Power8 System Firmware

Applies to:   8247-21L; 8247-22L; 8247-42L; 8284-22A; 8286-41A; 8286-42A and 8408-E8E.

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 S812L (8247-21L), Power System S822L (8247-22L), Power System S824L (8247-42L), Power System S822 (8284-22A), Power System S814 (8286-41A), Power System S824 (8286-42A) and Power System E850 (8408-E8E) 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 R8.3.0 (PTF MH01513) with Mandatory efix (PTF MH01514).

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://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/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:

01SVxxx_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, 01SV830_040_040 and 01SV840_040_045 are different service packs.

An installation is disruptive if:

            Example: Currently installed release is 01SV830_040_040, new release is 01SV840_050_050.

            Example: SV830_040_040 is disruptive, no matter what level of SV830 is currently installed on the system.

            Example: Currently installed service pack is SV830_040_040 and new service pack is SV830_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 SV830_040_040, new service pack is SV830_071_040.

3.1 Firmware Information and Description

 
Filename Size Checksum
01SV830_048_048.rpm
 84942820
 20210

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 01SV830_048_048.rpm

SV830
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/SV-Firmware-Hist.html
SV830_048_048 / FW830.00

06/08/15		 Impact:  New      Severity:  New

New features and functions for MTM 8408-E8E:

GA Level

NOTE:
  • POWER8 (and later) servers include an “update access key” that is checked when system firmware updates are applied to the system.  The initial update access keys include an expiration date which is tied to the product warranty. System firmware updates will not be processed if the calendar date has passed the update access key’s expiration date, until the key is replaced.  As these update access keys expire, they need to be replaced using either the Hardware Management Console (HMC) or the Advanced Management Interface (ASMI) on the service processor.  Update access keys can be obtained via the key management website: http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/ess/index.wss.
  • This system supports only the PowerVM hypervisor.
  • Support for Little Endian (LE) Linux in PowerVM.  With PowerVM LE guest support, all three Linux on Power distribution partners (SUSE, Canonical, and Red Hat) with LE operating systems can run on the same IBM Power Systems.
  • Support for allowing the PowerVM hypervisor to continue to run after the service processor has become unresponsive with a SRC B1817212.  Any active partitions will continue to run but they will not be able to be managed by the management console.  The partitions can be allowed to run until the next scheduled service window at which time the service processor can be recovered with an AC power cycle or a pin-hole reset from the operator panel.

New Features and Functions for MTMs 8247-21L, 8247-22L, 8247-42L, 8284-22A, 8286-41A, 8286-42A:

NOTE:

  • POWER8 (and later) servers include an “update access key” that is checked when system firmware updates are applied to the system.  The initial update access keys include an expiration date which is tied to the product warranty. System firmware updates will not be processed if the calendar date has passed the update access key’s expiration date, until the key is replaced.  As these update access keys expire, they need to be replaced using either the Hardware Management Console (HMC) or the Advanced Management Interface (ASMI) on the service processor.  Update access keys can be obtained via the key management website: http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/ess/index.wss.
  • The 830 release stream only supports the PowerVM hypervisor.  OPAL firmware and PowerKVM support will be provided in a later release for MTMs 8247-21L, 8247-22L, and 8247-42L.
  • Support for Little Endian (LE) Linux in PowerVM.  With PowerVM LE guest support, all three Linux on Power distribution partners (SUSE, Canonical, and Red Hat) with LE operating systems can run on the same IBM Power Systems.
  • Support for allowing the PowerVM hypervisor to continue to run after the service processor has become unresponsive with a SRC B1817212.  Any active partitions will continue to run but they will not be able to be managed by the management console.  The partitions can be allowed to run until the next scheduled service window at which time the service processor can be recovered with an AC power cycle or a pin-hole reset from the operator panel.  This error condition would only be seen on a system that had been running with a single service processor (no redundancy for the service processor).
  • Support for a PCIe 3 I/O expansion drawer (#EMX0).  This 19-inch 4U (4 EIA) enclosure provides PCIe Gen3 slots outside of the system unit. It has two module bays. One 6-Slot Fanout Module (#EMXF) is placed in each module bay. Two 6-slot modules provide a total of 12 PCIe Gen3 slots. Each fanout module is connected to a PCIe3 Optical Cable Adapter located in the system unit over an active optical cable (AOC) pair.
  • Support for a  PCIe3 x16 optical cable adapter with F/C #EJ08 and CCIN 2CE2 for a PCIe3 expansion drawer (#EMX0).  This adapter provides two optical CXP ports for the attachment of two active optical cables (AOC).   One adapter supports the attachment of one PCIe3 module in a PCIe Gen3 I/O Expansion Drawer.   This cable adapter is supported in the following IBM Power Systems:  S814 (8286-41A), S824 (8286-42A) and S824L (8247-42L).
  • Support for a PCIe3 x16 optical cable adapter with F/C #EJ05 and CCIN 2B1C for a PCIe3 expansion drawer(#EMX0).  This adapter provides two optical CXP ports for the attachment of two active optical cables (AOC).   One adapter supports the attachment of one PCIe3 module in a PCIe Gen3 I/O Expansion Drawer.    This cable adapter is supported in the following IBM Power Systems: S822 (8284-22A), S812L (8247-21L),  and S822L (8247-22L).
  • Support for Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) that enables the hypervisor to share a SR-IOV-capable PCI-Express adapter across multiple partitions. Twelve ethernet adapters are supported with the SR-IOV NIC capability, when placed in the P8 system  (SR-IOV supported in both native mode and through VIOS):
    - PCIe3  4-port 10GbE SR Adapter                           (F/C EN15 and CCIN 2CE3)
    - PCIe3  4-port 10GbE SR Adapter                         (F/C EN16 and CCIN 2CE3).  Fits E870/E880 system node PCIe slot.
    - PCIe3  4-port 10GbE SFP+ Copper Adapter                    (F/C EN17 and CCIN 2CE4)
    - PCIe3  4-port 10GbE SFP+ Copper Adapter                    (F/C EN18 and CCIN 2CE4).  Fits E870/E880 system node PCIe slot.
    - PCIe2  4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) SR and RJ45 SFP+ Adapter        (F/C EN0H and CCIN 2B93)
    - PCIe2 LP 4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) SR and RJ45  SFP+ Adapter        (F/C EN0J and CCIN 2B93)
    - PCIe2 LP Linux 4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) SR and RJ45 SFP+ Adapter       (F/C EL38 and CCIN 2B93)
    - PCIe2  4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) LR and RJ45 Adapter             (F/C EN0M and CCIN 2CC0)
    - PCIe2 LP 4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) LR and RJ45 Adapter              (F/C EN0N and CCIN 2CC0)
     -PCIe2  4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) SFP+Copper and RJ45 Adapter        (F/C EN0K and CCIN 2CC1)
    - PCIe2 LP 4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1GbE) SFP+Copper and RJ45    Adapter        (F/C EN0L and CC IN 2CC1)
    - PCIe2 LP Linux 4-port (10Gb FCoE & 1Gb Ethernet) SFP+Copper and RJ45    (F/C EL3C and CCIN 2CC1)
    These adapters each have four ports, and all four ports are enabled with SR-IOV function. The entire adapter (all four ports) is configured for SR-IOV or none of the ports is.
    System firmware updates the adapter firmware level on these adapters to 10.2.252.16 when a supported adapter is placed into SR-IOV mode.
    Support for SR-IOV adapter sharing is now available for adapters in the PCIe3 I/O Expansion Drawer with F/C #EMX0.
    SR-IOV NIC on the Power P8 systems is supported by:
        - AIX 6.1 TL9 SP4 and APAR IV63331, or later
        - AIX 7.1 TL3 SP4 and APAR IV63332, or later
        - IBM i 7.1 TR8, or later (Supported on S824/S814)
        - IBM i 7.2  or later  (Supported on S824/S814)
        - IBM i 7.1 TR9, or later (Supported on E870/E880)
        - IBM i 7.2 TR1, or later  (Supported on E870/E880)
                - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 or later ( Supported on E870/E880/S812L/S822/S822L/S814/S824/S824L except for adapters with F/Cs EN15/EN16/EN17/EN18)
        - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.6, or later (Supported on E850 and minimum level needed for adapters with F/Cs EN15/EN16/EN17/EN18)
        - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1, or later
        - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1 or later  (Supported on S812L/S822/S822L/S814/S824/S824L)
        - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 or later  (Supported on E870/E880)
        - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, or later  (Supported on E850)
        - Ubuntu 15.04 or later (Supported on E850/S812L/S822/S822L/S814/S824/S824L) 
        - VIOS 2.2.3.4 with interim fix IV63331, or later
  • Support for adjusting voltage regulators input voltage dynamically based on regulator slave failures to achieve the optimal voltage for system operation for normal and degraded conditions.
  • Support for a 226W 4.323 GHz eight core processor (CCIN 54E5, F/C EPXF) for the S822 (8284-22A) and S822L(8247-22L).

