README: 4GB 4mm Microcode

Users are encouraged to install the latest microcode level themselves. The microcode and instructions are available at the IBM external web site:
http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/server/mdownload/download.html

Microcode in this package is for the following IBM 4mm tape drives:

4GB 4mm internal tape drive
4GB 4mm external 7206-005 tape drive
4mm external 7332-005 tape drive
4mm external 7336-205 tape library

Note: Do not do a microcode update on internal IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives installed in the IBM 7013 models J40 or J50 that have a tape drive microcode level of 4... or a 5... level below 5ALB. Tape Drive microcode levels of 4... and tape drive microcode levels of 5... up to 5ALB report completion of the microcode download prior to the actual completion. On the IBM 7013 models J40 and J50 the system will power the drive off when the drive reports completion which may cause damage to the tape drives. If you have an IBM 7013 model J40 or J50 you should consult your service personnel prior to doing a microcode update on the internal IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives in these systems.

Note: The microcode for the 7248-100/120/133 40P & 43P systems is not included in this package. The microcode for these systems is different and the download requires another program that currently cannot be made available via the web.

Note: 5AL0 or higher microcode will turn on the Cleaning LED when the tape drive goes 30 tape motion hours without being cleaned. This is in addition to the current method of turning on the LED for excessive recovered errors.

Current levels of microcode

The microcode upgrade will bring the IBM 4GB 4mm tape drive up to the current level which is:

4GB 4mm internal tape drive and 4GB 4mm external 7206-005 tape drive:
Tape Drive P/N FRU P/N Microcode level -------------- ------- --------------- 87G4925 59H3481 4Co0 21H5154 59H3481 5ALL 59H3468 59H3481 6640

4mm external 7332-005 autoloader:
Tape Drive P/N FRU P/N Microcode level -------------- ------- --------------- 87G1489 59H3553 4Co0 21H2735 59H3553 5ALG

4mm external 7336-205 tape library:
Tape Drive P/N FRU P/N Microcode level -------------- ------- --------------- 59H2800 59H2823 5ALG

Operating System levels supported:

All levels of AIX that this product was announced on.

Installation Time:

The typical time to install this microcode is .3 hrs.
The microcode becomes active when installed and does not require a system reboot to become active.

Can microcode be installed Concurrently?

Yes, but the tape drive must be available with no tape in the drive, and no other processing running to the tape drive.

Is system reboot needed to activate the microcode

A reboot is not needed as the microcode is active in the drive when the drive completes microcode download. But to have the Vital Product Data show the new level you must use the AIX rmdev and mkdev commands.

Additional Cautions

Do not power off the tape drive during microcode download as this may damage the tape drive microcode requiring the tape drive to be replaced.

Remove any tape cartridge from the drive prior to attempting the microcode download.

Machines Affected:

All pSeries and RS/6000 machines this product was announce on. In general if the tape drive configures and is available with the VPD showing the Machine Type and microcode level as described in this README the machine is one affected.

Microcode History

There are three generations of the 4GB 4mm Tape Drive:

The first generation uses a microcode level of 4xxx
The second generation uses a microcode level of 5xxx

The third generation uses a microcode level of 6xxx

The microcode is specific to each generation of the tape drive and the specific microcode for that generation of the tape drive must be used with only that generation of the drive. If you attempt to load the microcode for one generation into a drive of a different generation the microcode will be rejected by the drive and no change will take place and no damage will be done other than waste your time and the users time. The drive will put on the flashing amber LED to indicate the microcode was rejected. To clear the flashing amber the drive will need to be reset, the normal way to do this is to power the drive off then on.
Be sure to use the appropriate microcode for the appropriate drive.

Note: There is a separate section for the 7248-100/120/133 40P & 43P systems.
The microcode for these systems is different and the download requires another package from CORE called UMCODE(Microcode download tool for 43P systems).

The 4Co0 microcode is for use in the following IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives ONLY:

Table 1. 4Co0 History

Tape Drive P/N Tape Drive FRU P/N Microcode Level What does this microcode change

16G8451 16G8453 4AC First Microcode level shipped.

87G1479 87G1480 4AP Fixes decompression error

87G4925 87G4926 4BK Support for new EE-ROM

87G4925 21H5172 4BKA Fix Cleaning required indication

87G4925 21H5172 4BKC Fix Cleaning required indication

87G4925 21H5172 4Co0 Fix error attempting to write to unsupported media(DDS3 tapes)

Tape Drive P/N	Tape Drive FRU P/N	Microcode Level	What does this microcode change
16G8451	16G8453	4AC	First Microcode level shipped.
87G1479	87G1480	4AP	Fixes decompression error
87G4925	87G4926	4BK	Support for new EE-ROM
87G4925	21H5172	4BKA	Fix Cleaning required indication
87G4925	21H5172	4BKC	Fix Cleaning required indication
87G4925	21H5172	4Co0	Fix error attempting to write to unsupported media(DDS3 tapes)

The 5ALL microcode is for use in the following IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives ONLY:

Table 2. 5ALL History

Tape Drive P/N Tape Drive FRU P/N Microcode Level What does this microcode change

21H5154 21H5172 5620 First Microcode level shipped.

