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

READ ME FIRST

        You will be affected if you are upgrading to FW840.00, FW840.10 or FW840.11 and either of these two situations apply:
            - FW820 is installed and have not enabled Elastic CoD on FW820.30 or later.
            - FW830 is installed and have not enabled Elastic CoD on FW830.10 or later.

        Either of the following steps can be used to circumvent the problem with losing your Elastic CoD keys:
            - When upgrading from FW820 or FW830, upgrade to FW840.20 or later (i.e., do not upgrade to FW840.00, FW840.10 or FW840.11).
            - Upgrade to FW840, request new Elastic CoD keys from IBM and apply the new key values.

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 R8.4.0 (PTF MH01559) with Mandatory efix (PTF MH01560).

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

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 SC840_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, in ftp://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/

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.

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 tehy 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.

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/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

NOTE: Values of service pack and last disruptive service pack level (yyy and zzz) are only unique within a release level (xxx). For example, 01SC830_040_040 and 01SC840_040_045 are different service packs.

An installation is disruptive if:

            Example: Currently installed release is 01SC840_040_040, new release is 01SC850_050_050.

            Example: SC830_040_040 is disruptive, no matter what level of SC830 is currently installed on the system.

            Example: Currently installed service pack is SC830_040_040 and new service pack is SC830_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 SC830_040_040, new service pack is SC830_071_040.

3.1 Firmware Information and Description

 
Filename Size Checksum
01SC840_056_056.rpm
 77822380
 40809

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 01SC840_056_056.rpm

SC840
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
SC840_056_056 / FW840.00

