B
Adjusting Calendar Kernel Parameters

This appendix details the modifications that must be made to certain kernel parameters and operating environments in order to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to the calendar server. It also details issues in server configuration that must be considered in order to support certain special operating environments such as Solaris clusters.

• Adjusting Kernel Parameters
• Adjusting the Solaris Kernel Parameters
• Adjusting the HP-UX Kernel Parameters
• Adjusting the Linux Kernel Parameters
• Adjusting the AIX Kernel Parameters
• Using Operating System Clusters

Adjusting Kernel Parameters

The UNIX system parameters that need adjustment are used to control resource consumption on a user-, process-, or system-wide basis. In the case of either a user or a process parameter, the new value for the parameter should be the existing value or the calendar server requirement, whichever is larger or smaller, depending on the parameter. In the case of a system-wide parameter, the server requirement must be added to the existing value to calculate a new value.

The assumptions concerning the server $ORACLE_HOME/ocal/misc/unison.ini file parameters are:

• Number of nodes = 10
• [ENG] maxsessions = 2500

Adjusting the Solaris Kernel Parameters

Solaris provides tunable parameters for the kernel and kernel modules. While normally you should not need to change these parameters, there are special circumstances under which it is necessary. Under Solaris, kernel parameters are modified by directly editing the /etc/system file with a standard text editor. All of the parameters are set using the following syntax:

set rlim_fd_cur=1024
set rlim_fd_max=4117

In addition, the message queue and semaphore parameters must include the name of the specific module to be modified. The syntax is as follows:

set msgsys:msginfo_msgmni=351 
set semsys:seminfo_semmni=345

In order for the preceding changes to take effect, reboot the system.

To see the current values assigned to the kernel parameters, use the sysdef command. For example:

% sysdef

The maximum number of open files is unlimited under Solaris, and therefore does not need to be set.

The following forceload directives must be specified in the /etc/system kernel configuration file:

forceload: sys/semsys
forceload: sys/shmsys

In the "NEW setting" column, the "max" function returns the larger of the two arguments.

Table B-1 Solaris Kernel Parameters

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
Limits
rlim_fd_cur	file descriptors soft limit	X	1024	max(X,1024)
rlim_fd_max	file descriptors hard limit	X	4117	max(X,4117)
IPC Messages
msgsys:msginfo_msgmni	message queue identifiers	X	2750	X + 2750
msgsys:msginfo_msgmax	max. message size	X	4096	max(X,4096)
msgsys:msginfo_msgmnb	max. bytes on queue	X	360000	max(X,360000)
msgsys:msginfo_msgtql	max. message headers	X	2500	max(X,2500)
IPC Semaphores
semsys:seminfo_semmni	max. semaphore sets system-wide	X	42	X + 42
semsys:seminfo_semmns	max. semaphores system-wide	X	168	X + 168
semsys:seminfo_semmnu	max. undo structures system-wide	X	42	X + 42
semsys:seminfo_semmsl	max. semaphores per set	X	12	max(X,12)
semsys:seminfo_semopm	max. operations per semop call	X	12	max(X,12)
semsys:seminfo_semume	max. undo structures per process	X	42	max(X,42)
semsys:seminfo_semvmx	max. value of a semaphore	X	32767	32767
semsys:seminfo_semaem	max. adjust-on-exit value	X	16384	16384
IPC Shared Memory
shmsys:shminfo_shmmax	max. shared memory segment size	X	20 000 000	max(X,20000000)
shmsys:shminfo_shmmin	min. shared memory segment size	X	1	1
shmsys:shminfo_shmmni	max. shm identifiers system-wide	X	18	X + 18
shmsys:shminfo_shmseg	max. shm segments per process	X	18	max(X,18)

The following is an actual example:

Table B-2 Solaris kernel parameters (example)

