HMC Operations

Operations

How to view Firmware Levels

1. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/topic/ipha5/viewexistlevel.htm
2. In V5R4M5 and above IBM added the command DSPFMWSTS. I still prefer using the HMC because the help on that at least explains what they mean.

What versions of HMC support which versions of firmware?

1. Determining if your server firmware level and HMC machine code level are compatible [1]

What versions of firmware are required for the various levels of IBM i?

1. 7.2 requires a minimum firmware level of EM320_040 / EL320_040 / EA320_040 / EH330_034 for POWER6 systems; AL710_043 / AM710_065 / AA710_083 / AH720_064 for POWER7 systems; SV810_054 for POWER8 systems. [2]
2. V7R1 requires a minimum firmware level of SF240_332 for POWER5™ based systems; EA320_040, EL320_040, EM320_040, EH330_034 depending on the model for POWER6™ based systems; and AL710_043, AM710_065, AA710_083, AH720_064 depending on the model for POWER7™ based systems. SV810_054 for POWER8 systems. [3]
3. V6R1 requires a minimum firmware level of SF240_332 for POWER5™ based systems and EA320_040, EL320_040, EM320_040 depending on the model for POWER6™ based systems. [4]
4. V5R4 requires a minimum firmware level of SF235_160. [5]

• IBM Software Technical Document number 408316083 "Master Document for Server Firmware and HMC Code Wizard"

How do I obtain new levels of HMC code?

1. Through Fix Central at
   http://www-912.ibm.com/eserver/support/fixes/fixcentral
   selecting System i family and Hardware Management Console
2. Or download it at Support and Downloads [6] by selecting platform, Version, Release

How do I obtain new levels of firmware?

1. First, IMNSHO, you should have your system configured so that your firmware is HMC managed and not updated by upgrades to the OS of a particular lpar. This will help prevent you from getting a firmware upgrade so advanced that your HMC will no longer support it.
2. Through Fix Central at
   http://www-912.ibm.com/eserver/support/fixes/fixcentral
   selecting System i family and Server Firmware and Update policy set to HMC.

How do I configure an i5/OS lpar to be my service partition and apply firmware upgrades?

1. First, IMNSHO, you should have your system configured so that your firmware is HMC managed and not updated by upgrades to the OS of a particular lpar. This will help prevent you from getting a firmware upgrade so advanced that your HMC will no longer support it. Therefore I do not recommend configuring an i5/os lpar to be your service partition.
2. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/topic/iphbk/iphblservicepartition.htm

How do I access the ASMI?

For Power 8

1. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/8286-41A/p8hby/asmihmc.htm

For Power 7

1. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/p7hby/asmihmc.htm

For Power 6

1. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/iphby/asmihmc.htm

For Power 5

1. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/iphby_p5/asmihmc.htm

If I upgrade to V7 of HMC code what will the interface look like?

1. https://www-01.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/lib03030.nsf/pagesByDocid/6DC24478DD66D14C852572E3005A70B3?OpenDocument

Is there a redbook on V7 of HMC code?

• PDF of Hardware Management Console V7 Handbook (sg247491) at IBM Redpieces

If I knew how to do something in V6 (or earlier) how do I do it in V7?

1. http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=nas1910ab0261c310f74862572e40072c940

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HMC questions - installing WebSM (not needed for V7 and above)

original post [7]

Instructions are here:

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/index.jsp?topic=/iphai/remotehmc.htm

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Configuration

How do I configure a session on my PC to act as the 5250 console session for a particular lpar controlled by the HMC?

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/topic/iphb8/remote5250.htm

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How to print a rack config from an HMC managed system

1. Printing Rack config information (see also "Printing I/O information")
   1. Signon to each i5/OS partition with an appropriate userid
   2. On a command line perform command STRSST
   3. Select option 1 Start a service tool
   4. Select option 7 Hardware service manager
   5. F6 to Print Configuration
   6. Take the defaults on Print Format Options (use 132 columns).
2. Printing information from a vios partition
   1. Download a putty client
      (Sample - http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)
      • Now in putty, verify you used the ssh protocol. Say yes when it gives you a security warning.
      • If you still have problems verify that you can ping your vios lpar. Verify that any firewall between you and the vios lpar allows port 22.
        
   2. Start your putty client to your vios lpar. Use the same userid's and password you normally use to log on to your vios lpar.
   3. In your putty client click on the top left icon and pick 'Change settings'. Expand Session, select Logging. Change to Printable output. Pick a log file name you like.
   4. Enter in the command oem_setup_env. This enters an AIX like shell. You will change from a $ prompt to a # prompt.
   5. Enter in the command lscfg -pv. This will display the desired information.
   6. Use e to exit iprconfig.
   7. Type in exit (in lower case) to exit your linux terminal.
   8. Open the log file you specified earlier. Trim any stuff off you don't want.
3. Printing dedicated, non guested, Linux lpar information
   1. Download a putty client
      (Sample - http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)
      • Now in putty, verify you used the ssh protocol. Say yes when it gives you a security warning.
      • If you still have problems verify that you can ping your Linux lpar. Verify that any firewall between you and the Linux lpar allows port 22.
        
