Configure the Number of Queues and then Activate Them

Configure the number of queues.

Use the GUI-based system admin manager (SAM) to permanently set the number of queues configured.

	NOTE: Only SAM updates the etc/rc.config.d/hpixgbeconf file to make changes persistent across reboots. Using lanadmin does not save the setting across reboots though you can use it to make changes temporarily.

You can also use the lanadmin command to temporarily configure the number of queues, though using lanadmin does not save your settings across reboots. The lanadmin command is updated to get or set a new tunable called “drv_mq” -- the number of queues. The syntax of the command to set the drv_mq is as follows (note: the X is capitalized):

lanadmin -X drv_mq number_of_queues ppa
where:
number_of_queues = a number from 1-7

	NOTE: Queue 0 is enabled by default and cannot be disabled.

For example, to set 4 queues, enter: lanadmin -X drv_mq 4 <ppa>

Now there are 4 queues configured (0, 1, 2, and 3).

To find how many queues are configured currently, enter:

lanadmin -x drv_mq <ppa>

To find more information about the queues currently configured, enter:

lanadmin -x card_info <ppa>

Under the Interrupt and Queue Information you will get the following information:

	NOTE: Be sure to activate queues that are configured. They will not be usable until activated.

To unconfigure queues, simply configure a lesser amount of queues using lanadmin or SAM as described above. For example, if there are currently 5 queues configured (queues 0 - 4, then traffic sent over a VLAN of priority 4 will take the queue 4 path. Then, if we issue the following command: lanadmin -X 4 ppa (to configure queues 0 - 3), the fifth queue will be unconfigured. If we now send traffic over a priority 4 VLAN, the traffic will take the queue 0 path because queue 4 has been unconfigured.

	NOTE: Queue 0 cannot be unconfigured.

Activate queues by creating VLANs for each queue -- assign a priority equal to the queue number.

Create a VLAN with the proper priority (a priority 1 VLAN will use queue 1, priority 2 will use queue 2 and so on). The syntax is as follows:

lanadmin -V create vlanid vlanid pri priority ppa

NOTE: the vlanid is from 0 - 4094 and is used to identify the VLAN. Using lanadmin does not save the setting across reboots though you can use it to make changes temporarily.

You can also use SAM to create VLANs.

	NOTE: SAM updates /etc/rc.config.d/vlanconf to save changes permanently -- across reboots. Using the lanadmin command does not save the changes permanently.

To learn more about VLANs please see the vlan man page or refer to Using HP-UX VLANs available on the web at http://docs.hp.com under “Networking and Communications.”

Because this implementation of multi queue uses VLAN priority, it is necessary for the switches to be configured to accept VLAN tagged frames.Also each client machine that will be communicating with the Multi Queue configured NIC must have the proper VLANs setup as well.

For instance, if System A has a 10 gigabit Ethernet card configured with 2 queues (queues 0 and 1), and queue 1 is activated with a VLAN with VLAN ID of 5. Then the System B that communicates with System A must also have a VLAN with VLAN ID of 5 in order to communicate. In other words, all systems that are in communication with each other must be members of the same VLAN.

To deactivate queues, simply delete the associated VLANs, by entering:

lanadmin -V delete vppa

or alternatively, use SAM to delete the VLANs.