Power7 System Firmware

Applies to: 9117-MMC and 9179-MHC

This document provides information about the installation of Licensed Machine or Licensed Internal Code, which is sometimes referred to generically as microcode or firmware.


Contents


1.0 Systems Affected

This package provides firmware for Power 770 (9117-MMC)  and Power 780 (9179-MHC)  servers only.

The firmware level in this package is:

1.1 Minimum HMC Code Level

This section is intended to describe the "Minimum HMC Code Level" required by the System Firmware to complete the firmware installation process. When installing the System Firmware, the HMC level must be equal to or higher than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" before starting the system firmware update.  If the HMC managing the server targeted for the System Firmware update is running a code level lower than the "Minimum HMC Code Level" the firmware update will not proceed.

The Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is:  HMC V7 R7.4.0 (PTF MH01273 or MH01274) with PTF MH01275 (Mandatory efix).

Although the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed above,  HMC level V7 R7.4.0 with PTF MH01324 (Service Pack 3), or higher is suggested for this firmware level.

For information concerning HMC releases and the latest PTFs,  go to the following URL to access Fix Central.

http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

For specific fix level information on key components of IBM Power Systems running the AIX, IBM i and Linux operating systems, we suggest using the Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT):
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/flrt/home

NOTES:
                -You must be logged in as hscroot in order for the firmware installation to complete correctly.
                - Systems Director Management Console (SDMC) does not support this System Firmware level.

2.0 Important Information

Downgrading firmware from any given release level to an earlier release level is not recommended.
If you feel that it is necessary to downgrade the firmware on your system to an earlier release level, please contact your next level of support.

IPv6 Support and Limitations

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is supported in the System Management Services (SMS) in this level of system firmware. There are several limitations that should be considered.

When configuring a network interface card (NIC) for remote IPL, only the most recently configured protocol (IPv4 or IPv6) is retained. For example, if the network interface card was previously configured with IPv4 information and is now being configured with IPv6 information, the IPv4 configuration information is discarded.

A single network interface card may only be chosen once for the boot device list. In other words, the interface cannot be configured for the IPv6 protocol and for the IPv4 protocol at the same time.

Concurrent Firmware Updates

Concurrent system firmware update is only supported on HMC Managed Systems only.

Memory Considerations for Firmware Upgrades

Firmware Release Level upgrades and Service Pack updates may consume additional system memory.
Server firmware requires memory to support the logical partitions on the server. The amount of memory required by the server firmware varies according to several factors.
Factors influencing server firmware memory requirements include the following:
Generally, you can estimate the amount of memory required by server firmware to be approximately 8% of the system installed memory. The actual amount required will generally be less than 8%. However, there are some server models that require an absolute minimum amount of memory for server firmware, regardless of the previously mentioned considerations.

Additional information can be found at:
  http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/p7hat/iphatlparmemory.htm


3.0 Firmware Information and Description

Use the following examples as a reference to determine whether your installation will be concurrent or disruptive.

For systems that are not managed by an HMC, the installation of system firmware is always disruptive.

Note: The concurrent levels of system firmware may, on occasion, contain fixes that are known as Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred. Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until the next IPL. Partition-Deferred fixes can be installed concurrently, but will not be activated until a partition reactivate is performed.  Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred fixes, if any, will be identified in the "Firmware Update Descriptions" table of this document. For these types of fixes (Deferred and/or Partition-Deferred) within a service pack, only the fixes in the service pack which cannot be concurrently activated are deferred.

Note: The file names and service pack levels used in the following examples are for clarification only, and are not necessarily levels that have been, or will be released.

System firmware file naming convention:

01AMXXX_YYY_ZZZ

NOTE: Values of service pack and last disruptive service pack level (YYY and ZZZ) are only unique within a release level (XXX). For example, 01AM720_067_045 and 01AM740_067_053 are different service packs.

An installation is disruptive if:

Example: Currently installed release is AM710, new release is AM720 Example: AM720_120_120 is disruptive, no matter what level of AM720 is currently installed on the system Example: Currently installed service pack is AM720_120_120 and new service pack is AM720_152_130

An installation is concurrent if:

The release level (XXX) is the same, and
The service pack level (YYY) currently installed on the system is the same or higher than the last disruptive service pack level (ZZZ) of the service pack to be installed.