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
Limits
rlim_fd_cur	file descriptors soft limit	1024	1024	1024
rlim_fd_max	file descriptors hard limit	1024	4117	4117
IPC Messages
msgsys:msginfo_msgmni	message queue identifiers	50	2750	2800
msgsys:msginfo_msgmax	max. message size	2048	4096	4096
msgsys:msginfo_msgmnb	max. bytes on queue	4096	360000	360000
msgsys:msginfo_msgtql	max. message headers	40	2500	2500
IPC Semaphores
semsys:seminfo_semmni	max. semaphore sets system-wide	100	42	142
semsys:seminfo_semmns	max. semaphores system-wide	256	168	424
semsys:seminfo_semmnu	max. undo structures system-wide	4096	42	4138
semsys:seminfo_semmsl	max. semaphores per set	256	12	256
semsys:seminfo_semopm	max. operations per semop call	10	12	12
semsys:seminfo_semume	max. undo structures per process	10	42	42
semsys:seminfo_semvmx	max. value of a semaphore	32767	32767	32767
semsys:seminfo_semaem	max. adjust-on-exit value	16384	16384	16384
IPC Shared Memory
shmsys:shminfo_shmmax	max. shared memory segment size	4294967295	20 000 000	4294967295
shmsys:shminfo_shmmin	min. shared memory segment size	1	1	1
shmsys:shminfo_shmmni	max. shm identifiers system-wide	100	18	118
shmsys:shminfo_shmseg	max. shm segments per process	10	18	18

Additional reading

Information on modifying the kernel parameters is available in the Solaris Tunable Parameters Reference Manual by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

For more information on modifying the kernel parameters under Solaris, refer to Solaris Internals: Core Kernel Components (ISBN: 0-13-022496-0)

Adjusting the HP-UX Kernel Parameters

The following section describes the maximum kernel requirements, and as such should apply to most HP-UX installations. All parameters can be modified via SAM, a menu-based system administration manager.

The value of semmsl is set at 500 and is not configurable on HP-UX.

In the "NEW setting" column, the "max" function returns the larger of the two arguments.

Table B-3 HP-UX kernel parameters

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
Open Files
maxfiles	file descriptors soft limit	X	1024	max(X,1024)
maxfiles_lim +	file descriptors hard limit	X	3861	max(X,3861)
nfile	max. file descriptors system-wide	X	100000	X + 100000
Process Management
max_thread_proc	max. threads per process	X	210	max(X,210)
nkthread	max. kernel thread system-wide	X	2850	X + 2850
maxuprc	max. user processes	X	99	max(X,99)
nproc	max. process system-wide	X	99	X + 99
IPC Messages
mesg	enable/disable IPC messages	X	1	1
msgmap	message free-space map size	X	2502	msgtql + 2
msgmax	max. message size	X	4096	max(X,4096)
msgmnb	max. bytes in message queue	X	65535	max(X,65535)
msgmni	max. msg queues system-wide	X	2750	X + 2750
msgseg	max. msg segments system-wide	X	2500	max(X,2500)
msgssz	message segment size	X	159	max(X,159)
msgtql	max. messages system-wide	X	2500	X + 2500
IPC Semaphores
sema	enable/disable semaphores	X	1	1
semaem	sem value-change limit	X	16384	max(X,16384)
semmap	size of free-sem resource map	X	44	max(X,44)
semmni	max. sem sets system-wide	X	42	X + 42
semmns	max. user sem system-wide	X	168	X + 168
semmnu	max. undo per semaphore	X	42	max(X,42)
semume	max. sem undo per process	X	42	max(X,42)
semvmx	max. value of a semaphore	X	32767	max(X,32767)
IPC Shared Memory
shmem	enable/disable shared memory	X	1	1
shmmax	max. shmem segment size	X	20000000	max(X,20000000)
shmmni	max. segments system-wide	X	18	X + 18
shmseg	max. segments per process	X	18	max(X,18)
+ Refer to "Setting maxfiles/maxfiles_lim above 2048 on HP-UX 11.0"

Setting maxfiles/maxfiles_lim above 2048 on HP-UX 11.0

This section describes how to set the maxfiles and/or maxfiles_lim kernel parameters(s) to greater than 2048 when running HP-UX 11.0.

Although the /usr/conf/master.d/core-hpux file contains the following lines:

*range maxfiles<=2048

*range maxfiles_lim<=2048

the kernel can still be compiled manually with values for maxfiles and maxfiles_lim larger than 2048. Note that 60000 is the upper bound for these parameters in HP-UX 10.20 and above.

When trying to set either maxfiles or maxfiles_lim to larger than 2048, for example 4000, in System Administration Manager (SAM) the following error occurs:

The value specified for tunable parameter "maxfiles", "4000", evaluates to "4000" which is more than the maximum allowed value of "2048". SAM did not have this problem in HP-UX 10.20.

