Power8 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 * 1.1 Minimum HMC Code Level * 1.2 AIX iFix Required * 1.3 IBM i Minimum Levels * 2.0 Important Information * 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 * 8.0 Change History   Revised (04/26/16) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: * SV840_087 / FW840.11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ifix (PTF MH01560). Although the Minimum HMC Code level for this firmware is listed above,  HMC V8 R8.4.0 (PTF MH01559) with Mandatory ifix (PTF MH01560) and ifix PTF MH01615or higher is recommended. 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. 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. The concurrent firmware update will cause the system fan speeds to accelerate to maximum RPMs with loud noise emissions.  This increased fan level and loud sound level will persist for several minutes while the service processor is reset and the new firmware level is activated.  Thereafter, the fan speeds will gradually adjust back to normal operating speed and sound levels. 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: *     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/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 * 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 01SV840_087_056.rpm 89971455 25385 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 01SV840_087_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/SV-Firmware-Hist.html SV840_087_056 / FW840.11 03/18/16 Impact:  Availability      Severity:  ATT New features and functions * Support for PowerVM co-management mode on the Hardware Management Console (HMC). This feature allows the HMC and PowerVM NovaLink to both have a live management connection to the system.  This is different than the traditional dual-HMC model however, and results in some behavior changes in the HMC.  For hardware and service management functions, the HMC works as it does when not in co-management mode.  However, when in co-management mode, only the PowerVM Co-Management Master can make changes to the PowerVM configuration and change the state of the system.  Power System firmware updates must be done using the HMC,  with the HMC as the Co-Management Master.  All management entities (HMC(s) and NovaLink) have read-access to the partition configuration regardless of whether they are the designated master.  Typically NovaLink will be the co-management master, however if a virtualization task or a firmware update is needed,  one can explicitly request master authority for the HMC, perform the action, and then relinquish the authority back to NovaLink.  The minimum firmware and HMC levels for this feature are FW840.11 and HMC V8R8.4.0.1.  If using PowerVC with NovaLink co-management, the minimum level is PowerVC 1.3.0.2.  Please refer to IBM KnowledgeCenter link " http://ibm.biz/novalink-kc" for more information on the PowerVM NovaLink feature and changing the master authority when doing co-management. Note:  If a firmware update is attempted from a co-managing HMC that is not in the master role, the update operation will fail with the following message: "Could not start the update because this management console is not the master console.  Check to see if there is another management console program is attached to the target server {0} (HSCF0261E)" along with HMC SRC E302FB11. * The default setting for the "Enlarged I/O Memory Capacity" feature was disabled on newly manufactured E850, E870 & E880 models to reduce hypervisor memory usage.  Customers of the new systems using PCI adapters that leverage "Enlarged I/O Memory Capacity" will need to explicitly enable this feature for the supported PCI slots, using ASMI Menus while the system is powered off.  Existing systems will not see a change in their current setting.  For existing systems with only AIX and IBM i partitions that do not benefit from this feature, it can be disabled by using the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) for the "System Configuration-> I/O Adapter Enlarged Capacity" panel to uncheck the option for the "I/O Adapter Enlarged Adapter Capacity" feature. System firmware changes that affect certain systems * On systems using PowerVM partitions, a problem was fixed for error recovery from failed Live Partition Mobility (LPM) migrations.  The recovery error is caused by a partition reset that leaves the partition in an unclean state with the following consequences:  1) A retry on the migration for the failed source partition may not not be allowed; and 2) With enough failed migration recovery errors, it is possible that any new migration attempts for any partition will be denied.  This error condition can be cleared by a re-IPL of the system. The partition recovery error after a failed migration  is much more likely to occur for partitions managed by NovaLink but it is still possible to occur for Hardware Management Console (HMC) managed partitions. SV840_079_056 / FW840.10 03/04/16 Impact:  Availability      Severity:  SPE New features and functions * Support was added to block a full Hardware Management Console (HMC) connection to the service processor when the HMC is at a lower firmware major and minor release level than the service processor.  