Example: Currently installed service pack is AM720_126_120,  new service pack is AM720_143_120.

Firmware Information and Update Description

 
Filename Size Checksum
01AM740_112_042.rpm 40109261 58922

Note: The Checksum can be found by running the AIX sum command against the rpm file (only the first 5 digits are listed).
ie: sum 01AM740_112_042.rpm

AM740
For Impact, Severity and other Firmware definitions, Please refer to the below 'Glossary of firmware terms' url:
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/power5cm/home.html#termdefs

The complete Firmware Fix History for this Release Level can be reviewed at the following url:
http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/server/firmware/AM-IOC-Firmware-Hist.html
AM740_112_042 / FW740.61

07/25/13
Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • A problem was fixed that caused a migrated partition to reboot during transfer to a VIOS 2.2.2.0, and later, target system. A manual reboot would be required if transferred to a target system running an earlier VIOS release. Migration recovery may also be necessary.
  • A problem was fixed that can cause  Anchor (VPD) card corruption and  A70047xx SRCs to be logged.  Note: If a serviceable event  with SRC A7004715 is present or was logged previously, damage to the VPD card may have occurred. After the fix is applied, replacement of the Anchor VPD  card is recommended in order to restored full redundancy.
AM740_110_042 / FW740.60

04/30/13
Impact: Serviceability    Severity: ATT

New features and functions

  • Support for booting an IBM i partition from a USB flash drive.

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • 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 prevented the system attention indicator from being turned off when a service processor reset occurred.
  • 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 parts to be erroneously guarded out in some cases, and the clock card being called out as defective in other cases, when both ac cords providing power to a drawer  were unplugged when the system was powered on.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) to produce a service processor dump when changing the admin user password.
  • 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 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 caused system fans to be erroneously called out as failing with one or more of the following SRCs: 11007610,11007620,11007630,11007640, or 11007650.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the service processor to crash when it boots from the new level during a concurrent firmware installation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused various parts to be erroneously guarded out in some cases, and the clock card being called out as defective in other cases, when both ac cords providing power to a drawer  were unplugged when the system was powered on.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the management console 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 power to be throttled, resulting in decreased performance.  This problem typically occurs after a PCI adapter is plugged into a node (CEC drawer), and can also happen when a dedicated I/O partition is powered on or off.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the system to terminate with a bad address checkstop during mirroring defragmentation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the hibernation validation of a remote restart partition operation to fail with an "NvRam size error".  This also affects the capability to migrate the partition.
  • The Power Hypervisor was enhanced to insure better synchronization of vSCSI and NPIV I/O interrupts to partitions.
  • A problem was fixed that caused SRCs B70069F4 and B130E504 to be erroneously logged when a system was powered down.  This also results in I/O hardware being guarded out, and the hypervisor is not able to "unguard" the I/O hardware at runtime.
  • 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.
  • The Hypervisor was enhanced to allow the system to continue to boot using the redundant Anchor (VPD) card, instead of stopping the Hypervisor boot and logging SRC B7004715,  when the primary Anchor card has been corrupted.
  • A problem was fixed that caused an error log generated by the partition firmware to show conflicting firmware levels.  This problem occurs after a firmware update or a logical partition migration (LPM) operation on the system.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
  • On systems with I/O towers attached, a problem was fixed that caused SRC 10009135, followed by SRC 10009139, to be logged, indicating that SPCN loop mode was being broken, then reestablished.
  • On systems with I/O towers attached, a problem was fixed that caused multiple service processor reset/reloads if the tower was continuously sending invalid System Power Control Network (SPCN) status data.
  • On partitions with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, a problem was fixed that caused a memory leak, and failure, when vTPM was disabled, a vTPM-enabled partition was migrated, or a vTPM-enabled partition was deleted.
  • On systems running multiple IBM i partitions that are configured to communicate with each other via virtual Opticonnect, and Active Memory Sharing (AMS), AMS operations may time-out.  When this problem occurs, a platform reboot may be required to recover.
  • On a partition with the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enabled, a problem was fixed that caused the partition to stop functioning after certain operations.  When this problem occurs, the client partition may not power off.
  • When switching between turbocore and maxcore mode, a problem was fixed that caused the number of supported partitions to be reduced by 50%.
  • 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 using IPv6 addresses, the firmware was enhanced to reduce the time it take to install an operating system using the Network Installation Manager (NIM).
  • On systems with F/C EU07, the RDX SATA internal docking station for removable disk cartridge, a problem was fixed that caused SRCs BA210000 and BA210003 to be logged, and the System Management Services (SMS) menu firmware to drop into the ok> prompt, when the default boot list was built.
  • A problem was fixed that caused SRC BA330000 to be logged after the successful migration of a partition running Ax740_xxx firmware to a system running Ax760, or a later release, or firmware.  This problem can also cause SRCs BA330002, BA330003, and BA330004 to be erroneously logged over time when a partition is migrated from a system running Ax760, or a later release, to a system running Ax740_xxx firmware.
  • On system running an IBM i partition, the partition boot may succeed after a long delay, or may fail, if a mode D boot attempt is made, there is more than one USB device attached, and the IBM i operating system (OS) image is on the second USB device.
  • On system running an IBM i partition, a problem was fixed that caused a number of informational SRC BA09000F to be logged when a mode D partition boot is done.  This SRC is logged if a device that supports removable media is installed and the media is not present.
  • 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.
  • 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.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  • A problem was fixed that caused SRC 11001512 or 11001522 to be erroneously logged against a node that was added or removed during a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused SRC B15738B0 to be erroneously logged against the target node during the node-level deactivation phase of a concurrent hot add/repair maintenance operation.
  • A problem was fixed that caused CHARM operations to fail when a memory channel failure is followed by a service processor reset/reload (which is caused by a firmware installation, for example).
  • On systems with a GX++ 2-port PCIe2 x8 adapter, feature code (F/C) 1914, a problem was fixed that caused the location code of the adapter to be incorrect in the operating system after a hot repair of the adapter.
  • 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 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.
  • On systems with an IBM i partition and performance data collection enabled, a problem was fixed that caused SRC B170E540 to be logged during a hot repair of a GX++ 2-port PCIe2 x8 adapter, feature code (F/C) 1914.
  • A problem was fixed that prevented the I/O slot information from being presented on the management console after a concurrent node repair.
  • 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.
AM740_100_042

