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Recommended Update Order for VIOS, System Firmware, and AIX – August 2026 Service Pack Releases

Question & Answer


Question

What is the recommended order to update PowerVM Virtual I/O Server (VIOS), system firmware, and AIX?

Cause

I need to update the VIOS, system firmware, and AIX client OS with respect to August 2026 release . Does it matter which one is updated first?

Answer

Power System Firmware Bulletins :- https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/bulletin/search/?q=IBM%20Power%20Systems (Filter with "2026-08-15")
 
  • Install August Firmware SP.
  • Install August VIOS FP on VIOS1 and Reboot VIOS 1(Assuming dual VIOS).  
  • All the clients are running on redundant VIOS 2.
  • Install August VIOS FP on VIOS2 and Reboot VIOS 2(Assuming dual VIOS).
  • Reboot VIOS 2.
  • All clients are now running on VIOS 1.
  • Install August AIX SP.
  • Reboot AIX client (we want to mention boot the ones with the largest CPU/Mem footprint and go down to the smallest. Otherwise, we might see a perf issue and would have to run DPO).
  • Reboot the Power CEC/Frame.
  • If reboot of the Power CEC/Frame is done and all LPARS are going down at the same time after SP/FP install, we would just recommend boot the VIOSes and then start with largest CPU/Mem LPAR.

 

FAQ :-

1. Is a Power CEC/Frame reboot Mandatory after the application of the Firmware fixes ?

Answer :- Yes ,  even if the firmware fix is concurrent and wont reboot the CEC/Frame automatically , a manual reboot of CEC/Frame is needed for Mitigation of fixes .  The Power Hardware CVE's that need reboot of the CEC/Frame to mitigate them are listed below. 

CVE-2026-16933, CVE-2026-16930, CVE-2026-17429, CVE-2026-17063, CVE-2026-17494, CVE-2026-19234, CVE-2026-19321, CVE-2026-4932,CVE-2026-4936,CVE-2026-4937

Below Note is part of all the above CVE's ."NOTE: If performing a concurrent upgrade you must reboot the system after updating to the new firmware level to mitigate this CVE" .

[{"Line of Business":{"code":"LOB57","label":"Power"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSPHKW","label":"PowerVM Virtual I\/O Server"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m50000000L0KIAA0","label":"PowerVM VIOS-\u003EVIOS Update"}],"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"All Versions","Type":"MASTER"}]

Document Information

Modified date:
07 October 2026

UID

ibm17283901

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