Installing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C system backplane

Learn how to replace the system backplane that is part of a service action.

1. Install the system backplane.
   Note: Use care when you install the system backplane.
   1. Carefully grasp the replacement system backplane (A) along two edges. See Figure 1.
   2. Ensure that the pin holes on the system backplane are lined up correctly with the pins (B) on the system chassis.
   3. Lower the system backplane at an angle so that the back of the backplane connects with the system chassis first.
   4. Slide the system backplane toward the rear of the system chassis.
   5. Tighten the 6 screws (C) that secure the system backplane to the system chassis.
      Figure 1. Installing the system backplane

      
2. Install the front processor support:
   1. Align the pin hole (A) on the front processor support with the chassis guide pin on the system backplane. See Figure 2.
   2. Install and tighten the five screws (B) to secure the front processor support.
      Figure 2. Installing the front processor support

      
3. Install the line cord assembly:
   1. Work the line cords under the top of the front of the system unit and through the front of the system chassis.

      Ensure that the cord labeled P1 is routed over the power supply that is labeled E1 and that the cord labeled P2 is routed over the power supply labeled E2.

   2. Place the line cord assembly (A) into position, ensuring that the slots (B) on the line cord assembly align with the pins on the system chassis. See Figure 3.
   3. Slide the line cord assembly toward the rear of the system to lock it into place.
   4. Insert and tighten the screw (C) to secure the line cord assembly.
      Figure 3. Installing the line cord assembly

      
4. Install the middle divider:
   1. Align the middle system divider (A) between the front and rear processor supports. See Figure 4.
   2. Slide the middle system divider down and into place.
   3. Insert and tighten the screw (B) to secure the middle system divide.
      Figure 4. Installing the middle divider

      
5. Install the PCI adapter dividers:
   1. Grasp the PCI adapter divider by its top edge and align the back edge of the divider with the retention notches (A) in the system chassis. See Figure 5.
   2. Insert the front edge of the divider (B) into the slots, and then press the divider into place.
   3. Repeat steps 5.a and 5.b for the other PCI adapter dividers that need to be installed.
      Figure 5. Installing the PCI adapter dividers

      
6. Install the system processor assemblies. For instructions, see Replacing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C system processor assembly.
7. Install the Ethernet card. For instructions, see Replacing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C Host Ethernet Adapter with the power off.
8. Install the GX adapters. For instructions, see Replacing GX adapters in an 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C with the system power turned off.
9. Install the PCI adapters. For instructions, see Replacing a PCI adapter in the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C server with the power off.
10. Install the Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) enablement card. For instructions, see Replacing the model 8233-E8B RAID enablement card.
11. Install the RAID auxiliary cache card. For instructions, see Replacing the model 8233-E8B auxiliary cache card.
12. Install the thermal power management device (TPMD) card. For instructions, see Replacing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C TPMD card.
13. Install the vital product data card. For instructions, see Installing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C vital product data card.
14. Install the disk drive cage:
    1. Slide the disk unit cage into the system until it locks in place. See Figure 6.
    2. Rotate the handles in the direction that is shown to secure the disk unit cage.
    3. If the rear bulkhead SAS cable is present, reconnect it to the rear of the disk unit backplane.
       Figure 6. Installing the disk drive cage

       
15. Install the fan cage:
    1. Lower the fan cage (A) into its location on the system board, aligning the locator pins through the holes. See Figure 7.
    2. Tighten the two retaining thumbscrews to secure the fan cage to the system board.
       Figure 7. Installing the fan cage

       
16. Install the air baffles:
    1. Lower the air baffles into their location in the fan cage. See Figure 8.
    2. Push down on the air baffles until they lock into place.
       Figure 8. Installing the air baffles

       
17. Install the fans:
    1. Lower the fan into its location in the fan cage. See Figure 9.
    2. Push down on the fan until it locks into place.
    3. Repeat steps 17.a and 17.b until all system fans are installed.
       Figure 9. Installing the fans

       
18. Install both power supply units:
    1. While pushing the lever (A) down, carefully slide the power supply into its location in the system. See Figure 10.
    2. Connect the power cable (B) to the power supply.
    3. Repeat the steps 18.a and 18.b to install the other power supply.
       Figure 10. Installing both power supply units

       
19. Install the service access cover. For instructions, see Installing the service access cover on an 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C system.
20. Place the system into the operating position. For instructions, see Placing the 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C in the operating position.
21. Reconnect the external cables from the system.
22. Replace the front cover. For instructions, see Installing the front cover on an 8233-E8B or 8236-E8C system.
23. Reconnect all power cords, Ethernet, and signal cables.
24. Restore service processor settings.
    Is your system managed by a management console?

    • Yes: Go to next step.
    • No: Go to step 27.
25. Restore network connectivity.

    The service processor must connect to the network to be accessible from the management console.

    How will the IP address of the Service processor be managed?

