kdb and fscsi attributes
I received the following
question from an AIX administrator in Germany. “ Hi Chris, on your blog, you explain how to find out the active value
of num_cmd_elems of an fc-adapter by using the kdb. So you can
decide, if the value of lsattr is active or not ... I wonder if you can find out the values fc_err_recov and
dyntrk of the fscsiX device.? # lsattr -El fscsi0 attach
switch How this adapter is
CONNECTED False dyntrk
yes Dynamic Tracking of
FC Devices True fc_err_recov delayed_fail FC... [More]
Tags:  fc_error_recov chris_gibson dyntrk fscsi num_cmd_elems attributes kdb aix |
Live Partition Mobility IBM Wiki site.
Came across the following IBM Wiki site which is dedicated to all things related to Live Partition Mobility (LPM) on IBMs Power6 (and Power7) platform. http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/virtualization/Live+Partition+Mobility Lot's of really interesting and useful information regarding LPM. If you are planning on implementing LPM, or even if you are already using it, I recommend you take a look at this site. Cheers. Chris
|
lpar2rrd error - Can't use string ("") as a SCALAR ref..lpar2rrd.pl line 533
I was
attempting to configure a new installation of lpar2rrd (version 2.65) for a
customer today when I encountered the following error during the initial load of
data from the HMC: lpar2rrd@nim
[/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd]$ ./load.sh LPAR2RRD
version 2.65 HMC
: hmc01 managed
system : 750-1 (type_model*serial : 8233-E8B*0646D0P) HMC
version : 77301 There
is no RRD: attempting to do initial load, be patient, it might take some time sample
rate : 60 seconds fetching
HMC : hmc01:750-DR CPU lpar config fetching
HMC :... [More]
Tags:  while argument at "strict 532. ref a ("") as /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/l... numeric in scalar line can't 533. (<=) "" refs" le string use isn't |
LPM and viosecure
I came across this strange LPM issue recently. Thought I’d share it with you. All the customers VIOS were configured with the viosecure level set to high . When the VIOS is configured with a security profile set to high , PCI or DoD , a new feature is enabled during LPM. This new feature is called “ Secure LPM ”. As a result when you initiate an LPM operation, the “Secure LPM” feature automatically enables the VIOS firewall and configures a secure (ipsec) tunnel for all LPM traffic over the network.... [More]
Tags:  lpm ipsec firewall vios hscla230 |
LPM ifix for JS22 blades and IVM.
If you come across the following LPM issue with IVM and JS22 blades, IZ63357: LPM HUNG AT 100% ON BOTH SOURCE AND DESTINATION IVMS Error description The problem that these customers are seeing is the same As described in this particular defect. Migrating mobile partition from one IVM to another: The destination IVM GUI shows the migration is complete, but the percent complete is "unknown". The source IVM GUI shows the "migration status" as Migration Complete and "percent Complete" as 100%. Once the recover... [More]
|
lsdevinfo
The lsdevinfo utility
appears to an undocumented command. However it looks like it could come in
handy occasionally. Here are some examples of using it on AIX 7.1: # oslevel
-s 7100-00-01-1037 #
lslpp -w /usr/sbin/lsdevinfo File
Fileset Type
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /usr/sbin/lsdevinfo bos.rte.methods File #
lsdevinfo -h Usage: lsdevinfo
[-q Criteria] [-F Format] [-R] [-c] [-h] ... [More]
Tags:  chris aix gibson lsdevinfo |
Make sure you monitor file system space on your VIOS.
Make sure you are monitoring file
system space on your VIOS. Why? If you run out of space in the root
file system, odd things can happen when you try to map virtual devices to
virtual adapters with mkvdev . For example, a colleague of mine was
attempting to map a new hdisk to a vhost adapter on a pair of VIOS. The VIOS
was running a recent version of code. He received the following error message
(see below). It wasn’t a very helpful message. At first I thought it was due to
the fact that he had not set the reserve_policy attribute... [More]
Tags:  this_may_or_may_not_indic... root_filesystem_is_full vios aix mkvdev cli_debug=33 powervm 0514-548 chris_gibson the_command's_response_wa... |
Managing an existing AIX virtual machine with PowerVC
It’s possible, with PowerVC, to manage existing AIX and Linux partitions in your environment. This may be useful for customers that have recently installed PowerVC in their environment and have existing AIX partitions. The question that is often asked is “ Can I manage these existing partitions with PowerVC? ”. These existing partitions were deployed outside of PowerVC, often long before PowerVC was even available as product from IBM. Fortunately the answer to this question is most likely yes! Before you add an existing... [More]
Tags:  powervc virtual aix managing machines existing |
Managing users with dsh and chpasswd - (plus info on DSM and dping).
