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Update System or Service Processor Flash
Attention: If the system is running on a logically partitioned system, ask the customer
or system administrator if a service partition has been designated.
v If it has, ask the customer or system administrator to shut down all of the partitions
except the one with service authority. The firmware update can then be done using
the service aid or the AIX command line in that partition.
v If a service partition has not been designated, the system must be shut down. If the
firmware update image is available on backup diskettes, the firmware update can
then be done from the service processor menus as a privileged user. If the firmware
update image is in a file on the system, reboot the system in a full machine partition
and use the following normal firmware update procedures.
If the system is already in a full machine partition, use the following normal firmware
update procedures:
Note: This service aid runs on CHRP system units only.
This selection updates the system or service processor flash for CHRP system units.
Some systems may have separate images for system and service processor firmware;
newer systems have a combined image that contains both in one image.
Look for additional update and recovery instructions with the update kit. You need to
know the fully qualified path and file name of the flash update image file provided in the
kit. If the update image file is on a diskette, the service aid can list the files on the
diskette for selection. The diskette must be a valid backup format diskette.
Refer to the update instructions with the kit, or the service guide for the system unit to
determine the current level of the system unit or service processor flash memory.
When this service aid is run from online diagnostics, the flash update image file is
copied to the /var file system. It is recommended that the source of the microcode that
you want to download be put into the /etc/microcode directory on the system. If there
is not enough space in the /var file system for the new flash update image file, an error
is reported. If this error occurs, exit the service aid, increase the size of the /var file
system, and retry the service aid. After the file is copied, a screen requests confirmation
before continuing with the flash update. When you continue the update flash, the
system reboots using the shutdown -u command. The system does not return to the
diagnostics, and the current flash image is not saved. After the reboot, you can remove
the /var/update_flash_image file.
When this service aid is run from standalone diagnostics, the flash update image file is
copied to the file system from diskette or from the NIM server. Using a diskette, the
user must provide the image on backup format diskette because the user does not
have access to remote file systems or any other files that are on the system. If using
the NIM server, the microcode image must first be copied onto the NIM server in the
/usr/lib/microcode directory pointed to the NIM SPOT (from which you plan to have
the NIM client boot standalone diagnostics) prior to performing the NIM boot of
136 Eserver pSeries 690 User’s Guide