    • If the IP address will be automatically obtained from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, go to the next step.
    • If the IP address will be manually configured as a static IP address, go to step 27.
26. Restore service processor settings.
    1. If not already connected, connect all system power cables by plugging them into power outlets.
    2. Ensure that the service processor is connected to the existing service network by verifying that the management console cable is connected to the management console port on the system backplane.
       Note: Do not start the system at this time.
    Can you access the service network?

    • Yes: Go to step 29.
    • No: Go to step 32.
27. Restore service processor settings.
    The Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) is the interface to the service processor that is required to perform general and administrator-level service tasks, such as reading service processor error logs, reading vital product data, setting up the service processor, controlling the system power, and setting service processor network ports. The ASMI may also be referred to as the service processor menus. The ASMI can be accessed through HTTPS. To restore service processor settings, complete the following steps:

    1. If not already connected, connect all system power cables by plugging them into power outlets. Note: Do not start the system at this time.
    2. The control panel can be used in manual mode to display the service processor's IP addresses. Refer to service functions to get control panel documentation in that case.
    3. Connect a client with a web browser directly to the service processor network ports you previously noted. It could be something like the following URLs:
       • https://169.254.2.147
       • https://169.254.3.147
       Note: In some cases, the IP addresses might be different. For more information, see Function 30.
    4. Log on to the ASMI with the admin User ID and admin default Password.
    5. Change the admin user ID Password and the general user ID Password when prompted.
    6. To configure network access perform the following steps.
       1. Click Network Configuration under the Network Services node.
       2. On the right pane, configure eth0 and eth1 network interfaces, select Static for the Type of IP address field, and set and a Host name, an IP address, a Subnet mask.
28. Restore system processor settings.

    With the network connection now configured to use static IP address assignments, try to access the service processor network ports.

    Can you access the service network?

    • Yes: Go to the next step.
    • No: Go to step 33.
29. Access the ASMI.

    The ASMI is the interface to the service processor that is required to perform general and administrator-level service tasks, such as reading service processor error logs, reading vital product data, setting up the service processor, and controlling the system power. The ASMI might also be referred to as the service processor menus. To access the ASMI, see Accessing the Advanced System Management Interface. After you have accessed the ASMI, continue with the next step.

30. Set System Enclosure Type and Feature Code.

    The enclosure serial number is a seven-digit number printed on a bar-coded label on the system unit. When the system backplane is replaced, the seven-digit enclosure serial number and feature code number needs to be manually inputted and stored in the new system backplane by using the ASMI.

    Note: To perform this operation, your authority level must be Authorized Service Provider (ID: celogin).

    To input the enclosure serial number and feature code, complete the following steps:

    1. On the ASMI Welcome pane, specify your user ID and password, and click Log in.
    2. In the navigation area, expand System Configuration > Program Vital Product Data.
    3. Select System Enclosures. In the right pane, the current system enclosures are displayed.
    4. On the system being serviced, record the enclosure serial number and feature code printed on the bar-coded label on the system unit.
    5. Enter the last 7 characters of the enclosure serial number in the Enclosure serial number field.
    6. Enter the feature code number, including the dash (-), in the Feature Code/Sequence Number field.
    7. Click Save settings to update and save the enclosure serial number and the feature code.
31. Go to step 35.
32. Restore service processor settings.
    If the network connection uses DHCP to establish an IP address, but does not use a management console as the DHCP server, complete the following steps:

    1. Complete any network configuration necessary to allow the DHCP server to recognize and assign an IP address to the service processor.
    2. Ensure that the service processor is connected to the existing service network by verifying that the network cable is connected to the network port.
    3. If not already connected, connect all system power cables by plugging them into power outlets.
       Note: Do not start the system at this time.
    Can you access the service network?

    • Yes: Go to step 29.
    • No: Go to the next step.
33. Restore service processor settings.
    If you are still not able to access the service network, reset the service processor by pressing the pin-hole switch (E) on the operator panel. See Figure 11.

    Figure 11. Pin-hole switch on the operator information panel

    
34. Go to step 25.
35. Restore service processor settings.
    Change the password of the admin user ID when prompted by performing the following steps:

    1. In the navigation area of the ASMI, expand Login Profile.
    2. Select Change Password under Login Profile.
    3. Specify the required information, and click Continue.

    As a security measure, you are required to enter your current user password in the Current password for current user ID field.

    Note: Passwords can be any combination of up to 64 alphanumeric characters. The default password for the admin User ID is admin. After your initial login to the ASMI, the admin password must be changed.

    As a security measure, you are required to enter the password for your user ID in the Current password for current user field.
36. Restore service processor settings.
    Set the system name. The system name can be changed to any valid ASCII string. It does not have to follow the machine type_model_serial number format. To change the system name, complete the following steps:

    1. In the navigation area of the ASMI, expand System Configuration.
    2. Select System Name under System Configuration.
    3. Enter the desired system name.
    4. Click Save settings to update the system name to the new value.

