Power8 Power8 System Firmware

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

8408-44E.
This document provides information about the installation of Licensed Machine
or Licensed Internal Code, which is sometimes referred to generically as
microcode or firmware.

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Contents

* 1.0 Systems Affected

* 1.1 Minimum HMC Code Level
* 1.2 AIX iFix Required
* 1.3 IBM i Minimum Levels
* 2.0 Important Information
* 2.1 IPv6 Support and Limitations
* 2.2 Concurrent Firmware Updates
* 2.3 DPSS Updates
* 2.4 Memory Considerations for Firmware Upgrades
* 3.0 Firmware Information
* 3.1 Firmware Information and Description Table
* 4.0 How to Determine Currently Installed Firmware Level
* 5.0 Downloading the Firmware Package
* 6.0 Installing the Firmware
* 7.0 Firmware History
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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) andPower
System E850C (8408-44E)servers only.
The firmware level in this package is:
* SV860_063 / FW860.11
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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 R8.6.0 (PTF MH01654)
with Mandatory efix (PTF MH01655) 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 AIX iFix Required

NOTE: Does not pertain to S812L(8247-21L), S822L (8247-22L), or S824L

(8247-42L) models:
For IBM Power System servers with the PCIe 2-port Async EIA-232 Adapter
installed on AIX partitions, an AIX fix resolving the async port interrupt
handling (APAR IV77596) must be installed before updating to the SV840_056
(FW840.00) or later level of firmware. The ports on the adapter (feature code
EN27/EN28, CCIN 57D4) may become un-usable with the installation of that
firmware level due to an issue with how interrupts are handled. Many JAS_RTS
error log entries are written to the error log due to this issue.
Prior to this APAR shipping in a future Service Pack, AIX intends to publish
ifixes for the latest Service Packs on all active Technology Levels on our ftp
server, inftp://aix.software.ibm.com/aix/ifixes/iv77596/ on or before Oct 13,
2015. If you need an ifix other than the ones on this server, contact IBM
support to request one for your specific situation.
The procedure is intended to be performed by the customer. In the event that
the customer has questions or concerns with the procedure, you should contact
IBM Support. Please contact IBM Support:
US Support: 1.800.IBM.SERV
WW Support (select your country): http://www.ibm.com/planetwide/
1.3 IBM i Minimum Levels

For IBM i customers who have systems with machine type model 8286-41A or
8286-42A, firmware update has a prerequisite on partitions running IBM i
operating system that own physical I/O.
For IBM i 7.1, the following minimum code levels are prerequisites:
IBM i 7.1 TR PTF Group SF99707 Level 9 + Cumulative PTF Package C4283710 +
HIPER PTF Group
For IBM i 7.2, the following minimum code levels are prerequisites:
IBM i 7.2 TR PTF Group SF99717 Level 1 + Cumulative PTF Pacakge C4276720 +
HIPER PTF Group
For IBM i 7.3,
- All IBM i 7.3 code levels are compatible with this firmware update.
Note 1: These code levels are not a requirement for IBM i partitions that are
a client of VIOS.
Note 2: These IBM i code levels are listed as prerequisites for the feature
code EMX0 expansion drawer. If this firmware release has already been applied,
the above IBM i code level should be applied on IBM i partitions in order to
maintain system stability.

