Edit: Still good information Originally posted September 8, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly discovers another hack. This IBM Redpaper increased bandwidth and faster data transfers. This IBM Redpaper examines recent updates to POWER9™-based servers: namely the S924, S922 and S914 G models. It also covers the performance impact that PCIe Gen 4 slots bring to this … Continue reading “A Look at Recent POWER9 Enhancements, Updated Performance Numbers”
Author: Rob McNelly
If You Have a Problem, Perhaps Someone Already Solved It
Edit: Still good tips Originally posted September 1, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly makes the point that if you run into an issue, in many cases the solution to your problem–or at least a solution to a problem similar to yours–is only a web search away. Here’s an interesting question: Suppose you make a copy … Continue reading “If You Have a Problem, Perhaps Someone Already Solved It”
A New IBM Option for Remote Test Environments
Edit: Still something that needs to be addressed, how to hobbyists get better with this hardware if they do not have access to it? Originally posted August 25, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly explains why he’s always been an advocate of using test systems. I’ve long been an advocate of using test systems: “I think every … Continue reading “A New IBM Option for Remote Test Environments”
Displaying Virtual FC Adapter Stats
Edit: Do you ever play around with these? Originally posted August 18, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly shares a script that can make life easier when working with multiple VIO servers. I’ve posted a few Dean Rowswell scripts over the years, but it’s been awhile. He emailed me recently though, so I’m sharing the following with his permission: There … Continue reading “Displaying Virtual FC Adapter Stats”
If You’re Looking for Lifecycle Info, Curl up with This Script
Edit: This is still pretty neat Originally posted August 11, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly has a hack for accessing AIX information and IBM solutions without needing to rely on a search engine. If you’re looking for lifecycle information for AIX® or any number of related IBM solutions, you don’t have to resort to a … Continue reading “If You’re Looking for Lifecycle Info, Curl up with This Script”
Applying Fixes for HMC V9R1
Edit: How do you avoid running into avoidable problems? Originally posted August 04, 2020 on AIXchange This post provides instructions for updating HMC Version 9.1.0 with the latest fixes for 9.1.0. Here’s a rundown of HMC V9R1 updates: This document provides instructions for updating HMC Version 9.1.0 with the latest fixes for 9.1.0. 1. Verify the … Continue reading “Applying Fixes for HMC V9R1”
It’s Time to Upgrade to VIOS 3.x
Edit: Hopefully you have upgraded by now. Originally posted July 28, 2020 on AIXchange VIOS 2.6 is going out of support—and every prior 2.x version is already out of support. It’s time to upgrade to 3.x. VIOS 2.6 is going out of support—and every prior 2.x version is already out of support. It’s time to … Continue reading “It’s Time to Upgrade to VIOS 3.x”
Why I Enjoy Working Remotely
Edit: I still prefer working from home. Originally posted July 21, 2020 on AIXchange The technology, tips and tricks Rob McNelly has gained under his sleeve while working remotely all these years. Unlike most people, I haven’t had to adapt to working at home. That’s because I’ve worked at home for years. For me, working at … Continue reading “Why I Enjoy Working Remotely”
My Lucky Number
Edit: I did not make it 13 more years. Originally posted July 14, 2020 on AIXchange While Rob McNelly understands the thinking behind decisions to archive content, he can’t help but dwell on how much we’ve lost over the years as archives across the web have gone away. Thirteen years ago this week, my first AIXchange … Continue reading “My Lucky Number”
When Looking for Answers, Don’t Discount Older Docs
Edit: The loss of old information is tragic. Originally posted July 7, 2020 on AIXchange While a lot of information is dated, it’s still relevant. Old documentation and archives actually hold answers to a lot of our current questions. A while ago I was asked about implementing system accounting software: “The system accounting utility allows … Continue reading “When Looking for Answers, Don’t Discount Older Docs”
A Literal Icon of Computing
Edit: I love reading about this stuff. Originally posted June 30, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly makes a toast to early GUI decisions and designs, and the people behind them. As a fan of computing history—as well as someone who played with a Macintosh in his college computer lab in the late 1980s—I found this 2019 … Continue reading “A Literal Icon of Computing”