12/04/15		 Impact:  New      Severity:  New

New Features and Functions

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 GA date of the desired firmware level occurred after the update access key’s expiration date.  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.
  • Support for allowing the PowerVM hypervisor to continue to run when communication between the service processor and platform firmware has been lost and cannot be re-established.  A SRC B1817212 may be logged and 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 in the Advanced Systems Management Interface (ASMI) for managing certificates on the service processor with option "System Configuration/Security/Certificate Management".  Certificate management includes 1) Generation of Certificate Signing Request (CSR) 2) Download of CSR and 3) Upload of signed certificates.  For more information on managing certificates, go to the IBM KnowledgeCenter link for "Certificate Management"
    (https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/P8ESS/p8hby/p8hby_securitycertificate.htm)
  • Support for concurrent add of the PCIe expansion drawer (F/C #EMX0) and concurrent add of PCIe optical cable adapters (F/C EJ07 and CCIN 6B52).  For concurrent add guidance, go to the IBM KnowledgeCenter links for "Connecting a PCIe Gen3 I/O expansion drawer to your system"(https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8egp/p8egp_connect_kickoff.htm?lang=en-us) and for  "PCIe adapters for the 9119-MHE and 9119-MME" (https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8hak/p8hak_87x_88x_kickoff.htm?lang=en-us).
  • Support for concurrent repair/exchange of the PCIe3 6-slot Fanout module for the PCIe3 Expansion Drawer,  PCIe Optical Cable adapters and PCIe3 Optical Cable.  For concurrent repair/exchange guidance for these parts, go to the IBM KnowledgeCenter link for "Removing and replacing parts in the PCIe Gen3 I/O expansion drawer"(https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/9119-MHE/p8egr/p8egr_emx0_kickoff.htm?lang=en-us). Below are the feature codes for the affected parts:
    #EMX0 - PCIe3 Expansion Drawer
    #EMXF - PCIe3 6-Slot Fanout Module for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer (all server models)
    #EJ07 (CCIN 6B52) - PCIe3 Optical Cable Adapter for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer
    #ECC6 - 2M Optical Cable Pair for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer
    #ECC8 - 10M Optical Cable Pair for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer
    #ECC9 - 20M Optical Cable Pair for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer
  • PowerVM support for Support for Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface (CAPI) adapters.  The PCIe3 LP CAPI Accelerator Adapter with F/C #EJ16 is used on the S812L(8247-21L) and S822L (8247-22L)  models  The PCIe3 CAPI FlashSystem Acclerator Adapter with F/C #EJ17  is used on the S814(8286-41A) and S824(8286-42A) models.  The PCIe3 CAPI FlashSystem Accelerator Adapter with F/C #EJ18 is used on the S822(8284-22A), E870(9119-MME), and E880(9119-MHE) models.  This feature does not apply to the S824L (8247-42L) model.
  • Management console enhancements for support of concurrent maintenance of CAPI-enabled adapters.
  • Support for PCIe3 Expansion Drawer (#EMX0) lower cable failover, using lane reversal mode to bring up the expansion drawer from the top cable.  This eliminates a single point of failure by supporting lane reversal in case of problems with the lower cable.
  • Expanded support of Virtual Ethernet Large send from IPv4 to the IPv6 protocol in PowerVM.
  • Support for IBM i network install on a IEEE 802.1Q VLAN.  The OS supported levels are IBM i.7.2.TR3 or later.  This feature applies only to S814 (8286-41A), S824(8286-42A), E870 (9119-MME), and E880 (9119-MHE) models.
  • Support for PowerVM vNIC with up to six vNIC client adapters for each partition.  PowerVM vNIC combines 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 provides users with bandwidth control (QoS) capability by leveraging SR-IOV logical ports as the physical interface to the network.
    Note:  If more than six vNIC client adapters are used in a partition, the partition will run, as there is no check to prevent the extra adapters, but certain operations such as Live Partition Mobility may fail.
  • Enhanced handling of errors to allow partial data in a Shared Storage Pool (SSP) cluster.  Under partial data error conditions, the management console "Manage PowerVM" gui will correctly show the working VIOS clusters along with information about the broken VIOS clusters, instead of showing no data.
  • Live Partition Mobility (LPM) was enhanced to allow the user to specify VIOS concurrency level overrides.
  • Support was added for PowerVM hard compliance enforcement of the Power Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL).  IFL is an optional lower cost per processor core activation for Linux-only workloads on IBM Power Systems.  Power IFL processor cores can be activated that are restricted to running Linux. In contrast, processor cores that are activated for general-purpose workloads can run any supported operating system.  PowerVM  will block partition activation, LPM and DLPAR requests on a system with IFL processors configured if the total entitlement of AIX, IBMi and VIOS partitions exceeds the amount of licensed non-IFL processors.  For AIX, IBMi and VIOS partitions configured with uncapped processors, the PowerVM hypervisor will limit the entitlement and uncapped resources consumed to the amount of expensive processors that are currently licensed.
