How to Use the Rules Command With VIO Servers
January 11, 2024
I do a lot of customizations on my VIO servers, and I was asked recently how the rules command could be used to deploy some of those changes so they can be consistently applied to all VIO servers. The rules command is primarily used to tune and modify device settings on the VIO server and […]
ArticlesHow to Upgrade to PowerVM v4.1.0.10
December 8, 2023
In this article I will go over my recent experience upgrading VIO servers from version 3 to version 4. The process is similar to going from version 2 to version 3, but I did run into a few issues that you should be able to avoid. The first step is to download the code and […]
ArticlesDigging Into AIX 7.3 TL Updates
December 5, 2023
In November, IBM TechXchange conducted a deep dive on AIX 7.3 TL updates. Featuring AIX product manager Jayen Shah and Carl Burnet, DE for IBM Power, the webinar covered the latest AIX enhancements: “In this webcast, you will learn: *How AIX OS feature enhancements provide the capacity, performance, and leading security needed to accelerate business […]
ArticlesFLRT, NIM, DNF, HMC and More: Technical Lessons From 2023
November 15, 2023
2023 has been incredibly busy, but I have also learned a lot during that time. It was great to attend TechXchange, see everyone in person and share ideas and thoughts with everyone. In this article I have tried to distill some of the things I learned throughout the year: Updates to tools How to install […]
ArticlesAIX SR-IOV VF and Cisco CDP
November 11, 2023
Yesterday, IBM released Technology Level (TL) 2 for AIX 7.3. With TL2, a new capability is delivered for AIX systems using native Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) adapters (logical ports). With this update AIX administrators can now display information for Cisco network devices (switches) that are directly connected to their AIX logical partition (LPAR). This […]
A Warning About Running ezh and eezh Scripts in Updated HMC Environments
October 31, 2023
In 2020 I wrote about a couple of scripts called ezh and eezh: “EZH is a script for the [HMC] to provide an alternate, easier to use, command line interface for many common commands, and the goal of the project is to make the HMC command line interface easier to use for day to day […]
ArticlesPower10 Lessons Learned in 2023
October 30, 2023
2023 has been a busy year with lots of Power10 implementations. And I have learned a great deal during that time from a combination of experience, IBM documents and tips from friends. It is important that you follow the instructions on how to set up your Power10 server. The addition of the VMI (Virtualization Management […]
ArticlesPreparing a VIOS for Maintenance Using the HMC
October 17, 2023
Did you know that, starting with Hardware Management Console (HMC) V9.2.950.0 and later, you can use the HMC user interface (UI) to prepare a Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) for maintenance on your IBM Power server? If this interests you, please read on to find out how. The VIOS is considered an appliance or (like) firmware […]
ArticlesThe Complete Beginners’ Guide to Hacking a Mainframe
October 12, 2023
Any movie or TV show makes hacking seem like a trivial affair. A couple of minutes of screen time and some nerdy kid shouts, “I’m in.” Five minutes later, all the data has been stolen and dangerous applications have been rewritten (compiled and executed). We know that’s not how it happens, but the worrying thing […]
ArticlesIBM Support Insights: Infrastructure Management Simplified
September 7, 2023
Like many of you, my organization manages servers, switches, storage devices, etc., in multiple data centers located throughout and even outside of the country. With collections of devices this large, naturally, there are many challenges. How do you manage hardware inventories? How do you know when a new device is added to your environment? How […]