The latest installation hints and tips are available at the IBM® Power® server bulletins website.

The AIX® operating system provides the AIX Live Update function that eliminates the workload downtime that is associated with AIX system restart that is required by previous AIX releases when fixes to the AIX kernel are deployed or updated.

AIX Live Update with AIX 7 with 7200-01 includes support for non-disruptive updates of Service Packs and Technology Levels. In AIX 7 with 7200-01, the AIX Live Update process does not create an old_rootvg that could be used as a backup rootvg. Therefore, you must create a backup of rootvg before applying updates by using the AIX Live Update process.

root@AIXmig / # lspath
Enabled hdisk5 vscsi1
Enabled hdisk3 vscsi1
Enabled hdisk4 vscsi1
Enabled hdisk0 vscsi1
Enabled hdisk1 vscsi1
Enabled hdisk2 vscsi1
Missing hdisk5 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk3 vscsi2
Missing hdisk4 vscsi2
Missing hdisk0 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk1 vscsi2
Missing hdisk2 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk6 vscsi1
Missing hdisk6 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk6 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk0 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk2 vscsi2
Enabled hdisk4 vscsi2

root@AIXmig / # rmpath -dl hdisk0 -p vscsi2
paths Deleted
root@AIXmig / # rmpath -dl hdisk2 -p vscsi2
paths Deleted
root@AIXmig / # rmpath -dl hdisk4 -p vscsi2
paths Deleted
root@AIXmig / # rmpath -dl hdisk5 -p vscsi2
paths Deleted
root@AIXmig / # rmpath -dl hdisk6 -p vscsi2
paths Deleted

If you are running Java applications or IBM WebSphere Application Server and AIX Live Update fails, you can fix the failure by applying APAR IV78743.

For more information about AIX Live Update, view the Live Update topic.

There are instances where the Software License Agreements (SLA) might not be displayed correctly. In this event, the License Agreements can be viewed for all languages at the Software license agreements website.

In AIX 7 with 7200-01, a separate Software Maintenance Agreement (SWMA) acceptance window displays during installation immediately after the license acceptance window. The response to the SWMA acceptance (accept or decline) is stored on the system, and either response allows the installation to proceed, unlike license acceptance, which requires an accept to proceed.

The SWMA acceptance window is displayed during a New Overwrite or Preservation installation from base CD media.

For base CD media New Overwrite or Preservation installations, if a non-prompted installation is wanted, the ACCEPT_SWMA field in the control_flow stanza of the bosinst.data file should be set to yes (to accept the SMWA terms) or no (to decline the SWMA terms). The ACCEPT_SWMA field is set to blank by default.

For NIM installations, if licenses have been accepted either from the choices made when initializing the installation, or by using the ACCEPT_LICENSES field in a customized bosinst.data file, then this will constitute SWMA acceptance.

You can download AIX fixes and search technical databases (including "APARS" and "Tips for AIX administrators"), at the Fix Central website.

Security subscription services are available at My notifications website.

After you subscribe to the AIX security advisories, you will receive the advisories by email as soon as they are published.

Only 64-bit Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) machines that are running selected POWER7®, POWER8®, or POWER9™ processor-based servers that implement the Power Architecture® Platform Requirements (PAPR) are supported.

prtconf | grep 'Processor Type'

AIX 7 with 7200-01 minimum current memory requirements vary, based on the configuration.

A minimum current memory requirement for AIX 7 with 7200-01 is 2 GB.

AIX 7 with 7200-01 requires the minimum current memory requirement to increase as the maximum memory configuration or the number of devices scales upward, or both. Larger maximum memory configurations or extra devices scale up the minimum current memory requirement. If the minimum memory requirement is not increased along with the maximum memory configuration, the partition hangs during the initial program load (IPL).

AIX 7 with 7200-01 creates a 512 MB paging space (in the /dev/hd6 directory) for all new and complete overwrite installations.

AIX Version 7.2 requires a minimum of 20 GB of physical disk space for a default installation that includes all devices, the Graphics bundle, and the System Management Client bundle.

The following table provides information about disk usage when you install AIX 7 with 7200-01.

You must format the SCSI disk properly before you install AIX on it. The AIX operating system requires the disk to be formatted to a sector size supported by the attached SCSI controller. All AIX SCSI controllers support 512-byte sector SCSI disks. The 522-byte sector SCSI disks are only supported when they are attached to SCSI RAID controllers. If the disk has been formatted for SCSI RAID, but is not attached to a SCSI RAID controller, the disk might not configure. If the disk does configure, it might be unreadable in the AIX environment. In some instances, the certify function and the format function in AIX diagnostics can be used to reformat the disk for the attached SCSI controller.

