Power7 System Firmware

Applies to: 9119-FHB

This document provides information about the installation of Licensed Machine or Licensed Internal Code, which is sometimes referred to generically as microcode or firmware.

Contents

1.0 Systems Affected

This package provides firmware for Power 795 (9119-FHB) Servers only.

The firmware level in this package is:

1.1 Minimum HMC Code Level

This section is intended to describe the "Minimum HMC Code Level" required by the System Firmware to complete the firmware installation process. When installing the System Firmware, the HMC level must be equal to or higher than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" before starting the system firmware update.  If the HMC managing the server targeted for the System Firmware update is running a code level lower than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" the firmware update will not proceed.

The Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is:  HMC V7 R7.6.0 Service Pack 1 (PTF MH01329).

Although the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed above,  either of the following HMC Levles and eFixes are suggested for this firmware level. 
Note that the following levels contain important fixes and should be installed prior to updating to this firmware level.

- HMC level V7 R7.6.0 Service Pack 3 (PTF MH01350) or higher.
or
- HMC level V7 R7.7.0 Service Pack 2 (MH01354) or higher.

For information concerning HMC releases and the latest PTFs,  go to the following URL to access Fix Central.
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

For specific fix level information on key components of IBM Power Systems running the AIX, IBM i and Linux operating systems, we suggest using the Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT):
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/flrt/home

NOTE: You must be logged in as hscroot in order for the firmware installation to complete correctly.

2.0 Important Information

On/Off COD NOTE:

For 9119-FHB systems with On/Off COD enabled, upgrading to the Ax760 firmware level will reset the number of On/Off COD days to zero. To recover, another On/Off COD Enablement code will have to be obtained and re-entered.  This problem only occurs following the initial upgrade to the 760 Release Level.  

  If a Server has had On/Off COD Enablement Codes entered, then the Server has a certain number of Resource*Days they can use in On/Off COD Requests. After upgrading to the AH760.xxx Release Level, this Entitlement incorrectly gets zeroed out.  You will not be able to start any On/Off COD Requests until the system gets another Entitlement Activation Code.  After upgrading to the 760 Release Level, a new On/Off COD Activation Code will need to be obtained and entered. (One for On/Off Processors, and one for On/Off Memory, if the customer also has that capability) to re-enable the On/Off COD.

 Note: If this problem is encountered, it does not result in any loss of "prepaid/bonus credits" or configuration changes. Until the new activation is entered, the On/Off COD function can not be used.

If you are using On/Off COD and are running the 760 Release Level you can perform the following to see if your server is exposed to this issue:

   For On/Off Processor COD:  Examine the output of "lscod -m your_managed_server -t code -r proc -c onoff ".

   For On/Off Memory COD:  Examine the output of "lscod -m your_managed_server -t code -r mem -c onoff ".

- If you see "resource_id=D971" (first character is a 'D') AND the "sequence_number=0041", you DO have the issue and need to get a new On/Off COD Activation Code.

- If you see "resource_id=D971" (first character is a 'D') AND the "sequence_number=0042", you are not exposed or the issue may have been corrected already. No further action is required.

 To obtain a new Activation code prior to the firmware upgrade:

  1 - Collect the following information from your server:

For On/Off Processor COD:  hscroot@HMC:~> lscod -m your_managed_server -t code -r proc -c onoff

For On/Off Memory COD:  hscroot@HMC:~> lscod -m your_managed_server -t code -r mem -c onoff

     You get this in return:
sys_type=9119,sys_serial_num=83-12345,anchor_card_ccin=52C4,anchor_card_serial_num=08-1234567,anchor_card_unique_id=1234561234561234,resource_id=7971,activated_resources=0180,sequence_num=0041,entry_check=AB

 2 - Send the information returned from the above command(s) to the COD Project Office, at      pcod@us.ibm.com      and they will generate new Activation Codes that you will enter following the upgrade to the 760 Release Level is complete. 
Note: These codes must be entered AFTER the firmware upgrade completes, NOT before.

 * Please note, this request should ONLY be done if there really is a scheduled FW update coming up soon. Do not ask for these "just in case" or "we will eventually upgrade", because that will get the ordering process out of sync if your customer needs to get new On/Off enablement before the FW upgrade.  A fix for this issue is planned to be released in the next 760 firmware service pack and upgrading to this level will NOT require any additional action.

 If an On/Off COD Request was already running prior to the upgrade to the 760 Release Level, it will continue to run. However, when that Request is stopped, you will be unable to start any further On/Off requests unless you obtain and re-enter the new On/Off COD Activation Code. (Note: If you don't stop the request and you obtain and re-enter new Activation Codes, the original request will  continue to run, and when it is stopped, further On/Off Requests will still be available as expected.)

