[estuart]

We have an OpenPower 710 that we would like to use as a network installation source/central distribution source for lpars in our p-570. The server has two NICs and to avoid firewall rules we would like to connect one of the NICs to an unused NIC on the p-570 and then configure that NIC so that it used a shared ethernet adapter that all the LPARs could use. Would this work? If so, we are also looking for some hints on how to do this.

The VIO server is V1.3 FP8.1.

Thanks in advance.

[cdelgadop]

Hi

Hmmm, so you want to create a VIOS Server with a SEA in the p570. You want to connect this SEA device to your NIM Server using a crossover cable (creating a flat network where arp broadcast needed for NIM communications work), then assign one virtual ethernet adapter to each LPAR on your p570 and boot each of those below to install AIX from NIM.

Sounds good. It should work because you're actually creating a TCPIP network to your NIM server and if you can configure any LPAR to boot using the ethernet adapter to the ip address of the NIM server (that should have the tftp protocol active) then you can install AIX from NIM.

Let us know about your progress.

[estuart]

Correct, we'll use this virtual adapter as the single install source for new lpars. The problem becomes configuring it so that existing lpars can mount NFS offerings from the attached OpenPower server.