Self-healing and self-tuning HPUX servers

[Shivkumar]

Dear Sirs,

Are the features like Self-configuring, Self-healing, Self-optimizing, Self-protecting and self-tuning supported on HPUX servers ?

If yes, which model of HPUX servers supports these features ?

Thanks,
Shiv

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Shiv:

The use of high-availablity cluster software such as Servicguard together with hardware and software redundancy (mirror disks, RAID, Auto Port Aggregated LAN, etc.) can be considered as a part of "self-healing" / "self-protecting" in my opinion.

To the term 'self-optimizing' I'd certainly add the dynamically and automatically tunable kernel parameters that have appeared in HP-UX over the last few releases. This area has and is receiving considerable attention in each new release.

http://www.docs.hp.com/en/1316/DynTuneWP.pdf

http://www.docs.hp.com/en/B2355-60105/kctune.1M.html

Regards!

...JRF...

[Joseph Loo]

hi shiv,

u may also like to read this:

http://support.openview.hp.com/self_healing.jsp

regards.

[Arunvijai_4]

Hi Shiv, High availability and Non-stop kernel are what you are looking for ?

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/4174-0-0-0-121.html
http://search.hp.com/redirect.html?type=REG&qt=Non+stop&url=http%3A//h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/5981-7114EN.pdf&pos=10

-Arun

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi,

i think one global solution for all the criteria you are mentioning might not be available bundled together.

However, you may find management software that allows you achieve this...

For instance, for managing complex networks and network services, there is the Network Services Management by HP OpenView. Comprises of solutions to provide the continuous monitoring, reporting, troubleshooting, and automated response capabilities that are necessary to manage today's complex, heterogeneous, dynamic IP network infrastructure and services such as MPLS and IP Telephony..

see: http://www.managementsoftware.hp.com/solutions/nsm/index.html


hope this helps too!

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Ted Buis]

Some other vendors have been overpromoting (in my opinion) the ability of systems to fix themselves. Naturally, HP-UX and other flavors of UNIX have some ability to protect themselves, optimize some aspects of their operation (automatic tuning), and "heal" some failure events, but don't get carried away with marketing hype from any company. While improvements have been made and will be made in the future, no UNIX is robust as Non-Stop, but I don't think even it can claim to be self-optimizing, or totally self tuning. Since there are so many different aspects to optimization, I don't think any system can ever provide complete optimization. Think about it, if you don't have enough RAM, your performance is likely to be very bad no matter what the OS or even a performance specialist tries to do. So unless, it can create more RAM, add disks, add CPUs or increase the speed of CPUs, it will be limited in what it can do.

[Shivkumar]

Few years ago, i believe IBM had launched a project eLiza for making a self healing server. i think they have implemented in higher pSeries servers like p690 etc. I wanted to know is there similar servers from HPUX also ?

[Arunvijai_4]

Hi Shiv, HP's high end Integrity servers provide Enhanced high-availability features via selected redundant cell board components. You can find more information at,

http://www.hp.com/products1/servers/integrity/superdome_high_end/overview.html

-Arun

[Steven E. Protter]

Shiv,

HP-UX is the most reliable, enterprise class operating system. With even the base OS, you can add the tools you need such as Online JFS and Serviceguard and build a very reliable, high available system.

Self healing, self optimizing, self protecting? That sounds a bit like media hype or marketing with me. A good systems administrator, using the latest tools can make systems nearly invulnerable to common, everyday problems.

When I left my last job to move to Israel, my servers, base OE, SG installed and not configured, Online JFS ran for three months without manual intervention. My former employer, which knew that they could call any time didn't have to.

What that really was a result of is good systems administration and applying tips learned right here.

SEP

[Muthukumar_5]

HPUX is strong, reliable and performancing one. Based on the problem or issue that Self-configuring, Self-healing, Self-optimizing, Self-protecting and self-tuning will differ.

Self tuning will be needed for the application usage. Nearly all applications are recommending the tunables so installing will take care.

Self protection -- may be done with trusted systems.

Self optimization will be there always.

Tools are there to self confiure and heal. You can get all these funcaitonalities with latest patches + latest os ;).