 Following the upgrade to the 760 Release Level, starting an On/Off COD Request will actually work the first time it is started. However,  when it is ended, subsequent On/Off COD requests will not start until you obtain and re-enter a new On/Off COD Activation Code.
 
 The 760.030 Service Pack, targeted to be released July/August 2013, will correct this problem. Once this Service Pack is available, we would recommend that any upgrade to the 760 Release Level should be performed using this (fixed) 760.030 level.


Special Instructions for Upgrading to Server Firmware AH760:
Note: If the dual HMC is not disconnected prior to the upgrade, the upgrade will fail shortly after the "retrieving updates" stage with the following error:

HSCF0999 - Disconnect or power-off the sibling management console(s) from the following list and retry the update. After the update is complete, reconnect or power-on the sibling.
The requested update level can not be applied on the following server from this management console (<HMC performing the upgrade>) while the server is managed by multiple management consoles. management console(s).
<server MTMS>: Sibling console(s)
- On the dual HMC, select HMC Management, then the Shut Down and Restart task.  
- On the Shutdown or Restart panel select Shutdown HMC and click OK. 
- If the HMC is in a remote or "lights out" data center then the HMC can be disconnected from the server and frame. 

  See the following document for detailed information: http://www-912.ibm.com/s_dir/slkbase.NSF/DocNumber/650380499


ECA Info:
Before upgrading your system from AH720 to AH730/AH760 firmware release, contact your authorized provider and ask about ECA 256 and ECA 303, as hardware may have to be upgraded.

SPPL NOTE:
In some previous firmware releases, the system firmware was not properly enforcing the system partition processor limit (SPPL) attribute for shared processor partitions.  This service pack fixes that enforcement to ensure that shared processor partitions comply with the limit for virtual processors when the SPPL setting is 24 or 32.

You will be affected by this change if you have the following configuration:
   - 795 class server (model 9119-FHB)
   - The server has 3 or fewer books, or the server has 4 or more books and the SPPL attribute is set to 24 or 32.
   - The server has 24 processor cores per book and you have configured more than 24 virtual processors for a shared processor partition.
   - The server has 32 processor cores per book and you have configured more than 32 virtual processors for a shared processor partition.

After this service pack is installed, the behavior of the shared processor partitions that exceed the SPPL attribute will change as follows:

- Partition activation:
   - Partitions will continue to boot and reboot successfully unless the minimum number of virtual processors is greater than the SPPL.
   - Partitions that are activated will limit the number of active virtual processors to no more than the SPPL limit.

- Partition configuration:
   - Errors that are logged when the SPPL is exceeded can result in HMC errors HSCLA4D6 and HSC0A4D6.
   - Attempts to change the number of virtual processors or entitled processing units via a profile or dynamic LPAR change will be subject to the SPPL setting of 24 or 32.
      For example, if the SPPL is set to 32 and your shared processor partition is configured with 40 virtual processors,   you must reduce the number of virtual processors to 32 or fewer for the change to be successful.
   - If you create a new shared processor partition, the number of virtual processors must not exceed the SPPL value.

- Partition mobility:
   -  A partition must comply with the SPPL of the target server.

- Partition hibernation (suspend/resume):
   - If you have suspended partitions that have exceeded the SPPL limit and install this service pack, you will not be able to successfully resume those suspended
     partitions.  You should ensure all suspended partitions comply with (have virtual processors fewer than or equal to) the new SPPL limit before installing this service pack.

Downgrading firmware from any given release level to an earlier release level is not recommended.
If you feel that it is necessary to downgrade the firmware on your system to an earlier release level, please contact your next level of support.

IPv6 Support and Limitations

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is supported in the System Management Services (SMS) in this level of system firmware. There are several limitations that should be considered.

When configuring a network interface card (NIC) for remote IPL, only the most recently configured protocol (IPv4 or IPv6) is retained. For example, if the network interface card was previously configured with IPv4 information and is now being configured with IPv6 information, the IPv4 configuration information is discarded.

A single network interface card may only be chosen once for the boot device list. In other words, the interface cannot be configured for the IPv6 protocol and for the IPv4 protocol at the same time.

Memory Considerations for Firmware Upgrades

Firmware Release Level upgrades and Service Pack updates may consume additional system memory.
Server firmware requires memory to support the logical partitions on the server. The amount of memory required by the server firmware varies according to several factors.
Factors influencing server firmware memory requirements include the following:
Generally, you can estimate the amount of memory required by server firmware to be approximately 8% of the system installed memory. The actual amount required will generally be less than 8%. However, there are some server models that require an absolute minimum amount of memory for server firmware, regardless of the previously mentioned considerations.

