Author: Rob McNelly

Edit: The link has changed, the whitepaper was revised in 2011, but you can still read about it, although I do not think this applies anymore unless you are running some ancient code and older hardware. Originally posted September 30, 2008 on AIXchange How often do you hear someone say they’re happy running their applications … Continue reading “How Much is Too Much Downtime?”

Edit: I remember seeing John McCain that night, and I still find value in attending IBM Technical University. Originally posted September 23, 2008 on AIXchange If you happened to be in the lobby of the Chicago Hilton on the evening of Sept. 8, you might have seen Secret Service agents posted at all the doors. … Continue reading “IBM Technical University Worth Planning For”

Edit: The first link no longer works, the second link still does. AIX Enterprise Edition is still a thing, although what is included has changed over the years. Originally posted September 16, 2008 on AIXchange During last week’s IBM Power Systems Technical University in Chicago, IBM announced  AIX Enterprise Edition. Take a few moments to look into … Continue reading “IBM Unveils AIX Enterprise Edition”

Edit: This redbook looks like it was last updated in 2013, so some of the entries have probably been changed by now. The advice about reading Redbooks and keeping informed still applies. It also speaks to the value of downloading material so that you have different versions available to you. Originally posted September 5, 2008 … Continue reading “The Value of Being ‘Well-Red’”

Edit: This is mainly here for historical purposes, I would be surprised if anyone would still find this useful. Originally posted August 26, 2008 on AIXchange  At a recent training session we had to connect to a Citrix server to access the machines used for the class. I didn’t have any issues, but the student … Continue reading “Lesson Learned about Citrix on Linux”

Edit: Although we are working with POWER9 instead of POWER6, these questions and discussions are still ongoing today. Originally posted August 19, 2008 on AIXchange A vendor wants to charge you a “per CPU license” fee. What number are vendors looking for when they want to count CPUs in your machine to calculate what you … Continue reading “Doing More With Less”

Edit: Changed the first link, the second link, the third link, and the 4th link, the text no longer reads as it did in 2008. I am not sure how applicable this tool is going to be anyway, but you never know what someone may find useful in the future so I am keeping it … Continue reading “IBM Installation Toolkit for Linux Does More Than Just Install Linux”

Edit: This link sheds a little more light on the crush command. I still think this intro holds up. Originally posted August 5, 2008 on AIXchange Are administrators violent by nature? Given our terminology, I sometimes wonder. Consider: When a machine fails, it crashes. If a user has a process that doesn’t behave, we kill … Continue reading “What is Crush in AIX, Anyway?”

Edit: The infocenter link is a blast from the past. I edited the user group link. I also edited the link to the irc and usenet article, although there is much more there as well. Originally posted July 29, 2008 on AIXchange Writing this blog is interesting. I hear from people with many different backgrounds, … Continue reading “Staying Current on AIX Takes Effort”

Edit: I do not know that anyone would argue about the overhead, but you never know. I would probably call Earl Jew and Nigel Griffiths and let them hash it out. I did not edit the links, I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to google for more information if it is … Continue reading “The Case for Trace”

Edit: There is still value to be found with your IBM Business Partner. I updated the link at the end to take you to a Business Partner search tool. Originally posted July 15, 2008 on AIXchange Something needs to change on your raised floor. Maybe you need to implement a SAN, MetroMirror or FlashCopy. Maybe … Continue reading “The Value of Business Partners”

Edit: I still recommend have lab equipment and not learning on the job with production systems. I also still think that training employees is the way to go, and I still advocate for attending the IBM Technical university. The last link no longer works. Originally posted July 8, 2008 on AIXchange Even though we all … Continue reading “Training Fears Unfounded”

Edit: Had to update the link to the toolbox, otherwise it is still relevant. I also added a link to an article from June 2004 that talked about vnc and screen. Originally posted June 24, 2008 on AIXchange AIX newcomers will often ask where they can find useful tools for their machines. Though they can … Continue reading “The Starting Point for AIX Tools”

Edit: SVC is still here, and the links still work. Originally posted June 17, 2008 on AIXchange For many system administrators, SAN management is like an unsolvable mystery. The fibre cable is plugged into the server’s host bus adapter, and then somehow, like magic, a LUN appears. Others who more frequently interact with their disk … Continue reading “Getting to Know SVC”

Edit: Another oldie but a goodie, backups are still relevant, although the available tools make it even easier to set it and forget it. Originally posted June 10, 2008 on AIXchange Recently I covered the topic of server backups. Though this post doesn’t pertain directly to your back-end server environment, I still think the topic needs … Continue reading “Once More: How Much is Your Data Worth?”