In the past, this check was done only for the major version of the firmware release but it now has been extended to the minor release version level as well.  The HMC at the lower firmware level can still make a limited connection to the higher firmware level service processor.  This will put the CEC in a "Version Mismatch" state.  Firmware updates are allowed with the CEC in the "Version Mismatch" state so that the condition can be corrected with either a HMC update or a firmware update of the CEC. * Support for Processor Capacity on Demand (CoD) for the IBM Power System S822 (8284-22A) that includes Elastic (On/Off) Processor CoD  and Trial Processor CoD. * Support was removed in the Advanced Systems Management Interface (ASMI) and IPMI for allowing the IBM Power System S822 (8284-22A) to change between OPAL and PowerVM hypervisor modes.  The default for new 8284-22A systems is PowerVM mode and it cannot be changed to OPAL. For existing customers with 8284-22A systems, both hypervisor modes (PowerVM & OPAL) are still available after the firmware is upgraded to 840.10, so they are not affected by the change. * Support was added for a 4-Core 3.02 GHz POWER8 Processor Card with CCIN 54E9 and feature code #EPXK for the S822 (8284-22A), S812L(8247-21L),  and S822L (8247-22L) models. * Support for PowerVM vNIC with more vNIC client adapters for each partition, up to 10 from a limit of 6 at the FW840.00 level.  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. * Support for the IBM Power System E850 (8408-E8E) with AIX and Linux partitions. * The default setting for the "Enlarged I/O Memory Capacity" feature was disabled on newly manufactured E850, E870 & E880 models to reduce hypervisor memory usage.  Customers using PCI adapters that leverage "Enlarged I/O Memory Capacity" will need to explicitly enable this feature for the supported PCI slots, using ASMI Menus while the system is powered off. System firmware changes that affect all systems * A problem was fixed for false errors logs for SRC B181A40F where upper domain fans are incorrectly reported as missing on a reboot of the service processor.  This problem only pertains to the IBM Power System E850 (8408-E8E). * A problem was fixed for not being able to control all I/O slots for Huge Dynamic DMA Window (HDDW) capability on the IBM Power System E850 (8408-E8E).  There are 13 I/O slots enabled for HDDW on this system but only 8 could be controlled by the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI)  panel for "I/O Enlarged Capacity".  This prevented enabling all slots to be HDDW enabled, limiting DMA bandwidth on some of the I/O slots. * A problem was fixed for a system IPL hang at C100C1B0 with SRC 1100D001 when the power supplies have failed to supply the necessary 12-volt output for the system.   The 1100D001 SRC was calling out the planar when it should have called out the power supplies.  With the fix, the system will terminate as needed and call out the power supply for replacement.  One mode of power supply failure that could trigger the hang is sync-FET failures that disrupt the 12-volt output. * A problem was fixed for a PCIe3 I/O expansion drawer (#EMX0) not getting all error logs reported when its error log queue is full.  In the case where the error log queue is full with 16 entries, only one entry is returned to the hypervisor for reporting.  This error log truncation only occurs during periods of high error activity in the expansion drawer. * A problem was fixed for the callout of a VPD collection fault and system termination with SRC 11008402 to include the 1.2vcs VRM FRU.  The power good fault fault for the 1.2 volts would be a primary cause of this error.  Without the fix, the VRM is missing in the callout list and only has the VPDPART isolation procedure. * A problem was fixed for excessive logging of the SRC 11002610 on a power good (pgood) fault when detected by the Digital Power Subsystem Sweep (DPSS).  Multiple pgood interrupts are signaled by the DPSS in the interval between the first pgood failure and the node power down.  A threshold was added to limit the number of error logs for the condition. * A problem was fixed to speed recovery for VPD collection time-out errors for PCIe resources in an I/O drawer logged with SRC 10009133 during concurrent firmware updates.  With the fix, the hypervisor is notified as soon as the VPD collection has finished so the PCIe resources can report as available .  Without the fix, there is a delay as long as two hours for the recovery to complete. * A problem was fixed to allow IPMI entity IDs to be used in ipmitool raw commands on the service processor to get the temperature reading.  Without the fix, the DCMI entity IDs have to be used in the raw command for the "Get temperature" function. * A problem was fixed for a false unrecoverable error (UE) logged for B1822713 when an invalid cooling zone is found during the adjustment of the system fan speeds.  This error can be ignored as it does not represent a problem with the fans. * A problem was fixed for loss of back-level protection during firmware updates if an anchor card has been replaced.  