IBM Power Ideas Portal


This portal is to open public enhancement requests against IBM Power Systems products, including IBM i. To view all of your ideas submitted to IBM, create and manage groups of Ideas, or create an idea explicitly set to be either visible by all (public) or visible only to you and IBM (private), use the IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com).


Shape the future of IBM!

We invite you to shape the future of IBM, including product roadmaps, by submitting ideas that matter to you the most. Here's how it works:

Search existing ideas

Start by searching and reviewing ideas and requests to enhance a product or service. Take a look at ideas others have posted, and add a comment, vote, or subscribe to updates on them if they matter to you. If you can't find what you are looking for,

Post your ideas

  1. Post an idea.

  2. Get feedback from the IBM team and other customers to refine your idea.

  3. Follow the idea through the IBM Ideas process.


Specific links you will want to bookmark for future use

Welcome to the IBM Ideas Portal (https://www.ibm.com/ideas) - Use this site to find out additional information and details about the IBM Ideas process and statuses.

IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com) - Use this site to view all of your ideas, create new ideas for any IBM product, or search for ideas across all of IBM.

ideasibm@us.ibm.com - Use this email to suggest enhancements to the Ideas process or request help from IBM for submitting your Ideas.

Add a new idea Subscribe
Status Delivered
Workspace IBM i
Categories PowerHA
Created by Guest
Created on Feb 8, 2020

RELATED IDEAS

IASP Switching Automation

Provide a product that is end-to-end automated from the time the system is switch ready to switch complete for the IASP and associated jobs. This would include continuous monitoring for any activities that are needed to ensure the system is switch ready.


Use Case:

Today,
Most switch steps are manual and have to be automated by the customer with no visual component in place.

This request is to bring the PowerHA and Lab Services toolkits to a production class ready fully automated suite with proactive monitoring and alerting.


Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jun 25, 2021

    The PowerHA team believes that the request described has been solved and is available through a number of recent enhancements.

    In 7.4 PowerHA HA 4.5.1, it is now easier than ever to watch and monitor planned switchover and unplanned failover operations from a single node within a PowerHA environment using the new Display CRG Activity (DSPCRGACT) command. For additional information see: https://helpsystemswiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IWT/pages/1926594564/7.4+HA+4.5.1+7.2+HA+3.7+PTFs

    In addition, PowerHA recently announced support for Health Monitoring Dashboards along with SQL services. Information related to the health monitoring dashboards may be found here: https://helpsystemswiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IWT/pages/1076035611/Health+Monitoring+Dashboards

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Apr 27, 2021

    The PowerHA team agrees with the request to provide a visual component to switchovers and a solution appears to be desirable and feasible. The PowerHA team intends to provide a solution; however, the team's plans may change and no commitment is made that a solution will be provided.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Dec 29, 2020

    PowerHA recently announced support for Health Monitoring Dashboards along with SQL services. Information related to the health monitoring dashboards may be found here: https://helpsystemswiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IWT/pages/1076035611/Health+Monitoring+Dashboards

    A video demo of the dashboards is located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4p9OWgOPqQ

    In addition to health monitoring dashboards, PowerHA has automated health checks which run at 15 minute intervals that update the cluster resource group status for switchover readiness. These health checks run as part of configurations using native PowerHA replication for DS8000, IBM Copy Services Manager for DS8000, and Spectrum Virtualize (SVC/IBM FlashSystems) based replication. Upon health check failures, messages are posted to QSYSOPR and the CRG node eligibility status is updated to have a status of ineligible.

    Switchovers in PowerHA allow for the use of CRG, IASP vary off and IASP vary on user exit programs for additional automation and customization. Information on various exit programs and their usage can be found in the following locations.
    Cluster Resource Group Exit Programs: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/apis/clrgexit.htm
    Vary Configuration Exit Point: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/apis/XDCVRX400.htm

    The PowerHA team agrees with the request to provide a visual component to monitor switchover operations and a solution appears to be desirable and feasible. The PowerHA team intends to provide a solution; however, the team's plans may change and no commitment is made that a solution will be provided.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Aug 19, 2020

    Thank you for providing your input. The PowerHA team needs more information to further assess your Request for Enhancement.

    Currently the PowerHA product provides automated health checks that run on an hourly basis posting messages to QSYSOPR upon failure. The switch process within PowerHA involves running the CHGCRGPRI command which will run an additional health check, vary off the IASP on the current primary node, perform the switch of the storage reversing the replication direction, and will vary on the IASP on the new primary node.

    The PowerHA team would like to better understand what manual individual steps are currently required in your environment so we can better understand what challenges you are encountering.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jun 9, 2020

    The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. More automation would make the PowerHA product more appealing to SMB clients -- ease of use should be a priority.

    Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

    For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac

    For more details about CAAC's role with RFEs, see http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/May-2017/COMMON-Americas-Advisory-Council-%28CAAC%29-and-RFEs/

    Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Feb 10, 2020

    Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - Power Systems
    Product - IBM i
    Component - PowerHA
    Operating system - IBM i
    Source - None

    For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - Power Systems
    Product - PowerHA
    Component - PowerHA for i
    Operating system - IBM i
    Source - None

By clicking the "Post Comment" or "Submit Idea" button, you are agreeing to the IBM Ideas Portal Terms of Use.
Do not place IBM confidential, company confidential, or personal information into any field.