Starting with AIX 7.1, CSM is no
longer supported or available. It has been replaced by Distributed Systems
Managment (DSM). Section 5.2 of the IBM AIX 7.1 Differences Guide Redbook provides
details of the new DSM capabilities.
Fortunately DSM still provides access
to the dsh command. I’ve written about how I’ve used this utility
in the past . The new dsh command (and other tools) are
provided in the new DSM filesets named dsm.core and dsm.dsh . root@nim# lslpp -L dsm*
Fileset
Level State Type... [More]
Tags:  run remote if exit installed pwdadm a accepted. expired code dping has csm been not aix you have license had dsh shell -l new admchg release csmconfig 255 2651-095 or chpasswd |
MDS reports
I like using the IBM Microcode Discovery Service ( MDS ) to perform spot checks on POWER system and adapter firmware levels. This tool gives me snapshot of a POWER systems current firmware levels. I can tell almost immediately if I need to update the firmware on the system or any device installed in the server. This report is especially useful when performing a health check on a customer’s system. The tool is easy to use. First you need to download the latest inventory scout catalog file from the IBM website. The most current... [More]
Tags:  invscout device report file mup gibson adapter mic power aix firmware microcode mds catalog chris |
Migrating to AIX 7.1 with nimadm.
Last year I wrote an article on using nimadm
to migrate to AIX 6.1 . The procedures outlined how to migrate a live system with nimadm and a spare disk. Another method that I have found to be extremely useful is
the migration of mksysb images from one version of AIX to another using (you
guessed it) nimadm . In the following example I migrated an AIX 6.1 mksysb image
to AIX 7.1 and then used that image to install a new LPAR via NIM. The source LPAR was running AIX 6.1 TL6 SP3. I took a mksysb
of this system to my NIM master. # oslevel -s... [More]
Tags:  gibson migration chris nimadm aix |
Migrating you NIM Master to AIX 7.2 using the VIOS VML
On more than one occasion I’ve written articles and blogs on how to migrate AIX systems to a new version of the AIX operating system. You can find a list these articles (and others) here . Each of the NIM articles focuses on migrating AIX systems (which are configured as NIM clients). The approach is always the same; use a NIM master to migrate the NIM clients to the next release of AIX. What they don’t discuss is how to migrate your NIM master to a new version of the OS. This is the very first step you should take before you... [More]
Tags:  using master 7.2 sddpcm vml chris the nimadm you to migrating gibson nim vios aix |
Minimum memory requirement for AIX 7.2 Live Update
AIX 7.2 requires 2GB of memory to boot, but this minimum is not enforced in the LPAR profile except by Live Update (to ensure we'll be able to boot the surrogate LPAR). You can check your Minimum Memory setting in your LPARs profile by running the lparstat command (as shown below). # lparstat -i | grep Memory Online Memory : 4096 MB Maximum Memory ... [More]
Tags:  gibson minimum partition aix for live chris memory 7.2 profile updates |
mkwpar, truss and coffee!
A colleague was attempting to recreate a WPAR. The WPAR had previously
been removed using the WPAR Manager Web GUI. This worked, or so he tells me! Anyway, when he tried to create the WPAR again from the GUI, using
the same WPAR name ( wpar20 ), it
failed. The error claimed that /wpars/wpar20 already existed. But it didn’t! Now, before I go any further, looking back at the issue now, it is
pretty obvious what the problem might have been. However, the solution was not
evident at first. This proves one thing for certain: some problems... [More]
Tags:  0960-288 /wpars/wpar20 mkwpar: gibson file system mkwpar chris wpar exists. already the aix |
Monitoring Multiple Shared Processor Pools with topas.
A quick tip for monitoring Multiple Shared Processor Pools with topas . Execute topas from the AIX command line. Press the ‘ p ’ key to toggle on ‘pool metrics’. You will see the default pool (pool id 0) and any other pools defined on your system. In the example below, there are two pools, the default (0) and a user defined pool (1). The default display shows the LPARs in the default pool (0), which in this case is sys06_partition8 . Using the up and down arrow keys, I place the cursor on pool ID number one, in the pool column on the... [More]
|
More NIM troubleshooting....some basics...
It’s no secret that I like
NIM. I’ve written about NIM on several occasions, in Redbooks, technical
articles and on my blog. It’s a great tool for installing and maintaining AIX. Occasionally
though, it can throw you an unusual error or two when things go wrong. For the uninitiated
resolving these errors can be challenging. Here’s a couple of NIM
related questions I received recently. Both are troubleshooting queries. “I'm getting the following error when trying
to create a NIM lpp_source for AIX 6.1” : ... [More]
Tags:  resource to filesystem m_mk_lpp_source: oslevel space failed all check a "master" 0042-185 on nim already copy due not exists aix c_ch_nfsexp: instfix rest or permissions link filesets 0042-081 nfs found. for /etc/.tmp.nim.exports export were and |
Multibos saved my bacon!
