Power8 System Firmware
Applies to: 9119-MHE
and 9119-MME.
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 System E880 (9119-MHE ) and
Power System E870
(9119-MME) 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 V8 R8.2.0
(PTF MH01453) with Mandatory efix (PTF MH01454).
Although
the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed
above, HMC V8 R8.2.0
(PTF MH01453) with Mandatory efix (PTF MH01454) or higher is
recommended.
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
Recently, several enhancements were
released to improve the reliability and function of new and existing
adapters used on Power8 systems. To ensure the highest level of
availability and performance, it is important that the following System
Firmware, IO, AIX & VIOS maintenance is performed. For
efficiency,
IBM recommends that all applicable System Firmware, IO, AIX & VIOS
maintenance is consolidated and performed during the same session to
reduce the number of scheduled maintenance windows.
System F/W: SC820_048 /
FW820.02 (or higher)
- For systems in PowerVM mode, a problem was fixed for unresponsive
PCIe adapters after a partition power off or a partition reboot.
I/O:
- Device: PCIe2 4-Port (10GbE SFP+ & 1GbE RJ45) Adapter
Feature Codes: EN0S EN0T EN0U EN0V
Version: 30090140 (or higher)
An enhancement added to support Network Installation on
1GB speed switch ports.
- Device: PCIe2 2-Port 10GbE Base-T Adapter
Feature Codes: EN0W EN0X
Version: 20110140 (or higher)
Fixes a Network Installation issue seen with 1GB speed
switch port setting.
AIX/VIOS:
- VIOS 2233/61 TL09 SP3: IV63449
- AIX 71 TL03 SP03 :
IV63680
For Power8 systems using NIC adapter Feature Codes (FC) EN0U, EN0V,
EN0S, EN0T, EL3Z, EN0W, EN0X which translate to:
PCIe2 4-Port Adapter (10GbE SFP+)
PCIe2 4-Port Adapter (1GbE RJ45)
PCIe2 2-Port 10GbE Base-T Adapter
These APARs correct a problem that occurs when promiscuous mode is not
set when the adapter gets reset (e.g. when adapter becomes backup in
SEA fail over mode or Encounters a transmit error). This would cause
the adapter to transmit packet but not receive packets.
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:
- Number of logical partitions
- Partition environments of the logical
partitions
- Number of physical and virtual I/O devices
used by the logical partitions
- Maximum memory values given to the logical
partitions
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://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8hat/p8hat_lparmemory.htm
3.0 Firmware
Information
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:
01SCxxx_yyy_zzz
- xxx is the release level
- yyy is the service pack level
- zzz is the last disruptive service pack level
NOTE: Values of service pack and last disruptive service pack
level
(yyy and zzz) are only unique within a release level (xxx). For
example,
01SC820_040_040 and 01SC820_040_045 are different service
packs.
An installation is disruptive if:
- The release levels (xxx) are
different.
Example:
Currently installed release is 01SC820_040_040,
new release is 01SC830_050_050.
- The service pack level (yyy) and the last disruptive
service
pack level (zzz) are the same.
Example:
SC820_040_040 is disruptive, no matter what
level of SC820 is currently
installed on the system.
- The service pack level (yyy) currently installed on the
system
is
lower than the last disruptive service pack level (zzz) of the service
pack to be installed.
Example:
Currently installed service pack is SC820_040_040 and new service
pack is SC820_050_045.
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 SC820_040_040, new
service pack is SC820_071_040.
3.1 Firmware
Information
and Description
| Filename |
Size |
Checksum |
01SC820_051_047.rpm
|
72847724
|
47074
|
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 01SC820_051_047.rpm
SC820
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/SC-Firmware-Hist.html
|
SC820_051_047 / FW820.03
01/27/15 |
Impact: Serviceability
Severity: SPE
System firmware changes that affect all systems
- A problem was fixed in concurrent firmware update to
prevent the secondary service processor from going to a failed state.
- A problem was fixed for the power supply fans to monitor
both rotors instead of one to prevent a failure in one rotor from
shutting down the power supply.
- A problem was fixed for firmware updates to reduce the
number of informational B181A85E SRCs for an expected SQL lock
condition during a database transaction. Previously, several
thousand B181A85E SRC entries were created for the error log, slowing
performance of the service processor and flooding the error log.
- A problem was fixed for reset/reload failures caused by
excessive synchronization of thermal management data with the redundant
service processor.
- A problem was fixed for failovers to the secondary service
processor failing with SRC B1818601 caused by a bad data base object
reference.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems
- For a system with memory mirroring activated and a memory
block size of 16 Megabytes, a problem was fixed for system dump that
caused Hypervisor Real Mode Offset (HMRO) data structure corruption in
the physical memory map. This problem could cause
concurrent firmware update failures or subsequent system dumps to be
corrupted.
|
SC820_048_047 / FW820.02
12/01/14 |
Impact:
New
Severity: New
New Features and Functions
|
4.0
How to Determine The Currently Installed Firmware Level
You can view the server's
current firmware level on the Advanced System
Management Interface (ASMI) Welcome pane. It appears in the top right
corner.
Example: SC810_123.
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 USB flash memory device 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: SCxxx_yyy_zzz
Where xxx = release level
- If the release level will stay the same (Example: Level
SC820_040_040 is
currently installed and you are attempting to install level
SC820_071_040)
this is considered an update.
- If the release level will change (Example: Level SC820_040_040 is
currently
installed and you are attempting to install level SC830_050_050) this
is
considered an upgrade.
Instructions for
installing firmware updates and upgrades can be found
at http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8ha1/updupdates.htm
IBM i Systems:
For information concerning IBM i Systems, go
to the following URL to access Fix Central:
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
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/SC-Firmware-Hist.html