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Adding a PCIe storage enclosure with the system powered on

Learn how to add a PCIe storage enclosure to the system with the system powered on.

Important: To use this procedure to add a PCIe storage enclosure to the system, the enclosure must be a model that can be added with the system powered on. Review the following information to learn which options you have for adding your enclosure model to the system:
Prerequisites: If you have not reviewed the information in Overview for PCIe storage enclosures, do so now.
Notes:

To add a PCIe storage enclosure to the system with the system powered on, complete the following steps:

  1. Record the current date and time for use later in the procedure when checking for serviceable events.
  2. Verify the existing PCIe hardware topology by completing the steps in the applicable procedure:
    All PCIe hardware topology problems that are discovered in this step must be corrected before you continue with this procedure.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system.
  3. If the system has a rear cover, remove or open it.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system.
  4. Locate the PCIe GX++ adapter or adapters to which the PCIe storage enclosure will be connected.
    Note: This procedure assumes that the PCIe GX++ adapters are already installed. If the adapters are not installed, stop now and follow the instructions that came with the adapters to install them. After the PCIe GX++ adapters are installed, continue with the steps in this procedure to connect the PCI storage enclosure.
  5. Using PCIe cables, connect the PCIe storage enclosure to the GX adapters that were identified in step 4.
    Note: If you are connecting a PCIe cable to an unused PCIe connector that is covered with a plastic or metal clip, remove the clip before installing the PCIe cable.
  6. Identify the PCIe link information that is associated with the connections to the PCIe storage enclosure by completing the following steps.
    Note: Two PCIe links connect a PCIe storage enclosure.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system. Each system will host one of the PCIe links that connect the PCIe storage enclosure.
    1. Determine the location codes of the PCIe connectors on the system to which you connected the PCIe storage enclosure.
    2. Choose one of the following options:
      • If your system is managed by a Hardware Management Console (HMC), complete the following steps:
        1. From the navigation bar, expand Systems Management.
        2. Click Servers.
        3. Select the server you are working with.
        4. In the Tasks area, expand Hardware Information.
        5. Click PCIe Hardware Topology.
      • If your system is not managed by an HMC, complete the following steps:
        1. Access the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) by using an authority level of administrator or authorized service provider. For details about using the ASMI, see Managing the Advanced System Management Interface.
        2. In the ASMI navigation area, expand System Configuration.
        3. Click PCIe Hardware Topology.
    3. Scan the PCIe Hardware Topology data for entries with Host Port column values that match the location codes of the PCIe GX++ adapter connectors that you connected PCIe cables to in step 5. For each match, complete the following steps:
      1. Select the entry and click Identify Indicators.
      2. On the Identify Indicators display, select the entry with a Location column value that matches the Host Port column value from the PCIe Hardware Topology entry that you selected in step 6.c.i.
      3. Click Activate LED.
      4. Record the link identifier and the I/O slot identifier string for the PCIe link entry that you identified in step 6.c.ii. The link identifier is in the Link ID column, and the I/O slot identifier string is in the I/O Slots column.
    4. Visually inspect the identify indicators for the PCIe connectors to which you connected the PCIe storage enclosure to verify that they are active.
    5. For each identify indicator that you recorded in step 6.c.iv that is active, complete the following steps:
      1. On the Identify Indicators display, select the entry with a Location column value that matches the Host Port column value from the PCIe Hardware Topology entry or entries that you selected in step 6.c.i.
      2. Click Deactivate LED.
    6. For each identify indicator that you recorded in step 6.c.iv that is not active, complete the following steps.
      Note: Identify indicators are not active if the PCIe cables are connected to the wrong PCIe connectors or the PCIe connector location codes were calculated incorrectly.
      1. On the Identify Indicators display, select the entry with a Location column value that matches the Host Port column value from the PCIe Hardware Topology entry or entries that you selected in step 6.c.i.
      2. Click Deactivate LED.
      3. Restart the procedure beginning at step 4. If the problem persists with the entry or entries that you selected in step 6.c.i, contact your next level of support for assistance.
  7. If the system has a rear cover, close it.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system.
  8. If the power cords for the PCIe storage enclosure are not connected to the power source, connect them now. Then connect the power cords to the power supplies on the PCIe storage enclosure.
  9. During the time that the PCIe storage enclosure is powering on and initializing, complete the following steps:
    1. Verify that the green chassis power light-emitting diode (LED) comes on solid. This LED is located on the front of the enclosure, and it has an overlay with a lightning bolt symbol.
    2. Verify that the green AC good LED and DC good LED on each of the two power supplies come on solid. These LEDs are located on the power supplies near the connectors for the power cords, and are clearly labeled AC and DC.
    3. Verify that the amber fault LED on each power supply is off. This LED is labeled with an exclamation point (!).
    Important: The PCIe storage enclosure usually requires no more than 5 minutes to power on and initialize. If any of the LED states previously described cannot be verified after 5 minutes have elapsed, there could be problems with the PCIe storage enclosure. Verify that the power cords are securely connected to the power supplies and the power source. If the problem persists, contact your next level of support for assistance.
  10. For each of the two input/output (I/O) slots that you recorded in step 6.c.iv, power on the I/O slot by choosing one of the following options.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system. Each system will host one of the I/O slots that connect the PCIe storage enclosure.
    • If the I/O slot is assigned to a partition that is powered on, choose one of the following options.
      Note: If your system is not managed by an HMC and is powered on to the firmware running state, choose one of the following options. The system is in firmware running state if there are active partitions.
      • If the I/O slot is assigned to a partition that is powered on and running the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) or AIX® operating system, continue with step 11.
      • If the I/O slot is assigned to a partition that is powered on and running the IBM® i operating system, continue with step 12.