12/05/12
Impact: Serviceability    Severity: ATT

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • A problem was fixed that can cause fans in the server to run at maximum speed and generate a serviceable event during system boot (B130B8AF, a predictive error with hardware callout) as a result of an incorrect calibration of a particular thermal sensor.
AM740_098_042

11/28/12
Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE

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.
  • DEFERRED:  A problem was fixed that caused an uncorrectable error (SRC B123E504) to be erroneously logged when 64GB DIMMs were installed in a system that already had 16GB or 32GB DIMMs.
  • 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.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  •   A problem was fixed that caused a CHARM operation to fail after this sequence of events:

           1.  User-initiated platform system dump is requested (from ASMI or HMC).
           2.  Service processor reset/reload takes place while dump collection is in progress.
           3.  User attempts a CHARM operation.
AM740_095_042

09/19/12
Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE

New features and functions

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

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • The firmware was enhanced to correctly diagnose the failing FRU when SRC B1xxE504 with error 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.
  • A problem was fixed that caused a "code accept" during a concurrent firmware installation from the HMC to fail with SRC E302F85C.
  • The firmware was enhanced to continue booting when SRC B181C803 with description "WIRE_PROC_CST_HW_FAIL" is logged during boot.
  • 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 and "ErFlightRecorder" in the failing stack.
  • A problem was fixed that caused an external interrupt to get stuck for some period of time before being presented to the operating system in certain scenarios in which there is a high rate of interrupts.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
  • 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 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 systems with I/O drawers feature code (F/C) 5802 or 5877 attached, and running the Active Energy Manager, a problem was fixed that caused SRC B7000602 to be erroneously logged.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  •  A problem was fixed that caused a concurrent hot repair operation to fail with the message:  "Failed to deactivate system resources for FRU at Uxxxx.yyy.zzzzzzz. The hypervisor reported the following error: The request failed with PhypRc=807."
AM740_088_042

05/25/12
Impact: Availability    Severity: SPE  

New features and functions

  • Support for IBM i Live Partition Mobility (LPM)
  • Support for the EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer, feature code (F/C) 5888.