System firmware changes that affect all systems except MTM 8408-E8E:

  • A problem with concurrent PCIe adapter maintenance was fixed that caused On-Chip Controller (OCC) resets with SRCs logged of B18B2616 and BC822029, forcing the system into safe mode (processor voltage/frequency reduced to a "safe" level where thermal monitoring is not required).  Recovery from safe mode requires a system re-IPL.

System firmware changes that affect certain systems

  • On systems with memory mirroring enabled, a problem was fixed for PowerVM over-estimating its memory needs, allowing more memory to be used by the partitions.

4.0 How to Determine The 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).

For standalone system running IBM i without an HMC: From a command line, issue DSPFMWSTS.

For standalone system running IBM AIX without an HMC: From a command line, issue lsmcode.

Alternately, use the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) Welcome pane. The current server firmware appears in the top right corner. Example: SV830_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 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: SVxxx_yyy_zzz

Where xxx = release level

HMC Managed Systems:

Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades on systems managed by an HMC can be found at:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8ha1/updupdates.htm

Systems not Managed by an HMC:

Power Systems:

Instructions for installing firmware on systems that are not managed by an HMC can be found at:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8ha5/fix_serv_firm_kick.htm


Systems running Ubuntu operating system:

If  Ubuntu will be used to update the system firmware, please follow these instructions to extract the installable binary and update/upgrade the firmware:

1) Download the .gz (tarball) from Fix Central to your Ubuntu system (ie, to /tmp/fwupdate).

2) Extract the .gz file to /tmp/ on the Ubuntu system:

Example:
    tar -xzf /tmp/fwupdate/01SV830_048_048.tar.gz -C /tmp/fwupdate

3) Use update_flash -v -f <extracted file name> to verify the package.

4) Update your firmware using update_flash:

/usr/sbin/update_flash  -f <extracted file name>

System will reboot during the firmware update. When the system reaches Ubuntu run-time state, you can then commit or reject the firmware update:
Commit: /usr/sbin/update_flash -c
Reject:   /usr/sbin/update_flash -r


IBM i Systems:

Refer to "IBM i Support: Recommended Fixes":
http://www-912.ibm.com/s_dir/slkbase.nsf/recommendedfixes

When ordering firmware for IBM i Operating System managed systems from Fix Central, choose "Select product", under Product Group specify "System i", under Product specify "IBM i", then Continue and specify the desired firmware PTF accordingly.

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/SV-Firmware-Hist.html

8.0 Change History

Date
 Description
October 23, 2015
 - Fix description updates for SV830_048_048 / FW830.00.
August 04, 2015 - Added instructions to section 6 for installing system firmware for systems running Ubuntu operating system.
June 28, 2015 - Fix description update for SV830_048_048 / FW830.00.
June 22, 2015 - Fix description update for SV830_048_048 / FW830.00.