IBM Support

What is the purpose of oem_setup_env in PowerVM VIOS?

Question & Answer


Question

VIOS has similarities with AIX. Is it supported to do VIOS maintenance/administrative tasks via oem_setup_env (AIX root shell)?

Cause

Although the VIOS is based on AIX, it is not to be treated as AIX. The purpose of the VIOS is to virtualize the physical resources. The product was originally based on a version of the AIX operating system to create a foundation based on a very mature and robust operating system. The VIOS provides a generic command line interface (CLI) for management. Some of the commands in the VIOS (padmin) CLI may have common names with AIX and Linux commands. These command names were chosen only because they were generic. The flags and parameters will differ.  See VIOS commands alphabetically or by category for more details.

Answer

The oem_setup_env command opens a non-restricted AIX root shell in the /home/padmin directory, with full root authority. Commands that you run in the oem_setup_env environment to modify the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) might impact the system configuration, stability, or operations. You must not make changes that modify the operational configuration of VIOS. The primary purpose of the oem_setup_env command is to enable you to install and setup the vendor-provided software, such as device drivers. If IBM Support determines that issues are caused in the VIOS configuration due to changes made in the oem_setup_env environment, you must restore the system to its default configuration before starting the troubleshooting process. To request for additional commands to be run in the padmin environment, submit a request through the IBM Idea Request for Enhancement (RFE) process. See related URL for a list of IBM ideas for PowerVM VIOS product.

Only privileged user accounts, such as padmin, can run this command.

Related Information

IBM Ideas for PowerVM VIOS

[{"Type":"MASTER","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB68","label":"Power HW"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU070","label":"IBM Infrastructure"},"Product":{"code":"SSHQYKG","label":"PowerVM Enterprise Edition"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m50000000L0KcAAK","label":"Archive-\u003EPowerVM VIOS-\u003EPADMIN\/CLI"}],"ARM Case Number":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"All Versions"}]

Document Information

Modified date:
20 August 2026

UID

isg3T1025020

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