21H5154 21H5172 562B Fix power on selftest(POST) failure

21H5154 59H3481 5ALo Set cleaning required at 30 hours

21H5154 59H3481 5ALG Fix errors in filemark and space command processing.

21H5154 59H3481 5ALL Flush all data after write File Mark command.

Tape Drive P/N	Tape Drive FRU P/N	Microcode Level	What does this microcode change
21H5154	21H5172	5620	First Microcode level shipped.
21H5154	21H5172	562B	Fix power on selftest(POST) failure
21H5154	59H3481	5ALo	Set cleaning required at 30 hours
21H5154	59H3481	5ALG	Fix errors in filemark and space command processing.
21H5154	59H3481	5ALL	Flush all data after write File Mark command.

The 6640 microcode is for use in the following IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives ONLY:

Table 3. 6640 History

Tape Drive P/N Tape Drive FRU P/N Microcode Level What does this microcode change

59H3468 59H3481 6560 First Microcode level shipped.

59H3468 59H3481 6640 Fix time out process of 45 seconds

Tape Drive P/N	Tape Drive FRU P/N	Microcode Level	What does this microcode change
59H3468	59H3481	6560	First Microcode level shipped.
59H3468	59H3481	6640	Fix time out process of 45 seconds

Determine the microcode level in the drive

To determine if your machine(s) has one of these level tape drives, type the command on an AIX prompt:
lscfg -vl rmt* | pg
The Device Specific.(Z1) field is the current microcode level in the drive.
rmt0 00-04-00-2,0 4.0 GB 4mm Tape Drive Manufacturer................ARCHIVE Machine Type and Model......IBM4326NP/RP !D Device Specific.(Z1)........4AC, or 4... or 5620 or 5....

How to do a microcode update:

The instructions included in this package will allow you to make this update. The process is simple and requires no tools.

Note: In some cases you may already have this microcode update already installed. Instructions in the package will show you how to check your system to see if it requires the updated microcode to be installed. This can be checked by doing the AIX command listed in the instructions or doing the same command listed later in this "README".

There are three generations of the 4GB 4mm Tape Drive.

The first generation uses a microcode level of 4xxx.
The second generation uses a microcode level of 5xxx.
The third generation uses a microcode level of 6xxx.

You cannot install
4xxx code into a generation 2 drive and you cannot install
5xxx code into a generation 1 drive etc..
If you attempt to do this the microcode will be rejected by the drive and no change will take place and no damage will be done.
However:

If you attempt to download the wrong microcode to the drive the drive will put on the flashing Amber LED to indicate an error. It will be necessary to power cycle the drive to clear this error.

Note: Be sure to use the appropriate microcode for the corresponding drive.

Determine the level of microcode in the drive

To determine the level of microcode in your 4mm tape drive, type the command on an AIX prompt:
lscfg -vl rmt* | pg

The response to this will be:

           Machine type and model ...... IBM4326NP....
           Device Specific(Z1) ......... 4AC, or 4... or 5620 or 5....

Putting the microcode on the system

There are 2 ways a user can get the microcode files. Each of these will put the microcode on the user's system but the user will have to move the files to appropriate directory for system use.

From the IBM WEB site via the user downloading the files.

When the user downloads the microcode files from the IBM web site the packaged microcode files will be put into the /tmp directory.

If the user downloads the 4mmtape.bin file the user will put the downloaded file into the /tmp directory. Use the following AIX commands to expand the files into the /tmp/4mm_tape directory.
chmod +x 4mmtape.bin
/tmp/4mmtape.bin
This put the following files into the /tmp/4mm_tape directory.
- IBM4326N.30303131.5ALG.7336
The next step is to follow the instructions in this README titled "Packaged Microcode Files" to verify and copy the files to the appropriate directory.

From a CD-ROM.

If the CD-ROM process is used to put the 4mmtape.bin file on the user system the microcode files will expanded into the /tmp/4mm_tape directory. The building and putting of the files into the /tmp/4mm_tape directory was done by the user when they used the CD-ROM build instructions. The next step is to follow the instructions in this README titled "Packaged Microcode Files" to verify and copy the files to the appropriate directory.

Note: AIX commands and file names are case sensitive.
If the users AIX permission does not allow the copy to the above stated directory or file then the user will be prompted for a new location.

