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Adding an I/O expansion unit with the system powered off

Learn about adding an input/output (I/O) expansion unit to the system with the system powered off.

Important: If your configuration meets any of the following requirements, you might be able to add I/O expansion units to the system with the system powered on:
  • Your system is managed by an IBM® Hardware Management Console (HMC).
  • Your system is not managed by an HMC, but has only one partition, and that partition is running the IBM i operating system.
If your configuration does not meet any of the requirements that are specified above, you must use this procedure to add the I/O expansion unit. Otherwise, you can use the following procedure, or you can use Adding an I/O expansion unit with the system powered on instead of this procedure.
Prerequisites: If you have not reviewed the information in Overview for I/O expansion units and Preparing to add an I/O expansion unit, do so now.
Note: Steps in this topic require you to have connector information for the hardware in your configuration. For details about expansion unit or system connector locations, see Connector locations.

To add an I/O expansion unit to the system with the system powered off, complete the following steps:

  1. If the system is not already powered off, remove power from the system. For instructions, see Stopping a system or logical partition.
  2. If the system has a rear cover, remove or open it.
  3. Record the current date and time for use later in the procedure when you are checking for serviceable events.
  4. Connect the expansion unit with SPCN cables. For instructions, see Connecting expansion units with SPCN cables.
  5. Power on the system to firmware standby state. For instructions, see Powering on a system to firmware standby state.
    Note: Connecting expansion units with 12X cables while the system is powered off might cause bus numbers assigned to existing expansion units to change. The circumstances that cause this change to occur are not common. One example is the presence of failed links elsewhere in the loop to which you are adding an expansion unit. Powering the system on to firmware standby state eliminates the risk of bus numbers that are assigned to existing expansion units from changing.
  6. Connect the expansion unit with 12X cables. For instructions, see Connecting expansion units with 12X cables.
    Note: When you connect an expansion unit in an existing 12X loop with the system powered on, serviceable events and informational logs might be generated when you disconnect and reconnect cables. This behavior is normal and is covered later in the procedure.
  7. Connect the power cables for the expansion unit that you are installing.
    Important: Ensure that you plug the power cable into the power source before you connect it into the power supply of the expansion unit.
  8. Verify the system power control network (SPCN). For instructions, see Verifying the system power control network.
    Important: Any problems that you discover with the SPCN in this step must be corrected before you continue with the procedure.
  9. Verify that the Power Control Network Identifier value is set correctly for the expansion unit that you are adding by completing the following steps:
    1. Access the ASMI by using an authority level of administrator or authorized service provider. For instructions, see Managing the Advanced System Management Interface.
    2. In the ASMI navigation area, expand System Configuration and select Configure I/O Enclosures.
    3. Review the Enclosure Configuration table to locate the expansion unit that you added.
    4. Use the following information to verify that the expansion unit that you added has the correct Power Control Network Identifier:
      • Identifier 0x8D is for 5796 and 7314-G30 expansion units.
      • Identifier 0x8E is for 5802 and 5877 expansion units.
    5. If an incorrect Power Control Network Identifier is specified for the expansion unit that you have added, contact your service provider for assistance before you continue with this procedure.
  10. Verify the 12X configuration by completing the following steps:
    1. Read and understand the following information about reference codes that might be generated when an expansion unit is added while the system is powered on.
      Note: When an expansion unit is connected with 12X cables while the system is powered on to standby state, it is normal for error logs and event logs to be created. The number and combinations of these logs is dependent on the configuration.
      Logs with the following reference codes can be ignored during this verification step if their time stamps indicate that they occurred during the add procedure and the resources that they refer to were involved in the procedure.
      • B7006907: An expansion unit was added that was previously configured on a different system. This reference code appears in an informational log.
      • B7006982: A 12X connection failure was experienced. This reference code appears in an informational log.
      • B7006984: A 12X loop was opened. This reference code appears in an informational log.
      • B7006985: A 12X loop was closed. This reference code appears in an informational log.
      • B70069E6: A 12X link was lost. This reference code appears in an informational log.
      • B70069E7: A 12X link was restored. This reference code appears in an informational log.
    2. Choose one of the following options:
  11. Check for new serviceable events that were generated during the procedure by choosing one of the following options:
    Important: Multiple options might apply to your configuration. Choose only the first option that applies.
    1. If your system is managed by an HMC, complete the following steps:
      1. In the navigation area, select Serviceability > Manage Serviceable Events.
      2. Specify event criteria that includes events that were generated during the procedure. In particular, specify the managed system that the expansion unit was added to, and specify a date and time range that includes the data and time that were recorded in step 3.
      3. Continue with step 12.
    2. If your system is not managed by an HMC and has a partition that is running the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) operating system, complete the following steps:
      1. Log in as the padmin user. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
      2. Type diagmenu -d sysplanar0 -E xx and press Enter, where xx specifies the number of days in the range 1 - 60. This command returns results for the most recent number of days specified. Specify a range that includes the date and time that was recorded in step 3.
      3. On the DIAGNOSTIC MODE SELECTION display, highlight the Problem Determination option, and press Enter.
      4. Continue with step 12.
    3. If your system is not managed by an HMC and has a partition that is running the AIX operating system, complete the following steps:
      1. Log in as the root user, or use the CE login. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
      2. Type diag -d sysplanar0 -E xx and press Enter, where xx specifies the number of days in the range 1 - 60. This command returns results for the most recent number of days specified. Specify a range that includes the date and time that was recorded in step 3.
      3. On the DIAGNOSTIC MODE SELECTION display, highlight the Problem Determination option, and press Enter.
      4. Continue with step 12.
    4. If your system is not managed by an HMC and has a partition that is running the IBM i operating system, the following steps:
      1. Sign on with at least service level authority.
      2. At the command line of the IBM i session, type strsst and press Enter.
      3. Type your service tools user ID and service tools password on the System Service Tools (SST) Sign On display, and press Enter. The service tools password is case-sensitive.
      4. Click Start a Service Tool > Hardware Service Manager > Work with Service Action Event Log.
      5. On the Select Timeframe display, change the From Date and Time field to the wanted date and time range. Specify a range that includes the date and time that was recorded in step 3
      6. Continue with step 12.
    5. If your system is not managed by an HMC and has a partition that is running the Linux operating system, the following steps:
      1. Log in as the root user. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
      2. Type servicelog –query='serviceable=1 AND closed=0 AND time_event>="yyyy-mm-dd"' and press Enter, where yyyy-mm-dd is the day on which the procedure occurred.
      3. Continue with step 12.
  12. Handle serviceable events that were generated during the procedure, by completing the following steps:
    1. Specify event criteria that includes events that were generated during the procedure.
    2. Close any serviceable events that are generated during the procedure that include one of the reference codes that are listed in step 10.
    3. Perform problem analysis on any remaining open serviceable events.
  13. Power on the system to running state by choosing one of the following options:
  14. If the system has logical partitions, you can now assign I/O slots in the expansion units that were added to logical partitions.
  15. You have completed the addition of the expansion unit.
Parent topic: Adding I/O expansion units
Parent topic: Adding I/O expansion units

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Last updated: Tue, September 30, 2014