Videos are Another AIX Learning Tool
Edit: Have you watched these? Originally posted June 23, 2020 on AIXchange Get to know the series of YouTube videos from Nigel Griffiths that he calls AIX in Focus. You may be interested in this series of YouTube videos from Nigel Griffiths that he calls AIX in Focus. I love his description:AIX the best OS in … Continue reading “Videos are Another AIX Learning Tool”
The Value and Challenges of a Spare Disk
Edit: Hopefully this will help someone if they run across the same issue. Originally posted June 16, 2020 on AIXchange Having a spare internal disk is handy in general but that doesn’t come without navigating some challenges. Rob McNelly gives the breakdown on both. When I build a new system, I prefer to have the … Continue reading “The Value and Challenges of a Spare Disk”
Resolving Issues Running migratepv
Edit: Have you run into this issue? Originally posted June 9, 2020 on AIXchange What happens when you try to use migratepv to move rootvg to the new LUN and remove the copy of rootvg from the original LUN? My client added a LUN to an LPAR on the fly using cfgmgr. When we tried … Continue reading “Resolving Issues Running migratepv”
For the Love of Information
Edit: Did you already know about this? Originally posted June 2, 2020 on AIXchange A concise, easy to understand explanation of MTUs. While I wasn’t obsessively desiring to learn about MTUs, I genuinely appreciate how this brief blog post clearly and thoroughly covers an obscure topic: “The MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) states how big a … Continue reading “For the Love of Information”
AIX 6.1 Running on POWER9? It Can Be Done.
Edit: To be clear the lppsource and spot were from the new AIX level, you do not use a spot from the mksysb in order to get this method to work. And it still works great with 7.1 and 7.2 if you need to have a more recent version of AIX to get it to … Continue reading “AIX 6.1 Running on POWER9? It Can Be Done.”
More Than Ever, Spare Computing Power is Needed
Edit: Did any of you contribute spare cycles? Originally posted May 19, 2020 on AIXchange Alternatives to running SETI@home. Many years ago as a young-ish administrator, I ran SETI@home. There were clients for different operating systems, including AIX. It was easy to see how different processors affected the speed of completing work units. As of March … Continue reading “More Than Ever, Spare Computing Power is Needed”
POWER Virtualization Best Practices
Edit: Still good stuff Originally posted May 12, 2020 on AIXchange Tips for technical documentation like IBM Redbooks, Power Systems Virtual User Group replays. There’s always something to learn, or relearn. I’m always interested in hearing how others configure and maintain their systems. Sure, many lessons can be learned by trial and error in the … Continue reading “POWER Virtualization Best Practices”
IBM Visual Insights Now With x86 Support
Edit: Does this interest you? Originally posted May 5, 2020 on AIXchange On Twitter, IBM’s David Spurway announced information for IBM Visual Insights V1.2. On Twitter, IBM’s David Spurway posted announcement information for IBM Visual Insights V1.2: IBM Visual Insights V1.2, previously called IBM PowerAI Vision, extends support to GPU-accelerated AI software on x86-based servers. To accommodate the diversity … Continue reading “IBM Visual Insights Now With x86 Support”
Upcoming Digital Events
Edit: Did you attend any of these? Originally posted April 28, 2020 on AIXchange In light of the current worldwide circumstances, IBM and other vendors are moving their conferences and events to the digital realm. In light of the current worldwide circumstances, IBM and other vendors are moving their conferences and events to the digital … Continue reading “Upcoming Digital Events”
A Reminder About Remote HMC Upgrades
Edit: This is still the only way to do HMC upgrades. Originally posted April 21, 2020 on AIXchange A guide for remote upgrades on the HMC. I love that it’s possible to do remote upgrades on the HMC. This isn’t anything new of course, so imagine my shock when I was recently in a conversation … Continue reading “A Reminder About Remote HMC Upgrades”
Checking the altinst_rootvg oslevel
Edit: Still good to know. Originally posted April 14, 2020 on AIXchange What to do when your AIX system has an altinst_rootvg. Awhile back this interesting question came up: If you’re using alt disk to clone and upgrade your AIX system and later on you log into that system and see it has an altinst_rootvg, … Continue reading “Checking the altinst_rootvg oslevel”