At HP-UX 11.0 SAM relies on the /usr/conf/master.d/* files to set the upper and lower values for kernel parameters. As already discussed the /usr/conf/master.d/core-hpux file contains the following lines:

*range maxfiles<=2048

*range maxfiles_lim<=2048

To allow SAM to support setting either maxfiles or maxfiles_lim to larger than 2048, the preceding lines in the /usr/conf/master.d/core-hpux file must be changed to:

*range maxfiles<=60000

*range maxfiles_lim<=60000

After making the change, SAM may still have stored the old values within the /var/sam/boot.config file. The boot.config file can be move out of the way to cause SAM to recognize the changes made to the core-hpux file. After moving the boot.config file, restarting SAM should cause this file to be rebuilt using the new values. /usr/sam/lbin/getkinfo -b can also be used to recreate the boot.config file.

Similarly, if maxfiles or maxfiles_lim have been set manually to values larger than 2048, the preceding steps can be used to prevent SAM from erroring on the parameter's values when entering the Configurable Parameters menu item within SAM. Without making the preceding changes, SAM will typically reset the "Pending Value" for these parameters back to 2048 anytime SAM is used.

The following is an actual example:

Table B-4 HP-UX kernel parameters (example)

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
Open Files
maxfiles	file descriptors soft limit	60	1024	1024
maxfiles_lim	file descriptors hard limit	1024	3861	3861
nfile	max. file descriptors system-wide	63488	100000	163488
Process Management
max_thread_proc	max. threads per process	256	210	256
nkthread	max. kernel thread system-wide	7184	2850	10034
maxuprc	max. user processes	3686	99	3686
nproc	max. process system-wide	4096	99	4195
IPC Messages
mesg	enable/disable IPC messages	1	1	1
msgmap	message free-space map size	4098	2502	6598
msgmax	max. message size	8192	4096	8192
msgmnb	max. bytes in message queue	16384	65535	65535
msgmni	max. msg queues system-wide	4096	2750	6846
msgseg	max. msg segments system-wide	32767	2500	32767
msgssz	message segment size	8	159	159
msgtql	max. messages system-wide	4096	2500	6596
IPC Semaphores
sema	enable/disable semaphores	1	1	1
semaem	sem value-change limit	16384	16384	16384
semmap	size of free-sem resource map	4098	44	4098
semmni	max. sem sets system-wide	4096	42	4138
semmns	max. user sem system-wide	8192	168	8360
semmnu	max. undo per semaphore	4092	42	4092
semume	max. sem undo per process	10	42	42
semvmx	max. value of a semaphore	32767	32767	32767
IPC Shared Memory
shmem	enable/disable shared memory	1	1	1
shmmax	max. shmem segment size	4294967295	20000000	4294967295
shmmni	max. segments system-wide	512	18	530
shmseg	max. segments per process	32	18	32

Additional reading

For more information on modifying the kernel parameters under HP-UX, refer to http://docs.hp.com/hpux/onlinedocs/939/KCParms/KCparams.OverviewAll.html

Adjusting the Linux Kernel Parameters

Linux platforms require a change to the system kernel parameters in order to support the Oracle Calendar server's default configuration. Use the following table to determine the calendar server requirements for each parameter, where the value of X for each parameter is equal to its previous setting.

Note that the kernel.sem parameter is multi-valued, accepting a value of the format: 'semmsl semmns semopm semmni'.

To increase the file descriptor's soft and hard limits, edit /etc/security/limits.conf and add the following lines:

*soft nofile 1024

*hard nofile 65535

Note that you may need to log out and back in again before the changes take effect.

In the "NEW setting" column, the "max" function returns the larger of the two arguments.

