MH1010_146 / FW1010.40 Release Notes

Fix Readme

Abstract

This document provides information about the installation of Licensed Machine or Licensed Internal Code, which is sometimes referred to generically as microcode or firmware.

This package provides firmware for IBM Power System E1080 (9080-HEX) server only.

Release notes for MH1010_146 / FW1010.40

Read the following important information prior to installing this Service Pack.

Service Pack Summary: Concurrent Service Pack.

This service pack addresses a HIPER (High Impact/Pervasive) issue. Please see the Description file for details.

Concurrent updates of certain SR-IOV adapters to the firmware level provided by this service pack require an AIX/VIOS fix to prevent VF failures for these partitions.
For additional details, see Section 2.0 of the description file.

The Minimum HMC level supports the following HMC models: HMC models: 7063-CR1 and 7063-CR2 x86 - KVM, XEN, VMWare ESXi (6.0/6.5) ppc64le - vHMC on PowerVM (POWER8,POWER9, and POWER10 systems)

Important information regarding system firmware update might fail with errors HSCF0180E and E302F854 logged on the Hardware Management Console (HMC) and System Reference Code (SRC) B181303F on the flexible service processor (FSP). For additional details, see Section 2.0 of the description file.

For systems with Power Linux partitions, support was added for a new Linux secure boot key. The support for the new secure boot key for Linux partitions may cause secure boot for Linux to fail if the Linux OS for SUSE or RHEL distributions does not have a secure boot key update. The affected Linux distributions as follows need the Linux fix level that includes "Key for secure boot signing grub2 builds ppc64le" : 1) SLES 15 SP4 - The GA for this Linux level includes the secure boot fix. 2) RHEL 8.5- This Linux level has no fix. The user must update to RHEL: 8.6 or RHEL 9.0. 3) RHEL 8.6 4) RHEL 9.0. Please note that when this firmware level is installed, any Linux OS partition not updated to a secure boot fix level will fail to secure boot. And any Linux OS partition updated to a fix level for secure boot requires a minimum firmware level of FW1010.30 or later to be able to do a secure boot.

Content

Minimum HMC Code Level

This section is intended to describe the "Minimum HMC Code Level" required by the System Firmware to complete the firmware installation process. When installing the System Firmware, the HMC level must be equal to or higher than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" before starting the system firmware update. If the HMC managing the server targeted for the System Firmware update is running a code level lower than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" the firmware update will not proceed.

The Minimum HMC Code levels for this firmware for HMC x86, ppc64 or ppc64le are listed below.

x86 - This term is used to reference the legacy HMC that runs on x86/Intel/AMD hardware for the Virtual HMC that can run on the Intel hypervisors (KVM, XEN, VMWare ESXi).

The Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V10R1M1011 (PTF MF69288).
The Recommended HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V10R1M1020 (PTF MF70046).

ppc64 or ppc64le - describes the Linux code that is compiled to run on Power-based servers or LPARS (Logical Partitions)

The Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V10R1M1011 (PTF MF69289).
The Recommended HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V10R1M1020 (PTF MF70047).

The Minimum HMC level supports the following HMC models:
HMC models: 7063-CR1 and 7063-CR2
x86 - KVM, XEN, VMWare ESXi (6.0/6.5)
ppc64le - vHMC on PowerVM (POWER8,POWER9, and POWER10 systems)

For information concerning HMC releases and the latest PTFs, go to the following URL to access Fix Central.

For specific fix level information on key components of IBM Power Systems running the AIX, IBM i and Linux operating systems, we suggest using the Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT).

NOTES:
- You must be logged in as hscroot in order for the firmware installation to complete correctly.
- Systems Director Management Console (SDMC) does not support this System Firmware level.

Important Information

Concurrent firmware update of certain SR-IOV adapters needs AIX/VIOS fix
If the adapter firmware level in this service pack is concurrently applied, AIX and VIOS VFs may become failed. To prevent the VF failure, the VIOS and AIX partitions must have the fix for IJ44288 (or a sibling APAR) applied prior to concurrently updating SR-IOV adapter firmware. AIX/VIOS SPs Spring 2023 will ship this fix. Until then, interim fixes (ifixes) are available from https://aix.software.ibm.com/aix/efixes/ij44288/ or by calling IBM support if an ifix is required for a different level. A re-IPL of the system instead of concurrently updating the SR-IOV adapter firmware would also work to prevent a VF failure. The following SR-IOV adapter Feature Codes and CCINs are affected : #EC2R/EC2S with CCIN 58FA; #EC2T/EC2U with CCIN 58FB; and #EC66/EC67 with CCIN 2CF3.

