Newest CUME for V5R4 adds a nice way to view model 5xx firmware levels
The newest CUME for V5R4 adds a nice command key in the DSPPTF screen (F20) which shows the current firmware levels in a model 5xx system.
This information has always been available, but through a rather complicated set of keystrokes in SST/DST. They of course still work, and you still need them if you want to change several advanced configuration options without having a HMC.
If you do not have a HMC, you usually do not need to pay as much attention to your firmware levels as someone with a HMC. If you do not have an HMC, the firmware level is managed by i5/OS. As you can only have a single i5/OS LPAR without a HMC, it’s quite clear which LPAR that is. But it still makes sense to keep your firmware level current.
Upgrading the firmware requires a “server ipl”. This means that all LPARs need to restart at the same time. It’s not possible to do the update concurrently (or “hot patching” in modern terms). IBM’s documentation for OS managed firmware isn’t that current - the page refers to LIC V5R3M0 and V5R3M5. The currently newest firmware Image for V5R4 is MH01001 - i didn’t find much references to this images on IBMs website, maybe someone else knows more.
- 1. Start a service tool
- 4. Display/Alter/Dump
- 1. Display/Alter storage
- 2. Licensed Internal Code (LIC) data
- 14. Advanced analysis
- 1 FLASHLEVELS
- Just press “Enter”
Tom Hauber:
This is useful information, but one question remains: How do you actually perform a “server IPL” ?
28. December, 2007, 20:20Lukas Beeler:
A server IPL is restarting the whole server, instead of just the partition.
I’ve never dealt with partitioned systems without a HMC, so i can’t help you with that.
Unpartitioned systems just need a PWRDWNSYS *IMMED *YES, HMC managed systems have other procedures anyway.
I *think* that an IPL of the primary partition on a LPARed non HMC System is the way to go.
28. December, 2007, 20:47Tom Hauber:
We have an unpartitioned system with a Twinax console. I received a server firmware update as part of the latest Cume. Unfortunately no matter what I try, I cannot seem to find out how to do a server ipl. I thought that a full pwrdwnsys *immed *full would do the trick, but it doesn’t.
So far all I can find on the IBM site refers to the fact that you need to reboot all partitions at the same time, nothing gives any help to how to accomplish this though.
The one thing I have yet to try, but am hesitant to do it, is to apply the ptf’s permanently.
28. December, 2007, 22:13