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.
2.3 DPSS Updates
The DPSS updates occur if there is a DPSS image change between the current
firmware level and the new firmware level.
If there is a change and the code update is concurrent, the DPSS update is
delayed to the next IPL of the CEC and it will cause an additional 18 to 20
minutes to be added on to the IPL for the power on step. On the HMC, DPSS code
update progress codes will be displayed but they are often overwritten by the
HMC connecting state with "No Connection" status message.
If there is a change and the code update is disruptive, the DPSS update
occurs during the code update when it does a reset/reload of the service
processor to activate the new code level. When the service processor is
resetting to service processor stand-by state, it will code update the DPSS and
add 18 to 20 minutes to this transition. On the HMC, DPSS code update progress
codes will be displayed but they are often overwritten by the HMC connecting
state with "No Connection" status message.
New DPSS code update progress codes:
C100C300 = The FSP firmware has started the DPSS download application.
C100C301 = The DPSS download application is waiting for appropriate interface
devices to be configured and ready.
C100C302 = The DPSS download application is reading the DPSS image
information for system type and revision checks.
 C100C303 = The DPSS download application has determined that this system type
has a single DPSS.
C100C304 = The DPSS download application has determined that this system type
has multiple DPSS devices.
C100C310 = The DPSS download application has started checking if a DPSS
device will require an image download.
C100C311 = The DPSS download application is reading the revision information
from a DPSS device.
C100C312 = The DPSS download application is checking the system power state
(on or off).
C100C313 = The DPSS download application is resetting the DPSS download
lockout line to allow an image to be written.
C100C314 = The DPSS download application is configuring the interfaces used
to write the DPSS image.
C100C315 = The DPSS download application is locking out other FSP
applications from DPSS IIC communications.
C100C320 = The DPSS download application is writing the DPSS image on a
single DPSS system type.
C100C321 = The DPSS download application has successfully written the DPSS
image on a single DPSS system type.
C100C330 = The DPSS download application is writing the DPSS image via SPI
interface (one of multiple DPSS devices).
C100C331 = The DPSS download application has successfully written a DPSS
image via the SPI interface.
C100C340 = The DPSS download application is unlocking the DPSS IIC interface
to allow other FSP applications to communicate with the DPSS.
C100C350 = The DPSS download application is verifying that the new DPSS
image is written correctly and functioning.
C100C360 = The DPSS download application is updating the FSP registry
information to indicate current DPSS revision(s) and type(s).
C100C3FA = The DPSS download application has encountered a failure in
communicating with a DPSS or updating a DPSS image.
C100C3FF = The DPSS download application has finished and is exiting normally.
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:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8hat/p8hat_lparmemory.ht
m
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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

* 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, 01SV830_040_040 and 01SV840_040_045 are
different service packs.
An installation is disruptive if:

* The release levels (xxx) are different. Example:

Currently installed release is 01SV840_040_040, new release is 01SV850_050_050.

* The service pack level (yyy) and the last disruptive service pack level
(zzz) are the same. Example: SV830_040_040 is disruptive, no
matter what level of SV830 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
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 01SV860_063_056.rpm

98429998
31678
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 01SV860_063_056.rpm
SV840
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/SVQ-Firmware-
Hist.html
SV860_063_056 / FW860.11
12/05/16 Impact: Availability Severity: SPE
System firmware changes that affect certain systems

* DEFERRED: A problem was fixed for a Field Core Override (FCO) error that
causes a processor chip without functional cores to be guarded with a SRC
B111BA24 error logged and by guard association causes all the memory and I/O
resources behind the processor chip to be lost for the current IPL. This
problem is triggered by a system being manufactured with one or more feature
codes of #2319 (Factory Deconfiguration of 1-core) to assist with optimization
of software licensing. For more information on Field Core Override, refer to
IBM Knowledge Center:
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/POWER8/p8hby/fieldcore.htm. The
error only occurs in systems where the total number of active cores is less
than the number of processor chips. When the fix is applied on a system that
has lost memory or I/O resources due to the errant processor guard, the system
must be re-IPLed with the guard removed from the processor to recover the
resources.
Without the fix, the problem may be circumvented by the following four steps:
1) Power off the system.
2) Use the Field Core Override function to increase the number of active
processor cores in the system. The Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI)
"System Configuration -> Hardware Deconfiguration -> Field Core Override" panel
shows the number of cores that are active in the system and it can be used to
increase the number of active processor cores in the system.
3) Unguard the failed processor. Use the ASMI "System Configuration ->
Hardware Deconfiguration -> Clear All Deconfiguration Errors" panel to restore
the guarded processor.
4) IPL with the increased number of active processor cores and the unguarded
processor.
This problem does not pertain to the IBM Power System E850 (8408-44E) model.
SV860_056_056 / FW860.10
11/18/16 Impact: New Severity: New
The folllowing pertains to 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) andPower System E850C
(8408-44E)servers only. New features and functions

* Support enabled for Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operations.

