How To
Summary
PowerVM Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) 3.1 installation using USB flash drive
Objective
This document describes how to prepare for a VIOS 3.1 installation using a USB flash drive.
Environment
PowerVM VIOS version 3.1
Steps
1. Physically assign the USB flash drive to the VIOS partition using the Hardware Management Console (HMC).
From HMC GUI
> Select the VIOS partition
> Actions
> Profiles
> Manage Profiles
> Select the Profile, click Actions, Edit, I/O tab
> Select Universal Serial Bus UHC Spec and Add as desired
> Click OK
2. Obtain the VIOS 3.1 ISO image available in the Entitlement Software Support website.
Note 1: a valid Software Maintenance Agreement is required.
There are 2 versions of the installation image:
$ ls -l
total 20441672
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root system 4488343552 Jan 04 05:30 Virtual_IO_Server_Base_Install_3.1.0.0_DVD_1_of_2_112018.iso
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root system 1366530048 Jan 04 05:49 Virtual_IO_Server_Base_Install_3.1.0.0_DVD_2_of_2_112018.iso
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root system 4611252224 Jan 04 06:52 Virtual_IO_Server_Base_Install_3.1.0.10_Flash_112018.iso
The first two files are the "standard" DVD ISO images.
The third file is the "Flash" version, which is the standard DVD's combined into one installation file.
The third file is the "Flash" version, which is the standard DVD's combined into one installation file.
Note 2: Over time VIOS levels will change but the concept remains the same.
VIOS 3.1 supports installation by using a USB flash drive on Power® and later systems. A USB flash drive containing a VIOS installation image can be created by first downloading the VIOS installation image from the IBM Entitled System Support website. A single volume installation image of VIOS 3.1 is made available on the Entitled System Support website for writing to a USB flash drive. After you have downloaded the image, the VIOS installation image can be written to a USB flash drive. Use a recently manufactured USB flash drive. You must have a minimum of 16 GB available on your USB flash drive for VIOS installation.
3. Write the Installation image to USB flash drive
The image can be written to a USB flash drive using the dd command on an AIX ® or a Linux based system. See How to put ISO images on a USB drive? for more details. This can also be done from another VIOS in the oem_setup_env shell.
In this example, ISO image file, Virtual_IO_Server_Base_Install_3.1.0.10_Flash_112018.iso, resides in /tmp on another VIOS partition.
Login as padmin and run:
$ oem_setup_env# dd if=/tmp/Virtual_IO_Server_Base_Install_3.1.0.10_Flash_112018.iso of=/dev/usbms0 bs=4kAlternatively, an installable USB flash drive can by created by coping the image directly from VIOS DVD installation media using the dd command:
# dd if=/dev/cd0 of=/dev/usbms0 bs=4kComparable commands exist on Windows-based systems for writing the installation image to a USB flash memory stick. However, those methods are not supported by IBM.
4. Boot VIOS partition from the USB flash drive
Once the VIOS installation image has been written to the USB flash drive, the media can be used on POWER8 ® and later systems in the same manner as VIOS DVD install media.
From HMC GUI
> Select the VIOS partition
> Click Actions, Activate
> Select the profile. Then under Advanced Settings, set Boot Mode to System Management Services (SMS)
(If there are any Java problems when using the HMC's GUI vterm, then SSH to the HMC, and run the vtmenu command. You will be prompted to select the server, select the VIOS)
From SMS Menu
> Select '5. Select Boot Options'
> Select '1. Select Install/Boot Device'
> Select '5. List all Devices'
> Select the USB that has the flash .iso image and follow the screen prompt to proceed with the installation
Note 3: On POWER8 and later systems, the SMS menu can be used to assign the USB flash drive as the boot source. IBM Power Systems ™USB implementation is compliant with relevant USB standards. In the unlikely event a USB flash drive is not properly recognized on an IBM POWER8 or later system, it is recommended to try a different flash drive brand.
Related Information
[{"Type":"MASTER","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":"a8m0z000000GnQEAA0","label":"PowerVM VIOS-\u003EINSTALLATION-\u003E3.1 Installation"}],"ARM Case Number":"TS009270664","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"3.1.1;3.1.2;3.1.3"}]
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Document Information
Modified date:
16 May 2022
UID
ibm10795306