* Name
: twinmish (two window multiplexing interactive shell)
* Overview : A two window multiplexing interactive shells.
* Notes
: 1. Compile the program as follows:
*
cc -o twinmish twinmish.c /usr/lib/libcurses.a
****************************************************************************************/
/***********************************************************************
*
INCLUDE FILES
****************************************************************************************/
#include <curses.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <unistd.h>
/***********************************************************************
*
FUNCTION PROTOTYPES
****************************************************************************************/
int main
(void );
int CreateWindows (void );
int CreateShells (void );
void DisplayError ( char *msg, int line_no );
void DisplayWindowTitle ( char *msg ) ;
void HandleSignal ( int signo );
/***********************************************************************
*
MODULE CONSTANTS
****************************************************************************************/
/*
* function return codes
*/
#define SUCCESS 1
#define FAILURE Ø
#define BUFSIZE 128
/* maximum number of multiplexed windows */
#define MAX_WIN
2
46
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
/* template for multiplexed channels */
typedef
struct {
WINDOW
*win ; /* window for this channel
*/
int
out[2]; /* file descriptor for output */
int
err[2]; /* file descriptor for err
*/
int
in[2]; /* file descriptor for input
*/
int
pid ; /* pid of process controlling this window */
} WIN ;
/* multiplexed channel array */
WIN
w[MAX_WIN] ;
/* template of window positions */
typedef
struct {
int
lines; /* no of lines in window
*/
int
cols; /* no of columns in window */
int
begy; /* y co-ordinate for window */
int
begx; /* x co-ordinate for window */
} WINPOS ;
/* define window positions */
static WINPOS pos[MAX_WIN] = {
{ 11,79, Ø,Ø },
/* specification of ist window */
{ 1Ø,79,14,Ø }
/* specification of 2nd window */
} ;
int pid ;
/***********************************************************************
* Name
: main
* Overview : The function implements processing structure.
* Notes
:
****************************************************************************************/
int main (void)
{
int nc ;
/* no of characters read */
char
buffer[BUFSIZE] ;
int i, c ;
int cwin = Ø ; /* current window */
/* set the signal */
signal ( SIGCLD, (void * )HandleSignal );
/* create two windows */
if ( CreateWindows () != SUCCESS )
return ( FAILURE ) ;
/* create two shells */
if ( CreateShells () != SUCCESS )
return ( FAILURE ) ;
nodelay ( stdscr, TRUE );
noecho ();
raw();
DisplayWindowTitle ("Top Window" );
for ( i= MAX_WIN -1 ; i >= Ø ; i-- )
wrefresh ( w[i].win ) ;
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
47
/* start polling following devices for input
* input file descriptor
* keyboard */
while (1)
{
/* read from input pipe in each window */
for ( i=Ø ; i < MAX_WIN ; i++ )
{
/* stdout channel in[Ø]
* shell would have written to in[1]
*/
nc = read ( w[i].in[Ø],buffer,BUFSIZE -1 ) ;
buffer[nc]='\Ø' ;
waddstr ( w[i].win, buffer );
/* stderr channel
*/
Editor’s note: this article will be concluded next month.
Arif Zaman
DBA/Developer (UK)
© Xephon 2004
Recovering deleted files
Here’s the situation: a newish AIX programmer deleted their
latest program file in error and wanted to know what to do next.
First, they wanted to know what the AIX equivalent to the DOS
UNDELETE command was. Sad to say, there is no UNDELETE
command in AIX.
I suggested that they restore from the most recent back-up
(previous night) and they would have to re-enter all the changes
made since then. Unfortunately there was a problem with the
most recent back-ups. The file could be restored, but not
straightaway.
What to do next? Well, because of the way AIX stores data, each
file has an inode (index-node) structure associated with it
containing information about the file owner, permissions, size,
the physical disk blocks the file is stored on, etc. If a file is deleted,
it remains on the disk; it’s just the inodes that are marked as being
free for use. If the disk is heavily used, the inode will be reused
48
© 2004. Xephon UK telephone 01635 33848, fax 01635 38345. USA telephone (303) 410 9344, fax (303) 438 0290.
and the disk space will be written over. If it is not used, the file will
still be sitting there without any pointers to it.
All I/O activity on the relevant partition must be stopped and the
partition unmounted. We placed the system in single-user mode
to prevent other processes from overwriting the disk blocks or
inodes previously used by the ‘erased’ file.
A raw copy of the partition containing the missing file had to be
made and the system brought back into multi-user mode,
allowing normal system operation to continue. Parts of a file
could have been scattered in a non-contiguous manner over the
entire partition.
The next stage was to recover the data.
We did consider writing a shell script that would copy all files
being deleted to a different folder before deleting them in the
original folder. We could then write a second script (called
UNDELETE.SH, say), which would copy the required file back
from this second folder to the original folder.
Editor’s note: we would be interested to hear how other users
have got on with the problem of recovering accidentally deleted
files.
Susan Alnutt
DBA (UK)
© 2004. Reproduction prohibited. Please inform Xephon of any infringement.
© Xephon 2004
49
AIX news
Softek, part of the Fujitsu group, has
announced Softek Replicator, which runs on
AIX, z/OS, Windows, HP-UX, Linux and
Solaris, and supports any storage array, such
as those from EMC, HDS, H-P, IBM, or
StorageTek.
The product replicates data writes to one
drive array or disk to another across an IP
link. The replication is done at the host level,
not by the drive array controller. EMC’s
SRDF is a controller-based replicator only
working with EMC arrays. Softek
Replicator, because it is host-based, is
independent of the drive arrays and controller
firmware.
AIX’s JFS file system is supported, which,
Softek claims, is unique.
For further information contact:
Softek, 1250 East Arques Avenue, M/S 317,
Sunnyvale, CA 94085, USA.
Tel: (408) 746 7638.
URL: http://www.softek.fujitsu.com/en/
products/replicator.
***
UniPress Software has announced Version
6.0 of its FootPrints software specifically
designed to optimize the performance,
reliability, and scalability of DB2. This new
version, FootPrints for DB2, provides
organizations running DB2 in AIX
environments with a seamless, integrated,
Web-based service desk to centralize and
automate internal Help Desk operations and
external customer service activities.
FootPrints provides a Web-based system that
x
includes centralized customer-request
tracking, self-service online capabilities,
two-way e-mail management, knowledge
management, and reporting.
For further information contact:
UniPress Software, 2025 Lincoln Highway,
Edison, New Jersey 08817, USA.
Tel (732) 287 2100.
URL: http://www.unipress.com/footprints/
whatsnew.html.
***
Nuance has announced Version 3.0 of its
Vocalizer software. The product enables
automated access to everything from account
balances to flight information, e-mail reading
to voice-activated dialling.
In addition to the Windows and SPARC
Solaris operating systems, Nuance Vocalizer
3.0 now also supports AIX to enable
companies with IBM DirectTalk platforms to
take advantage of its advanced TTS features.
Nuance has also introduced a new Canadian
French text-to-speech (TTS) voice, updated
North American English voices, and made a
number of other enhancements to its Nuance
Vocalizer 3.0 text-to-speech software
including: improved name pronunciation,
reduced memory utilization, expanded
handling of terms from key vertical markets,
and broader operating system support.
For further information contact:
Nuance, 1005 Hamilton Court, Menlo Park,
CA 94025, USA.
Tel: (650) 847 0000.
http://www.nuance.com/corp/index.html.
xephon

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