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, I went ahead and upgraded to HMC v7.
Some first impressions:
It was a very simple upgrade. I installed the version 7 release 3.1.0 DVD (after backing up console data and saving upgrade data) and booted from it. After answering a few questions and loading both DVDs, I had a running system.
I’ve been doing my testing while using Firefox as my browser (Internet Explorer isn’t at the right level on my machine, and I haven’t looked into upgrading yet). It seems to work fine. Just go to https://hmc.ip.address or https://hmc.hostname and you can get to your prelogin screen. Here you have a link to log on and launch the HMC Web app and view online help. Below those two selections you can view the system status, any attention LEDs, and any serviceable events (see below).
When you log in, you see some hmc “tip of the day” screens (see below). Note that you can disable these screens though I like reading the different tips.
The display is similar in concept to WebSM, and after clicking on the different headings, it is pretty obvious where to go find things. The HMC redbook that I mentioned last week gives a very good overview of the different things that you can do.
One thing I’ve noticed is that if I lose network connectivity, (or if I make the choice when I log out), I can reconnect to my previous session. When you select log off, and select the option to disconnect instead of log off, the next time you can either reconnect to the previous session or start a new session. This can be handy if you start a long-running task on the raised floor and need to walk back to your desk. You can logoff, disconnect, then reconnect at another location. As a heavy screen and vnc user, I can really appreciate this functionality.
I also used the HMC v7 to upgrade firmware on a machine, and it went very smoothly. It took me a minute to realize that I wanted to use Upgrade Licensed Internal Code to a new release, but once I used the correct option, the update process was very simple.
I was able to easily export a system plan from the HMC, and transfer that system plan to my machine. When I ran the IBM System Planning tool on my machine, it let me open and view the system plan I moved over, but I was unable to edit that system plan.
I think it would be very useful to be able to export sysplan data from the HMC, edit it on the PC, then transfer it back to the HMC. For now it looks like I can transfer it from the HMC and view it, but I would have to create a new file in order to edit it.
I did find that ports 9960/tcp need to be open for the console window, and that the HMC will communicate to the managed machine on 657/tcp and 657/udp for things like dynamic logical partitioning (DLPAR) operations.
As I continue working with and using the HMC, I’m sure I’ll find more to share with you. Hopefully you’ll continue sharing the things you’re learning with me.