Packaged Microcode Files

Change directory to the /tmp/4mm_tape directory where you downloaded the microcode to from the Web using the AIX command:
cd /tmp/4mm_tape
You will see the following files:
- 4GB 4mm internal tape drive and 4GB 4mm external 7206-005 tape drive microcode file:
  IBM4326N.30303131.4CO0
  IBM4326N.30303131.5ALL
  IBM4326N.30303131.6640
- 4mm external 7332-005 tape drive microcode file:
  IBM4326N.7332005.4CO0
  IBM4326N.7332005.5ALG
- 4mm external 7336-205 tape library microcode file:
  IBM4326N.30303131.5ALG.7336

Notice

Do not do a microcode update on internal IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives installed in the IBM 7013 models J40 or J50 that have a tape drive microcode level of 4... or a 5... level below 5ALB. Tape Drive microcode levels of 4... and tape drive microcode levels of 5... up to 5ALB report completion of the microcode download prior to the actual completion.
On the IBM 7013 models J40 and J50 the system will power the drive off when the drive reports completion which may cause damage to the tape drives. If you have an IBM 7013 model J40 or J50 you should consult your service personnel prior to doing a microcode update on the internal IBM 4GB 4mm tape drives in these systems.

Verify the microcode:

Follow the Download procedures on the Web site. Be sure to download the files to the /tmp directory as the following instructions assume the /tmp directory is where the download was done to.
The AIX sum command should be used to verify that the microcode downloaded successfully. Do the following AIX command:
sum IBM*
The output will be:
19259 257 IBM4326N.30303131.4CO0
51680 257 IBM4326N.30303131.5ALG.7336
14076 257 IBM4326N.30303131.5ALL
48933 513 IBM4326N.30303131.6640
49580 257 IBM4326N.7332005.4CO0
01287 257 IBM4326N.7332005.5ALG
If any of the SUMs do not match, redo the microcode download and expansion being sure the download is in binary.

Installing the microcode:

Change directory to the /tmp/4mm_tape directory where you downloaded the microcode to from the Web using the AIX command
cd /tmp/4mm_tape

For the 4GB4mm internal or the external 7206-005 tape drive
- Determine the generation of the tape drive with the AIX command:
  lscfg -vl rmt0
- If the Z1 field is 4xxx then do the following AIX command:
  cp IBM4326N.30303131.4CO0 /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.30303131.4CO0
- If the Z1 field is 5xxx then do the following AIX command:
  cp IBM4326N.30303131.5ALL /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.30303131.5ALL
- If the Z1 field is 6xxx then do the following AIX command:
  cp IBM4326N.30303131.6640 /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.30303131.6640
- Go to the install microcode step using AIX Diagnostics.
For the 4mm external 7336-205 tape library do the following AIX command:
cp IBM4326N.30303131.5ALG.7336 /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.30303131.5ALG
Go to the install microcode step using AIX Diagnostics.
For the 4mm external 7332-005 autoloader
- Determine the generation of the tape drive with the AIX command:
  lscfg -vl rmt0
- If the Z1 field is 4xxx then do the following AIX command:
  cp IBM4326N.7332005.4CO0 /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.7332005.4CO0
- If the Z1 field is 5xxx then do the following AIX command:
  cp IBM4326N.7332005.5ALG /etc/microcode/IBM4326N.7332005.5ALG
- Go to the install microcode step using ATAPE and AIX Diagnostics

Install microcode using AIX Diagnostics.

Make sure you are signed on as root
Issue the AIX command:
diag
Press enter on the initial diagnostic screen
Select the diagnostic service aid
(How this is selected will vary by AIX level)
Select microcode download
(This will be down several screens)
Note: When you are in the diagnostics and the diagnostics ask if you have the microcode on diskette reply No and the microcode will be loaded from the /etc/microcode file you copied from /tmp/4mm_tape directory.
Follow the diagnostic instructions for completing the microcode download.
When the download completes there is no need to recycle the system or the tape drive as the microcode is now active in the drive.
To get the Vital Product Data(VPD) showing the new microcode level visible on AIX do the following AIX commands(they do not change the user's options):
rmdev -l rmt0
mkdev -l rmt0
The microcode update process is now complete.

Install microcode using ATAPE and AIX Diagnostics

This process is only for the 7332-005.

Make sure you are signed on as root
Issue the AIX command:
diag
Press enter on the initial diagnostic screen
Select the diagnostic service aid
(How this is selected will vary by AIX level)
IBM Tape Drive Service Aids
(This will near the bottom of the list)
This selection provides a set of tools to perform utility functions on Tape and Medium Changer Devices supported by the Atape Device Driver.

Note: When you are in the diagnostics and the diagnostics ask if you have the microcode on diskette reply No and the microcode will be loaded from the /etc/microcode file you copied from /tmp/4mm_tape directory:
Follow the diagnostic instructions for completing the microcode download.
When the download completes there is no need to recycle the system or the tape drive as the microcode is now active in the drive.
Atape updates the Vital Product Data(VPD) showing the new microcode level.
The microcode update process is now complete.

Privacy | Legal | Contact IBM