Update Access Key (UAK) - FAQs
Question: What is UAK?
Answer: Update Access Key (UAK for short) is a payload for your supported Power system that acknowledges you have an active software or hardware support contract for the product that has fixes available on Fix Central or Entitled Systems Support (ESS). There are two types of keys:
- Firmware - used to allow your machine to install firmware updates from Fix Central
- AIX - available for Power 10 or newer generation systems - they allow your system to inform you about the status of your software maintenance agreement
The keys always have an expiration date and need to be renewed periodically here on ESS or through automatic renewals using Call Home.
Question: How long do keys last?
Answer: The duration of the key depends on whether it came shipped with your hardware or was created afterwards. For initial keys, the duration is aligned with the warranty (firmware) and software maintenance (AIX) that ships with the machine. Renewal keys (both firmware and AIX) and keys created for AIX purchased for machines you already own, will always have a 6 month duration or until entitlement expiration (whatever comes first).
Question: What entitlements are used for firmware keys?
Answer: Firmware keys are entitled based on either warranty that your machine comes with or a hardware service contract which you can sign with IBM after the original warranty period expires.
Question: What entitlements are used for AIX keys?
Answer: AIX are entitled in several ways depending on the AIX licenses in your enterprise as well as IBM agreements you have active: - Permanent AIX licenses covered by an active software maintenance or service contract, which are tied to the machine the renewal is for - Term AIX licenses within the current active term linked to your machine - Subscription AIX licenses with active subscriptions anywhere within your enterprise - Additionally, Service Providers can sign an IBM agreement for entitling all their machines to AIX renewals as long as the agreement is active.
Question: How can I find and add machines to renew firmware and AIX keys for them on ESS?
Answer: There are several ways to find machines you own or you know the serial number of, for which to renew the keys:
- Add machines manually by clicking on the + icon on top of the table - you will be able to either add each one separately or upload a file with a list of machines you want to renew keys for
- Using your ESS profile - by clicking on the Load from profile button on top of the table - you can use customer numbers registered on ESS to find eligible machines or use your renewal history to ask to find all your past machines
Any machine added to the list can always be removed either by using the action "Remove from list" available on each machine or selecting several machines and using the same batch command that shows up after selection.
Question: How can I add more customer numbers to my profile? Answer: Use the My profile > Register customer number option in the top right corner to register for more customer numbers. The list is based on all customer numbers for which you have the 'View inventory' authorization, which additionally have at least one machine which supports Update Access Keys for firmware or AIX.
Question: Can I renew several keys on several machines in one go?
Answer: Yes - just select the machines and keys you want renewed and use the batch command Generate new keys.
Question: How can I download my keys?
Answer: There are several ways to download the keys you see in the table:
- Copy to clipboard - use the icon next to each key to copy it to your browser's clipboard
- Single action - use the action menu to select the Download key option
- Batch action - select one or more machines and afterwards select the Download key(s) action
- You can also select the email action - ESS will send the selected machines and keys to the email associated with your IBMid.
Related links