  • Support was added to allow Power Enterprise Pools to convert permanently-licensed (static) processors to Pool Processors using a CPOD COD activation code provided by the management console.  Previously, only unlicensed processors were able to become Pool Processors.
  • The management console was enhanced to allow a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) if there is a failed VIOS in a redundant pair.  During LPM, if the VIOS is inactive, the management console will use stored configuration information to perform the LPM.
  • The firmware update process from the management console and from in-band OS (except for IBM i PTFs) has been enhanced to download new "Update access keys" as needed to prevent the access key from expiring.  This provides an automatic renewal process for the entitled customer.
  • Live Partition Mobility support was added to allow the user to specify a different virtual Ethernet switch on the target server.
  • PowerVM was enhanced to support an AIX Live Update where the AIX kernel is updated without rebooting the kernel.  The AIX OS level must be 7.2 or later. Starting with AIX Version 7.2, the AIX operating system provides the AIX Live Update function which eliminates downtime associated with patching the AIX operating system. Previous releases of AIX required systems to be rebooted after an interim fix was applied to a running system. This new feature allows workloads to remain active during a Live Update operation and the operating system can use the interim fix immediately without needing to restart the entire system. In the first release of this feature, AIX Live Update will allow customers to install interim fixes (ifixes) only. For more information on AIX Live Update,  go to the IBM KnowledgeCenter link for "Live Update" (https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter//ssw_aix_72/com.ibm.aix.install/live_update_install.htm).
  • The management console has been enhanced to use standard FTP in its firmware update process instead of a custom implementation.  This will provide a more consistent interface for the users.
  • Support for setting Power Management Tuning Parameters from the management console (Fixed Maximum Frequency (FMF), Idle Power Save, and DPS Tunables) without needing to use the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) on the service processor.  This allows FMF mode to be set by default without having to modify any tunable parameters using ASMI.
  • Support for a Corsa PCIe adapter with accelerator FPGA for low latency connection using CAPI (Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface) attached to a FlashSystem 900 using two 8Gb optical SR Fibre Channel (FC) connections.
    Supported IBM Power Systems for this feature are the following:
    1) E880 (9119-MHE) with CAPI Activation feature #EC19 and  Corsa adapter #EJ18 Low profile on AIX.
    2) E870 (9119-MME) with CAPI Activation feature #EC18 and Corsa adapter #EJ18.Low profile on AIX.
    3) S822 (8284-22A) with CAPI  Activation feature #EC2A and Corsa adapter #EJ18.Low profile on AIX.
    4) S814 (8286-41A) with CAPI Activation feature #EC2A and Corsa adapter #EJ17 Full height on AIX.
    5) S824 (8286-42A) with CAPI Activation feature #EC2A and Corsa adapter #EJ17 Full height on AIX.
    6) S812L (8247-21L) with CAPI Activation feature #EC2A and Corsa adapter #EJ16 Low profile on Linux.
    7) S822L (8247-22L)  with CAPI Activation feature #EC2A and Corsa adapter #EJ16 Low profile on Linux.
    OS levels that support this feature are PowerVM AIX 7.2 or later and OPAL bare-metal Linux Ubuntu 15.10.
    The IBM FlashSystem 900 storage system is model 9840-AE2 (one year warranty) or 9843-AE2 (three year warranty) at the 1.4.0.0 or later firmware level with features codes #AF23, #AF24, and #AF25 supported for 1.2 TB, 2.9 TB, 5.7 TB modules, respectively.
  • The Digital Power Subsystem Sweep (DPSS) FPGA, used to control P8 fan speeds and memory voltages, was enhanced to support the 840 GA level. This DPSS update is delayed to the next IPL of the CEC and adds 18 to 20 minutes to the IPL.  See the "Concurrent Firmware Updates" section above for details.
  • Support for Data Center Manageability Interface (DCMI) V1.5 and Energy Star compliance.  DCMI  features were added to the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0 implementation on the service processor.  DCMI adds platform management capability for monitoring elements such as system temperatures, power supplies, and bus errors.  It also includes automatic and manually driven recovery capabilities such as local or remote system resets, power on/off operations, logging of abnormal or  "out-of-range‟ conditions for later examination.  And It allows querying for inventory information that can help identify a failed hardware unit along with power management options for getting and setting power limits.
    Note:  A deviation from the DCMI V1.5 specification exists for 840.00 for the DCMI Configuration Parameters for DHCP Discovery.  Random back-off mode is enabled by default instead of being disabled.  The random back-off puts a random variation delay in the DHCP retry interval so that the DHCP clients are not responding at the same time. Disabling the back-off time is not required for normal operations, but if wanted, the system administrator can override the default and disable the random back-off mode by sending the “SET DCMI Configuration Parameters” for the random back-off property of the Discovery Configuration parameter.  A value of "0" for the bit means "Disabled".

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: SC830_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

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/SC-Firmware-Hist.html

8.0 Change History

Date
 Description
May 17, 2016
 Added READ ME FIRST at the start of this document with an Elastic Capacity on Demand (CoD) warning.