Power9 System Firmware
Applies
to: 9008-22L; 9009-22A;
9009-41A; 9009-42A; 9223-22H; and 9223-42H.
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 Systems L922 (9008-22L), Power
System S922 (9009-22A), Power System S914 (9009-41A), Power
System S924
(9009-42A), Power
System H922
(9223-22H) and Power System H924 (9223-42H. ) 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 levels for this firmware for HMC x86, ppc64
or ppc64le are listed below.
x86 - This term is used to reference the legacy HMC
that runs on x86/Intel/AMD hardware for both the 7042 Machine
Type appliances and the Virtual HMC that can run on the Intel
hypervisors (KVM, VMWare, Xen).
- The
Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V9R1M910 (PTF MH01733) or higher.
ppc64 or ppc64le - describes the Linux code that is compiled to
run on Power-based servers or LPARS (Logical Partitions)
- The
Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is: HMC V9R1M910 (PTF MH01735) or higher.
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
1.2 IBM i Minimum Levels
Reference the following URL for
IBM i Support: Recommended fixes:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas8N1021480
1.3 Late
Breaking Features
A new option was added to ASMI to provide customer control over
speculative execution in response to CVE-2017-5753 and CVE-2017-5715
(collectively known as Spectre) and CVE-2017-5754 (known as
Meltdown) for POWER9 9009-42A, 9223-42H, 9009-41A, 9009-22A,
9223-22H, and 9008-22L More information on this option can be found in
the IBM KnowledgeCenter at the following link: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/POWER9/p9hby/p9hby_speculative_execution_control.htm.
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.
2.1 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.
2.2 Concurrent
Firmware Updates
Concurrent system firmware update is only supported on HMC Managed
Systems
only.
2.4 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:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9hat/p9hat_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:
01VLxxx_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,
01VL900_040_040 and 01VL910_040_045 are different service
packs.
An installation is disruptive if:
- The release levels (xxx) are
different.
Example:
Currently installed release is 01VL900_040_040,
new release is 01VL910_050_050.
- The service pack level (yyy) and the last disruptive
service
pack level (zzz) are the same.
Example: VL910_040_040
is disruptive, no matter what
level of VL910 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 VL910_040_040 and new service
pack is VL910_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 VL910_040_040, new
service pack is VL910_041_040.
3.1 Firmware
Information
and Description
| Filename |
Size |
Checksum |
md5sum |
| 01VL910_073_073.rpm |
116226708
|
19345
|
33ef70635cb69cdb4e05c657fcd99cfa |
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 01VL910_073_073.rpm
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: VL910_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: VLxxx_yyy_zzz
Where xxx = release level
- If the release level will stay the same (Example: Level
VL910_040_040 is
currently installed and you are attempting to install level
VL910_041_040)
this is considered an update.
- If the release level will change (Example: Level VL900_040_040 is
currently
installed and you are attempting to install level VL910_050_050) this
is
considered an upgrade.
HMC Managed Systems:
Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades on
systems
managed by an HMC can be found at:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9eh6/p9eh6_updates_sys.htm
NovaLink Managed
Systems:
A NovaLink managed system does not have a HMC
attached and is managed either by PowerVM Novalink or PowerVC using
PowerVM Novalink.
Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades on systems
managed by PowerVM NovaLink can be found at:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9eig/p9eig_updating_firmware.htm
HMC and NovaLink
Co-Managed Systems:
A co-managed system is managed by HMC and NovaLink, with one
of the interfaces in the co-management master mode.
Instructions for installing firmware updates and upgrades on systems
co-managed by an HMC and Novalink is the same as above for a HMC
managed systems since the firmware update must be done by the HMC in
the co-management master mode. Before the firmware update is
attempted, one must be sure that HMC is set in the master mode using
the steps at the following IBM KnowledgeCenter link for NovaLink
co-managed systems:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9eig/p9eig_kickoff.htm
Then the firmware updates can proceed with the same steps as for
the HMC managed systems:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9eh6/p9eh6_updates_sys.htm
Systems not
Managed by an HMC or NovaLink:
Power Systems:
Instructions for installing firmware on systems that are not
managed
by an HMC can be found at:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9009-22A/p9ha5/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/01VL910_040_040.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:
For information concerning IBM i Systems, go
to the following URL to access Fix Central:
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
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 (including HIPER descriptions)
for this Release level can be
reviewed at the following url:
http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/server/firmware/VL-Firmware-Hist.html
8.0
Change History
Date
|
Description
|
| May 09, 2018 |
Replaced 01VL910_073_073.rpm
file corrected version.
|