On-board share NIC function abnormal - System x3650 M4 BD

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H212823

Symptom

An on-board share Network Interface Controller (NIC) issue was identified on System x3630 M4.

When users change the management port from Dedicate (port4) to share NIC (port1), the share NIC management function cannot work.

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3650 M4 BD, Type 5466, any model

This tip is not software specific.

This tip is not option specific.

The following system firmware level(s) are affected: LOM Build ID: EEPROM V1.64

The system has the symptom described above.

Solution

The failure symptoms can be corrected by the following procedure.

Prerequisites:

- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Storage device.

Steps:

1. Decompress the attaching zip file ( EEPROM EFI Tool.zip) and copy all files to USB Storage device.   
2. Connect the USB Storage device with prepared system.
3. Power on the machine and press F1 to enter the UEFI F1 setup menu.
4. Enter 'Boot Manager' screen and select 'Boot From File'.
5. Select 'USB' device.
6. Select 'FillShell.efi' file.
7. Type in fs0: or fs1: to access the USB Storage device, this might vary by configuration, users can type 'ls' to check for the appropriate disk content.
8. Type in command line:

   eeupdate64e.efi

   
   All the NIC devices will then be presented on the screen.Find the 'NIC' information which has the following statements:
   

   NIC: # (numerical sequenced) Bus: 7 Dev: 00 Fun: 00 Vendor-Device: 8086-1521 Branding string: Intel(R) I350 Gigabit Network Connection

8. Type in command line:

   eeupdate64e.efi -nic=1 -d I350_2-4port_Copper_NCSI_1_64_YongChun.eep

   (where NIC# = the NIC ID was found from Step 8, for example: 1)
   Ensure the correct NIC# is selected before proceeding Step 9. Part(s) replacement will be required once the firmware is flashed to the incorrect device(s).
9. Perform alternating current (AC) power cycle.

Additional information

The performance degradation occurs when there is misalignment - that is, when 4 KB operations are split across two (2) 4 KB sectors. This situation can have a significantly negative impact on performance because each 4 KB I/O request forces the drive to manipulate with data from two (2) physical sectors. Proper alignment is important for write operations, where each operation performs two I/O transfers (read and write).

By ensuring that the operating system is 512E aware and that the partitions are aligned, the performance issues can be avoided.