* Support enabled for partition Suspend and Resume from the HMC.
* Support enabled for partition Remote Restart.
* Support enabled for PowerVM vNIC. PowerVM vNIC combined many of the best
features of SR-IOV and PowerVM SEA to provide a network solution with options
for advanced functions such as Live Partition Mobility along with better
performance and I/O efficiency when compared to PowerVM SEA. In addition
PowerVM vNIC provided users with bandwidth control (QoS) capability by
leveraging SR-IOV logical ports as the physical interface to the network.
* Support for dynamic setting of the Simplified Remote Restart VM property,
which enables this property to be turned on or off dynamically with the
partition running.
* Support for PowerVM and HMC to get and set the boot list of a partition.
* Support for PowerVM partition restart in a Disaster Recovery (DR)
environment.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, support for PCIe3 3D graphics (F/C
#EC51) adapter for Linux boot. Supported Linux OS distributions are Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 7.3 and SLES 12 SP2. This feature only applies to S822
(8284-22A), S812L (8247-21L), and S822L (8247-22L) systems.
* Support for concurrent add of a PCIe3 Optical cable card (#EJ08 and CCIN
2CE2) used to attach the PCIe expansion drawer. This feature pertains to
E850(8408-E8E) and E850 (8408-44E) systems only.
* Support for concurrent add of a PCIe expansion drawer (#EMX0) to an
existing cable card. This feature pertains to E850(8408-E8E) and E850
(8408-44E) systems only.
* Support on PowerVM for a partition with 32 TB memory. AIX, IBM i and Linux
are supported but IBM i must be IBM i 7.3. TR1 IBM i 7.2 has a limit of 16 TB
per partition and IBM i 7.1 has a limit of 8 TB per partition. AIX level must
be 7.1S or later. Linux distributions supported are RHEL 7.2 P8, SLES 12
SP1, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, RHEL 7.3 P8, SLES 12 SP2, Ubuntu 16.04.1, and SLES 11
SP4 for SAP HANA.
* Support for four processors for each IBM i partition with VIOS (up from
limit of two processors) on the IBM Power System S822 (8284-22A).
* Support for PowerVM and PowerNV (non-virtualized or OPAL bare-metal)
booting from a PCIe Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) flash adapter. The
adapters include feature codes #EC54 and #EC55 - 1.6 TB, and #EC56 and #EC57 -
3.2 TB NVMe flash adapters with CCIN 58CB and 58CC respectively.
* Support for PowerVM NovaLink V1.0.0.4 which includes the following features:
- IBM i network boot
- Live Partition Mobility (LPM) support for inactive source VIOS
- Support for SR-IOV configurations, vNIC, and vNIC failover
- Partition support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux
* Support for a decrease in the amount of PowerVM memory needed to support
Huge Dynamic DMA Window (HDDW) for a PCI slot by using 64K pages instead of 4K
pages. The hypervisor only allocates enough storage for the Enlarged IO
Capacity (Huge Dynamic DMA Window) capable slots to map every page in main
storage with 64K pages rather than 4K pages as was done previously. This
affects only the Linux OS as AIX and IBM i do not use HDDW.
* Support was enhanced for the Power Linux models to increase the default
number of slots for I/O Adapter Enlarged Capacity PCI slots from 4 to 13. In
860.10, the new default of 13 Enlarged I/O slots will use approximately 1.5 GB
of storage (which is a factor of 10 less than what would have been previously
required for this many slots, benefiting by the PowerVM change to 64K pages
from 4K pages for HDDW). Huge DMA is a PCIe slot capability on IBM Power
Systems servers that enables a DMA window to be wider, possibly allowing all
the partition memory to be mapped for DMA. This feature avoids increased system
usage when DMA mappings are requested by the adapter driver, because all the
system memory assigned to the partition is already mapped. Consequently, this
feature enables the data transfer between the I/O card that is placed in this
slot and the system memory to be more efficient and with lower latency. The
performance benefit will vary based on the operating system and adapter being
used. Linux performance information can be found in the 64-bit DMA performance
benefit topic in the performance section of the IBM Knowledge Center:
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/linuxonibm/liabm/liabmconcepts.htm.
This feature enhancement only pertains to the IBM Power System S812L
(8247-21L), S822L (8247-22L) and S824L (8247-42L) models.
* Support added to reduce the number of error logs and call homes for the
non-critical FRUs for the power and thermal faults of the system.
* Support for redundancy in the the transfer of partition state for Live
Partition Mobility (LPM) migration operations. Redundant VIOS Mover Service
Partitons (MSPs) can be defined along with redundant network paths at the
VIOS/MSP level. When redundant MSP pairs are used, the migrating memory pages
of the logical partition are transferred from the source system to the target
system by using two MSP pairs simultaneously. If one of the MSP pair fails, the
migration operation continues by using the other MSP pair. In some scenarios,
where a common shared Ethernet adapter is not used, use redundant MSP pairs to
improve performance and reliability.
Note: For a LPM migration for a partition using Advanced Memory Sharing
(AMS) in a dual (redundant) MSP configuration the LPM operation may hang if the
MSP connection fails during the LPM migration. To avoid this issue that applies
only to AMS partitions, the AMS migrations should only be done from the HMC
command line using the migrlpar command and specifying --redundentmsp 0 to
disable the redundant MSPs.
Note: To use redundant MSP pairs, all VIOS MSPs must be at version 2.2.5.00
or later, the HMC at version 8.6.0 or later, and the firmware level FW860 or
later.
For more information on LPM and VIOS supported levels and restrictions, refer
to the following links on the IBM Knowledge Center:
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/PurePower/p8hc3/p8hc3_firmwaresupport
matrix.htm
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/HW4L4/p8eeo/p8eeo_ipeeo_main.htm
* Support for failover capability for vNIC client adapters in the PowerVM
hypervisor, rather than requiring the failover configuration to be done in the
client OS. To create a redundant connection, the HMC adds another vNIC server
with the same remote lpar ID and remote DRC as the first, giving each server
its own priority.
* Support for SAP HANA with Solution edition with feature code #EPVR on 3.65
GHZ processors and 12-core activations and 512 GB memory activations on SUSE
Linux.. SAP HANA is an in-memory platform for processing high volumes of data
in real-time. HANA allows data analysts to query large volumes of data in
real-time. HANA's in-memory database infrastructure frees analysts from having
to load or write-back data.
* Support for the Hardware Management Console (HMC) to access the service
processor IPMI credentials and to retrieve Performance and Capacity Monitor
(PCM) data for viewing in a tabular format or for exporting as CSV values. The
enhanced HMC interface can now start and stop VIOS Shared Storage Pool (SSP)
monitoring from the HMC and start and stop SSP historical data aggregation.
 * Support for the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) was changed to
not create VPD deconfiguration records and call home alerts for hardware FRUs
that have one VPD chip of a redundant pair broken or inaccessible. The backup
VPD chip for the FRU allows continued use of the hardware resource. The
notification of the need for service for the FRU VPD is not provided until both
of the redundant VPD chips have failed for a FRU.
System firmware changes that affect all systems