Repurposing an Old Tape Library
Edit: When was the last time you had to worry about this? Originally posted April 7, 2020 on AIXchange Rob McNelly walks through customer troubleshooting from an IBM Redbook. A client was looking to repurpose and virtualize an old TS3200 tape library. The idea was to connect it to a VIO server and then assign it … Continue reading “Repurposing an Old Tape Library”
Alert Impacts VIOS 3.1.1 NPIV Users
Edit: I still recommend following them. Originally posted March 31, 2020 on AIXchange Today’s post features a trio of valuable technical insights, courtesy of IBMers on Twitter. Chris Gibson alerted me to this IBM technical bulletin (excerpt below) that impacts those running VIO server 3.1.1 and using N_Port ID virtualization (NPIV). “This is only an issue using … Continue reading “Alert Impacts VIOS 3.1.1 NPIV Users”
A Great Reason to Revisit Quick Response (QR) Codes
Edit: I still wonder if I was the only one that did not know. Originally posted March 24, 2020 on AIXchange Want remote access to important customer-based service information? It’s actually just a QR code away. I had to laugh at Kiran Tripath’s Tweet about quick response (QR) code locations. I can’t believe I’ve never actually tried … Continue reading “A Great Reason to Revisit Quick Response (QR) Codes”
Now is the Time to Migrate from Older HMCs
Edit: There are still people that do not know about these changes. Originally posted March 17, 2020 on AIXchange Reminder: Support will soon end for x86-based HMC devices. Now is the time to migrate your data. A coworker alerted me to this end of service notice for x86-based HMC devices (excerpt below): “This is the last release … Continue reading “Now is the Time to Migrate from Older HMCs”
Patching on the Fly with AIX and Linux
Edit: Have you been patching without rebooting? Originally posted March 10, 2020 on AIXchange Both operating systems offer ways to do limited patching without having to reboot the system. AIX admins often manage Linux servers as well. If this fits your job description, you should know that each operating system has an option that allows … Continue reading “Patching on the Fly with AIX and Linux”
A Roundup of IC922 Coverage
Edit: Did you get up to speed on the server? Originally posted March 3, 2020 on AIXchange IBM unveiled the Power Systems IC922 server last month. Here’s a handy list of where to learn more about it. IBM unveiled the Power Systems IC922 server last month. For those who haven’t had time to dig into … Continue reading “A Roundup of IC922 Coverage”
Videos Highlight the Latest on Storage
Edit: Have you signed up yet? Originally posted February 25, 2020 on AIXchange Learn what’s new and on the horizon in the world of storage through videos produced by the IBM Washington Systems Center. Are you familiar with the IBM Washington Systems Center? This group produces video presentations that cover a wide range of storage … Continue reading “Videos Highlight the Latest on Storage”
PowerVM Capability Offers Value to SAP HANA
Edit: Have you tried this yet? Originally posted February 18, 2020 on AIXchange A new PowerVM capability called Virtual Persistent Memory (vPMEM) provides a fast restart of workloads during outages in SAP HANA environments. Jay Kruemcke recently examined a new PowerVM capability called Virtual Persistent Memory (excerpt below): “One of the drawbacks of in-memory databases is … Continue reading “PowerVM Capability Offers Value to SAP HANA”
developerWorks Connections Pages in Transition
Edit: What a loss to the community. Originally posted February 11, 2020 on AIXchange Today’s post is a friendly (and important) reminder that the developerWorks Connections platform is set to permanently shut down on March 31. You’re probably aware that IBM is sunsetting the developerWorks Connections platform. Hopefully you’ve bookmarked the new locations of your favorite … Continue reading “developerWorks Connections Pages in Transition”
New Redbooks Catalogs Key AIX Enhancements
Edit: You should be able to bypass the registration Originally posted February 4, 2020 on AIXchange Published last month, the new IBM Redbooks publication covers security and networking enhancements, virtualization and cloud capabilities, PowerVM features—plus plenty more. Glad to have come across this current Redbooks pulication, titled “IBM AIX Enhancements and Modernization”: This publication, which was … Continue reading “New Redbooks Catalogs Key AIX Enhancements”
PowerVC 1.4.3 Install Error
