PowerHA for IBM i 7.2 with HA version 3.8 and 7.4 with HA version 4.6.1 are now available. Highlights of this release include:

• Ability to configure PowerHA to switch many IP addresses in a single device CRG without custom exit programs with a new configuration object type, *IPA. ()

• Integrated switchover progress monitoring with enhanced notifications when action is required. ()

• Numerous performance improvements. ( )

IP Address Switching

Previously, in a PowerHA environment, users could configure a server takeover IP address associated with an Independent Auxiliary Storage Pool (IASP) device in a device cluster resource group (CRG). This IP address follows the primary node in the CRG and enables users and applications to access the correct primary system at any point in time.

Environments with many IP addresses often required a custom-coded user exit program attached to the IASP vary-on and vary-off exit points. PowerHA 7.4 HA 4.6.1, PowerHA now allows users to add up to 256 IP addresses to a device CRG by using a new device type of *IPA. This simplifies a PowerHA implementation by enabling simple switching of IP addresses without custom coding, exit programs, or scripts,

Example - Add an IP address configuration object

ADDCRGDEVE   CRG(MYCRG)                                
             CFGOBJ((*GEN *IPA *ONLINE '2001:0DB8:333:4444:5555:6666:7777:F888'))

This command adds an IP address object with a generated name to the device list of the resilient device cluster resource group MYCRG in the cluster. If MYCRG is switched over or failed over to a backup node, the IP address will be started on the new primary node. Additional IP addresses can be added to the same CRG with a similar command.

Integrated Switchover Progress Monitoring

Previously, PowerHA introduced switchover progress monitoring via a new command, Display CRG Activity (DSPCRGACT), which shows the progress of a switchover. With PowerHA 7.4 HA 4.7.1, this progress monitoring has been enhanced:

• Integrated into the CHGCRGPRI command to automatically display progress during a switchover.

• A new action required step indicates when a job queue is held or a subsystem is inactive.

Performance Improvements

While PowerHA has always required minimal resources on nodes in the environment, PowerHA for 7.4 HA 4.6.1 and 7.2 HA 3.8 continues this trend by providing improved performance for many operations with the following enhancements:

• Performance improvements for SVC-based storage communication, reducing the time required to perform operations.

• Performance improvements related to temporary user spaces and user queues with up to a 48% decrease in CPU usage, and up to a 90% decrease in the number of user spaces created for certain PowerHA operations.

Additional Enhancements

There are several additional enhancements to PowerHA, including the continued simplification of PowerHA commands.

Enhancement Availability