* A problem was fixed for a failed IPL with SRC UE BC8A090F that does not
have a hardware callout or a guard of the failing hardware. The system may be
recovered by guarding out the processor associated with the error and re-IPLing
the system. With the fix, the bad processor core is guarded and the system is
able to IPL.
* A problem was fixed for an Operations Panel Function 04 (Lamp test) during
an IPL causing the IPL to fail. With the fix, the lamp test request is
rejected during the IPL until the hypervisor is available. The lamp test can
be requested without problems anytime after the system is powered on to
hypervisor ready or an OS is running in a partition.
* A problem was fixed for On-Chip Controller (OCC) errors that had excessive
callouts for processor FRUs. Many of the OCC errors are recoverable and do not
required that the processor be called out and guarded. With the fix, the
processors will only be called out for OCC errors if there are three or more
OCC failures during a time period of a week.
* A problem was fixed for the On-Chip Controller (OCC) incorrectly calling
out processors with SRC B1112A16 for L4 Cache DIMM failures with SRC B124E504.
This false error logging can occur if the DIMM slot that is failing is adjacent
to two unoccupied DIMM slots.
* A problem was fixed for device time outs during a IPL logged with a SRC
B18138B4. This error is intermittent and no action is needed for the error
log. The service processor hardware server has allotted more time of the
device transactions to allow the transactions to complete without a time-out
error.
* Support for 6 core processor with FC #8A2225 and CCIN 54E1 extended for
use in the Power System S822L (8247-22L). Support was already in place for
this processor since FW810.20 for the S822 (8284-22A).
* For the IBM Power System E850 (8408-44E) system, a problem was fixed for
the incorrect values for the Idle Power Saver (IPS) mode call home data. The
call home "max" is reported much lower numbers than what the On-chip
Controllers (OCC) read for the IPS. This problem only affects 4-socket systems
as it is caused by an integer overflow of the summation of the IPS value from
all OCCs in the system.
System firmware changes that affect certain systems