-Muthu

[Arunvijai_4]

Hi Shiv, HP-UX is most reliable and secure OS in Unix world. You can acheive these functionalities with Nonstop OS and kernel. You can find more information at http://h20223.www2.hp.com/NonStopComputing/cache/76715-0-0-0-121.html

Besides nonstop OS, you can make your HP-UX non stop by tuning and installing patches and performance tweaks. etc...

-Arun

[Ted Buis]

There are a number of feature in HP 9000 and Integrity Servers and in HP-UX, that promote high availability. For example, redundant hot-swap power supplies, ECC RAM and ECC cache, I/O cards that can be replaced with the system still running which requires hardware and software support. There are software additions to HP-UX called Process Resource Manager and Workload Manager that can automatically reallocate system resources for I/O, memory and CPU. New releases of HP-UX have dramatically reduced the number of system tuning parameters that require a reboot of the system to take effect. The EMS HA monitors are important features too, along with MirrorDisk/UX and OnLineJFS in the Enterprise and Mission Critical versions of HP-UX that increase availability. I don't think that any UNIX OS has any advantage over HP-UX in this regard, but I don't think it should be oversold. All systems need a capable system administrator who is trained to keep a UNIX system running smoothly. I don't think that will change anytime soon.

[Ted Buis]

I forgot to mention that HP-UX with appropriate SupportTools, has CPU deallocation on many CPU failures, bad memory deallocation (same idea as chipkill). Also, the Itanium processor has many more high availability feature built into it, than the pa-risc processors or x86 processors, including many performance counters that can help with tuning. You can't tune what you can't even measure.

[Alzhy]

Self Configuring?
Not all.

Self-Healing?
If you mean along the lines of the admin need not do anything for most failures? As with other OSes, you can build your own tools, use the vednor's tools or enroll your systems in some proactive monitoring like ISEE. BUT it is really not SELF HEALING in the strictest sense.

Self Optimizing?Self Tuning?
If you mean like -- the kernel/OS will auto adjust to whatever application it is running (i.e. a RDBMS instance or web serving)? No.

Self Protecting?
Yes. on the HP-UX OS level as well as the hardware level. Some are built-in to the OS. Some will require you to invest in redundant hardware.

It has been my experience though that the success, stability and optimal use of any Computing Resource is directly related to the quality and level of knowledge/experience/creativity of the persons managing the resource.

[Geoff Wild]

Actually, what yopu are asking is coming - in HP-UX 11iv3 and v4.

I saw a roadmap presentation on this.

Talk to youe Account Rep - he/she should be able to provide you with more info.

Rgds...Geoff

[dirk dierickx]

"HP-UX is most reliable and secure OS in Unix world."
right, what are you smoking. last time i checked, openbsd was still the most secure unix in the world. http://www.openbsd.org/ - Only one remote hole in the default install, in more than 8 years!

"HP-UX is the most reliable, enterprise class operating system."
says who? HP? so does IBM and SUN about their unix. got anything to back that up?

[Shivkumar]

It is true that HPUX on PA-RISC is the best flavor of Unix. PA-RISC was HP's state-of-the-art design. Nowadays things are getting developed through business partners and third parties to reduce cost and hence quality will definitely get compromised. Best things needs its own price.

Regards,
Shiv

[Geoff Wild]

Your last post is a "that depends" one.

Best Flavour is rather ambiguous - I have worked with Irix, Linux, SCO, HP-UX, AIX, Solaris, DEC - I just happen to prefer HP-UX.

Some of this comes down to what you are familiar with....

I'm currently testing HP-UX on Itanium now - as that is the future for HP-UX.

Rgds...Geoff

[Ted Buis]

The last D.H. Brown Unix Review I saw had HP-UX #1 in every category including Security. I believe this is mostly because it includes IPFilter/9000, IDS/9000, Bastille, and a secure installation tool at no extra cost. Secure resource partitions was added to HP-UX since then. AIX lacks secure resource partitions and hard partitioning. Solaris lacks true software based partitioning. HP-UX has all of these.

[Arunvijai_4]

Hi Shiv, You can find more information about D.H.Brown reviews at, http://www.ideasint.com/ra/

-Arun