Power7 System Firmware

System firmware changes that affect all systems

• A problem was fixed that caused a card (and its children) that was removed after the system was booted to continue to be listed in the guard menus in the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI).
• A problem was fixed that prevented predictive guard errors from being deleted on the secondary service processor.  This caused hardware to be erroneously guarded out if a service processor failover occurred, then the system was rebooted.
• A problem was fixed that caused the system controller (service processor) to reset during a CEC power-off or reboot.  This will cause a terminating SRC and other serviceable events to be logged, and a platform reboot.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B1813221, which indicates a failure of the battery on the service processor, to be erroneously logged after a service processor reset or power cycle.
  
• A problem was fixed that caused various SRCs to be erroneously logged at boot time including B181E6C7 and B1818A14.
• A problem was fixed that caused a code update operation to fail with a time-out error, creating a call-home with SRC B1818A0F .  This problem is more likely to occur on HMC-managed systems experiencing a high level of management activity during a code update.
• A problem was fixed that caused the service processor (or system controller) to crash when it boots from the new level during a concurrent firmware installation.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B7006A72 to be erroneously logged.
• The Power Hypervisor was enhanced to insure better synchronization of vSCSI and NPIV I/O interrupts to partitions.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B15A3303 ("CEC Hardware: Time-Of-Day Hardware Predictive Error") to be erroneously logged, and the time-of-day to be set to Jan 1, 1970.
• A problem was fixed that was caused by an attempt to modify a virtual adapter from the management console command line when the command specifies it is an Ethernet adapter, but the virtual ID specified is for an adapter type other than Ethernet.  The managed system has to be rebooted to restore communications with the management console when this problem occurs; SRC B7000602 is also logged.
  

• On systems with an I/O tower attached, a problem was fixed that caused SRCs 10009135 and 10009139 to be erroneously logged.
• On systems running Selective Memory Mirroring (SMM), a problem was fixed that caused the hypervisor to hang or crash when an uncorrectable hardware error occurred in a memory DIMM.
• On systems with redundant service processors, a problem was fixed that caused the sibling service processor state to show up as "unknown" in the service processor error log if a code synchronization problem was detected after a service processor was replaced.
• A problem was fixed that caused the HMC to display incorrect data for a virtual Ethernet adapter's transactions statistics.
• A problem was fixed that caused a hibernation resume operation to hang if the connection to the paging space is lost near the end of the resume processing.  This is more likely on a partition that supports remote restart.
• A problem was fixed that caused the system to terminate with a bad address checkstop during mirroring defragmentation.
• A problem was fixed that prevented the HMC command "lshwres" from showing any I/O adapters if any adapter name contained the ampersand character in the VPD.
• On a system running a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operation, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to successfully appear on the target system, but hang with a 2005 SRC.
• On a partition with a large number of potentially bootable devices, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to fail to boot with a default catch, and SRC BA210000 may also be logged.
• On systems running Active Memory Sharing (AMS) partitions, a problem was fixed that may arise due to the incorrect handling of a return code in an error path during the logical partition migration (LPM) of an AMS partition.
• On systems running Active Memory Sharing (AMS) partitions, a timing problem was fixed that may occur if the system is undergoing AMS pool size changes.
  

• A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance (CHARM) operation to fail after this sequence of events occurred:
  
                      1.  A user-initiated platform system dump is requested (from the ASMI or management console).
                      2.  A service processor reset/reload takes place while dump collection is in progress.
                      3.  A concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation is attempted.                    
  