* DISRUPTIVE: On systems using the PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for
an "Incomplete" state caused by initiating a resource dump with selector macros
from NovaLink (vio -dump -lp 1 -fr). The failure causes a communication
process stack frame, HVHMCCMDRTRTASK, size to be exceeded with a hypervisor
page fault that disrupts the NovalLink and/or HMC communications. The recovery
action is to re-IPL the CEC but that will need to be done without the
assistance of the management console. For each partition that has a OS running
on the system, shut down each partition from the OS. Then from the Advanced
System Management Interface (ASMI), power off the managed system.
Alternatively, the system power button may also be used to do the power off.
If the management console Incomplete state persists after the power off, the
managed system should be rebuilt from the management console. For more
information on management console recovery steps, refer to this IBM Knowledge
Center link:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/POWER7/p7eav/aremanagedsystemstat
e_incomplete.htm
. The fix is disruptive because the size of the PowerVM hypervisor must be
increased to accommodate the over-sized stack frame of the failing task.
* DEFERRED: On systems using the PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a
CAPI function unavailable condition on a system with the maximum number of CAPI
adapters and partitions. Not enough bytes were allocated for CAPI for the
maximum configuration case. The problem may be circumvented by reducing the
number of active partitions or CAPI adapters. The fix is deferred because the
size of the hypervisor must be increased to provide the additional CAPI space.
* DEFERRED: On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for
cable card capable PCI slots that fail during the IPL. Hypervisor I/O Bus
Interface UE B7006A84 is reported for each cable card capable PCI slot that
doesn't contain a PCIe3 Optical Cable Adapter for the PCIe Expansion Drawer
(feature code #EJ05). PCI slots containing a cable card will not report an
error but will not be functional. The problem can be resolved by performing an
AC cycle of the system. The trigger for the failure is the I2C devices used to
detect the cable cards are not coming out of the power on reset process in the
correct state due to a race condition.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for network issues,
causing critical situations for customers, when an SR-IOV logical port or vNIC
is configured with a non-zero Port VLAN ID (PVID). This fix updates adapter
firmware to 10.2.252.1922, for the following Feature Codes: EN15, EN16, EN17,
EN18, EN0H, EN0J, EL38, EN0M, EN0N, EN0K, EN0L, and EL3C.
The SR-IOV adapter firmware level update for the shared-mode adapters happens
under user control to prevent unexpected temporary outages on the adapters. A
system reboot will update all SR-IOV shared-mode adapters with the new firmware
level. In addition, when an adapter is first set to SR-IOV shared mode, the
adapter firmware is updated to the latest level available with the system
firmware (and it is also updated automatically during maintenance operations,
such as when the adapter is stopped or replaced). And lastly, selective manual
updates of the SR-IOV adapters can be performed using the Hardware Management
Console (HMC). To selectively update the adapter firmware, follow the steps
given at the IBM Knowledge Center for using HMC to make the updates:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/HW4M4/p8efd/p8efd_updating_sriov_fir
mware.htm
.
Note: Adapters that are capable of running in SR-IOV mode, but are currently
running in dedicated mode and assigned to a partition, can be updated
concurrently either by the OS that owns the adapter or the managing HMC (if OS
is AIX or VIOS and RMC is running).
* On systems using the PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a Live
Partition Mobility migration that resulted in the source managed system going
to the management console Incomplete state after the migration to the target
system was completed. This problem is very rare and has only been detected
once.. The problem trigger is that the source partition does not halt execution
after the migration to the target system. The management console went to the
Incomplete state for the source managed system when it failed to delete the
source partition because the partition would not stop running. When this
problem occurred, the customer network was running very slowly and this may
have contributed to the failure. The recovery action is to re-IPL the source
system but that will need to be done without the assistance of the management
console. For each partition that has a OS running on the source system, shut
down each partition from the OS. Then from the Advanced System Management
Interface (ASMI), power off the managed system. Alternatively, the system
power button may also be used to do the power off. If the management console
Incomplete state persists after the power off, the managed system should be
rebuilt from the management console. For more information on management
console recovery steps, refer to this IBM Knowledge Center link:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/POWER7/p7eav/aremanagedsystemstat
e_incomplete.htm
* On systems using the PowerVM firmware, a fix was made to provide an option