Edit: I assume you are not still seeing this issue Originally posted January 28, 2020 on AIXchange Rob finds a simple solution to a customer’s PowerVC install fail. A while back I helped out on a PowerVC 1.4.3.0 installation. The customer was getting this error: ERROR powervc_oslo.config.data_utils [-] End Of File (EOF) in read_nonblocking(). Exception … Continue reading “PowerVC 1.4.3 Install Error”
Using nmonchart; Verifying IBM Downloads
Edit: Still good information Originally posted January 21, 2020 on AIXchange Courtesy of Russell Adams, here’s some useful information on performance monitoring tool nmon and how to more securely verify IBM downloads. Recently I found some interesting information on Russell Adams’ blog. This is about nmon, the performance monitoring tool (excerpt below): “Recently I was learning about … Continue reading “Using nmonchart; Verifying IBM Downloads”
Managing POWER8 Update Access Keys
Edit: Hopefully you are on top of this with your machines. Originally posted January 14, 2020 on AIXchange As the initial warranty periods on POWER8 systems start to expire, update access keys will need to be replaced. Here’s how. A customer recently experienced issues with POWER8 firmware access keys (page excerpt below): “POWER8 (and later) servers include … Continue reading “Managing POWER8 Update Access Keys”
ESS Mobile App Updates
Edit: Have you tried this? Originally posted January 7, 2020 on AIXchange The latest version of the IBM Entitled Systems Support mobile app puts asset management at your fingertips. As a business partner, customers often ask me for help with downloading software, updating user access keys, etc. Typically I’d go to ibm.com/eserver/ess to help with … Continue reading “ESS Mobile App Updates”
It Adds Up
Edit: I mention Ragnar and triathlons in this piece, I was not able to do either in 2020, but that did not stop me from running and staying active and being ready for the time when I am once again able to compete. And yes, I am still doing my Duolingo lessons, and I still … Continue reading “It Adds Up”
NIM Users Must Get Current on AIX
Edit: Is there anyone who has not updated their NIM servers yet? Originally posted December 10, 2019 on AIXchange A recent change in OS versioning requires NIM servers to run on the latest versions of AIX. AIX Network Installation Management (NIM) can be used to build out VIO servers. If you rely on this valuable … Continue reading “NIM Users Must Get Current on AIX”
Virtualizing Storage with LPM via vSCSI
Edit: vSCSI or NPIV both work for LPM Originally posted December 3, 2019 on AIXchange Moving to POWER9? Live Partition Mobility (LPM) can be used to virtualize storage on LPARs connected to VIO servers via vSCSI. Recently I was asked if it’s possible to perform Live Partition Mobility (LPM) operations on LPARs that are connected … Continue reading “Virtualizing Storage with LPM via vSCSI”
Take a Sneak Peek at New Hardware
Edit: This is still a great tool Originally posted November 26, 2019 on AIXchange The IBM Interactive Product Tour Catalog allows you virtually preview 3D representations of new hardware. Are you familiar with the IBM Interactive Product Tour Catalog? Just go here, select Systems and Servers, and then click on IBM Power Systems. From there, choose … Continue reading “Take a Sneak Peek at New Hardware”
A Look at Cloud Automation Manager
Edit: I still like to watch a demo or video Originally posted November 19, 2019 on AIXchange This short demo video breaks down the process of using Cloud Automation Manager to create templates and deploy virtual machines. We are always looking for ways to simplify our lives, but simplification is more elusive in some situations … Continue reading “A Look at Cloud Automation Manager”
Two Fast-Approaching Deadlines for Power Systems Users
Edit: Always good to nominate yourself or others, and take the AIX surveys Originally posted November 14, 2019 on AIXchange Technical editor Rob McNelly highlights upcoming deadlines for Champions nominations and to complete an AIX survey. A quick reminder about two rapidly approaching deadlines. First, the nomination period for IBM Champions ends on Friday, Nov. … Continue reading “Two Fast-Approaching Deadlines for Power Systems Users”
AIX Security and IBM i TR Announcement Highlights
Edit: An end of an era. Originally posted December 2020 in the final issue of IBM Systems Magazine Technical Editor Rob McNelly breaks down the latest IBM i and AIX announcements In October, IBM made a series of announcements covering an array of products and offerings, including IBM Power Systems™ hardware enhancements, new AIX® features … Continue reading “AIX Security and IBM i TR Announcement Highlights”
NPIV Client Boot Hanging Fix
