IZ60683: LSCONF TO GET THE SERIAL NUMBER FROM AIX IS INEFFICIENT

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Can you take a look at this recommendation from AIX Kernel team:
  
  I am thinking that this is starting to look to be a very
  expensive call on the frame the way prtconf (lsconf) works, if
  all that is needed out of it is the Machine's Serial Number.
  
  Since we store the Machine Serial number on the LPAR itself
  (in the AIX native database called the ODM) that maybe the end
  game solution might best be served by instead of using lsconf
  (prtconf) and grepping for the Machine Serial number that we may
  have all the data locally in the AIX that your application is
  looking for without going all the way down to the hardware for
  it.
  
  SO: I am tossing out this idea for TADDM developer:
  Since AIX already keeps the parts Serial number on the
  filesystem locally once it has discovered it for it's own use -
  and there is a command to retrieve ut- the command to
  retrieve it would be:
  
  # odmget CuAt | grep -p systemid
  (this command avoids going all the way down to the hardware all
  over again, - which looking more and more like something we
  shouldn't be doing often in the interest of being efficient).
  Which will return the following text paragraph:
  
  CuAt:
          name = "sys0"
          attribute = "systemid"
          value = "IBM,030694FCG"
          type = "R"
          generic = "D"
          rep = "s"
          nls_index = 62
  
  From there, further use of grep and either awk or can narrow it
  down to just the digits of the serial
  number you are looking for (as the above "IBM,030694FCG" is a
  bit more long version than you get from the
  lsconf command, but that can be fixed with a pipe through awk -
  let me elaborate..).
  example: odmget CuAt | grep -p systemid | awk '$1 == "value" {
  print
  substr($3,8,7) }'
  (for the awk part this translates to "if the $1 (first value) on
  the
  line is "value" then print the $3 (third value) starting at
  position 8
  and print 7 of them.
  returns: 0694FCG
  
  # lsconf | grep -e "Machine Serial"
  Machine Serial Number: 0694FCG
  
  I did a preliminary test of performance gains using the AIX
  "time"
  command, and this is on an idle LPAR:
  compare the time spent in real,user, and sys spaces for the 2
  commands:
  # time lsconf | grep -e "Machine Serial"
  Machine Serial Number: 0694FCG
  
  real    0m6.10s
  user    0m0.00s
  sys     0m0.00s
  (total 6.1 secs)
  
  versus:
  # time odmget CuAt | grep -p systemid | awk '$1 == "value" {
  print
  substr($3,8,7) }'
  0694FCG
  
  real    0m0.15s
  user    0m0.01s
  sys     0m0.01s
  (total 0.16s)
  
  Switching TADDM to use this command may gain up to 60 times
  faster
  response using 1/60th of the local CPU time.
  Of course the words "Machine Serial Number: can be added back in
  to the
  output, but that can be done either locally,
  or back on the TADDM server before storing the value into it's
  database.
  
  Maybe a consideration, since even if we found a way to speed up
  the ops
  down in the bottom end where lsconf
  goes to get the data, I don't think it would ever be quite as
  fast as
  this.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

• LSCONF TO GET THE SERIAL NUMBER FROM AIX IS INEFFICIENT
  

Problem conclusion

• The fix for this APAR is contained in the following
  maintenance packages:
  | Fix Pack | 7.1.2.0-TIV-ITADDM-FP0005
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  APP DEPENDENCY

• Fixed component ID

  5724N5500

Applicable component levels

• R712 PSY

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