    The new system name is displayed in the status frame, the area where the Log out button is located. If another method, such as the a management console, is used to change the system name, the status frame does not reflect the change.
37. Restore service processor settings.
    To set the time-of-day, complete the following steps:

    1. In the navigation area of the ASMI, expand System Configuration.
    2. Select Time of Day under System Configuration.
    3. If the system is powered off, the right pane displays a form that shows the current date (month, day, and year) and time (hours, minutes, and seconds).
    4. Change the date, the time, or both, and click Save settings.
38. Restore service processor settings.

    Verify if the server firmware level is same as the value recorded before Installing the system backplane. If the value is different then, it must be fixed. For information on how to fix the firmware, see Getting firmware fixes.

39. Restore service processor settings.
    Reenter any of the following settings that were previously changed through the ASMI, unless you want to use the default settings.

    • System Power Control settings
    • System Service Aids settings
    • System Configuration settings
    • Network Services settings
    • Performance Options settings
    • Login Profile settings
40. Restore service processor settings.
    1. Reset any service processor settings that you may have set using operating system commands. You recorded these settings at the beginning of this procedure.
    2. If you choose to reset the Management consoles Access password, perform the following:
       To change the HMC access password, select one of the following methods:

       1. From the HMC GUI (preferred method):
          1. Expand the Systems Management folder in the navigation tree pane.
          2. Double-click the Servers folder.
          3. Select a server in the central panel.
          4. Under the Operations folder, select Change Password.
          5. Provide the desired information and click OK.
       2. From the HMC command line, type:

          /usr/hmcrbin/chsyspwd -m managedsystem -t access --passwd --newpasswd newpassword

          where:
          • The value for managedsystem is the new service processor's managed system name.
          • No value for --passwd is entered thereby allowing authentication.
          • The value for newpasswd is the newpassword value.
       To change the SDMC access password, complete the following steps:

       1. Click the Resources tab, and then click Hosts.
       2. Select a server in the right pane.
       3. From the Actions menu, click Operations > Change Password.
       4. Provide the desired information and click OK.
41. Recover partition data on the service processor.

    Profile data stored in the managed server has been cleared or corrupted.

    To recover profile data, using the HMC, complete the following steps:

    1. Expand the Systems Management folder in the navigation tree pane.
    2. Double-click the Servers folder.
    3. Use the check box to select a server, in the central panel.
    4. In the Configuration folder if you have the Manage Partition Data folder, select Restore.
    To recover profile data, using the SDMC, complete the following steps:

    1. Click the Resources tab, and then click Hosts.
    2. Select a server in the right pane.
    3. From the Actions menu, click System Configuration > Manage Partition Data > Restore.
    4. Select the desired restore option and click OK.
42. Update vital product data.
    If your system is running IBM i and is not managed by the management consoles, you must update the load source after replacing the system backplane. To update the load source without using the management consoles, do the following steps:

    1. Insert the I_BASE_01 Licensed Internal Code optical media into the device that is defined for the system and access it to perform an initial program load (IPL).
    2. On the control panel change the IPL source to D.
    3. On the control panel press the Power on button to perform an initial program load (IPL).
       Note: This IPL can take several minutes.
    4. After the Select a Language Group display is shown, press Enter to select the default language feature 2924 (English).
       Note: To change the language feature, type the language feature that appears on the media that contains the operating system, and then press Enter.
       Confirm the language feature by pressing Enter.
    5. From the Install Licensed Internal Code display, select option 2 (Work with Dedicated Service Tools (DST)) and press Enter.

       Use the Dedicated Service Tools to make sure the disk units, including the load source, are reporting correctly and that there are no errors that might prevent the IPL from disk. When all errors have been resolved and the load source disk is reporting correctly, continue with the next step.

    6. From the Work with dedicated service tools (DST) display, select option 2 (Work with disk units) and press Enter.
    7. Select option 8 (Update system vital product data) to identify the location of the load source disk unit. Press Enter. The Update System Vital Product Data display is shown.
    8. Press Enter to confirm that you want the vital product data to be written.
    9. Press F12 (Previous).
    10. Select Option 4 (Start a service tool).
    11. From the Work with dedicated service tools (DST) display, select option 4 (Operator panel functions).
    12. From the Operator panel functions display, change the IPL source to 2 (B) and IPL mode to 2 (Normal).
    13. Press F8 (Restart) to set the IPL attributes and restart the system.
43. Restore the boot list and Host Ethernet Adapter settings.

    The boot list is not present on a new system backplane; therefore, it is necessary to create the boot devices by booting into the system management services (SMS) menus. For instructions to set the boot device list, see Selecting boot options.

    After the operating system is booted, the bootlist command can be used to verify, or make additional changes to, the list of boot devices for a system or partition.

    To restore the Host Ethernet adapter settings, see Configuring physical ports on a Host Ethernet Adapter.

44. Start the system or logical partition. See Starting the system or logical partition.
45. Verify the repair. For instructions, see Verifying a repair.