A colleague of mine was planning to modify the max_xfer_size attribute on a couple of
FC adapters in one of his AIX LPARs. As he was describing his plan to me, I
asked him how he intended to back out of the change should the LPAR fail to
boot after the modifications. “ But, what could
possibly go wrong?” he fired back. I advised him to use multibos to create a standby (backup)
instance of the AIX OS, just in case. He begrudgingly did so, just to keep me
happy. The next day he told me the following
tale. He had modified the FC... [More]
Tags:  bacon multibos max_xfer_size chris_gibson aix |
My first POWER7 LPAR.
Thanks to the IBM
Virtual Loaner Program, I was able to try out my first POWER7 LPAR today.
Some interesting items for me to research. # lparstat -i Node Name
:
node1 Partition Name
: node1 Partition Number
: 5 Type
: Shared-SMT-4 Mode
: Uncapped Entitled Capacity
: 0.50 Partition Group-ID
: 32773 Shared Pool ID ... [More]
|
My LPAR always boots into SMS. Why?
If you turn on Multiboot from within the SMS menu (as
shown below), your LPAR will always boot into SMS, regardless of your AIX boot list
and/or LPAR profile settings. PowerPC Firmware Version EM310_048 SMS 1.6 (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2000,2005 All rights reserved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Multiboot 1. Select Install/Boot Device 2. Configure Boot Device Order 3. Multiboot Startup <ON> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Navigation keys:... [More]
|
My root volume group is called old_rootvg....HELP!!
So, your root volume group is
called old_rootvg not rootvg? Wait……what!? aixlpar1 : #
lspv hdisk0 00c342c68dfcbdfb old_rootvg active
< This is BAD! hdisk1 00c342c6161c6b47 appvg active How did you end up in this
situation? Did you reinstall AIX with some strange incantation or did some
alternate disk activity go horribly wrong? Not sure? Me neither! Fortunately the following
tech-note and associated script can help. ... [More]
Tags:  aix importvg old_rootvg chris_gibson synclvodm rootvg odmdelete |
Never say never....AIX 5.3 on POWER8.
I NEVER thought this would happen! But, “NEVER SAY NEVER!”. IBM just announced that AIX 5.3 can now run on POWER8. http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=ca&infotype=an&appname=iSource&supplier=872&letternum=ENUSAP16-0152 As you’d expect, there are some caveats! A special PTF (U86665.bff) provides POWER8 support on AIX 5.3 with the following limitations: The LPAR must be at AIX 5.3 TL12 SP9 (latest 5.3 release). The POWER8 LPAR will run in POWER6... [More]
|
New AIX Service and Release Strategy - Starting February 2011
IBM
recently announced some significant changes to their ‘AIX Release and Service
Delivery’ strategy. Starting February 2011, the following changes will apply
for both AIX 6 and AIX 7. •
Three years of support for each Technology Level
(TL). •
A single Technology Level per AIX version, per year. •
Service Packs will be released approximately 4 times
per year per Technology Level. Some of the benefits of the new strategy are: Longer
support for Technology Levels. – More... [More]
|
New FC adapter port queue depth tuning
# fcstat –D fcs0 FIBRE CHANNEL STATISTICS REPORT: fcs0 … FC SCSI Adapter Driver Queue Statistics Number of active commands: 0 High water mark of active commands: 17 Number of pending commands: 0 High water mark of pending commands: 1 Number of commands in the Adapter Driver Held off queue: 0 High water mark of number of commands in the Adapter Driver Held off... [More]
|
New Features in AIX Version 7.
Today, IBM announced
AIX version 7. http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/software/aix/v71/preview.html Several new features
were mentioned in the launch, but there were two new features that I found
particularly interesting: - AIX 5.2 WPARs
for AIX 7 - Cluster
Aware AIX I thought I would
briefly describe each feature in this post. AIX 5.2 WPARs
for AIX 7 In AIX version 7,
administrators will now have the capability to create Workload Partitions
(WPARs) that can run AIX 5.2, inside an AIX 7 operating system instance. This
will... [More]
|
New HMC commands: chnportlogin and lsnportlogin - Login in Virtual Fibre Channel adapters for NPIV client LPARs.
There are two new HMC (V7.7.3.0) commands that can force a client Virtual Fibre Channel adapter to log into a SAN. This should make the life of the AIX and SAN administrator easier, as they will no longer need to install AIX in order for the new VFC adapters to log into the SAN. Although there was an unsupported method* for doing this already (see links below). Nor will the SAN admins need to “blind” zone the WWPNs. There was some indication of this in the latest VIOS FP readme: ... [More]
Tags:  virtual gibson aix chnportlogin lsnportlogin channel npiv chris adapter fibre |