Power 10 Firmware levels prior to 1010.40 and 1030.00 are exposed to two issues that can cause firmware updates to fail. The failure can occur during disruptive or concurrent updates.
It is recommended to take the actions outlined in the following 2 documents prior to attempting a firmware update from affected levels. The documents should be followed in the order listed:
Avoiding Power10 code update failures from CR1 or CR2 HMCs
Avoiding Power10 code update failures due to out of memory condition on the FSPs

NovaLink levels earlier than "NovaLink 1.0.0.16 Feb 2020 release" with partitions running certain SR-IOV capable adapters is NOT supported at this firmware release
NovaLink levels earlier than "NovaLink 1.0.0.16 Feb 2020 release" do not support IO adapter FCs EC2R/EC2S, EC2T/EC2U, EC66/EC67 with FW1010 and later.

Live Partition Mobility (LPM) support restrictions for FW1010.00:
Live Partition Mobility (LPM) support restrictions for FW1010.00 have been removed for FW1010.10 and later releases.
The LPM restrictions for FW1010.00 have been removed for FW1010.10.

Note: The following IBM document article for the LPM support matrix for POWER10 should be followed for guidance on migrating between firmware levels
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10?topic=mobility-firmware-support-matrix-partition

Firmware Update Failure on Power10:
Important information regarding system firmware update might fail with errors HSCF0180E and E302F854 logged on the Hardware Management Console (HMC) and System Reference Code (SRC) B181303F on the flexible service processor (FSP).

See the link for further information: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6527300

IPv6 Support and Limitations

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is supported in the System Management Services (SMS) in this level of system firmware. There are several limitations that should be considered.

When configuring a network interface card (NIC) for remote IPL, only the most recently configured protocol (IPv4 or IPv6) is retained. For example, if the network interface card was previously configured with IPv4 information and is now being configured with IPv6 information, the IPv4 configuration information is discarded.

A single network interface card may only be chosen once for the boot device list. In other words, the interface cannot be configured for the IPv6 protocol and for the IPv4 protocol at the same time.

Concurrent Firmware Updates

Concurrent system firmware update is supported on HMC Managed Systems only.

Ensure that there are no RMC connections issues for any system partitions prior to applying the firmware update. If there is a RMC connection failure to a partition during the firmware update, the RMC connection will need to be restored and additional recovery actions for that partition will be required to complete partition firmware updates.

Memory Considerations for Firmware Upgrades

Firmware Release Level upgrades and Service Pack updates may consume additional system memory.
Server firmware requires memory to support the logical partitions on the server. The amount of memory required by the server firmware varies according to several factors.
Factors influencing server firmware memory requirements include the following:

Number of logical partitions
Partition environments of the logical partitions
Number of physical and virtual I/O devices used by the logical partitions
Maximum memory values given to the logical partitions

Generally, you can estimate the amount of memory required by server firmware to be approximately 8% of the system installed memory. The actual amount required will generally be less than 8%. However, there are some server models that require an absolute minimum amount of memory for server firmware, regardless of the previously mentioned considerations.

Additional information can be found at: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10/9105-42A?topic=resources-memory

SBE Updates

Power10 servers contain SBEs (Self Boot Engines) and are used to boot the system. SBE is internal to each of the Power10 chips and used to "self boot" the chip. The SBE image is persistent and is only reloaded if there is a system firmware update that contains a SBE change. If there is a SBE change and system firmware update is concurrent, then the SBE update is delayed to the next IPL of the CEC which will cause an additional 3-5 minutes per processor chip in the system to be added on to the IPL. If there is a SBE change and the system firmware update is disruptive, then SBE update will cause an additional 3-5 minutes per processor chip in the system to be added on to the IPL. During the SBE update process, the HMC or op-panel will display service processor code C1C3C213 for each of the SBEs being updated. This is a normal progress code and system boot should be not be terminated by the user. Additional time estimate can be between 12-20 minutes per drawer or up to 48-80 minutes for maximum configuration.

The SBE image is updated with this service pack.

Firmware Information

Use the following examples as a reference to determine whether your installation will be concurrent or disruptive.

For systems that are not managed by an HMC, the installation of system firmware is always disruptive.