Edit: I will miss sharing these tips and tricks Originally posted November 5, 2019 on AIXchange IBM Support troubleshoots an NPIV client boot hanging with Error Code 554. On Twitter Chris Gibson highlighted an IBM Support document that troubleshoots an NPIV clientboot hanging with Error Code 554, which I’ve excerpted below: “AIX NPIV Client Boot Hanging with Error … Continue reading “NPIV Client Boot Hanging Fix”
developerWorks Connections Pages Are Going Away
Edit: There is not a day that goes by that I do not click on an article that takes me to a landing page that tells me that information is lost forever. Still heartbreaking to lose so much knowledge. Originally posted October 29, 2019 on AIXchange Big news: IBM is sunsetting its entire developerWorks Connections … Continue reading “developerWorks Connections Pages Are Going Away”
A Look at the Latest IBM Announcements
Edit: This is quite a bit to digest. Originally posted October 22, 2019 on AIXchange Here’s what AIX/IBM Power Systems users should know about the latest announcements. IBM has come out with a bunch of announcements this month. Here are some details on a few announcements and updates that should be of particular interest to AIX/IBM … Continue reading “A Look at the Latest IBM Announcements”
An Intro to AIX File Systems
Edit: It is always good to go back to basics now and again Originally posted October 15, 2019 on AIXchange The IBM Knowledge Center’s overview of AIX file systems is handy as both a refresher and introduction. On Twitter, Soumya Menon (@soumya_159) linked to this IBM Knowledge Center overview of AIX file systems, excerpted below: “A … Continue reading “An Intro to AIX File Systems”
Speeds and Feeds at Your Fingertips
Edit: Some links no longer work. Originally posted October 8, 2019 on AIXchange A handy, consolidated spreadsheet lets you quickly compare rPerfs and CPW across different hardware generations. Have you ever wondered how much faster POWER9 systems benchmark against earlier versions of the hardware? Well there’s an easy way to find out. Go to the IBM … Continue reading “Speeds and Feeds at Your Fingertips”
Proactive Support Now Default Option on E980 and E950
Edit: I still recommend customers get enhanced support. Originally posted October 1, 2019 on AIXchange IBM’s Proactive Support is now included by default for all mid-range and enterprise POWER9 Systems. For those who create hardware orders, IBM’s configuration tool now includes Proactive Support by default for all E980 and E950 configurations. Under Proactive Support, customers … Continue reading “Proactive Support Now Default Option on E980 and E950”
A POWERful Ad
Edit: Customers will not buy what they do not know about. It looks like the videos have been removed. Originally posted September 24, 2019 on AIXchange Ads for IBM Power Systems must convey both technical and marketing information—undoubtedly quite the needle to thread. A while back I discovered this on the Twitter feed of IBM’s … Continue reading “A POWERful Ad”
Legacy Elastic CoD Offerings Being Withdrawn
Edit: Hopefully you took care of this Originally posted September 17, 2019 on AIXchange Those using legacy versions of Elastic Capacity on Demand (CoD) will soon need to upgrade their codes. In July, IBM’s David Spurway tweeted about Elastic Capacity on Demand (CoD). The enablement codes used with legacy versions of Elastic CoD will soon be withdrawn, … Continue reading “Legacy Elastic CoD Offerings Being Withdrawn”
The Implications of IBM’s Red Hat Acquisition
Edit: Have you noticed any disruptions to either company? Originally posted September 10, 2019 on AIXchange Red Hat’s acquisition by IBM is bound to take us in some interesting directions. In July, Red Hat announced its acquisition by IBM. Senior vice president and CTO Chris Wright also posted this brief Q&A. I’ll excerpt a few key points: … Continue reading “The Implications of IBM’s Red Hat Acquisition”
IBM Guide Shows a Lengthy Road Ahead for AIX
Edit: It is good to know AIX will be around for years to come Originally posted September 3, 2019 on AIXchange IBM’s recently published guide lays out the company’s long-term commitment to AIX. IBM recently published what it calls “an executive guide to the strategy and roadmap for the AIX operating system for IBM Power … Continue reading “IBM Guide Shows a Lengthy Road Ahead for AIX”
Using Server Message Block on AIX
Edit: Do you use this? Originally posted August 27, 2019 on AIXchange Server Message Block (SMB) 2.1 support is now available for AIX 7.2. On Twitter, IBM’s Petra Bührer noted the availability of Server Message Block (SMB) 2.1 support for AIX 7.2. She followed that up by tweeting several IBM Knowledge Center links that explain how … Continue reading “Using Server Message Block on AIX”
POWER9 Quick Reference Guide Now Available Via App
