IBM Support

IPMI device driver fails to install under SUSE Linux Enterprixe Server 10 x86 - IBM System x

Troubleshooting


Problem

IPMI device driver fails to install under SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 x86. While installing the OpenIPMI Device Driver, messages appear in /var/log/messages.

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H19185

Symptom

The Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) device driver fails to install with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES10) x86.

While installing the OpenIPMI Device Driver, the following messages appear in /var/log/messages:

kernel: IPMI System Interface driver.

kernel: ipmi_si: Found SMBIOS-specified state machine at I/O address 0xca8, slave address 0x20

kernel: Could not setup I/O space

kernel: Trying to free non-existent resource <00000ca9-00000cac>

kernel: ipmi_si: Unable to find any System Interface(s)

While installing the OSA IPMI Device Driver, the following messages appear in /var/log/messages:

kernel: Initializing on board : IF 1, IB 00000ca8, IOMap 1, regSpacingMultiplier 4

kernel: ipmidrvr on board :interface initialization failed, errorno = 5

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

  • System x3800, type 8865, any model
  • System x3800, type 8866, any model
  • System x3850, type 8863, any model
  • System x3850, type 8864, any model
  • System x3950 E, type 8874, any model
  • System x3950 E, type 8879, any model
  • System x3950, type 8872, any model
  • System x3950, type 8878, any model
  • xSeries 260, type 8865, any model
  • xSeries 366, type 8863, any model
  • xSeries 460, type 8872, any model
  • xSeries MXE-460, type 8874, any model

The system is configured with at least one of the following:

  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, any service pack

This tip is not option specific.
The utilities depending on ipmi driver (lflash, dsa etc.) utility is affected.
The following system BIOS/uEFI level(s) are affected:

  • ZSE109AUS-1.02 & later
  • ZUE165AUS-1.11 & later

The IPMI device driver for the BMC is affected.

  • BMC

The system has the symptom described above.
Note: This does not imply that the network operating system will work under all combinations of hardware and software.
Please see the compatibility page for more information:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/

Solution

This behavior has been corrected in the later releases of SLES10.

The file is available by selecting the appropriate Product Group, Product name, Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix Central web page, at the following URL:

http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Workaround

The Workaround is to disable PNPACPI using the following kernel command line parameter:

pnpacpi=off

This will disable the use of PNPACPI and will instead use PNPBIOS.

Additional information

The PNPACPI layer may claim the I/O ports on behalf of the IPMI device driver, but the IPMI device driver does not know about that.

The following would appear in /var/log/boot.messages:

  • pnp: 00:0b: ioport range 0xca8-0xca8 has been reserved
  • pnp: 00:0b: ioport range 0xcac-0xcac has been reserved

The OpenIPMI or OSA IPMI device driver fails to install because it cannot allocate the I/O ports.

The pnpacpi=off kernel command line parameter will disable PNPACPI and will use PNPBIOS instead.

This is an issue on kernels 2.6.12 - 2.6.16. This issue will be fixed in 2.6.17 and backported to SLES10.

Document Location

Worldwide

Operating System

System x:Operating system independent / None

Older System x:Operating system independent / None

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Document Information

Modified date:
29 January 2019

UID

ibm1MIGR-5069829

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