System Board Replacement VIO prep-steps for Blade Servers

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  • 1) Login with padmin under the Integrated Virtualization manager (IVM)
  • 2) On the left under service management, you have the option for backup/restore
  • 3) The backup will be place under /home/padmin/profile.bak
  • 4) Once the board is replaced, login to IVM, and perform a restore from Service Management/Backup/Restore.

If you can’t get into the IVM in Step 4 above, you can do it from the command line:

ssh padmin@hostname
rstprofdata -l 1 -f /home/padmin/profile.bak

The transverse command to back up the profile data is:

bkprofdata -o backup -f /home/padmin/profile.bak

Note that the command may fail with a misleading message that the system needs to be rebooted. This is usually because the VIO server itself is having its resources synchronized; the IVM should display this, and ps -aef | grep drmgr will show drmgr running, and iteratively running svmon -G will show the memory reducing. Wait for the synchronization to complete (this can take on the order of tens of minutes) then run rstprofdata -f /home/padmin/profile.bak again.

Additionally, if this VIOS server has an VET keys installed, they will need to be setup again. This can be done via the IVM, under IVM Management, powerEdition Keys.

Details from a third party are given at http://santosh-aix.blogspot.com/2008/08/restoring-virtual-io-server.html (scroll down to “Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) Consideration”). Note in particular it is not possible to backup the profile data for only one LPAR; the profile backup will back up all LPARs in one go.

GOTCHAS:

It has come to our attention that when you successfully restore the LPARs they boot sequence will be reset to the following order:

  • 1) SCSI CD-ROM
  • 2) SCSI Hard Disk
  • 3) empty
  • 4) Interpartition logical LAN

Needless to say, if you attempt to boot the LPAR in its current config it will never boot up. You will also note when viewing the LPAR details, it doesn’t display the IP information (as it hasn’t been booted properly since restoration).

To fix this, follow the below procedure:

Login to the IVM
Check box the LPAR ID # you are interested in (let's say #3 for argument sake)
Under "More Tasks" select open terminal window (sometimes this doesn't open, so repeat until it works)
Next click activate.
Switch focus onto the Virtual Terminal window.  Upon bootup select 1 for SMS Menu.
Change default boot order.  (5 Boot order, 2 boot order, 1 select 1st boot device, 5 hard drive, 1 SCSI, 1 on media adapter, 1 on device, 2 set boot sequence).

Repeat for any other boot order you wish to change.

NOTE: Due to S/N changing with a system board replacement, it will default the system properties. To change, log into IVM, navigate to “View/Modify System Properties” and change the system name to desired name.

Category: VIOS