  
• A problem was fixed that caused the system to crash during a processor book upgrade when the  backup clock was in an error state, and the system switched over the backup clock.
• A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to hang at the "Determining current FRU information" panel on the management console.
• A problem was fixed that caused a service processor (system controller) reset/reload during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation on a fully-configured system with several hundred partitions.
• The firmware was enhanced to reduce the number of concurrent hot add/repair maintenance failures due to the operation timing out on fully-configured systems.
• A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation to fail if a memory channel failure on the CEC was followed by a service processor reset/reload.
• On systems in which there are no processors in the shared processor pool, a problem was fixed that caused the Hypervisor to become unresponsive (the service processor starts logging time-out errors against the Hypervisor, and the HMC can no longer talk to the Hypervisor) during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
  
• A problem was fixed that caused a hypervisor memory leak during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent node repair or upgrade to fail during the system deactivation step with a hypervisor error code of 0x300.
  
• A problem was fixed that caused a the system to terminate with a bad address checkstop during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused the system to hang if memory relocation is performed during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused partition activations to fail during or after a node repair operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused synchronization problems in an application using the Barrier Synchronization Register (BSR) facility during the memory relocation that occurs in a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
• A problem was fixed that prevented the I/O slot information from being presented on the management console after a concurrent node repair.
• A problem was fixed that caused a service processor (system controller) reset/reload, instead of a standard error being logged, when a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation failed.
• A problem was fixed that caused a node repair operation to fail when preceded by another node repair operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused a node repair or node add to fail.
• A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation with a B181C350 SRC.
• On systems running multiple IBM i partitions that are configured to communicate with each other via virtual Opticonnect, concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operations may time-out.  When this problem occurs, a platform reboot may be required to recover.
  

System firmware changes that affect all systems

• HIPER/Non-Pervasive: DEFERRED:  A problem was fixed that caused a system crash with SRC B170E540.
  
• HIPER/Non-Pervasive:  A related problem was also fixed that could cause a live lock on the power bus resulting in a system crash.
  
• To address poor placement of partitions following a reboot of a server with unlicensed cores, the firmware was enhanced to run the affinity manager when the initialize configuration operation is done from the HMC.  A problem was also fixed that caused the hypervisor to be left in an inconsistent state after a partition create operation failed.
• A problem was fixed that caused a crash while the system was being serviced and the TPMD (Thermal and Power Management Device) reset unexpectedly.
  

New Features and Functions

• Support for booting the IBM i operating system from a USB tape drive.
  

System firmware changes that affect all systems

• A problem was fixed that caused a partition with dedicated processors to hang with SRC  BA33xxxx when rebooted, after it was migrated using a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operation from a system running Ax730 to a system running Ax740, or vice versa.
• The firmware was enhanced to call out the correct field replaceable units (FRUs) when SRC B124E504 with description "Chnl init TO due to SN stuck in recovery" was logged.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B1818A10 to be erroneously logged after a system firmware installation.
• A problem was fixed that caused booting from a virtual fibre channel tape device to fail with SRC B2008105.
  
• The firmware was enhanced to log SRCs BA180030 and BA180031 as informational instead of predictive.
• A problem was fixed that caused a "code accept" during a concurrent firmware installation from the HMC to fail with SRC E302F85C.  This is most likely to occur on model FHB systems.
• On systems running the AIX operating system, a problem was fixed that caused the hypervisor to crash with SRC B7000103, after an HEA (Host Ethernet Adapter) error was logged, when there is a lot of AIX activity on the HEAs.
• A problem was fixed that caused the suspension of a partition to fail if a large amount of data has to be stored to resume the partition.
• A problem was fixed that caused a system crash with unrecoverable SRC B7000103 with "ErFlightRecorder" in the failing stack..
• On systems booting from an NPIV (N-port ID virtualization) device, a problem was fixed that caused the boot to intermittently terminate with the message "PReP-BOOT: unable to load full PReP image.".  This problem occurs more frequently on the IBM V7000 Storage System running the SAN Volume Controller (SVC), but not on every boot.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B181E6F1 with the description "RMGR_PERSISTENT_EVENT_TIMEOUT" to be erroneously logged.
• A problem was fixed that caused a memory leak in the service processor firmware.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B155A491 to be erroneously logged during multiple system IPLs.  This SRC may cause the system to terminate.
  