Note: The concurrent levels of system firmware may, on occasion, contain fixes that are known as Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred. Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until the next IPL. Partition-Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until a partition reactivate is performed. Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred fixes, if any, will be identified in the "Firmware Update Descriptions" table of this document. For these types of fixes (Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred) within a service pack, only the fixes in the service pack which cannot be concurrently activated are deferred.

Note: The file names and service pack levels used in the following examples are for clarification only, and are not necessarily levels that have been, or will be released.

System firmware file naming convention:

01MHxxx_yyy_zzz

xxx is the release level
yyy is the service pack level
zzz is the last disruptive service pack level

NOTE: Values of service pack and last disruptive service pack level (yyy and zzz) are only unique within a release level (xxx). For example, 01MH1010_040_040 and 01MH1010_040_045 are different service packs.

An installation is disruptive if:

The release levels (xxx) are different.

Example: Currently installed release is 01MH1010_040_040, new release is 01MH1030_050_050.

The service pack level (yyy) and the last disruptive service pack level (zzz) are the same.

Example: MH1010_040_040 is disruptive, no matter what level of MH1010 is currently installed on the system.

The service pack level (yyy) currently installed on the system is lower than the last disruptive service pack level (zzz) of the service pack to be installed.

Example: Currently installed service pack is MH1010_040_040 and new service pack is MH1010_050_045.

An installation is concurrent if:

The release level (xxx) is the same, and
The service pack level (yyy) currently installed on the system is the same or higher than the last disruptive service pack level (zzz) of the service pack to be installed.

Example: Currently installed service pack is MH1010_040_040, new service pack is MH1010_041_040.

Firmware Information and Description


*Filename*	*Size*	*Checksum*	md5sum
01MH1010_146_094.rpm	146077796	11660	75a61d45968c03e3f38e00fdfbb6ef9d

Note: The Checksum can be found by running the AIX sum command against the rpm file (only the first 5 digits are listed).
ie: sum 01MH1030_044_038.rpm

MH1030
For Impact, Severity and other Firmware definitions, Please refer to the below 'Glossary of firmware terms' url:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6555136