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • A problem was fixed that caused the service processor's eth0 or eth1 IP addresses to change to "IPv6 NA"  when viewed on the control (operator) panel when a laptop was connected to the service processor.
  • 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.
  • A problem was fixed that caused booting from a virtual fibre channel tape device to fail with SRC B2008105.
  • 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 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 the lsstat command on the HMC to display an erroneously high number of packets transmitted and received on a vlan interface.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
  • The firmware resolves undetected N-mode stability problems and improves error reporting on the feature code (F/C) 5802 and 5877 I/O drawer power subsystem.
  • On systems on which the service processor is using IPv6 Ethernet addresses, a problem was fixed that caused a service processor dump to be taken with SRC B181EF88.
  • On systems running the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM), a problem was fixed that caused the system to crash when the vTPM adjunct was reset.
  • On 8231-E1C, 8231-E2C, 8202-E4C and 8205-E6C systems running IBM i partitions, a problem was fixed that prevented slots on the same PCI bus from being assigned to different partitions.  This can result in SRC B600690B being logged when a partition is booted.
  • A problem was fixed that caused various operations to hang, such as concurrent hot add/repair maintenance (CHARM) operations, running lsvpd from a partition, or a concurrent firmware installation.
Concurrent hot add/repair maintenance firmware fixes
  •  A problem was fixed that caused a hot node repair operation to fail with PhypRc=0x0300, indicating the deactivate system resource operation failed.
  • On systems running the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM), a problem was fixed that caused SRC B400F104, and possibly SRC BA54504D, to be erroneously generated during a node repair operation.
AM740_077_042

03/06/12
Impact: Availability    Severity: HIPER - High Impact/PERvasive, Should be installed as soon as possible.

System firmware changes that affect all systems

  • The firmware was enhanced to log SRC B7006A72 as informational instead of predictive.  This will prevent unnecessary service actions on PCIe adapters and the associated I/O planars.  This problem was also causing unnecessary service actions on systems with the Integrated Multifunction Cards:
    - F/C 1768, the integrated dual 10 Gb copper + dual 1 Gb Ethernet, and
    - F/C 1769, the integrated dual 10 Gb optical + dual 1 Gb Ethernet
    Dual 10 Gb Optical + Dual 1 Gb Ethernet (#1769) (Sales Manual description)
    Dual 10 Gb Copper + Dual 1 Gb Ethernet (#1768) (Sales Manual description)
  • On systems running system firmware level AM740_075, a problem was fixed that prevented Hardware Management Console (HMC) authentication to a managed system in  the "Pending Authentication" state, and prevented the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) admin user's password from being changed.


4.0 How to Determine Currently Installed Firmware Level

For HMC managed systems:  From the HMC, select Updates in the navigation (left-hand) pane, then view the current levels of the desired server(s).

Alternately, use the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) Welcome pane. The current server firmware  appears in the top right corner. Example: AM710_yyy.


5.0 Downloading the Firmware Package

Follow the instructions on Fix Central. You must read and agree to the license agreement to obtain the firmware packages.

Note: If your HMC is not internet-connected you will need to download the new firmware level to a CD-ROM or ftp server.


6.0 Installing the Firmware

The method used to install new firmware will depend on the release level of firmware which is currently installed on your server. The release level can be determined by the prefix of the new firmware's filename.

Example: AMXXX_YYY_ZZZ

Where XXX = release level

Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades can be found at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/index.jsp?topic=/p7ha1/updupdates.htm

IBM i Systems:
See "IBM Server Firmware and HMC Code Wizard":
http://www-912.ibm.com/s_dir/slkbase.NSF/DocNumber/408316083

NOTE: For all systems running with the IBM i Operating System, the following IBM i PTFs must be applied to all IBM i partitions prior to installing AM740_112:
These PTFs can be ordered through Fix Central.

7.0 Firmware History

The complete Firmware Fix History for this Release level can be reviewed at the following url:
http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/server/firmware/AM-IOC-Firmware-Hist.html

8.0 Change History

Date
Description
August 12, 2013 - Updated defect descripton for Anchor (VPD) card, for level AM740_112 / FW740.61.