• A problem was fixed that caused the lsstat command on the HMC to display an erroneously high number of packets transmitted and received on a vlan interface.
• The firmware was enhanced to improve the service actions when a processor error with the signature "MCFIR[14] - Hang timer detector" was logged.
• A problem was fixed that caused the system to crash after a recoverable error was logged on an I/O hub.
  

• The firmware was enhanced to fix a potential performance degradation on systems utilizing the stride-N stream prefetch instructions dcbt (with TH=1011) or dcbtst (with TH=1011).  Typical applications executing these algorithms include High Performance Computing, data intensive applications exploiting streaming instruction prefetchs, and applications utilizing the Engineering and Scientific Subroutine Library (ESSL) 5.1.
• On systems on which Internet Explorer (IE) is used to access the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) on the Hardware Management Console (HMC), a problem was fixed that caused IE to hang for about 10 minutes after saving changes to network parameters on the ASMI.
• A problem was fixed that caused informational SRC A70047FF, which may indicate that the Anchor (VPD) card should be replaced, to be erroneously logged again after the Anchor card was replaced.
• A problem was fixed that caused a network installation of IBM i to fail when the client was on the same subnet as the server.
• On systems with a 5796 or 5797 I/O drawer attached, a problem was fixed that could cause a system hang.
  
• On 9119-FHB systems with F/C 5803 or 5873 I/O drawers attached via InfiniBand, and that are running IBM i partitions, a problem was fixed that prevented slots on the same PCI bus from being assigned to other partitions.  This can result in SRC B600690B being logged.
  

• A problem was fixed the prevented the DASD roll-up fault LED from working properly after a node add or node remove operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused a hot node repair operation to fail with PhypRc=0x0300, indicating the deactivate system resource operation failed.
• During a CHARM replacement of a memory card on a system running with mirrored memory, a problem was fixed that caused the operation to fail with "PhypRc = 0x0326".
• A problem was fixed that caused a node evacuation to fail with "PhypRc=0x0300".
  

05/18/12

New Features and Functions 

• Support for IBM i Live Partition Mobility (LPM)

• A problem was fixed that prevented the user from changing the boot mode or keylock setting after a remote restart-capable partition is created, even after the partition's paging device is on-line.

03/14/12

System firmware changes that affect all systems

• The firmware was enhanced to properly display a memory controller that has been guarded out manually on the "Deconfiguration Records" menu option (under "System Service Aids") on the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI).
  
• A problem was fixed that caused multiple service processor dumps to be unnecessarily taken during a concurrent firmware update.  SRC B181EF9A, which indicates that the dump space on the service processor is full, was logged as a result.
• The firmware was enhanced to increase the threshold for recoverable SRC B113E504 so that the processor core reporting the SRC is not guarded out.  This prevents unnecessary performance loss and the unnecessary replacement of processor modules.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B7000602 to be erroneously logged at power on.
• The firmware was enhanced to recognize new USB-attached devices so that they will be listed as boot devices in the System Management Services (SMS) menus.
• A problem was fixed that caused booting or installing a partition or system from a USB device to fail with error code BA210012.  This usually occurs when an operating system (OS) other than the OS that is already on the partition or system is booted or installed.
• On the System Management Services (SMS) remote IPL (RIPL) menus, a problem was fixed that caused the SMS menu to continue to show that an Ethernet device is configured for iSCSI, even though the user has changed it to BOOTP.
  
• The firmware was enhanced to log SRCs BA180030 and BA180031 as informational instead of predictive.
• The firmware was enhanced to increase the threshold of soft NVRAM errors on the service processor to 32 before SRC B15xF109 is logged.  (Replacement of the service processor is recommended if more than one B15xF109 is logged per week.)
  
• A problem was fixed that caused a system to crash when the system was in low power (or safe) mode, and the system attempted to switch over to nominal mode.
  