MH1010_146_094 / FW1010.40

10/31/22

Impact: Security Severity: HIPER

System firmware changes that affect all systems

HIPER/Pervasive: The following problems were fixed for certain SR-IOV adapters in shared mode when the physical port is configured for Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator (VEPA):
1) A security problem for CVE-2022-34331 was addressed where switches configured to monitor network traffic for malicious activity are not effective because of errant adapter configuration changes. The misconfigured adapter can cause network traffic to flow directly between the VFs and not out the physical port hence bypassing any possible monitoring that could be configured in the switch.
2) Packets may not be forwarded after a firmware update, or after certain error scenarios which require an adapter reset. Users configuring or using VEPA mode should install this update.
These fixes pertain to adapters with the following Feature Codes and CCINs: #EC2R/EC2S with CCIN 58FA; #EC2T/EC2U with CCIN 58FB; and #EC66/EC67 with CCIN 2CF3.
Update instructions: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10?topic=updates-sr-iov-firmware-update
HIPER/Pervasive: A problem was fixed for intermittent PCIe adapter failures during an IPL with SRC B7006976 logged. The #EN1J/#EN1K PCIe4 32 GB 2-port Optical Fibre channel adapters may fail during link training. If a failure occurs, the adapter will not be able to be used until a restart of the LPAR is done or a DLPAR is done to do a remove/add for the failed adapter slot.
Security problems were fixed for vTPM 1.2 by updating its OpenSSL library to version 0.9.8zh. Security vulnerabilities CVE-2022-0778, CVE-2018-5407, CVE-2014-0076, and CVE-2009-3245 were addressed. These problems only impact a partition if vTPM version 1.2 is enabled for the partition.
A security problem was fixed for vTPM 2.0 by updating its libtpms library. Security vulnerability CVE-2021-3746 was addressed. This problem only impacts a partition if vTPM version 2.0 is enabled for the partition. The biggest threat from this vulnerability is system availability.
A change was made for DDIMM operation to comply with dram controller requirement to disable periodic ZQ calibration during concurrent row repair operation, then restore afterward. The change improves resiliency against possible memory errors during the row repair operation.
A change was made for certain SR-IOV adapters to move up to the latest level of adapter firmware. No specific adapter problems were addressed at this new level. This change updates the adapter firmware to XX.32.1010 for the following Feature Codes and CCINs: #EC2R/EC2S with CCIN 58FA; #EC2T/EC2U with CCIN 58FB; and #EC66/EC67 with CCIN 2CF3.
If this adapter firmware level is concurrently applied, AIX and VIOS VFs may become failed. To prevent the VF failure, the VIOS and AIX partitions must have the fix for IJ44288 (or a sibling APAR) applied prior to concurrently updating SR-IOV adapter firmware. AIX/VIOS SPs Spring 2023 will ship this fix. Until then, interim fixes (ifixes) are available from https://aix.software.ibm.com/aix/efixes/ij44288/ or by calling IBM support if an ifix is required for a different level. A re-IPL of the system instead of concurrently updating the SR-IOV adapter firmware would also work to prevent a VF failure.
Update instructions: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10?topic=updates-sr-iov-firmware-update
A problem was fixed for a factory reset failing to restore "Aggressive Prefetch" to the default of "Disabled". After a factory reset, the setting for "Aggressive Prefetch" was preserved from what it was before the factory reset. The ASMI menu can be used to disable the "Aggressive Prefetch" mode.
A problem was fixed for an intermittent service processor core dump for MboxDeviceMsg with SRCs B1818601 and B6008601 logged while the system is running. This is a timing failure related to a double file close on an NVRAM file. The service processor will automatically recover from this error with no impact on the system.
A problem was fixed for a ramp-up on fan speeds across all nodes when only one node is running hot. This happens whenever temperatures run high on a single node of a multi-node system.
A problem was fixed for an LPAR activation failure with SRC B2001236 logged for an NVRAM decryption error because of a bad NVRAM key. This can occur for a partition with vTPM 2.0 configured and Platform Keystore (PKS) not configured if there has been a partition recovery using the HMC. After the partition recovery and if the partition is allowed to activate before powering off the system, the partition may fail to activate on the next IPL attempt with B2001236 logged. The workaround on a partition recovery activation is to allow the partition to activate to run long enough for data to be written to the NVRAM, which will flush the vTPM 2.0 data to the service processor with the correct NVRAM key.
A problem was fixed for an SR-IOV adapter in shared mode failing on an IPL with SRC B2006002 logged. This is an infrequent error caused by a different SR-IOV adapter than expected being associated with the slot because of the same memory buffer being used by two SR-IOV adapters. The failed SR-IOV adapter can be powered on again and it should boot correctly.
A problem was fixed for a PCIe3 I/O Expansion Drawer not activating with only a single cable attached after Concurrent Maintenance or an IPL. When a #EJ24 cable card with CCIN 6B53 is in an x8 CEC slot and only the low cable is connected (high cable is disconnected), the PCIe connections will not activate.
The workaround is to attach both cables and then retry the operation.
A problem was fixed for a partition with VPMEM failing to activate after a system IPL with SRC B2001230 logged for a "HypervisorDisallowsIPL" condition. This problem is very rare and is triggered by the partition's hardware page table (HPT) being too big to fit into a contiguous space in memory. As a workaround, the problem can be averted by reducing the memory needed for the HPT. For example, if the system memory is mirrored, the HPT size is doubled, so turning off mirroring is one option to save space. Or the size of the VPMEM LUN could be reduced. The goal of these options would be to free up enough contiguous blocks of memory to fit the partition's HPT size.
A problem was fixed for a failed removal of a virtual ethernet adapter enabled as a trunk adapter in a VIOS. This happens on any attempt to remove this type of virtual ethernet adapter. Internally, a "Get Platform Info 0x010A" command from the HMC is returned with an unknown family instead of "Power 10", causing the removal error.
A problem was fixed for an HMC incomplete state for the managed system after a concurrent firmware update. This is an infrequent error caused by an HMC query race condition while the concurrent update is rebooting tasks in the hypervisor. A system re-IPL is needed to recover from the error.
A problem was fixed for a system crash with SRC B7000103 that can occur when adding or removing FRUs from a PCIe3 expansion drawer (Feature code #EXM0). This error is caused by a very rare race scenario when processing multiple power alerts from the expansion drawer at the same time.
A problem was fixed for degraded performance for PCIe adapters with SRC 57B14160 logged. This happens more frequently for the IBM i OS partitions, triggered by a hot reset of the adapter during the IPL. The degraded performance may be recovered with an LPAR IPL, DLPAR, or a device reset through the OS. If this error is happening in the IBM i, the problem may recur on a re-IPL of the partition until this fix is installed.