to change the ordering of PCIe Host Bridge (PHB) devices on Power 8 systems to
match the discovery order on Power 7 systems.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a shared
processor pool partition showing an incorrect zero "Available Pool Processor"
(APP) value after a concurrent firmware update. The zero APP value means that
no idle cycles are present in the shared processor pool but in this case it
stays zero even when idle cycles are available. This value can be displayed
using the AIX "lparstat" command. If this problem is encountered, the
partitions in the affected shared processor pool can be dynamically moved to a
different shared processor pool. Before the dynamic move, the "uncapped"
partitions should be changed to "capped" to avoid a system hang. The old
affected pool would continue to have the APP error until the system is re-IPLed.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a latency time
of about 2 seconds being added to a target Live Partition Mobility (LPM)
migration system when there is a latency time check failure. With the fix, in
the case of a latency time check failure, a much smaller default latency is
used instead of two seconds. This error would not be noticed if the customer
system is using a NTP time server to maintain the time.
* On systems with OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for misaligned mapped
interrupts to virtual PCI devices that could cause a PB_CENT_CRESP_ADDR_ERROR
checkstop.
* On systems with OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for a PXE (Preboot
eXecution Environment) boot (also known as network boot) hang that occurred
when a network server was down. With the fix, the boot is able to recover so
that alternative methods of booting can be selected using petitboot menu items.
* A problem was fixed for PCI Host Bridge (PHB) "link down" Endpoint
Recoverable errors that became fatal exceptions when not handled by the CAPI
adapters. With the fix, the recoverable errors are now detected by the CAPI
adapters to allow for run-time link recovery.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a rare problem was fixed for a system
hang that can occur when dynamically moving "uncapped" partitions to a
different shared processor pool. To prevent a system hang, the "uncapped"
partitions should be changed to "capped" before doing the move.
* On systems using the PowerVM firmware, support was added fora new utility
option for the System Management Services (SMS) menus. This is the SMS SAS I/O
Information Utility. It has been introduced to allow an user to get additional
information about the attached SAS devices. The utility is accessed by
selecting option 3 (I/O Device Information) from the main SMS menu, and then
selecting the option for "SAS Device Information".
* On systems using the PowerVM hypervisor firmware and Novalink, a problem
was fixed for a NovaLink installation error where the hypervisor was unable to
get the maximum logical memory buffer (LMB) size from the service processor.
The maximum supported LMB size should be 0xFFFFFFFF but in some cases it was
initialized to a value that was less than the amount of configured memory,
causing the service processor read failure with error code 0X00000134.
* On systems using the PowerVM hypervisor firmware and CAPI adapters, a
problem was fixed for CAPI adapter error recovery. When the CAPI adapter goes
into the error recovery state, the Memory Mapped I/O (MMIO) traffic to the
adapter from the OS continues, disrupting the recovery. With the fix, the MMIO
and DMA traffic to the adapter are now frozen until the CAPI adapter is fully
recovered. If the adapter becomes unusable because of this error, it can be
recovered using concurrent maintenance steps from the HMC, keeping the adapter
in place during the repair. The error has a low frequency since it only occurs
when the adapter has failed for another reason and needs recovery.
* On systems using the PowerVM hypervisor firmware, when using affinity
groups, if the group includes a VIOS, ensure the group is placed in the same
drawer where the VIOS physical I/O is located. Prior to this change, if the
VIOS was in an affinity group with other partitions, the partitions placement
could over-ride the VIOS adapter placement rules and the VIOS could end up in a
different drawer from the IO adapters.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed to improve error
recovery when attempting to boot an iSCSI target backed by a drive formatted
with a block size other than 512 bytes. Instead of stopping on this error, the
boot attempt fails and then continues with the next potential boot device.
Information regarding the reason for the boot failure is available in an error
log entry. The 512 byte block size for backing devices for iSCSI targets is a
partition firmware requirement.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a false thermal
alarm in the active optical cables (AOC) for the PCIe3 expansion drawer with
SRCs B7006AA6 and B7006AA7 being logged every 24 hours. The AOC cables have
feature codes of #ECC6 through #ECC9, depending on the length of the cable.
The SRCs should be ignored as they call for the replacement of the cable, cable
card, or the expansion drawer module. With the fix, the false AOC thermal
alarms are no longer reported.
* On systems using PowerVM firmware that have an attached HMC, a problem was