If any existing file system has a mount point in the /opt directory, or a mount point of /opt itself, the new logical volume, and file system are not created.

The AIX_fcparray driver is not supported in AIX 7 with 7200-01. Before you migrate to AIX 7 with 7200-01, you must use the manage_disk_drivers command to convert any FCP array disks from the AIX_fcparray driver to the AIX_AAPCM driver. The AIX_AAPCM driver supports Multiple Path I/O (MPIO) devices.

SAS RAID controllers and Fibre Channel controllers support attached arrays and disks with capacities, which exceed 2 TB. The maximum supported capacity (beyond 2 TB) is limited by either the attached storage subsystem or the upper level logical storage management.

For additional information about SAS RAID controllers, see the SAS RAID controller for AIX topic.

For information about AIX capacity limitations for logical storage, see the Limitations for logical storage management topic.

The minimum size of the boot logical volume is 24 MB. If your current boot logical volume is 16 MB or less, the installation process tries to increase it. However, partitions in a boot logical volume must be contiguous, and within the first 4 GB on the disk. If your system does not have free space that meets these requirements, a message indicates that there is not enough space to expand hd5 (the boot logical volume).

To install AIX 7 with 7200-01, follow the instructions in the Installing the base operating system topic.

Network Installation Management (NIM) includes a readme file that is installed with the NIM Master bos.sysmgt.nim.master file set. The path name of the file is /usr/lpp/bos.sysmgt/nim/README.

Java™ Technology Edition, Version 7 64-bit is available on the AIX base media.

IBM software development kit (SDK) and Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for AIX, Java Technology Edition is released in JavaV.x file sets, where V represents the version of Java, such as Java 7, and x is the individual file set, such as Java7_64.sdk.

To check whether a more recent service refresh is available for a version of Java, see the AIX Download and service information website.

To provide you with more control over the software that is installed on your system, the bos.net.tcp.client and bos.net.tcp.server filesets are split into 33 new filesets.

The core code for each original fileset is in the bos.net.tcp.client_core and bos.net.tcp.server_core filesets. Requisites for software that is shipped with the AIX operating system (the bos.net.tcp.client and bos.net.tcp.server filesets) are changed to the bos.net.tcp.client_core and bos.net.tcp.server_core filesets. Additional requisites are added to the other new fileset as needed.

The original filesets still exist to satisfy any requisites from other software. The original filesets have requisites to all the new filesets to ensure that all the requirements are met.

To remove any of the new filesets, you must first remove either the bos.net.tcp.client fileset or the bos.net.tcp.server fileset. To remove the bos.net.tcp.client fileset, the bos.net.tcp.server fileset, or a new fileset, run the lslpp -d fileset_name command. If no other software has requisites to the fileset that you want to remove, the removal is possible.

During an operating system migration, code changes occur, so that all the system configuration and user configurable files, which were owned by the bos.net.tcp.client and bos.net.tcp.server filesets, are merged by the new filesets that now own the files.

The list of new filesets follow:

• bos.net.tcp.client_core
• bos.net.tcp.server_core
• bos.net.tcp.bind
• bos.net.tcp.bind_utils
• bos.net.tcp.bootp
• bos.net.tcp.dfpd
• bos.net.tcp.dhcp
• bos.net.tcp.dhcpd
• bos.net.tcp.ftp
• bos.net.tcp.ftpd
• bos.net.tcp.gated
• bos.net.tcp.imapd
• bos.net.tcp.mail_utils
• bos.net.tcp.ntp
• bos.net.tcp.ntpd
• bos.net.tcp.pop3d
• bos.net.tcp.pxed
• bos.net.tcp.rcmd
• bos.net.tcp.rcmd_server
• bos.net.tcp.sendmail
• bos.net.tcp.slip
• bos.net.tcp.slp
• bos.net.tcp.snmp
• bos.net.tcp.snmpd
• bos.net.tcp.syslogd
• bos.net.tcp.tcpdump
• bos.net.tcp.telnet
• bos.net.tcp.telnetd
• bos.net.tcp.tftp
• bos.net.tcp.tftpd
• bos.net.tcp.timed
• bos.net.tcp.traceroute
• bos.net.tcp.x500

The encoded software in the bos.net.uucp fileset moved to the bos.net.uucode fileset.

