Integrity Virtual Machines v4.0 - unable to dynamically add disk

[grahamswilson]

Hi all,

I've just installed the IVM product on 11iv3-0809 - and when I try to add a disk backing store to a guest, I get the following :-

# hpvmmodify -P atlantis -a disk:aviostor::disk:/dev/rdisk/disk15
hpvmmodify: Unable to dynamically create device disk:avio_stor:0,1,0:disk:/dev/rdisk/disk15 - Protocol error.
hpvmmodify: Guest needs to be restarted for all changes to take effect.

I already have a 11iv2/IVM3.5 environment (and earlier versions too) and I never had to restart guests for them to pick up new disk backup stores!

In fact, when I first installed the v3.5 product, I did get this error but upgrading the AVIO bundle fixed it - but there is no upgraded AVIO bundle for the 11iv3 release (yet?).

Has anyone else seen this "protocol error" - or alternatively, has anyone else installed this version yet and seen it able to dynamically add disks to hosts? (At least that way I'll know if it's just me...)

I have also logged an official call with HP, but always worth trying here...

[Torsten.]

I didn't work with the new version yet, but you should ensure and check if you have all required patches installed.

[grahamswilson]

Hi,

yep - all patches installed.

However, I think I have an update - HP have just "found" the "issue" :)

After doing some more playing around, I found that it was only adding the _first_ disk that was causing this "protocol error" message. Turns out, apart from being a strange error message ;) this is expected behavior.

To quote from the HPVM 4.0 install guide page 98 (Section 7.2.1.5) :-

"All types of virtual storage devices can be added and removed dynamically from virtual machines.
That is, virtual disks, virtual DVDs, tapes, media changers, and CD/DVD burners are all
hot-swappable. However, the virtual storage adapters are currently not hot-swappable. Therefore,
if all the virtual storage adapters are full, you must reboot the virtual machine when you add
additional devices."

I hadn't really appreciated this statement - but of course a more relevant consequence of it is until you have added at least one disk, you haven't added any virtual storage adapters - and as it says, virtual storage adapters are NOT hot-swappable!

So...disks are dynamic but virtual storage adapters aren't - so the error I was getting was from trying to dynamically add a virtual storage device rather than a disk - which happens to happen when you add the first disk!

So "problem" solved...

[grahamswilson]

P.S. I was wrong in my original post - this behavior was also found in earlier versions.

[grahamswilson]

see above...