• The firmware was enhanced to correctly log an error when the bulk power controllers' firmware levels don't match.
• A problem was fixed that caused SRC B7006990 to be incorrectly logged, instead of SRC B7006991, when the hypervisor is unable to communicate with the secondary system controller at system boot.
  
• A problem was fixed that caused corruption of the bus between the  thermal/power management device (TPMD) and the processors.  SRCs B1812A11 ("TPMD to processor communication failure"), B113E504 ("core thermal unit PCB error"), B114E504  ("nest  thermal unit PCB error"), and B121E504 ("memory controller thermal unit PCB error") were logged, and the processors to be guarded out, when this problem occurred.
• A problem was fixed that caused a partition to hang at progress code C200xxxx when booting.
• A problem was fixed that caused the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) to continue to show that processors were deconfigured after they had been replaced.
  
• Two problems were fixed with the firmware that controls the lightstrip LED:
  - A problem that prevented the P10 and P11 LEDs from coming on when power was applied to the lightstrip
  - A problem that caused a node power LED (P2, P3, P4...P9) to come on even though a node was not installed.
• The firmware was enhanced to more gracefully handle the system shutdown that is required when a hypervisor hang condition was encountered.  SRCs B7000602, B182951C, B1813918 and A7001151 were logged, and a service processor failover occurred, when the hypervisor hang condition and subsequent system crash occurred.
  

• HIPER/Non-Pervasive: On systems running the Advanced Energy Manager, a problem was fixed that caused the system to crash with SRC B114E504.
• A problem was fixed that caused the hypervisor to hang during a concurrent operation on a F/C 5802, 5803, 5873 or 5877 I/O drawer.  Recovering from the hypervisor hang required a platform reboot.
  
• A problem was fixed that impacted performance if profiling was enabled in one or more partitions.  Performance profiling is enabled:
  - In an AIX or VIOS partition using the tprof (-a, -b, -B, -E option) command or pmctl (-a, -E option) command.
  - In an IBM i partition when the PEX *TRACE profile (TPROF) collections or PEX *PROFILE collections are active.
  - In a Linux partition using the perf command, which is available in RHEL6 and SLES11; profiling with oprofile does not cause the problem.
• On a system that is being upgraded from Ax720 system firmware to Ax730 system firmware, the firmware was enhanced to log B1818A0F as informational instead of predictive if it occurs during the firmware upgrade.
• On systems running Active Memory Sharing (AMS), the allocation of the memory was enhanced to improve performance.
• A problem was fixed that caused the suspension of a logical partition running Active Memory Sharing (AMS) to fail because the disk headers had not been erased.
• On systems with an iSCSI network, when booting a logical partition using that iSCSI network, a problem was fixed that caused the iSCSI gateway parameter displayed on the screen to be incorrect.  It did not impact iSCSI boot functionality.
• On systems using affinity groups, a problem was fixed that prevented one of the partitions from being placed correctly.
  

• A problem was fixed that caused a checkstop to occur during a node repair operation.
• A problem was  fixed that caused the system to hang during a CHARM operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused unrecoverable SRCs B1813918 and B182953C during a CHARM operation.
• A problem was fixed that caused the replacement of a processor module during a CHARM operation to fail because the CCIN of the replacement module was different from the CCIN of the module being replaced, even though they were functionally equivalent.
• A problem was fixed that caused multiple types of failures (CHARM node operations and Advanced Energy Manager (AEM) state changes, among others), after a CHARM hot node operation on the first node was followed by a concurrent firmware installation.
  

12/08/11

System firmware changes that affect certain systems

• HIPER/Pervasive on systems with a Virtual Input/Output (VIO) client running AIX, and with a F/C 5803 or 5873 I/O drawer attached:  A problem was fixed that caused the system to crash with SRC B700F103.
  

11/22/11

System firmware changes that affect all systems 

• HIPER/Pervasive:  On systems running firmware level AH730_051, or AH730_058, a problem was fixed that caused the target server to hang, or go to the incomplete state on the management console, after a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operation.  This problem can also occur when a partition hibernation operation is done.