How to Boot VIOS to Maintenance Mode via HMC GUI using the Optical Device on the Managed System

1.  VIOS bootable media

• Note 1: In order to boot a VIOS partition into maintenance, a VIOS bootable image is required.  The bootable image needs to match the VIOS release installed on disk. For example, if the VIOS partition is running ioslevel 3.1.4.x, use a 3.1.4.x bootable image.  Failure to use appropriate bootable media may lead to library or symbol resolution errors after the rootvg volume group is imported and a shell is started.  Examples of VIOS bootable media include:
  a. VIOS Installation DVD * ^{See Note 2}
  • This includes installation media that came with the IBM Power system or VIOS Installation ISO image burned to media. VIOS installation software is available in the Entitled Systems Support (ESS) website.  For details see How to Obtain Installation Software for PowerVM Virtual I/O Server
  b. NON_AUTOINSTALL mksysb

3. IMPORTANT: A VIOS reboot will impact all clients hosted by the VIOS being rebooted. To minimize the impact to the clients, you must ensure all clients' network and storage is redundant though a second VIOS.  If clients are served by a single VIOS, a maintenance window needs to be scheduled to shutdown the clients before rebooting the VIOS.

PROCEDURE

1. Load the bootable media (DVD 1 of 2) in the optical device.

2. Shut down the VIOS partition

• Log in to the HMC GUI as hscroot. In left navigation:
  > Click System Management
  > Servers
  > Select Managed System name. This option lists the partition names on the right navigation.
  > Select VIOS partition name
  > Click Tasks
  > Operations
  > Shutdown
  > Select Operating System

• > Select VIOS partition name
  > Click Tasks
  > Operations
  > Activate
  > Profile
  > Click Advanced > Change 'Boot mode' to SMS > Click OK
  > Select 'Open a terminal window or console session' > Click OK

  Example of SMS Main Menu

  

• > option 5. Select Boot Options
  > option 2. Configure Boot Device Order
  > option 6. Display Current Setting. This option shows the Current Boot Sequence. Take note of this information. (If the VIOS has SAN-attached storage, it may take a few minutes to scan the fibre channel adapters).
  > Hit ESC key to go back to the previous menu
  > select option 7. Restore Default Setting to set the optical device as the first boot device, as shown below:

  

• > Hit x key to exit SMS
  > Select option 1. Yes. This causes the boot process to read from the bootable DVD image, denoted by the 'boot device' path ending with ...bootfile.exe as shows below:

  

• 


• The next screen will present the volume group ID(s) to select from.

• 1) Access this Volume Group and start a shell
  • This option attempts to import the VIOS rootvg volume group and mount VIOS core filesystems as shown below:

    

    This option it typically used to do VIOS maintenance or recovery procedures that are not possible to be done through a normal padmin login.  For example, padmin's password was lost and needs to be reset padmin or the VIOS partition is failing to boot.
  2) Access this Volume Group and start a shell before mounting filesystems
  • This option can be use in situations where VIOS rootvg filesystem integrity is questionable and filesystem check (fsck) may need to be performed.