VL950_145 / FW950.A0 Release Notes

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 V9R2M950 (PTF MH01869).
  Note: The 7042-CR9 is the ONLY Machine Type HMC appliances for x86 supported for the Minimum HMC level.
• Although the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed above, V9R2, HMC V9R2M951.2 (PTF MH01892) or higher is recommended to avoid an issue that can cause the HMC to lose connections to all servers for a brief time with service events E2FF1409 and E23D040A being reported. This will cause all running server tasks such as server firmware upgrade to fail.

• The Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is:  HMC V9R2M950 (PTF MH01870).
• Although the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed above, V9R2, HMC V9R2M951.2 (PTF MH01893) or higher is recommended to avoid an issue that can cause the HMC to lose connections to all servers for a brief time with service events E2FF1409 and E23D040A being reported. This will cause all running server tasks such as server firmware upgrade to fail.

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

For information concerning HMC releases and the latest PTFs,  go to the following URL to access Fix Central:
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

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):
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/flrt/home

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.

IBM i Minimum Levels
Recommended fixes: https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas8N1021194

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. Certain levels of AIX and VIOS do not properly handle concurrent SR-IOV updates, and can leave the virtual resources in a DEAD state.  Please review the following document for further details:  https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6997885.

Boot adapter microcode requirement
Update all adapters which are boot adapters, or which may be used as boot adapters in the future, to the latest microcode from IBM Fix Central.  The latest microcode will ensure the adapters support the new Firmware Secure Boot feature of Power Systems. This requirement applies when updating system firmware from a level prior to FW940 to levels FW940 and later.
The latest adapter microcode levels include signed boot driver code. If a boot-capable PCI adapter is not installed with the latest level of adapter microcode, the partition which owns the adapter will boot, but error logs with SRCs BA5400A5 or BA5400A6 will be posted.  Once the adapter(s) are updated, the error logs will no longer be posted.

Downgrading firmware from any given release level to an earlier release level is not recommended

1. Adapter feature codes (#EC2S/#EC2U and #EC3M and #EC66) when configured in SR-IOV shared mode in FW930 or later, even if originally configured in shared mode in a pre-FW930 release, may not function properly if the system is downgraded to a pre-FW930 release. The adapter should be configured in dedicated mode first (i.e. take the adapter out of SR-IOV shared mode) before downgrading to a pre-FW930 release.
2. If partitions have been run in POWER9 compatibility mode in FW940, a downgrade to an earlier release (pre-FW940) may cause a problem with the partitions starting.  To prevent this problem, the "server firmware" settings must be reset by rebooting partitions in "Power9_base" before doing the downgrade.

If you feel that it is necessary to downgrade the firmware on your system to an earlier release level, please contact your next level of support.

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 update

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/support/knowledgecenter/9080-M9S/p9hat/p9hat_lparmemory.htm

SBE Updates

Power 9 servers contain SBEs (Self Boot Engines) and are used to boot the system.  SBE is internal to each of the Power 9 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 only updated with this service pack if the starting firmware level is less than FW950.10.

NVDIMM Updates

Power 9 ESS 5010-22E servers contain NVDIMMs that may be updated with a service pack. Updating NVDIMM firmware takes approximately 8 minutes per NVDIMM on ESS I/O servers 5105-22E. If an NVDIMM firmware update is required, then this would be incurred only on the initial system boot when updating system firmware or replacing an NVDIMM. There are 4 NVDIMMs per server, so up to an additional 32 minutes might be needed to complete the system boot in these cases.

The NVDIMM firmware is updated with this service pack only when updating from a firmware level less than FW950.10.

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:

01VLxxx_yyy_zzz

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

An installation is disruptive if:

• The release levels (xxx) are different.     

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

• 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.

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 VL910_040_040, new service pack is VL910_041_040.
 

Firmware Information and Description

You can view the server's current firmware level on the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) Welcome pane. It appears in the top right corner. Example: VH920_123.

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.

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: VLxxx_yyy_zzz

Where xxx = release level

• If the release level will stay the same (Example: Level VL910_040_040 is currently installed and you are attempting to install level VL910_041_040) this is considered an update.
• If the release level will change (Example: Level VL900_040_040 is currently installed and you are attempting to install level VL910_050_050) this is considered an upgrade.

Instructions for installing firmware on systems that are not managed by an HMC can be found at:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9ha5/fix_serv_firm_kick.htm

Systems running Ubuntu operating system:
If Ubuntu will be used to update the system firmware, please follow these instructions to extract the installable binary and update/upgrade the firmware:

1) Download the .gz (tarball) from Fix Central to your Ubuntu system (ie, to /tmp/fwupdate).

2) Extract the .gz file to /tmp/ on the Ubuntu system:

Example:
    tar -xzf /tmp/fwupdate/01VL910_040_040.tar.gz -C /tmp/fwupdate

3) Use update_flash -v -f <extracted file name> to verify the package.

4) Update your firmware using update_flash:

/usr/sbin/update_flash  -f <extracted file name>

System will reboot during the firmware update. When the system reaches Ubuntu run-time state, you can then commit or reject the firmware update:
Commit: /usr/sbin/update_flash -c
Reject:   /usr/sbin/update_flash -r
 

IBM i Systems:
For information concerning IBM i Systems, go to the following URL to access Fix Central: 
http://www-933.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.

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/6955591