Edit: Another post that still rings true today. Originally posted June 3, 2008 on AIXchange For a lot of us in North America, a chunk of our springtime is devoted to yardwork. Winters can be harsh, and yards and gardens need care. So we remove clutter, trim plants and pull weeds. And now, as we … Continue reading “When Maintaining Your IT Environment, Little Things are Worth the Effort”

Edit: You had better not still be running this code anywhere. Originally posted May 27, 2008 on AIXchange A VIOS update is now available. “Fix Pack 11.1 provides a migration path for existing Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) installations. Applying this package will upgrade the VIOS to the latest level, V1.5.2.1.” Read about all of the … Continue reading “VIOS Update Now Available From IBM”

Edit: Still true today, have you tested your backup lately? Originally posted May 20, 2008 on AIXchange A buddy recently told me about a situation he encountered where a non-disruptive disk update on a storage area network proved extremely disruptive. The client lost its LUNs, which impacted all of the LPARs that were booting from … Continue reading “Can You Restore? Now’s the Time to Find Out”

Edit: I love revisiting these scripts, and I wonder if anyone still runs them. Originally posted May 13, 2008 on AIXchange I recently saw another great script from the mailing list, written by Dean Roswell. To get it working on my machine, I loaded these rpms from the AIX Toolbox CD: tcl-8.4.7-3.aix5.1.ppc.rpmtk-8.4.7-3.aix5.1.ppc.rpmexpect-5.42.1-3.aix5.1.ppc.rpm Then I followed … Continue reading “Another Great AIX Script”

Edit: IBM’s Virtualization is still as powerful today, if not more so. Originally posted May 6, 2008 on AIXchange I recently received an e-mail from a mailing list that linked these documents from The Sageza Group (link not active) and Forrester Research. Both reports offer information that may help non-technical personnel understand the value proposition of AIX … Continue reading “Making the Case for AIX and Power Systems”

Edit: Still useful concepts to study and be familiar with Originally posted April 29, 2008 on AIXchange If you’re working with PowerVM but haven’t kept up with the changes, or if you’re new to virtualization, then the updated Redbook, “PowerVM Virtualization on IBM System p: Introduction and Configuration” (4th edition), should be required reading. It … Continue reading “PowerVM Redbook Recommendation”

Edit: I wonder if this script is still running in the wild. Originally posted April 22, 2008 on AIXchange I received an interesting e-mail from a mailing list. Included was this information submitted by Dean Rowswell: 1. Turn on PuTTY logging2. Copy and paste these 6 commands first: lshmc -vlshmc -Vlshmc -rlshmc -nlshmc -blssysconn -r … Continue reading “Script Changes”

Edit: There are still ongoing wars over what you call your AS/400, System i, does it run OS/400, i5/OS, IBMi, etc. The change happened more than ten years ago, maybe it is time to call it IBMi on POWER? Originally posted April 15, 2008 on AIXchange I spent the first part of my career working … Continue reading “IBM Power Announcement: Not Just Another Renaming”

Edit: It seems to still be an issue where the people that built machines are not necessarily the ones that manage and maintain machines as time goes on. Originally posted April 8, 2008 on AIXchange You need to log-on to a machine that you’ve never seen before. There’s no documentation. The administrator who built and … Continue reading “Getting Started When You’re on Your Own”

Edit: This is still a useful tool for us to utilize. Originally posted April 1, 2008 on AIXchange My first experience with live partition mobility came as an observer. A few months back I went to Austin and saw an LPAR move from one POWER6 570 to another. Since then, I’ve become a live partition mobility user. … Continue reading “Getting Hands-On with Live Partition Mobility”

Edit: now that is a name that I have not heard for a very long time. Some of the links just resolve to generic IBM pages. Originally posted March 25, 2008 on AIXchange After hearing so much about Lx86 (formerly known as the System p Application Virtual Environment, or System p AVE), I finally decided … Continue reading “Lx86 Works as Advertised”

Edit: I love that this document is still available. Originally posted March 18, 2008 on AIXchange I think you’ll find this IBM support document quite useful. It explains how to upgrade to a new technology level or service pack in AIX. The document describes the recommended processes of updating your system to a new technology level or adding … Continue reading “Updating to a New TL or Service Pack? Call This Doc”

Edit: I always advocate for calling problems into IBM support. This is old information, but I leave it here because you never know what people are still running and what problems they might run into. Why reinvent the wheel? Originally posted March 11, 2008 on AIXchange Recently I was working on a customer machine that … Continue reading “IBM Support Comes Through”

Edit: Another relevant post with things to consider, it still holds up today. Originally posted March 4, 2008 on AIXchange A while back I injured my knee and needed treatment. My doctor referred me to a specialist, who had me fill out some forms since I was a new patient. When I met with the … Continue reading “Supporting Users Starts with Data”