Edit: I still use it Originally posted August 20, 2019 on AIXchange The IBM Power Systems Quick Reference Guide is available in iOS and Android formats. In the span of a few days, I received an email and came across this tweet touting the availability of the IBM Power Systems Quick Reference Guide in iOS and Android … Continue reading “POWER9 Quick Reference Guide Now Available Via App”
Managing Multiple Instances of altinst_rootvg
Edit: Still good information Originally posted August 13, 2019 on AIXchange Chris Gibson recently tweeted this IBM Support technote on how to manage multiple instances of altinst_rootvg on AIX. Earlier this summer Chris Gibson tweeted this IBM Support technote that explains how to manage multiple instances of altinst_rootvg on AIX. Here’s the gist of it: QuestionWhat is the … Continue reading “Managing Multiple Instances of altinst_rootvg”
The POWER Investment: Long-Term Viability of the Power Systems Platform
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted August 6, 2019 on AIXchange In this AIXchange blog, Technical Editor Rob McNelly recaps a presentation by IBMer Nigel Griffiths. Nigel Griffiths recently gave a presentation on the long-term viability of IBM Power Systems hardware and the POWER processor. He then summarized his points here: AIX is the … Continue reading “The POWER Investment: Long-Term Viability of the Power Systems Platform”
Understanding Network Attributes in VIOS Configuration
Edit: The first post on the new website Originally posted July 30, 2019 on AIXchange In this AIXchange blog post, Technical Editor Rob McNelly explains network attributes This Technote—authored by Darshan Patel, Perry Smith and Saania Khanna—has some important information about VIO server configuration. I’ll start with their conclusions: Largesend and jumbo frame does two different … Continue reading “Understanding Network Attributes in VIOS Configuration”
Why You Should be Running VIOS 3.x
Edit: Hopefully you have upgraded your VIO servers by now. Originally posted November 2020 by IBM Systems Magazine Technical Editor Rob McNelly explains the advantages of upgrading your VIO server. The PowerVM® Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) provides the capability to virtualize your POWER® servers. It’s the software layer that runs between client VMs and the … Continue reading “Why You Should be Running VIOS 3.x”
Power Systems Best Practices Doc: The Latest
Edit: I still love this document. Originally posted July 23, 2019 on AIXchange The Power Systems Best Practices document was recently updated. This is the presentation that IBMer Fredrik Lundholm maintains. In his email notification, Fredrik requested reader feedback: I would really like some comments and feedback on VIOS rules, and if we can automate a few … Continue reading “Power Systems Best Practices Doc: The Latest”
The Growing AIXchange Rate
Edit: I did not make it another 12 years. Originally posted July 16, 2019 on AIXchange After 12 years I guess it’s inevitable, but this blog is no longer the only AIXchange in town. Occasionally I do web searches on “aixchange” to locate my old articles. But over the past year or so, these searches … Continue reading “The Growing AIXchange Rate”
A TechU Reminder
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted July 9, 2019 on AIXchange I’ve written about the IBM Systems Technical University (TechU) conferences many times, most recently following the event in Atlanta in May. As most of our audience is in the United States, I’ll note the fall conference is in October in Las Vegas, but … Continue reading “A TechU Reminder”
Power E980 Offering Makes Capacity Available as Needed
Edit: Still useful to know about Originally posted June 25, 2019 on AIXchange Those of you who are running E980 servers should be aware of this announcement: IBM Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 is a new IBM Power E980 offering designed to deliver enhanced multisystem resource sharing and by-the-minute consumption of on-premises Power E980 compute resources to … Continue reading “Power E980 Offering Makes Capacity Available as Needed”
Migrating the Cluster Repository Disk
Edit: Still good stuff. Originally posted June 18, 2019 on AIXchange Dino Quintero (@DinoatRedbooks on Twitter) maintains a Redbooks blog on IBM developerWorks. In this post from April, he and Shawn Bodily explain how to migrate the cluster repository disk on PowerHA SystemMirror: The following procedure is valid for clusters that are PowerHA SystemMirror v7.2.0 and … Continue reading “Migrating the Cluster Repository Disk”
Power Overload
