Virtual I/O Server release notes
VIOS problem resolution
To ensure the reliability, availability, and serviceability of a computing environment by using the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS), update the VIOS software to the latest fix level for that particular release. The latest level contains all fix packs for the specified VIOS release.
VIOS package terminology
To view the most current version of the VIOS package terminology and maintenance strategy, see the VIOS Maintenance Strategy website (http://www-304.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/vios/svcstrategy.html).
Read this information before installation
Always ensure that you install all of the latest updates for VIOS. You can download the latest updates for VIOS from the IBM® Fix Central website (http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/).
To view the most current version of the VIOS release notes, see the online version of the VIOS release notes.
All users of VIOS software must subscribe to the VIOS notification service. Subscribe to this service to stay current on VIOS news and critical product updates.
To subscribe to the VIOS notification service, go to My notifications on the IBM Support Portal website (www.ibm.com/systems/support/myview/subscription/css.wss/) and sign in by using your IBM ID. Enter PowerVM® Virtual I/O Server into Product lookup, and click Subscribe.
VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 installation
The VIOS software is distributed on two DVDs. When you start the VIOS software setup from DVD 1, you will be prompted to insert DVD 2 after the DVD 1 data is processed.
To install another language file set after the initial installation is complete, insert the second DVD into the DVD drive and use the chlang command.
Memory requirements
The minimum memory requirement for the VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 varies based on the configuration.
A general rule for the minimum memory requirement for the VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 is 4 GB. A minimum current memory requirement might support a configuration with a minimum number of devices or a small maximum memory configuration. However, to support shared storage pools, the minimum memory requirement is 4 GB.
The VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 requires the minimum current memory requirement to increase when either the maximum memory configuration or the number of devices increases or when they both increase. Larger maximum memory configurations or more devices increase the minimum current memory requirement. If the minimum memory requirement is not increased along with the maximum memory configuration, the partition stops during the initial program load (IPL).
ROOTVG requirements
The VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 requires a minimum of 30 GB of disk space for installation. Ensure that the disk that is allocated for the VIOS installation contains at least 30 GB of available space before you attempt to install VIOS.
VIOS Version 2.2.5.00 enhancements
This release of VIOS contains several enhancements in the POWER® virtualization area.
Live Partition Mobility reliability and performance enhancements
VIOS SSP Resiliency Enhancements
The VIOS version 2.2.5.00 or later, adds resiliency to the Shared Storage Pool (SSP) against specific failure conditions to prevent outages and to make it easier to service SSP clusters and to diagnose problems. This new feature includes a cluster-wide reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) First Failure Data Capture (FFDC) framework that you can access by using the clffdc command. The framework also includes triggers for the system to automatically capture snap data on all nodes in cases where a significant error is detected. This release adds logging capabilities and tools for analyzing log files and serviceability. The VIOS version 2.2.5.00 or later, supports the ability to change the time-of-day clock on a node while the SSP is active.
VIOS Shared Storage Pool (SSP) Scaling Enhancements
The VIOS version 2.2.5.00 or later, has increased the Shared Storage Pool (SSP) scalability to 24 nodes. In order to scale beyond 16 nodes, you must have a system tier that is composed entirely of solid-state drive (SSD) storage.
VIOS Rules Enhancements
- Ensures that VIOS has sufficient resources for a safe system boot when VIOS rules are deployed.
- Supports and deploys VIOS rules that contain AIX® unsupported device.
- Extends VIOS rules to support new I/O Fibre Channel (FC) adapters.
VIOSBR enhancements
The VIOS version 2.2.5.00 or later, provides an enhanced viosbr functionality which automatically triggers the backup operation if there are any nodes or Shared Storage Pool (SSP) cluster configuration changes. The viosbr command runs every hour to check if there are any configuration changes and triggers a backup operation if any configuration changes are found. The viosbr function is enabled by default. You can stop automatic backup trigger using the autobackup option of the viosbr command. This release also provides the capability to restore the SSP on a mirrored storage with different set of hosts by using the dr option of the viosbr command.
Software license agreements
If the software license agreements are not displayed correctly, they can be viewed in all languages at the Software license agreements website (www.ibm.com/software/sla/sladb.nsf).
Online documentation for VIOS software
For online documentation, see the Virtual I/O Server topic collection.