   2. Start your putty client to your Linux lpar. Use the same userid's and password you normally use to log on to your linux lpar. (hint: A default user id is root.)
   3. Enter in the command iprconfig.
   4. 1. Display hardware status. Highlight desired text. Use Ctrl-C, it will break you out of iprconfig but then you can use Ctrl-V to paste the contents into notepad or some such thing.
   5. Use e to exit iprconfig.
   6. Type in exit (in lower case) to exit your linux terminal.
4. Printing I/O information
   1. Download a putty client
      (Sample - http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)
   2. Set up the HMC for this.
      To enable SSH on the HMC you must do the following:
      • Start the ssh daemon:
      • Using the HMC system manager GUI, select HMC Management, then HMC Configuration. In the right-hand panel click on "enable or disable remote command execution". Verify the box is checked. Click ok.
      • Enable ssh in the firewall:
        • Using the HMC system manager GUI, select HMC Management, then HMC Configuration.
          • In the right-hand panel click on "Customize Network Settings".
          • In the "Customize Network Settings" dialog click the "Lan Adapter" tab,
          • select the lan adapter connected to your network (usually eth1), click the "Details" button.
          • On the Details panel, click the Firewall tab.
          • In the top list box click "Secure Shell 22:tcp".
          • Click the "Allow Incoming" button.
          • CLick ok on each panel to exit.
          • It will tell you that you must reboot but this is not necessary. Firewall settings go into affect immediately.
      • Now in putty, verify you used the ssh protocol. Say yes when it gives you a security warning.
      • If you still have problems verify that you can ping your HMC. Verify that any firewall between you and the HMC allows port 22.
        
   3. Start your putty client to your HMC. Use the same userid's and password you normally use to log on to your HMC. (hint: A default user id is hscroot. A default password may be abc123)
   4. Enter the first command to get a list of systems managed by this HMC:
      • lssyscfg -r sys -F name
      • Take a name from that list and put it in the double quotes instead of sysname:
      • lshwres -r io --rsubtype slot -m "sysname" -F unit_phys_loc,bus_id,phys_loc,vpd_type,description,lpar_name
   5. From your putty client, Copy all to Clipboard. Paste that into your favorite tool like Word, Excel, etc.

1. An alternative would be to use the System Plan functionality supplied with the HMC v7

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How to print a rack config from a non LPAR system

1. Signon to the iSeries with an appropriate userid
2. On a command line perform command STRSST
3. Select option 1 Start a service tool
4. Select option 7 Hardware service manager
5. F6 to Print Configuration
6. Take the defaults on Print Format Options (use 132 columns).

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How to print a rack config from a non-i5 LPAR system

1. In the primary partition signon to the iSeries with an appropriate userid
2. On a command line perform command STRSST
3. Select option 5 Work with partitions
4. Select option 1 Display partition information
5. Select option 5 Display system I/O resources
6. At the Level of detail to display field, type *ALL to set the level of detail to ALL.
7. F6 to print the system resources (use 132 columns).

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How to export a system plan for use by System Planner or your BP

• Use a putty client to connect to your HMC
• List existing system plans on your HMC

lssysplan
name=MAILTWO.sysplan,description=System plan created from Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C,source=HMC  V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Aug 25, 2008 3:10:58 PM"
name=Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C.sysplan,description=System plan created from Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C,source=HMC V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Sep 22, 2008 11:42:56 AM"
name=Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD.sysplan,description=System plan created from Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD,source=HMC V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Sep 29, 2008 11:54:30 AM"

• Remove existing system plans on your HMC

rmsysplan -f MAILTWO.sysplan
rmsysplan -f Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C.sysplan
rmsysplan -f Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD.sysplan
lssysplan
No results were found.

• List servers supported by this HMC.

lssyscfg -r sys -F name

Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C
Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD
Server-9408-M25-SN10C2091

• Make a system plan for each server supported by this HMC

mksysplan -f Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C.sysplan -m Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C
mksysplan -f Server-9408-M25-SN10C2091.sysplan -m Server-9408-M25-SN10C2091
mksysplan -f Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD.sysplan -m Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD

• List the system plans you just created.

lssysplan
name=Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C.sysplan,description=,source=HMC V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Sep 30, 2008 11:40:37 AM"
name=Server-9408-M25-SN10C2091.sysplan,description=,source=HMC V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Sep 30, 2008 11:45:32 AM"
name=Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD.sysplan,description=,source=HMC V7R3.3.0.1,version=HMC 1.4,"date=Sep 30, 2008 11:55:45 AM"

• Export your system plans via ftp to some server.

cpsysplan -r ftp -f Server-9408-M25-SN102EF8C.sysplan -o export -h 10.10.1.211 -u ROB --passwd MCCAIN08 -d /rob
cpsysplan -r ftp -f Server-9408-M25-SN10C2091.sysplan -o export -h 10.10.1.211 -u ROB --passwd MCCAIN08 -d /rob
cpsysplan -r ftp -f Server-9406-MMA-SN103BDDD.sysplan -o export -h 10.10.1.211 -u ROB --passwd MCCAIN08 -d /rob

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Misc

How do I do a screen print of a HMC screen

Document Number: 358236751

Document Title: [8] Capturing Screen Shots from the HMC

• Imagemagick (Open Source) as recommended in the Document is useful to view the files.
• I found HMCWIN in a one line window, and Sendfile to send to the IFS simplest to use, but I think a PuTTY client may be easiest.

FKOL 00:50, 23 April 2008 (CDT)

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