Edit: This is still good information to consider and think about. Originally posted February 26, 2008 on AIXchange When assisting customers with their hardware designs, communication is key. Every step of the way we need to educate customers about the configurations we’ve chosen and the thought processes that went into those choices. Then we must … Continue reading “Customer Satisfaction Starts with Us”

Edit: Guess what I do not run anymore? The links seem to redirect, but I was able to find the information after a little digging. Your mileage may vary. Originally posted February 18, 2008 on AIXchange Managing and organizing an environment with several workload partitions (WPARs) running on many different machines can be difficult. To … Continue reading “Workload Partition Manager Offers a Better Way”

Edit: The first link no longer works, although when you google for the publication you can find it on other sites. Some of the Linux tips may not work the exact same way, but the principles are the same and the link still works. The Youtube video is gone as well. Originally posted February 11, … Continue reading “Quick Tips”

Edit: Modified the link to go to a current SPT site. Originally posted February 4, 2008 on AIXchange I hope you’re keeping current with the latest version of the IBM System Planning Tool (SPT). From IBM: “The SPT is a browser-based application that helps you design system configurations; it is particularly useful for designing logically partitioned systems. The … Continue reading “Configuring Your Machine Before it Arrives? Now That’s a Good Plan”

Edit: I can’t remember the last time I messed with blades. A couple of the youtube links no longer work, the hardware links take you to generic IBM pages, entropy lives. Originally posted February 1, 2008 on AIXchange I was tuned in for playoff football, but when I was too slow with my remote control … Continue reading “BladeCenter: More Than Intel Inside”

Edit: How many of you used or still use WPARs? Originally posted January 21, 2008 on AIXchange Last week I discussed workload partitions (WPARs) in AIX 6. Now let’s continue with this topic and look at how you actually create and use a WPAR. With WPARs in AIX 6.1, there’s only one copy of the AIX operating … Continue reading “Creating and Using a WPAR”

Edit: I have not done much with this lately but it is always fun to look back at what we were able to do with the technology as it evolved. Originally posted January 14, 2008 on AIXchange In this post, I discussed a trip to Austin where I had my first chance to look at Live … Continue reading “WPAR Mobility has its Benefits”

Edit: This is still something I use all the time. An oldie but a goodie. Originally posted January 8, 2008 on AIXchange The more I use virtual optical devices with the IBM Virtual I/O Server (VIO server) and AIX, the more I like them. I wrote about virtual optical devices with the Integrated Virtualization Manager … Continue reading “More on Virtual Optical Devices”

Edit: I still advocate for finding and attending user group meetings, both virtually and in person. The links will redirect to new sites but they no longer appear to take you where they used to. Originally posted December 17, 2007 on AIXchange Have seen the poweraix.org user group listing lately? There are around 30 groups by my … Continue reading “User Groups: Still Going, and Still Worth Your Time”

Edit: A blast from the past. I wonder how many customers still run AIX 6.1? Originally posted December 11, 2007 on AIXchange The IBM AIX Version 6.1 Differences Guide has been released, and I suggest you take the time to read it. I’ll run down some highlights, chapter by chapter. Chapter 2–Information here includes things like turning … Continue reading “See the Difference in AIX 6.1”

Edit: It is much easier now, but this was the beginning of my journey into loading virtual media with VIOS. Originally posted December 3, 2007 on AIXchange I had a problem, and it was driving me crazy. I had a test box located hundreds of miles away. I had no time to drive on-site to … Continue reading “Saving Loads with VIOS”

Edit: The alphaworks site is no longer live, although it does take you to an IBM site: https://developer.ibm.com/community/ I fondly remember lparmon, maybe it is time to bring it back. Originally posted November 26, 2007 on AIXchange In general, I find that customers and management more easily comprehend their system utilization when the data is … Continue reading “Taking a Look at lparmon”

Edit: I still use mksysb migrations, but not with 4.3. Originally posted November 19, 2007 on AIXchange During last month’s IBM System p, AIX and Linux Technical University in San Antonio, I listened to a presentation on Advanced Network Installation Manager (NIM). One topic introduced by the presenter, IBM’s Steve Knudson, has really stuck with me. It’s … Continue reading “The Benefits of mksysb Migration”

Edit: I still like vnc, I imagine the instructions and links may be a little different now. I do not use KDE or Firefox on AIX anymore. Originally posted November 12, 2007 on AIXchange I’ve been using HMC version 7 for a while now. Recently I loaded a console window directly on my AIX desktop. … Continue reading “Loading a Console Window Directly on an AIX Desktop”