A problem was fixed for a system crash with a B700F103 logged after a local core checkstop of a core with a running partition. This infrequent error also requires a configuration change on the system like changing the processor configuration of the affected partition or running Dynamic Platform Optimizer (DPO).
A problem was fixed for a rare system hang that can happen any time Dynamic Platform Optimizer (DPO), memory guard recovery, or memory mirroring defragmentation occurs for a dedicated processor partition running in Power9 or Power10 processor compatibility mode. This does not affect partitions in Power9_base or older processor compatibility modes. If the partition has the "Processor Sharing" setting set to "Always Allow" or "Allow when partition is active", it may be more likely to encounter this than if the setting is set to "Never allow" or "Allow when partition is inactive".
This problem can be avoided by using Power9_base processor compatibility mode for dedicated processor partitions. This can also be avoided by changing all dedicated processor partitions to use shared processors.
A problem was fixed for a rare partition hang that can happen any time Dynamic Platform Optimizer (DPO), memory guard recovery, or memory mirroring defragmentation occurs for a shared processor partition running in any compatibility mode if there is also a dedicated processor partition running in Power9 or Power10 processor compatibility mode. This does not happen if the dedicated partition is in Power9_base or older processor compatibility modes. Also, if the dedicated partition has the "Processor Sharing" setting set to "Always Allow" or "Allow when partition is active", it may be more likely to cause a shared processor partition to hang than if the setting is set to "Never allow" or "Allow when partition is inactive".
This problem can be avoided by using Power9_base processor compatibility mode for any dedicated processor partitions. This problem can also be avoided by changing all dedicated processor partitions to use shared processors.
A problem was fixed for too frequent callouts for repair action for recoverable errors for Predictive Error (PE) SRCs B7006A72, B7006A74, and B7006A75. These SRCs for PCIe correctable error events called for a repair action but the threshold for the events was too low for a recoverable error that does not impact the system. The threshold for triggering the PE SRCs has been increased.
A problem was fixed for an SR-IOV adapter in shared mode failing during run time with SRC B400FF04 or B400F104 logged. This is an infrequent error and may result in a temporary loss of communication as the affected SR-IOV adapter is reset to recover from the error.
A problem was fixed for an adapter port link not coming up after the port connection speed was set to "auto". This can happen if the speed had been changed to a supported but invalid value for the adapter hardware prior to changing the speed to "auto". A workaround to this problem is to disable and enable the switch port.
A problem was fixed for the SMS menu option "I/O Device Information". When using a partition's SMS menu option "I/O Device Information" to list devices under a physical or virtual Fibre Channel adapter, the list may be missing or entries in the list may be confusing. If the list does not display, the following message is displayed:
"No SAN adapters present. Press any key to continue".
An example of a confusing entry in a list follows:
"Pathname: /vdevice/vfc-client@30000004
WorldWidePortName: 0123456789012345
1. 500173805d0c0110,0 Unrecognized device type: c"
A problem was fixed for booting an OS using iSCSI from SMS menus that fails with a BA010013 information log. This failure is intermittent and infrequent. If the contents of the BA010013 are inspected, the following messages can be seen embedded within the log:
" iscsi_read: getISCSIpacket returned ERROR"
" updateSN: Old iSCSI Reply - target_tag, exp_tag"
A problem was fixed for a failed NIM download/install of OS images that are greater than 32M. This only happens when using the default TFTP block size of 512 bytes. The latest versions of AIX are greater than 32M in size and can have this problem. As a workaround, in the SMS menu, change "TFTP blocksize" from 512 to 1024. To do this, go to the SMS "Advanced Setup: BOOTP" menu option when setting up NIM install parameters. This will allow a NIM download of an image up to 64M.
A problem was fixed for a memory leak in the service processor (FSP) that can result in an out of memory (OOM) condition in the FSP kernel with an FSP dump and reset of the FSP. This can occur after the FSP has been active for more than 80 days of uptime. If the problem occurs, the system automatically recovers with a reset/reload of the FSP. This problem is more likely to occur on systems with NVMe adapters configured.
A problem was fixed for errant DRAM memory row repairs. Row repair was going to the wrong address or not being cleared properly and then repaired with either a spare DRAM or chip mark, The row repair failures put the system closer to a predictive callout of a DRAM.
A problem was fixed for an IPL failure with SRC BD21E510 "MC_FIR(0)[1] MC internal non-recoverable error" logged. This is a rare early IPL failure for a Self Boot Engine (SBE) error. The problem can be recovered by retrying the IPL. The memory controller (MC) that is called out on the SRC should not be guarded when doing the retry of the IPL.
A problem was fixed for Host boot dumps not having a copy of Host boot memory contents. This problem reduces the ability of IBM Support to debug certain classes of Host boot failures. Any Host boot crash or hang will trigger a Host boot dump that will be missing the memory information.
A problem was fixed for a post dump IPL failing and a system dump being lost following an abnormal system termination. This can only happen on a system when the system is going through a post dump IPL and there are not sufficient operational cores on the boot processor to support an IPL. This triggers resource recovery for the cores which can fail to restore the necessary cores if extra cores have been errantly deconfigured.
A problem was fixed for a processor core being incorrectly predictively deconfigured with SRC BC13E504 logged. This is an infrequent error triggered by a cache line delete fail for the core with error log "Signature": "EQ_L2_FIR[0]: L2 Cache Read CE, Line Delete Failed".
A problem was fixed for a possible system checkstop for a core hardware predictive error prematurely reaching a failure threshold. This can occur if there are multiple recovery events for a core hardware error with multiple hypervisor maintenance interrupts (HMIs) issued for each recovery event, causing the failure threshold to be reached earlier than needed. With the fix, only a single HMI is issued for each recovery event.
A problem was fixed for predictive deconfiguration of processor cores and callouts of processor chips when a service action is not needed. This can happen when there are correctable errors (CEs) in the L3 cache and a predictive action occurs when two L3 cache CEs are reported on different bit-lines (members) within 24 hours. The fault signature is in word 8 of the callout SRC:
PRDR_ERROR_SIGNATURE ( 0xcb610004, "EQ_L3_FIR[4]", "CE detected on L3 cache read" )
With the fix, the L3 Cache line delete recovery mechanism will be used instead to avoid the need for a planned service outage.