By default, Java Version 5 software is removed when you migrate to AIX 7 with 7200-01. However, you can keep Java 5 by changing the selection in the base operating system installation menus, or in the NIM bosinst_data resource. After the migration is complete and Java 5 is removed, you must change the PATH variable to java7_64 in the /etc/environment file.

IBM PowerSC Trusted Surveyor is not supported in AIX 7 with 7200-01. If you are migrating to AIX 7 with 7200-01, you must remove the powersc.ts fileset before you start the migration process. If you have WPARs that you are migrating, you must verify that the powersc.ts fileset is not installed on the WPARs.

When you upgrade to AIX 7 with 7200-01, RSCT Version 3.2.3.0 is installed and replaces the previous version of RSCT. For more information about RSCT, see the RSCT 3.2.2 Knowledge Center website.

When you migrate to AIX 7 with 7200-01 the rsct.core.utils 3.2.3.0 fileset is applied. RSCT Version 3.2.3.0 is not compatible with the rsct.vsd fileset and the rsct.lapi.rte fileset that might already be installed on your system. You must deinstall the rsct.vsd fileset and the rsct.lapi.rte before you migrate to AIX 7 with 7200-01. After you remove the filesets, you must rename the /opt/rsct directory by running the mv /opt/rsct /opt/rsct.old command. If you do not remove the filesets and rename the directory, the rsct.core.utils 3.2.3.0 fileset and other prerequisite RSCT filesets are not installed.

rmdir(/opt/rsct): Do not specify an existing file.
sysck: 3001-017 Errors were detected validating the files
for package rsct.core.utils.

0503-464 installp: The installation has FAILED for the "usr" part

To recover from a failed migration, after you remove the filesets and rename the directory, run the smitty update_all command to install the missing RSCT filesets.

The dsm.core ships a /etc/ibm/sysmgt/dsm/overrides/dsm.properties file, which allows the user to override SSH configuration. If this file was modified, the file needs to be backed up manually before an update or a migration, as it is overwritten.

If you migrate any previous version of the AIX Common Operating System Image (COSI) and associated AIX Thin Servers to the AIX 7 with 7200-01, it is recommended that you delete any dump device that is associated with the migrated Thin Servers and re-create the Thin Servers.

Additionally, you must install the devices.tmiscsw.rte fileset on the NIM master for the AIX 7 with 7200-01 Thin Server to create a dump device. The devices.tmiscsw.rte fileset is available in the AIX Expansion Pack.

AIX Version 7.2 does not support the IBM Subsystem Device Driver (SDD) for IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server®, the IBM TotalStorage DS family, and the IBM System Storage® SAN Volume Controller. If you are using SDD, you must transition to Subsystem Device Driver Path Control Module (SDDPCM) or AIX Path Control Module (PCM) for the multipath support on AIX for IBM SAN storage. SDD to SDDPCM migration scripts are available to help you with the transition.

Contact IBM storage technical support to request access to the migration scripts.

For more information about the available multipath I/O solutions and supported AIX versions for IBM SAN storage products, see the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) website.

IBM DB2® Version 10.5 with FP7 is available on the AIX base media. You can upgrade your DB2 environment from DB2 Version 10.1, 9.8, or 9.7 to DB2 Version 10.5. For more information about upgrading to DB2 Version 10.5, see the Upgrade to DB2 Version 10.5 topic.

A dynamic change occurs when you change a device attribute while the device is in the opened state. In the AIX operating system, you can change certain device attributes while the device is in the opened state by running the chdev command with the -U flag. In AIX 7 with 7200-01, you can dynamically change the queue_depth attribute for MPIO devices.

For each device that the AIX scsidisk device driver manages, a separate command queue is created. This queue is used as a buffer for the SCSI commands that are sent to the device. The queue_depth attribute represents the maximum number of SCSI commands that are allowed in the queue. The initial setting for the queue_depth attribute is configured in the ODM when the device is installed. In previous releases of the AIX operating system, the queue_depth attribute was static when a device was in the opened state. In AIX 7 with 7200-01, you can change the queue_depth attribute while the disk is in an opened state by running the chdev -U -l hdiskX -a queue_depth=NEW_VALUE command, where NEW_VALUE is the new queue depth.