      • If the I/O slot is assigned to a partition that is powered on and running the Linux operating system, continue with step 13.
    • If the I/O slot is not assigned to a partition that is powered on, continue with step 14.
      Note: If your system is powered on to firmware standby state, choose this option. The system is in firmware standby state if there are no active partitions.
  11. If you are using AIX, complete the following steps:
    1. Log in to the operating system with admin or service level authority. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
    2. Choose one of the following options:
      • If the partition is running the VIOS operating system, type diagmenu at the VIOS command prompt, and press Enter.
      • If the partition is running the AIX operating system, type diag at the AIX command prompt, and press Enter.
    3. On the DIAGNOSTIC OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS display, press Enter to continue.
    4. On the FUNCTION SELECTION display, use the arrow keys to select Task Selection (Diagnostics, Advanced Diagnostics, Service Aids, etc.), and press Enter.
    5. On the TASKS SELECTION LIST display, use the arrow keys to select Hot Plug Task, and press Enter.
    6. On the Hot Plug Task display, use the arrow keys to select PCI Hot Plug Manager, and press Enter.
    7. On the PCI Hot Plug Manager display, use the arrow keys to select Add a PCI Hot Plug Adapter, and press Enter.
    8. On the Add a PCI Hot Plug Adapter display, use the arrow keys to select the entry that has the identifier string of the I/O slot in the Slot column, and press Enter.
    9. Follow the online instructions to complete the add operation. However, do not perform the steps to physically add the adapter.
    10. Press F3 (Exit) to return to the PCI Hot Plug Manager display.
      Note: If your terminal emulation does not support F3 to exit, press ESC, then type 3 to exit.
    11. On the PCI Hot Plug Manager display, use the arrow keys to select Install/Configure Devices Added After IPL, and press Enter.
    12. On the Install/Configure Devices Added After IPL display, verify that INPUT device/directory for software is set to none, and press Enter.
    13. On the COMMAND STATUS display, wait for the command status to change from running to OK.
    14. Choose one of the following options:
      • If you have another I/O slot to power on, complete the following steps:
        1. Press F3 (Exit) twice to return to the PCI Hot Plug Manager display.
          Note: If your terminal emulation does not support F3 to exit, press ESC, type 3, press ESC, then type 3 to exit.
        2. Return to step 10.
      • If you do not have another I/O slot to power on, complete the following steps:
        1. Press F10 twice to return to the operating system command prompt.
        2. Continue with step 15.
  12. If you have IBM i, complete the following steps:
    1. Log in to the operating system with admin or service level authority. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
    2. At the IBM i command prompt, type strsst and press Enter.
    3. Type the service tools user ID and service tools password on the System Service Tools (SST) Sign On display, and press Enter.
    4. Select the Start a service tool option, and press Enter.
    5. Select the Hardware service manager option, and press Enter.
    6. Select the Packaging hardware resources (systems, frames, cards) option, and press Enter.
    7. On the Packaging Hardware Resources display, locate the entry that contains the I/O slot. To make this identification, scan the display for an entry that has a Description value of System Unit and a Unit ID that matches the U label portion of the I/O slot identifier string. The U label portion is the substring that begins with U and continues until the first dash (-) character.
    8. Type 9 in the Opt column for the system unit entry that you located in step 12.g, and press Enter.
      Note: Specifying option 9 starts the Hardware contained within package view for the selected packaging hardware resource.
    9. On the Packaging Hardware Resources display, locate the entry for the I/O slot. To make this identification, scan the display for an entry that has a Location column value that, when appended to the Unit ID value in the upper right corner, forms the complete I/O slot identifier string.
    10. Type 3 in the Opt column for the entry that you located in step 12.i, and press Enter.
      Note: Specifying option 3 starts the Hardware Resource Concurrent Maintenance menu for the selected packaging hardware resource.
    11. On the Hardware Resource Concurrent Maintenance display, start the Power off domain function by pressing F9.
    12. Follow the online instructions to complete the power-off operation.
    13. On the Hardware Resource Concurrent Maintenance display, start the Power on domain function by pressing F10.
    14. Follow the online instructions to complete the power-on operation.
    15. If you have another I/O slot to power on, return to step 10. Otherwise, continue with step 15.
  13. If you are using Linux, complete the following steps:
    1. Log in to the operating system with admin or service level authority. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
    2. At the Linux command prompt, type drmgr -c pci -a -s io_slot_identifier (where io_slot_identifier is the identifier string of the I/O slot), and press Enter.
    3. Follow the online instructions to complete the add operation. However, do not perform the steps to physically add the adapter.
    4. At the Linux command prompt, type vpdupdate, and press Enter.
    5. If you have another I/O slot to power on, return to step 10. Otherwise, continue with step 15.
  14. Complete the following steps:
    1. Choose one of the following options:
      • If your system is managed by an HMC, complete the following steps:
        1. From the navigation bar, expand Systems Management.
        2. Click Servers.
        3. Select the server you are working with.
        4. In the Tasks area, expand Hardware Information.
        5. Click PCIe Hardware Topology.
      • If your system is not managed by an HMC, complete the following steps:
        1. Access the ASMI by using an authority level of administrator or authorized service provider. For details about using the ASMI, see Managing the Advanced System Management Interface.
        2. In the ASMI navigation area, expand System Configuration.
        3. Click PCIe Hardware Topology.
    2. Scan the PCIe Hardware Topology data for a value in the I/O Slots column that matches the identifier string of the I/O slot, and select the entry.
    3. Click Probe Link.
      Important: If the Probe Link function fails, verify that the I/O slot is not owned by a partition that is powered on. Then choose from the following options:
      • If you determine that the I/O slot is owned by a partition that is powered on, return to step 10 and choose the alternative option that supports an I/O slot assigned to a partition that is powered on.
      • If you are certain the I/O slot is not owned by a partition that is powered on, contact your next level of support for assistance.
    4. If you have another I/O slot to power on, return to step 10. Otherwise, continue with step 15.
  15. Verify the PCIe hardware topology by completing the steps in the applicable procedure:

    While you are completing the verification steps of that procedure, confirm that the PCIe links that connect the PCIe storage enclosure being added have Link Status column values of Operational and valid I/O Enclosure Port column values. The I/O Enclosure Port column value looks similar to Uxxxx.001.yyyyyyy-P1-Cz-T3, where xxxx is the feature code of the PCIe storage enclosure connected by the PCIe link, yyyyyyy is the serial number of the PCIe storage enclosure connected by the PCIe link, and z is either 1 or 2. An example of an actual I/O Enclosure Port column value is UEDR1.001.6BAH004-P1-C1-T3.

    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system.
    Requirement: All PCIe hardware topology problems that are discovered in this step must be corrected before continuing with this procedure.
  16. Check for and handle new serviceable events that were generated during the procedure by completing the steps in Checking for new serviceable events. Use the date and time information that you recorded in step 1 as the start time for searching for new serviceable events.
    Important: If the PCIe storage enclosure is connected to two systems, complete this step for each system.
  17. Verify the new configuration. For details, see Verifying that the PCIe storage enclosure is functioning.
  18. If the system is managed by an HMC, is not in the manufacturing default configuration, and the I/O slots associated with the connection to the PCIe storage enclosure are not assigned to logical partitions, you can now assign them. For information about adding I/O slots to partitions dynamically, see Adding physical I/O devices and slots dynamically.
Parent topic: Adding PCIe storage enclosures
Parent topic: Adding PCIe storage enclosures

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Last updated: Tue, September 30, 2014