The Power system manufacturing process sets the minimum code level a system is allowed to have for proper operation.  If a anchor card is replaced, it is possible that the replacement anchor card is one that has the Minimum MIF Level (MinMifLevel) given as "blank",  and this removes the system back-level protection. With the fix, blanks or nulls on the anchor card for this field are handled correctly to preserve the back-level protection.  Systems that have already lost the back-level protection due to anchor card replacement remain vulnerable to a accidental downgrade of code level by operator error, so code updates to a lower level for these systems should only be performed under guidance from IBM Support.  The following command can be run the Advanced Management Management Interface (ASMI) to determine if the system has lost the back-level protection with the presence of "blanks" or ASCII 20 values for MinMifLevel: "registry -l cupd/MinMifLevel" with output: "cupd/MinMifLevel: 2020202020202020 2020202020202020 [ ] 2020202020202020 2020202020202020 [ ]" * A problem was fixed for a code update error from FW830 to a FW840 level causes temperature sensors to be lost so that the ipmitool command to list the temperature sensors fails with a IPMI program core dump.  If the temperature sensors are already corrupted due to a preceding code update, this fix adds back in the temperature sensors to allow the ipmitool to work for listing the temperature sensors. * A problem was fixed for a system checkstop caused by a L2 cache least-recently used (LRU) error that should have been a recoverable error for the processor and the cache.  The cache error should not have caused a L2 HW CTL error checkstop. * A problem was fixed for a re-IPL with power on failure with B181A40F SRC logged for VPD not found for a DIMM FRU.  The DIMM had been moved to another slot or just removed.  In this situation, a IPL of the system from power off will work without errors, but a re-IPL with power on,  such as that done after processing a hardware dump, will fail with the B181A40F.  Power off the system and IPL to recover.  Until the fix is applied, the problem can be circumvented after a DIMM memory move by putting the PNOR flash memory in genesis mode by running the following commands in ASMI with the CEC powered off:         1) hwsvPnorCmd -c         2) hwsvPnorCmd -g * A problem was fixed for the service processor becoming inaccessible when having a dynamic IP address and being in DCMI "non-random" mode for DHCP discovery by customer configuration.  The problem can occur intermittently during a AC power on of the system.  If the service processor does not respond on the network, AC power cycle to recover.  Without the fix, the problem can be circumvented by using the DHCP client in the DCMI "random" mode for DHCP discovery, which is the default on the service processor. * A problem was fixed for a memory initialization error reported with SRC BC8A0506 that terminates the IPL.  This problem is unlikely to occur because it depends on a specific memory location being used by the code load. The system can be recovered from the error by doing another IPL. System firmware changes that affect certain systems * On PowerVM systems a problem was fixed to address a performance degradation. The problem surfaces under the following conditions: 1)    There is at least one VIOS or Linux partition that is running with dedicated processors AND 2)    There is at least one VIOS or Linux partition running with shared processors AND 3)    There is at least one AIX or IBMi partitions configured with shared processors.  If ALL the above conditions are met AND one of the following actions occur, 1)    VIOS/Linux dedicated processor partition is configured to share processors while active OR 2)    A dynamic platform optimization operation (HMC 'optmem' command) is performed OR 3)    Processors are unlicensed via a capacity on demand operation there is an exposure for a loss in performance. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for PCIe switch recovery to prevent a partition switch failure during the IPL with error logs for SRC B7006A22 and B7006971  reported.  This problem can occur when doing recovery for an informational error on the switch.  If this problem occurs, the partition must be restarted to recover the affected I/O adapters. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a concurrent FRU exchange of a CAPI  (Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface) adapter for a standard I/O adapter that results in a vary off failure.  If this failure occurs, the system needs to be re-IPLed to fix the adapter.  The trigger for this failure is a dual exchange where the CAPI adapter is exchanged first for a standard (non-like-typed) adapter.  Then an attempt is made to exchange the standard adapter for a CAPI adapter which fails. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a CAPI  (Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface) device going to a "Defined" state instead of "Available" after a partition boot.  