Table B-5 Kernel tuning requirements for Linux

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
/etc/security/limits.conf
* soft nofile	file descriptors soft limit	X	1024	max(X,1024)
* hard nofile	file descriptors hard limit	X	198	max(X,198)
/etc/sysctl.conf
Files
fs.file-max	max. file descriptors system-wide	X	262144	X + 262144
IPC Messages
kernel.msgmni	message queue identifiers	X	2750	X + 2750
kernel.msgmax	max. message size	X	4096	max(X,4096)
kernel.msgmnb	max. bytes on queue	X	65535	max(X,65535)
IPC Semaphores
kernel.sem (1: semmsl)	max. semaphores per set	X	12	max(X,12)
kernel.sem (2: semmns)	max. semaphores system-wide	X	42	X + 42
kernel.sem (3: semopm)	max. operations per semop call	X	12	max(X,12)
kernel.sem (4: semmni)	max. semaphore sets system-wide	X	42	X + 42
IPC Shared Memory
kernel.shmmax	max. shared memory segment size	X	20000000	max(X,20000000)
kernel.shmmni	max. shm identifiers system-wide	X	18	X + 18
kernel.shmall	total shm pages available system-wide	X	2747	X + 2747

The following is an actual example:

Table B-6 Kernel tuning requirements for Linux (example)

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
/etc/security/limits.conf
* soft nofile	file descriptors soft limit	1024	1024	1024
* hard nofile	file descriptors hard limit	1024	198	1024
/etc/sysctl.conf
Files
fs.file-max	max. file descriptors system-wide	65535	262144	327679
IPC Messages
kernel.msgmni	message queue identifiers	128	2750	2878
kernel.msgmax	max. message size	8192	4096	8192
kernel.msgmnb	max. bytes on queue	16384	65535	65535
IPC Semaphores
kernel.sem (1: semmsl)	max. semaphores per set	100	12	100
kernel.sem (2: semmns)	max. semaphores system-wide	256	42	298
kernel.sem (3: semopm)	max. operations per semop call	100	12	100
kernel.sem (4: semmni)	max. semaphore sets system-wide	100	42	142
IPC Shared Memory
kernel.shmmax	max. shared memory segment size	2147483648	20000000	2147483648
kernel.shmmni	max. shm identifiers system-wide	100	18	118
kernel.shmall	total shm pages available system-wide	3276800	2747	3279547

Adjusting the AIX Kernel Parameters

AIX platforms require a change to the system kernel parameters in order to support the Oracle Calendar server's default configuration. Use the following table to determine the calendar server requirements for each parameter, where the value of X for each parameter is equal to its previous setting.

In the "NEW setting" column, the "max" function returns the larger of the two arguments.

Table B-7 Kernel tuning requirements for AIX

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
/etc/security/limits
nofiles	file descriptors soft limit	X	1024	max(X,1024)
nofiles_hard	file descriptors hard limit	X	198	max(X,198)
Process Management
sys0: maxuproc	max. processes per user	X	2566	max(X,2566)

The following is an actual example:

Table B-8 Kernel tuning requirements for AIX (example)

Kernel Parameter	Parameter Description	CURRENT setting	Calendar server requirement	NEW setting
/etc/security/limits
nofiles	file descriptors soft limit	2000	1024	2000
nofiles_hard	file descriptors hard limit	unlimited	198	unlimited
Process Management
sys0: maxuproc	max. processes per user	40	2566	2566

Additional reading

For more information on modifying the kernel parameters under AIX, refer to Performance Management Guide: Kernel Tunable Parameters http://publibn.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/aixbman/prftungd/2365a82.htm#HDRI25144

Using Operating System Clusters

The term "cluster" does not refer to the same concept as a calendar server cluster -- a calendar server cluster is a node network in which one node is designated a "master node" for the purposes of client sign-in, automated registration, etc., while an operating system cluster is considered to be a system in which two or more machines can be used to manage the same data, providing failover capabilities.

In these environments, it is important to differentiate between the physical host name, which is the actual host name of a given machine, and the cluster host name, which is the host name of the cluster containing that machine. If you intend to use your calendar server in a cluster environment, you should set all parameters in the $ORACLE_HOME/ocal/misc/unison.ini file that require the host name of the local host to the cluster host name. In addition, you must add the [ENG] calendarhostname parameter to unison.ini, and set its value to the cluster host name. Finally, if using an external LDAP directory server, you must ensure that the [YOURHOSTNAME, unidas] section specifies the cluster host name in place of YOURHOSTNAME.

If using a node network, ensure also that your $ORACLE_HOME/ocal/misc/nodes.ini file uses only cluster host names instead of physical host names, and ensure that all clients are using the cluster host name to sign in to the calendar server.

Note: When a machine containing a master node switches over to another machine in the cluster, Oracle Calendar Web clients can have difficulty signing in, since master nodes currently identify themselves to clients using physical host names.