System firmware changes that affect certain systems

A problem was fixed for a FSP service processor on a DHCP configured network that could lose its dynamic IP address, leading to the FSP becoming inaccessible (if the redundant network is not configured). This issue is exposed when the DHCP sever is not accessible when the DHCP lease expires on the service processor. This results in an abandonment of the IP. However, the expired IP continues to be used to successfully access the FSP until the service processor is reset/rebooted. This reset typically has occurred during a service processor firmware update resulting in a failed firmware update.

How to Determine The Currently Installed Firmware Level

You can view the server's current firmware level on the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) Overview page under the System Information section in the Firmware Information panel. Example: (ML1020_079)

Downloading the Firmware Package

Follow the instructions on Fix Central. You must read and agree to the license agreement to obtain the firmware packages.

Note: If your HMC is not internet-connected you will need to download the new firmware level to a USB flash memory device or ftp server.

Installing the Firmware

The method used to install new firmware will depend on the release level of firmware which is currently installed on your server. The release level can be determined by the prefix of the new firmware's filename.

Example: MHxxx_yyy_zzz

Where xxx = release level

If the release level will stay the same (Example: Level VH920_040_040 is currently installed and you are attempting to install level VH920_041_040) this is considered an update.
If the release level will change (Example: Level VH900_040_040 is currently installed and you are attempting to install level VH920_050_050) this is considered an upgrade.

Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades can be found at https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10/9080-HEX?topic=support-getting-fixes

IBM i Systems:

For information concerning IBM i Systems, go to the following URL to access Fix Central:
https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Choose "Select product", under Product Group specify "System i", under Product specify "IBM i", then Continue and specify the desired firmware PTF accordingly.

HMC and NovaLink Co-Managed Systems (Disruptive firmware updates only):

A co-managed system is managed by HMC and NovaLink, with one of the interfaces in the co-management master mode.
Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades on systems co-managed by an HMC and Novalink is the same as above for a HMC managed systems since the firmware update must be done by the HMC in the co-management master mode. Before the firmware update is attempted, one must be sure that HMC is set in the master mode using the steps at the following IBM KnowledgeCenter link for NovaLink co-managed systems:
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10/9080-HEX?topic=environment-powervm-novalink

Then the firmware updates can proceed with the same steps as for the HMC managed systems except the system must be powered off because only a disruptive update is allowed. If a concurrent update is attempted, the following error will occur: " HSCF0180E Operation failed for <system name> (<system mtms>). The operation failed. E302F861 is the error code:"
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power10/9080-HEX?topic=support-getting-fixes

Firmware History

The complete Firmware Fix History (including HIPER descriptions) for this Release level can be reviewed at the following url:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6955265

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