Additional information can be found at:
  http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/p7hat/iphatlparmemory.htm

3.0 Firmware Information and Description

Use the following examples as a reference to determine whether your installation will be concurrent or disruptive.

Note: The concurrent levels of system firmware may, on occasion, contain fixes that are known as Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred. Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until the next IPL. Partition-Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until a partition reactivate is performed.  Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred fixes, if any, will be identified in the "Firmware Update Descriptions" table of this document. For these types of fixes (Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred) within a service pack, only the fixes in the service pack which cannot be concurrently activated are deferred.

Note: The file names and service pack levels used in the following examples are for clarification only, and are not necessarily levels that have been, or will be released.

System firmware file naming convention:

01AHXXX_YYY_ZZZ

NOTE: Values of service pack and last disruptive service pack level (YYY and ZZZ) are only unique within a release level (XXX). For example, 01AH330_067_045 and 01AH340_067_053 are different service packs.

An installation is disruptive if:

Example: Currently installed release is AH330, new release is AH340 Example: AH330_120_120 is disruptive, no matter what level of AH330 is currently
installed on the system Example: Currently installed service pack is AH330_120_120 and
new service pack is AH330_152_130

An installation is concurrent if:

Example: Currently installed service pack is AH330_126_120,
new service pack is AH330_143_120.
 
Filename Size Checksum
01AH760_069_043.rpm 51589586
 57541
   
Note: The Checksum can be found by running the AIX sum command against the rpm file (only the first 5 digits are listed).
ie: sum 01AH760_069_043.rpm
AH760
For Impact, Severity and other Firmware definitions, Please refer to the below 'Glossary of firmware terms' url:
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/power5cm/home.html#termdefs

The complete Firmware Fix History for this Release Level can be reviewed at the following url:
http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/server/firmware/AH-Firmware-Hist.html
AH760_069_043 / FW760.31

07/25/13		 Impact: Performance    Severity: ATT

System firmware changes that affect certain systems

  • On systems running Dynamic Platform Optimizer (DPO) ,  a problem was fixed that caused an incorrect placement of dedicated processors for partitions larger than a single chip.  When this occurs, the performance is impacted over what would have been gained with proper placement.
AH760_068_043 / FW760.30

06/24/13		 Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • A problem was fixed that caused a service processor dump to be generated with SRC B18187DA "NETC_RECV_ER" logged.
  • A problem was fixed that was caused by an attempt to modify a virtual adapter from the management console command line when the command specifies it is an Ethernet adapter, but the virtual ID specified is for an adapter type other than Ethernet.  The managed system has to be rebooted to restore communications with the management console when this problem occurs; SRC B7000602 is also logged.
  • The Hypervisor was enhanced to allow the system to continue to boot using the redundant data chip on the anchor (VPD) card, instead of stopping the Hypervisor boot and logging SRC B7004715,  when the primary data chip on the anchor card has been corrupted.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a migrated partition to have to rebooted on the target system.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a performance loss after a configuration change, such as un-licensing a processor, because the Hypervisor is unable to dispatch a partition to a shared processor.
  • A problem was fixed that may cause inaccurate processor utilization reporting.
  • A problem was fixed that caused erroneous A70047xx SRCs to be logged that called out the Anchor (VPD) card.   This led to unnecessary replacements of the Anchor card.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
  • On systems running Active Memory Sharing (AMS) partitions, a problem was fixed that may arise due to the incorrect handling of a return code in an error path during the logical partition migration (LPM) of an AMS partition.
  • On systems with 2 or 3 processor books, the firmware was enhanced to allow the creation of a partition with 32 or more dedicated processor cores, 32 or more entitlement cores, or 32 or more virtual shared processors.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the On/Off Capacity on Demand (CoD) entitlement to erroneously go to zero when the system firmware was upgraded from the AH730 release to the AH760 release.
  • On systems running Dynamic Platform Optimization (DPO), a problem was fixed that caused the current DPO score for a partition to be incorrect.  When this occurs, it looks like DPO would not improve performance when in fact it would improve the performance.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  • A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to time out and fail when the system controller (service processor) gets bogged down.
  • On systems in which there are no processors in the shared processor pool, a problem was fixed that caused the Hypervisor to become unresponsive (the service processor starts logging time-out errors against the Hypervisor, and the HMC can no longer talk to the Hypervisor) during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.  SRC B182953C will also be called home.
AH760_062_043 / FW760.20