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted June 11, 2019 on AIXchange I attended last month’s IBM Systems Technical University (TechU) conference in Atlanta, and as always, it was an enjoyable and enlightening time. In one of his sessions, Nigel Griffiths had a great slide that challenged attendees’ “street cred”: Which is right? PowerPower9Power 9Power-9POWER9POWER … Continue reading “Power Overload”
DR Solutions and the Need to Keep Pace
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted June 4, 2019 on AIXchange Chris Gibson recently updated his blog post about using the ghostdev and clouddev flags in the disaster recovery process. In his original post, Chris replicated rootvg via his SAN. But since this was written in 2012, an update was needed. Here’s what Chris heard … Continue reading “DR Solutions and the Need to Keep Pace”
More PowerAI Resources
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted May 28, 2019 on AIXchange Following up on last week’s AI-themed post, I encourage you to check the extensive PowerAI documentation available from the IBM Knowledge Center. You’ll find instructions on planning, installing frameworks and PowerAI system setup, along with frequently asked questions, a developer portal, and more. There are … Continue reading “More PowerAI Resources”
Automation and AI at Work
Edit: This is still pretty interesting Originally posted May 21, 2019 on AIXchange There’s an old saying about there being no free lunches. (Kids, ask your grandparents.) But in the age of AI, apparently that’s no longer the case. Check out this entertaining story about a savvy techie who used AI and Instagram to automatically post … Continue reading “Automation and AI at Work”
The lshwres Command and Hardware Discovery
Edit: Some links no longer work Originally posted May 14, 2019 on AIXchange Recently, a friend was trying to get the lshwres command to work in his environment. I’ve previously written about using the HMC command line to get information from managed machines. It’s a terrific use of the HMC, especially if you’re working with new machines and your … Continue reading “The lshwres Command and Hardware Discovery”
Setting the Record Straight on Power Systems
Edit: Still good information Originally posted May 7, 2019 on AIXchange There’s an IBM-produced blog about Power Systems servers that’s worth bookmarking. This introduction explains it well: Here are some of the most common myths we hear in the marketplace today: Power has no cloud strategy. Migrating to Power is costly, painful and risky. x/86 is the … Continue reading “Setting the Record Straight on Power Systems”
Text from AIX
Edit: Do you do anything similar? Originally posted April 30, 2019 on AIXchange As I’ve noted previously, I regularly visit the AIX Forum. Generally there’s good discussion, and occasionally an interesting question is raised. For instance, about a month ago a forum member asked about sending texts from AIX. The first reply noted that the curl command … Continue reading “Text from AIX”
Updating Old Firmware with the OpenBMC Tool
Edit: Have you run into this? Originally posted April 23, 2019 on AIXchange I was recently upgrading the firmware on an AC922 server when I realized that the firmware was old enough that no GUI was available for the task. Now, for those of you dealing with more recent releases, firmware can be updated using the OpenBMC … Continue reading “Updating Old Firmware with the OpenBMC Tool”
Machine Learning on AIX
Edit: Have you had a chance to try this? Originally posted April 16, 2019 on AIXchange If you believe that machine learning is strictly for Linux, check out this IBM tutorial on installing and configuring Python machine learning packages on AIX: Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that helps enterprises to discover hidden insights from … Continue reading “Machine Learning on AIX”
An Introduction to Problem Analysis
Edit: More good information when you do not know where to start. Originally posted April 9, 2019 on AIXchange The IBM Knowledge Center has a number of documents on problem analysis for AIX, Linux and more. While this information may seem basic to anyone’s who’s spent years dealing with these types of issues, junior admins … Continue reading “An Introduction to Problem Analysis”
Choosing the Proper Level for Managing VIOS with NIM
Edit: These pages are still worth bookmarking. Originally posted April 2, 2019 on AIXchange Here’s an IBM document on VIO server to NIM mapping (courtesy of Chris Gibson on Twitter). The chart shows you which levels are needed for your NIM master to manage your VIO servers. Particularly since the update to VIOS 3.1, it’s critical that your … Continue reading “Choosing the Proper Level for Managing VIOS with NIM”