Edit: I do not think I have run Firefox on AIX in a while, but I still do most things remotely. Mounting .iso images is more straightforward these days too. Originally posted November 5, 2007 on AIXchange I found myself hundreds of miles away from a new environment that needed to be set up. The … Continue reading “Working the Network”

Edit: This is still something that you might run into. Surprised that the link still works. Originally published October 29, 2007 on AIXchange I went to a customer site to look at a machine that wasn’t showing up on the hardware-management console (HMC). The machine’s HMC port was connected to the same network switch as … Continue reading “Handling HMC Login Failures”

Edit: I just left the links alone on this one. They actually still resolve and the .pdf is still there. Originally posted October 22, 2007 on AIXchange Did you see that IBM announced it’s enhancing the Web-based fix download facility to support its new AIX service strategy? According to the company, simplified Web pages with … Continue reading “IBM Revamping Fix Central”

Edit: I still love the IBM Technical University. I am pretty sure the links at the end no longer work. I edited the first link. Originally posted October 15, 2007 on AIXchange A few weeks ago I mentioned the IBM System p, AIX and Linux Technical University held Oct. 1-5 in San Antonio, and recommended that you … Continue reading “Parting Thoughts on This Year’s Technical University”

Edit: F50 servers? B80? 6M1? Now THAT is a long time ago.. I love that I am advocating for running AIX 6.1 on POWER6 hardware too. Originally posted October 8, 2007 on AIXchange I recently did some services work at a few customer sites. One customer was running an F50 with an unsupported version of … Continue reading “Modernization Decision Is Multifaceted”

Edit: This post still seems to hold up, the HMC versions have changed, but what we can do with the HMC is the same. The link still works which is always a bonus. Originally posted October 1, 2007 on AIXchange After last week’s article, where I detailed some hardware management console (HMC) training I attended, … Continue reading “HMC v7 First Impressions”

Edit: I have not thought about websm in quite a while. Another blast from the past. The links still work, which always surprises me after so many years. Originally posted September 24, 2007 on AIXchange After I attended Hardware Management Console (HMC) version 7 training recently, I was inspired to upgrade my HMCs to version … Continue reading “The Advantages of HMC Version 7”

Edit: I was pleased to find the links below still seem to work. Every now and again I still pull out my trusty serial connections but it is more rare than it once was. Originally posted September 17, 2007 on AIXchange Some System p customers buy a smaller POWER5 machine, but don’t want to buy … Continue reading “Systems Management Without an HMC”

Edit: I feel like I was starting to hit my stride this week and the week before. The topics and the content got a little meatier as time went on. It is hard to believe how exciting it was the first time I saw Live Partition Mobility in action. It is interesting to see that … Continue reading “Skeptic to Believer: Live Partition Mobility Has Many Potential Uses”

Edit: This post has a dead link to a conference from many years ago. I still love going to the IBM technical universities. In this post I mention how in the olden days we were given a CD with slides etc, I think I prefer being able to download .zip files these days, it seems … Continue reading “System p, AIX and Linux Technical University Fast Approaching”

Edit: Still seems like a legit answer, and also applies to those that know AIX that want to learn more about Linux for example. Originally posted August 27, 2007 on AIXchange I’ve been asked, “How long will it take for me to get up to speed on AIX if I have experience in Solaris or … Continue reading “Advice on Transitioning to AIX From Other UNIX Flavors”

Edit: This is still a relevant discussion. There is value in beating our head against the wall and figuring things out, I know I learn and retain a ton of information using that method. However when a business is being affected because a server is down and every second counts, I do not hesitate to … Continue reading “When to Ask for Help”

Edit: Virtualization is standard these days, but in 2007 there was still hesitation in some circles. These were discussions I remember having with customers at this time. Originally posted August 12, 2007 on AIXchange I have too many machines in my server room. I am running out of power connections and cooling capacity. Why not … Continue reading “Consolidate Using System p LPARs”

Edit: I am starting to get the hang of it by my third post. The links in the post still work all of these years later, so that is a nice bonus. The course names may have changed but the principle is the same. Originally posted August 5, 2007 on AIXchange Once management discovers all … Continue reading “Getting an AIX Education”

Edit: My second post for AIXchange. How long did it take for my topics / style to improve? Now we have POWER servers, we do not still have System p machines. I would argue that keeping hardware from failing is still something to worry about. Originally posted July 29, 2007 on AIXchange I am trying … Continue reading “Maintaining Uptime”

Edit: I know this is a bit of a rough start, but it was the very first post I wrote for my brand new blog on IBM Systems Magazine. It ended up being called AIXchange, but at one point I was tossing around names like *xExchange, AixExchange, AdminExchange. Who knows what might have been if … Continue reading “Consolidation and Virtualization: What Are the Best Solutions?”