02/27/13		 Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • A problem was fixed that caused a card (and its children) that was removed after the system was booted to continue to be listed in the guard menus in the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI).
  • A problem was fixed that caused a firmware update to fail with SRC B1818A0F.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a partition to become unresponsive when the AIX command "update_flash -s" is run.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the service processor (or system controller) to crash when it boots from the new level during a concurrent firmware installation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused SRC B1812A40 to be erroneously logged; a memory DIMM  and the symbolic FRU AMBTEMP were listed in the FRU list.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
  • On systems running iSCSI, a problem was fixed that caused pinging from the iSCSI menu in the System Management Services (SMS) to fail.
  • On a partition with a large number of potentially bootable devices, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to fail to boot with a default catch, and SRC BA210000 may also be logged.
  • On a system running a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operation, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to successfully appear on the target system, but hang with a 2005 SRC.
  • On a partition with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, a problem was fixed that caused errors to occur when the memory assigned to the partition was changed.
  • On a partition with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to stop functioning after certain operations.  When this problem occurs, the client partition may not power off.
  • On a system using the modem/serial port on the service processor, a problem was fixed that caused a service processor dump (with SRC B181EF88 logged) to be erroneously generated when the connection was dropped.
  • On systems that support all types of both memory and processor Capacity on Demand (CoD) operations, and on which CoD operations are frequently performed, the firmware was enhanced to reduce the number of informational SRC B7005300 logged.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the sibling system controller state to show up as "unknown" in the service processor error log if a code synchronization problem was detected after a system controller was replaced.
  • On a partition with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, a problem was fixed that caused SRC B200F00F to be logged when the partition was resumed after hibernation.
  • On a partition with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, the Hypervisor was enhanced to display (on the management console) the minimum maximum memory required to support the partition.
  • On systems running AIX or Linux, a problem was fixed that caused a partition to fail to boot with SRC CA260203.  This problem also can cause concurrent firmware updates to fail.
  • On systems with TurboCore processors and unlicensed processors, a problem was fixed that caused the output of the AIX lparstat command for "Active Physical CPUs in system" to be incorrect.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  • A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to fail due to an FSP reset.
  • On large system configurations, a problem was fixed that caused concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operations to fail.
  • On large system configurations running hundreds of partitions, a problem was fixed that caused the managed system to go to the incomplete state on the HMC during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to fail if a memory channel failure on the CEC was followed by a service processor reset/reload.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to fail when run after a service processor reset/reload.
AH760_043_043

11/21/12		 Impact:  New      Severity:  New

New Features and Functions

  • Support for the GX++ dual-port 10GB Ethernet/Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapter, feature code (F/C) EN22.
  • Support for the GX++ dual-port Fibre Channel adapter, feature code (F/C) EN23.
  • Support for 0.05 processor granularity.
  • Support for 64GB DIMMs.
  • Support for Dynamic Platform Optimizer (DPO).
  • The Hypervisor was enhanced to enforce broadcast storm prevention between the primary and backup SEAs (Shared Ethernet Adapters).  This fix requires VIOS 2.2.2.0 or later on all VIOS partitions with SEA devices.

    Additional Requirements:
  • FC EB33, available at no charge, needs to be ordered for DPO
  • Partitions included in DPO optimization need to running an affinity aware version of the operating system OR need to be restarted after DPO completes. If not, partitions can be excluded from participation in optimization through a command line option on the optmem  command.

    Notes:
    - Affinity aware operating system (OS) levels that support DPO:
                          ◦ AIX 6.1 TL8 or later
                          ◦ AIX 7.1 TL2 or later
                          ◦ VIOS 2.2.2.0
                          ◦ IBM i 7.1 PTF MF56058
    - No integrated support for DPO in current RHEL or SUSE Enterprise versions. Linux partitions can either be excluded from participation in optimization or restarted after DPO operation completes.

4.0 How to Determine Currently Installed Firmware Level

You can view the server's current firmware level on the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) Welcome pane. It appears in the top right corner. Example: AH760_123.

5.0 Downloading the Firmware Package

Follow the instructions on Fix Central. You must read and agree to the license agreement to obtain the firmware packages.

Note: If your HMC or SDMC is not internet-connected you will need to download the new firmware level to a CD-ROM or ftp server.

6.0 Installing the Firmware

The method used to install new firmware will depend on the release level of firmware which is currently installed on your server. The release level can be determined by the prefix of the new firmware's filename.

Example: AHXXX_YYY_ZZZ

Where XXX = release level

Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades can be found at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/index.jsp?topic=/p7ha1/updupdates.htm

IBM i Systems:
See "IBM Server Firmware and HMC Code Wizard":
http://www-912.ibm.com/s_dir/slkbase.NSF/DocNumber/408316083

NOTE: For all systems running with the IBM i Operating System, the following IBM i PTFs must be applied to all IBM i partitions prior to installing AH760_069:
These PTFs can be ordered through Fix Central.

7.0 Firmware History

The complete Firmware Fix History for this Release level can be reviewed at the following url:
http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/server/firmware/AH-Firmware-Hist.html