If the CAPI device is doing recovery and logging error data at the time of the partition boot, the error may occur.  To recover from the error, reboot the partition.  With the fix, the hypervisor will wait for the logging of error data from the CAPI device to finish before proceeding with the partition boot. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a hypervisor adjunct partition failed with "SRC B2009008 LP=32770" for an unexpected SR-IOV adapter configuration.  Without the fix, the system must be re-IPLed to correct the adjunct error.  This error is infrequent and can only occur if an adapter port configuration is being changed at the same time that error recovery is occurring for the adapter. * On systems using PowerVM firmware and PCIe adapters in SR-IOV mode,  the following problem was addressed with a Broadcom Limited (formerly known as Avago Technologies and Emulex) adapter firmware update to 10.2.252.1913:  Transmit time-outs on a Virtual Function (VF) during stressful network traffic. * On systems using PowerVM firmware with an invalid P-side or T-side in the firmware, a problem was fixed in the partition firmware Real-Time Abstraction System (RTAS) so that system Vital Product Data (VPD) is returned at least from the valid side instead of returning no VPD data.   This allows AIX host commands such as lsmcode, lsvpd, and lsattr that rely on the VPD data to work to some extent even if there is one bad code side.  Without the fix,  all the VPD data is blocked from the OS until the invalid code side is recovered by either rejecting the firmware update or attempting to update the system firmware again. * On systems using PowerVM firmware without a HMC (and in Manufacturing Default Configuration (MDC) mode with a single host partition), a problem was fixed for missing dumps of type SYSDUMP. FSPDUMP. LOGDUMP, and RSCDUMP that were not off-loaded to the host OS.  This is an infrequent error caused by a timing error that causes the dump notification signal to the host OS to be lost.  The missing/pending dumps can be retrieved by rebooting the host OS partition.  The rebooted host OS will receive new notifications of the dumps that have to be off-loaded. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for truncation on the memory fields displayed in the Advanced System Management Interface on the COD panels.  ASMI shows three fields of memory called "Installed memory", Permanent memory", and "Inactive memory".  The largest value that can be displayed in the fields was "9999" GB.  This has been expanded to a maximum of "999999" GB for each of the ASMI fields.  The truncation was only in the displayed memory value, not in the actual memory size being used by the system which was correct. * On systems using PowerVM firmware and a partition using Active memory Sharing (AMS), a problem was fixed for a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) migration of the AMS partition that can hang the hypervisor on the target CEC.  When an AMS partition migrates to the target CEC, a hang condition can occur after processors are resumed on the target CEC, but before the migration operation completes.  The hang will prevent the migration from completing, and will likely require a CEC reboot to recover the hung processors.  For this problem to occur, there needs to be memory page-based activity (e.g. AMS dedup or Pool paging) that occurs exactly at the same time that the Dirty Page Manager's PSR data for that page is being sent to the target CEC. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for PCIe adapter hangs and network traffic error recovery during Live Partition Mobility (LPM) and SR-IOV vNIC (virtual ethernet adapter)  operations.  An error in the PCI Host Bridge (PHB) hardware can persist in the L3 cache and fail all subsequent network traffic through the PHB.  The PHB  error recovery was enhanced to flush the PHB L3 cache to allow network traffic to resume. * On systems using PowerVM firmware with AIX or Linux partitions with greater than 8TB of memory, a problem was fixed for Dynamic DMA Window (DDW) enabled adapters IPLing into a "Defined" state,  instead of "Available", and unusable with a "0" size DMA window.  If a DDW enabled adapter is plugged into an HDDW (Huge Dynamic DMA Window) slot in a partition with the large memory size, the OS changes the default DMA window to "0" in size.  To prevent this problem, the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) in the service processor can be used to set "I/O Enlarged Capacity" to "0" (which is off), and all the DDW enabled adapters will work on the next IPL. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for a held PSI link in delayed power off during a reset/reload of the service processor.  This error makes the service processor do a forced recovery of the PSI link on the next IPL.  For this problem, the PSI SRCs and error logs can be ignored as there is no problem in the PSI link. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for intermittent errors in the module autoload function in the ibmpowernv driver.  A compatible property "ibm.opal-sensor" was added to implement the fix for a smooth autoload in Linux. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for lost console output for serial consoles during power downs and reboots.  If a power down or reboot is detected, the console output buffer is now flushed before proceeding with the operation. * On systems using OPAL firmware , an informational message was added that OPAL does not support opal-prd since the processor runtime diagnostics (PRD) are handled by the service processor. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a performance problem was fixed in the OPAL hypervisor PCI Host Bridge (PHB) to prevent the PHB L3 cache from retrying defunct entries in the L3 after an MSI end of information (EOI) has been received.  The cache line is now flushed after updating the P/Q bits in the priority queue.  The situation is improved (and thus performance) by sending a DCBF (Data Cache Block Flush) to force a flush of PHB cache.  This improves interrupt performance, reducing latency per interrupt.  The improvement will vary by workload. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for the OPAL hypervisor not releasing the PSI link after a power off of the CEC.  With the PSI link unavailable, the service processor has to forcibly reclaim it on the next IPL, causing erroneous SRCs and error logs for the PSI link when no problem exists. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed for a infinite loop in the boot of a host OS linux kernel.  Under rare error conditions in the real time clock, a bad error code returned to the host could cause it to get stuck in an infinite loop. * On systems using PowerVM firmware and NovaLink management of the partitions, a problem was fixed for error recovery for the NovaLink partition in cases where it has gone unresponsive with a heartbeat failure.  Without the fix, the system would have to be re-IPLed.  With the fix, the hypervisor reboots the NovaLink partition to resume normal operations. * On PowerVM systems with partitions running Linux, a problem was fixed for intermittent hangs following a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) migration of a Linux partition.  A partition migrating from a source system running FW840.00 to a system running any other supported firmware level may become unresponsive and unusable once it arrives on the target system.  The problem only affects Linux partitions and is intermittent.  Only partitions that have previously been migrated to a FW840.00 system are susceptible to a hang on subsequent migration to another system.  If a partition is hung following a LPM migration, it must be rebooted on the target system to resume operations. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed that prevented multiple NVIDIA Tesla K80 GPUs from being attached to one PCIe adapter.  This prevented using a PCIe attached GPU drawer.  This fix increases the PCIe MMIO (memory-mapped I/O) space to 1 TB from a previous maximum of 64 GB per PHB/PCIe slot. * On PowerVM systems with dedicated processor partitions with low I/O utilization, the dedicated processor partition may become intermittently unresponsive. The problem can be circumvented by changing the partition to use shared processors. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed in OPAL to identify the PCI Host Bridge (PHB) on CAPI adapter errors and not always assume PHB0. * On systems using OPAL firmware, a problem was fixed in the OPAL gard utility to remove gard records after guarded components have been replaced,  Without the fix, Hostboot and the gard utility could be in disagreement on the replaced components, causing some components to still display as guarded after a repair. * On systems using PowerVM firmware with partitions with very large number of PCIe adapters, a problem was fixed for partitions that would hang because the partition firmware ran out of memory for the OpenFirmware FCode device drivers for PCIe adapters.  With the fix, the hypervisor is able to dynamically increase the memory to accommodate the larger partition configurations of I/O slots and adapters. * On PowerVM systems with vNIC adapters, a problem was fixed for doing a network boot or install from the adapter using a VLAN tag.  Without the fix, the support is missing for doing a network boot from the VLAN tag from the SMS RIPL menu. * On systems using PowerVM firmware, a problem was fixed for a Live Partition Mobility (LPM) migration of a partition with large memory that had a migration abort when the partition took longer than five minutes to suspend.  This is a rare problem and is triggered by an abnormally slow response time from the migrating partition.  With the fix, the five minute time limit on the suspend operation has been removed. SV840_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 (http://www-304.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 for a HVDC (180-400 VDC) 1400W power supply in a one plus one or two plus two configuration to support redundancy.  Supported in rack models only with F/C EB2N for the S822 (8284-22A), S814(8286-41A), S824(8286-42A), and E850(8404-E8E) models.  And F/C EL1D for the S812L(8247-21L), S822L(8247-22L), and S824L(8247-42L) models. * 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 water cooling of the processor module in place of air cooling fins with feature code #ER2C.  