Verifying the PCIe hardware topology without an HMC

Learn how to verify that there are no failed or degraded PCIe links by using the AIX®, Virtual I/O Server (VIOS), IBM® i, or Linux operating system.

1. Choose the operating system that best applies to your configuration.
   Important: Multiple options might apply to your configuration. Choose only the first option that applies.
   • If your system has a partition running the VIOS operating system, continue with step 2.
   • If your system has a partition running the AIX operating system, continue with step 3.
   • If your system has a partition running the IBM i operating system, continue with step 4.
   • If your system has a partition running the Linux operating system, continue with step 5.
2. Use the VIOS error log to verify that there are no B7006Axx errors (where x is any character 0 - 9 or A - F) by completing 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 VIOS command prompt, type diagmenu -d sysplanar0 -E xx and press Enter, where xx is any number 1 - 60 that specifies the most recent number of days for which results are returned. The suggested range is 30 days.
   3. Highlight the Problem Determination option in the DIAGNOSTIC MODE SELECTION display. Press Enter.
   4. Search the results that are displayed to identify problems with B7006Axx reference codes. You might need to scroll down in the display to see all of the results.
      Note: If the Problem Determination results contain serviceable events that have already been reported, a PREVIOUS DIAGNOSTICS RESULTS display is shown. Respond to the Do you want to review these previously reported errors? prompt by highlighting the YES response, and then press Enter.
   5. Based on the results of your search, choose one of the following options:
      • If there are no problems that have B7006Axx reference codes, press Enter to return to the command line.
      • If there are problems that have B7006Axx reference codes, there might be problems with the PCIe hardware topology. Perform problem analysis to correct the problems before continuing. If you need assistance, contact your service provider.
   6. Go to step 6.
3. Use the AIX error log to verify that there are no B7006Axx errors (where x is any character 0 - 9 or A - F) by completing 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 AIX command prompt, type diag -d sysplanar0 -E xx and press Enter, where xx is any number 1 - 60 that specifies the number of days. This command returns results for the most recent number of days specified. The suggested range is 30 days.
   3. Highlight the Problem Determination option in the DIAGNOSTIC MODE SELECTION display. Press Enter.
   4. Search the results that are displayed to identify problems with B7006Axx reference codes. You might need to scroll down in the display to see all of the results.
      Note: If the Problem Determination results contain serviceable events that have already been reported, a PREVIOUS DIAGNOSTICS RESULTS display is shown. Respond to the Do you want to review these previously reported errors? prompt by highlighting the YES response, and then press Enter.
   5. Based on the results of your search, choose one of the following options:
      • If there are no problems that have B7006Axx reference codes, press Enter to return to the command line.
      • If there are problems that have B7006Axx reference codes, there might be problems with the PCIe hardware topology. Perform problem analysis to correct the problems before continuing. If you need assistance, contact your service provider.
   6. Go to step 6.
4. Use the IBM i service action event log to verify that there are no B7006Axx errors (where x is any character 0 - 9 or A - F) by completing 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 your service tools user ID and service tools password on the System Service Tools (SST) Sign On display. Press Enter.
   4. Click Start a service tool and press Enter.
   5. Click Hardware service manager and press Enter.
   6. Click Work with service action log and press Enter.
   7. On the Select Timeframe display, change the From: Date and Time to the desired date and time range. The suggested range is 30 days.
   8. Search for serviceable events with B7006Axx reference codes, and choose one of the following options:
      • If there are no serviceable events that have B7006Axx reference codes, press F3 (Exit) to return to the Hardware Service Manager display.
      • If there are serviceable events that have B7006Axx reference codes, there might be problems with the PCIe hardware topology. Perform problem analysis to correct the problems before continuing. If you need assistance, contact your service provider.
   9. Go to step 6.
5. Use the Linux error log to verify that there are no B7006Axx errors (where x is any character 0 - 9 or A - F) by completing the following steps.
   1. Log in as the root user. If you need assistance, contact the system administrator.
   2. At the Linux command prompt, type servicelog --query='refcode like "B7006A%" AND serviceable=1 AND closed=0' and press Enter.
   3. Search the results that are displayed for problems that have B7006Axx reference codes and for statuses that are open. If there are problems that have B7006Axx reference codes, there might be problems with the PCIe hardware topology. Perform problem analysis to correct the problems before continuing. If you need assistance, contact your service provider.
      Note: You might need to scroll down in the display to see all of the results.
   4. Go to step 6.
6. Check for failed or degraded PCIe links by completing 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.
   4. Scan the PCIe Hardware Topology data to identify rows that have a link status of Failed or Degraded.
   5. If you identified links in step 6.d that have a link status of Failed or Degraded, the links must be repaired before you continue. To repair the links, repeat step 1. If you already completed step 1 or need assistance, contact your next level of support.