AIX Network Installation Management: Concepts and Configuration

The primary goal of this course is to provide the student with a working knowledge of the fundamental capabilities of the Network Installation Management (NIM) facility of the AIX 7.3 operating system. This course uses a combination of instructor lectures and lab machine exercises to provide the student with practical background knowledge of the topics covered. The lecture portion of this course will cover all the information required to create and maintain a Network Installation Management (NIM) environment. 

The course will start with the students examining an existing NIM master. Then, the students will install the filesets required to configure a system to serve as a NIM master and configure NIM resources required to perform NIM operations. They will also have an opportunity to perform several key NIM related tasks. Each lecture is reinforced with extensive hands-on lab exercises which provide practical experience. The idea is to build a NIM environment (NIM master, NIM resources, and NIM clients), then use the NIM master and NIM resources to perform NIM operations on the clients.

• Explain key NIM concepts and terminology
• Display NIM-related information
• Set up a NIM master
• Perform a base AIX (RTE) install
• Define and use several types of NIM objects
• Perform an automated install
• Create and use mksysb resources
• Maintain lpp_source and SPOT resources
• Update NIM clients

This course is appropriate for anyone with system administrative duties installing and managing an AIX operating system in a multiuser POWER (System p) environment.

You should have:

• Basic knowledge regarding AIX systems administration
• Basic knowledge regarding the use of HMC V7 to manage POWER-based managed systems

The following course will provided the needed skills for this course:

• Power Systems for AIX I: LPAR Configuration and Planning (AN11G)
• Power Systems for AIX II: AIX Implementation and Administration (AN12G)

Day 1

• Welcome
• Unit 1: NIM overview
• Exercise 1: NIM overview
• Unit 2: Setting up the NIM master
• Exercise 2: Setting up the NIM master
• Unit 3: RTE installation
• Exercise 3: RTE installation
• Unit 4: Defining additional base install resources

Day 2

• Exercise 4: Defining additional base install resources
• Unit 5: NIM client backups and restores
• Exercise 5: NIM client backups and restores
• Unit 6: Managing the lpp_source and the SPOT resources
• Exercise 6: Managing the lpp_source and the SPOT resources
• Unit 7: NIM client updates
• Exercise 7: NIM client updates