For information about displaying space reclamation information, see the lvmstat command.

AIX 7 with 7200-01 supports scheduling periodic diagnostics multiple times a day instead of only once per day. To schedule periodic diagnostics multiple times a day, run the diag command and select Task Selection > Periodic Diagnostics and specify a time interval between each test.

AIX 7 with 7200-01 with Service Pack 2, or later, supports formatting and certifying up to 10 disks in parallel instead of a single disk at a time. To format or certify multiple disks, run the diag command and from the Task Selection menu, select Certify Media in Parallel or Format Media in Parallel. All eligible resources are displayed in a list. You can select up to 10 disks from the list. The status of the operation is updated every 5 seconds. The time the operation takes to complete for each disk is based on various factors such as disk type, size, and speed.

IBM Security Directory Server Version 6.4 is available on the AIX base media. To upgrade to Security Directory Server Version 6.4, you must upgrade from Security Directory Server Version 6.3. For instructions about upgrading to Security Directory Server Version 6.4, see the Upgrade an instance of IBM Security Directory Server topic.

You might have to manually accept the license terms when you install IBM Security Directory Server version 6.3.0.17, or later, with the AIX operating system. The installation process stops until the license terms are accepted, which prevents an unattended installation when the license is not already installed. For more information, see the License acceptance required for Security Directory Server 6.3.0.17 (or later) topic.

Previous versions of AIX Enterprise Edition included IBM® Tivoli® Monitoring Version 6.2.3 and Version 6.3.0. However, AIX 7.2 Enterprise Edition 1.1, or later, includes only Tivoli Monitoring Version 6.3.0. To use AIX 7.2 Enterprise Edition 1.1, or later, you must upgrade to Tivoli Monitoring Version 6.3.0.

GSKit version 8.0.50.59 is provided on the AIX 7 with 7200-01 Expansion Pack media.

You must use GSKit version 8.0.50.10, or later, when you use IP Security with Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) key lengths that are greater than 2048 bits. The minimum RSA key length of 2048 bits is a requirement for complying with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard as defined in Special Publication 800-131A.

The behavior of the nmon recordings for the PCPU and SCPU sections are not recorded by default in AIX Version 7.2. To enable the recording of the PCPU and SCPU sections, run the nmon recording with the -y PCPU=on,SCPU=on options. When the PCPU and SCPU sections are enabled, the recorded format is the same as the format in previous versions of the AIX operating system. For more information about the nmon command, see the nmon command topic.

The previous version of Perl was upgraded to Perl Version 5.20.1 in AIX Version 7.2. Perl is a separate 3rd-party open source package that is not owned by IBM. The Perl package might not preserve full compatibility across all versions. If you are moving Perl scripts to version 5.20.1, you must complete an evaluation of the scripts to verify that they continue to work as expected. For more information about Perl, see the Perl Programming Documentation website.

The bos.cifs_fs software package has moved to the AIX Version 7.2 Expansion Pack media. The Common Internet File System (CIFS) client is provided as-is (without support).

The shared processor partitions in the AIX operating system are limited to a maximum of 128 virtual processors. Each virtual processor contains up to eight hardware threads and allows up to 1024 logical processors for POWER8 Systems that run in SMT8 mode. If your configuration requires more AIX LPAR processors, you must use dedicated processors.

To view the most current version of the AIX Version 7.2 information, see the IBM Documentation for AIX website.

The IBM AIX Dynamic System Optimizer (DSO) extends the features that are provided by the Active System Optimizer (ASO) to automatically adjust some system settings to maximize the efficiency of your system. This automates the difficult job of manually tuning those system settings to optimize eligible workloads. The additional features that are provided by DSO are large page optimization and data stream prefetch optimization.

DSO is no longer a stand-alone feature and is included in AIX Version 7.2, or later, as part of ASO. For more information about DSO and ASO, see the AIX Dynamic System Optimizer topic.

A Loadable Password Algorithm (LPA) model is available that supports the Linux SHA-256 and SHA-512 password cryptographic algorithm. The Linux SHA-256 and SHA-512 password cryptographic algorithm is supported by other operating systems and was published in the public domain by Ulrich Drepper (https://www.akkadia.org/drepper/SHA-crypt.txt).

The LPA model is included in the pwmod Licensed Program Product (LPP) package. You can get the pwmod package from the AIX Web Download Pack website.

For information about server-side support for new Unicode locales, see the Supported languages and locales topic.