fixed for a Live Partition Mobility migration that resulted in a system hang
when an EEH error occurred simultaneously with a request for a page migration
operation. On the HMC, it shows an incomplete state for the managed system
with reference code A181D000. The recovery action is to re-IPL the source
system but that will need to be done without the assistance of the HMC. From
the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI), power off the managed
system. Alternatively, the system power button may also be used to do the
power off. If the HMC Incomplete state persists after the power off, the
managed system should be rebuilt from the HMC. For more information on HMC
recovery steps, refer to this IBM Knowledge Center link:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/POWER7/p7eav/aremanagedsystemstat
e_incomplete.htm
* On systems using the OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for fundamental PCI
resets at boot time causing the PCI adapters to not be usable in the Linux OS.
No errors occur in the skiboot but the adapters are not configurable once the
OS is reached.
* On systems using the OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for time-out errors
during the power off of PCI slots with " Timeout powering off slot ...
FIRENZE-PCI: Wrong state 00000000 on slot" error message during a power off of
the system. SV860_039_039 / FW860.00
11/02/16 Impact: New Severity:
NewThe
folllowing pertains toPower System E850C (8408-44E) servers only.
New Features and Functions
NOTE:
* GA Level
Four FW840 features that have been disabled for the 860.00 GA are listed
below. These will be re-enabled for the 860.10 service pack:
1. Support disabled for Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operations.
2. Support disabled for partition Suspend and Resume from the HMC.
3. Support disabled for partition Remote Restart.
4. Support disabled for PowerVM vNIC. PowerVM vNIC combined many of the best
features of SR-IOV and PowerVM SEA to provide a network solution with options
for advanced functions such as Live Partition Mobility along with better
performance and I/O efficiency when compared to PowerVM SEA. In addition
PowerVM vNIC provided users with bandwidth control (QoS) capability by
leveraging SR-IOV logical ports as the physical interface to the network.
* New features that have been disabled: vNIC failover; new redundant path
LPM function; and PCIe cable recovery on a link to the PCIe3 expansion
drawer.
* Do not use the following functions. They are not disabled but should not
be used as the implementations and testing has not been completed for 860.00:
1. SMS SAS I/O Information utility. If a non-SCDD (Self Configuring Device
Data) drive is attached to a controller and the utility is used to look at
devices attached to the controller, a Default Catch condition will occur due to
a partition firmware data stack underflow. This utility is accessed by
selecting option 3 (I/O Device Information) from the main SMS menu, and then
selecting option 2 (SAS Device Information).
2. 32TB Max Memory Enablement for partitions.
3. PowerVM NovaLink enhancements. For more information, refer to IBM
Knowledge Center:
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/POWER8/p8eig/p8eig_kickoff.htm
4. PowerVM change to support HDDW using 64K pages
5. IBM Power System E850(8408-44E) concurrent add of the PCIe expansion
drawer (#EMX0).
6. IBM Power System E850(8408-84E) concurrent add of PCIe3 Optical Cable
Adapter for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer (F/C #EJ08)
7. Enforcement of limits to IBM i support on IBM Power System S822 (8284-22A)
8. Dynamic TCE memory allocation for SR-IOV adapters
9. Dynamic Toggle of SRR
10. Power Boot List Management Platform Support
11. SAP HANA (#EPVR) enhancements - Solution edition for SAP HANA 3.65 GHz +
12 Activations
12. HMC new gui enhancements
13. LPAR DR Restart
14. HMC override for Port vs LUN level validation
15. SNMP traps for system state
16. HMC Option to boot without IPv6 Support
17. PCIe3 3D Graphics Adapter x16 (#EC51) boot support (for Linux only)
18. Non-volatile Memory Express (NVMe) boot
19. Service processor security updates
20. vHMC support for DHCP server configuration
* Support for the IBM Power System E850 (8408-44E). Similar in many respects
to the 8408-E8E but upgraded with faster processors (4.223GHz, 10C 3.957GHz,
12C 3.658GHz ) with a maximum of 48 cores and an upgrade in memory to DDR4 with
expanded capacity to 4 TB with 128 GB Dimms available. As with 8408-E8E, there
is no IBM i or OPAL support. Operating System offerings for PowerVM
partitions are AIX and Linux (RHEL, SLES, and Ubuntu).

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: SV830_123.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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

* If the release level will stay the same (Example: Level SV830_040_040 is
currently installed and you are attempting to install level SV830_071_040) this
is considered an update.
* If the release level will change (Example: Level SV830_040_040 is currently
installed and you are attempting to install level SV840_050_050) this is
considered an upgrade.
(http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8ha1/updupdates.htm)
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/

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/SVQ-Firmware-
Hist.html