The PCIe C5 slot carries the water lines so a PCIe adapter cannot be used there when the water cooling is installed.  This feature is available for the S822 (8284-22A) and S822L (8247-22L) models only. * Support for a High Frequency Trading policy to speed the processors.  When this policy is enabled, the processor cores are allowed to run at a higher frequency and voltage for better performance.  A new panel was created in the Advanced Systems Management Interface (ASMI) "System Configuration/High Frequency Trading"  to enable and disable this policy.  In PowerVM mode,  this feature applies only to the S822 (8284-22A), S812L (8247-21L), and S822L (8247-22L) models.  In OPAL mode, this feature applies to   S812L (8247-21L) and S822L (8247-22L) with Ubuntu 14.04.3 bare-metal, Ubuntu 15.10 bare-metal, or RHEL 7.2 LE bare-metal. * Support for enhanced power management on PowerKVM systems with memory throttling and in-band power measurement capability.  This feature applies to S812L (8247-21L) and S822L (8247-22L) models only. * Support for service processor call home of error logs over ethernet (no dial-up modem required).  The call home setup is done through an option on the Advanced System Management Interface called "System Service Aids/Call-Home Setup".  This feature is only available for systems that are not attached to a management console.  For guidance on how to set up the call-home on the service processor, go to the IBM KnowledgeCenter link for "Configuring the call-home policy" ( https://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/P8DEA/p8hby/callhomesetup.htm). * 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. * 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. * PowerVM enhanced to support Little Endian (LE)  Linux guest OSes with Nvidia Compute Intensive Accelerator (PCIe attached GPU) with F/C EC47 and EC4B.  These adapters are only supported on the IBM Power System S824L (8247-42L) model.  Little Endian must be used because the Nvidia software stack is only enabled for LE mode. * 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". * Support for PowerVM NovaLink partition management.  The NovaLink architecture enables OpenStack to work seamlessly with PowerVM by providing a direct connection to the PowerVM server rather than proxying through an HMC.  This allows for vastly improved scalability (from 30 to 200+ servers), better performance, and better alignment with the OpenStack architecture.  NovaLink is enabled via a small software package that runs within a Linux partition (Ubuntu) on a POWER8 host.  The following are the NovaLink hardware and software requirements:     o POWER8 hardware coupled with System Firmware 840 (or later)     o Virtual IO Server 2.2.4 (or later)     o Ubuntu Linux 15.10 (ppc64le) (or later)     o PowerVC 1.3 (or later) * Support for IBM i operating system over Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) on the IBM Power System S822 (8284-22A) server.  The IBM i support requires VIOS (no native I/O) and FW840.00.  At this level, the S822 supports IBM i 7.2 or IBM i7.1 with special terms and conditions. Technology Refresh 3 or later for IBM i 7.2 or Technology Refresh 11 or later for IBM i 7.1 is required.  Multiple IBM i partitions, each up to a maximum of two cores, are supported. The Power S822 software tier is P10. IBM i partitions that access directly attached disk or SSD through VIOS must use 4 k byte sector drives, not 5 xx byte sector drives. The 4 k drives are required for performance reasons. Note:  Async or bisync adapters or crypto-cards are not supported under VIOS.  Thus IBM i applications that require use of these adapters are not a good fit for the Power S822.   IBM i 7.2 clients can connect to a LAN-attached OEM device that has downstream async connections. 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, issuelsmcode. 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 * 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. 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 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: http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/POWER8/p8eig/p8eig_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: http://ibm.biz/novalink-kc Then the firmware updates can proceed with the same steps as for the HMC managed systems: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8ha1/updupdates.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: 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/01SV840_075_048.tar.gz -C /tmp/fwupdate 3) Use update_flash -v -f to verify the package. 4) Update your firmware using update_flash: /usr/sbin/update_flash  -f 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 (http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-42A/p8ha1/updupdates.htm) 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(https://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/SV-Firmware-Hist.html 8.0 Change History Date Description April 26, 2016 - Added IBM i 7.3 to section 1.3 IBM i Minimum Levels