IBM RS6000 User Manual
International Technical Support Organization
SG24-4690-00
A Technical Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
April 1996
IBM
International Technical Support Organization
A Technical Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
April 1996
SG24-4690-00
Take Note!
Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information under “Special Notices” on
page xv.
First Edition (April 1996)
This edition applies to the PCI-based RS/6000 servers, Model E20 and Model F30, for use with the AIX Version 4.1.4 Operating
System.
Order publications through your IBM representative or the IBM branch office serving your locality. Publications are not stocked at the
address given below.
An ITSO Technical Bulletin Evaluation Form for reader's feedback appears facing Chapter 1. If the form has been removed,
comments may be addressed to:
IBM Corporation, International Technical Support Organization
Dept. JN9B Building 045 Internal Zip 2834
11400 Burnet Road
Austin, Texas 78758-3493
When you send information to IBM, you grant IBM a non-exclusive right to use or distribute the information in any way it believes
appropriate without incurring any obligation to you.
Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 1996. All rights reserved.
Note to U.S. Government Users — Documentation related to restricted rights — Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to
restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
Abstract
After the successful introduction of the PCI-based RS/6000 workstations (40P/43P),
the RISC System/6000 family of products has been expanded to include a new line
of workgroup servers based on the PowerPC microprocessor, the Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI) and the PowerPC Reference Platform Specification
(PReP). These servers, which offer large memory and internal disk capacities, PC
I/O compatibility and flexible configurations, use “industry standard” components
and subsystems. The configuration flexibility and the enhanced Reliability,
Availability and Serviceability (RAS) features provided with the PCI-based RS/6000
servers constitute the substantial difference when these servers are compared to
the previously announced PCI-based RS/6000 workstations.
To support these new systems, new adapters and devices had to be provided, and
the AIX Version 4.1 operating system had to be enhanced dramatically.
All these enhancements present new environments and new configuration tasks to
system engineers, system administrators and customer engineers. This book is
intended to describe this new environment and to assist the support personnel in
accomplishing these new tasks.
(194 pages)
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 iii
iv Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Contents
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Special Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
How This Document is Organized .......................... xvii
Related Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii
International Technical Support Organization Publications ........... xviii
How Customers Can Get Redbooks and Other ITSO Deliverables ....... xix
How IBM Employees Can Get Redbooks and ITSO Deliverables ........ xx
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Rationale for the PowerPC Reference Platform Specification ......... 2
1.2 Introducing the PowerPC Reference Platform Specification .......... 4
1.3 The PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference Platform
(CHRP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3.1 PowerPC Platform - Introduction and History ............... 6
1.3.2 The PowerPC Platform Document ..................... 6
1.3.3 PowerPC Platform Goals ........................... 7
1.3.4 CHRP Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 2. PCI-Based RS/6000 Server Hardware ............... 11
2.1 The Hardware Design .............................. 11
2.1.1 The PCI Bus Architecture ......................... 12
2.1.2 The ISA BUS Architecture ......................... 14
2.2 The Hardware Main Components ........................ 15
2.2.1 The Processor Subsystem ......................... 15
2.2.2 The L2 Cache ................................ 16
2.2.3 The Memory Controller and PCI Bridge ................. 17
2.2.4 The System Memory ............................ 17
2.2.5 The Primary PCI Bus ............................ 17
2.2.6 The Secondary PCI Bus .......................... 18
2.2.7 The EISA Bus ................................ 18
2.2.8 The X-Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.3 Electronics Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.4 RS/6000 Model E20 Product Description ................... 20
2.4.1 Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.4.2 Supported Optional Features ........................ 23
2.4.3 RS/6000 Model E20 Limitations ...................... 31
2.5 RS/6000 Model F30 Product Description ................... 31
2.5.1 Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.5.2 Supported Optional Features ........................ 34
2.5.3 RS/6000 Model F30 Limitations ...................... 38
2.6 Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.7 Performance Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.7.1 SPEC95 Software Benchmark ....................... 40
Chapter 3. Hot-Swap Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.1 Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 v
3.1.1 Backplanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.1.2 Hot-Swap Bays and Banks ......................... 43
3.2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.2.1 Accessing the Hot-Swap Banks ...................... 44
3.2.2 Installing Drives in Bank C ........................ 45
3.2.3 Installing Drives in Bank D ......................... 45
3.2.4 Installing Drives in Bank E ......................... 46
3.2.5 Disk Carriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
3.3 Using the Hot-Swap Subsystem ........................ 47
3.3.1 Adding a New Drive to a Live System .................. 47
3.3.2 Removing a Drive from a Live System .................. 48
3.3.3 Replacing a Previously Defined Drive ................... 49
3.3.4 Mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Chapter 4. Boot Support and Firmware ..................... 53
4.1 Boot Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.2 Boot Components Specifically for AIX 4 on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems 55
4.2.1 Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.2.2 Software ROS for AIX ............................ 56
4.2.3 Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM) ........................ 57
4.3 Boot Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.3.1 Platform-Specific Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.3.2 Structure of the AIX Boot image on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems .. 61
4.3.3 Boot Image Creation on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems ......... 63
4.4 Understanding the Firmware .......................... 64
4.4.1 Firmware Boot Sequence .......................... 65
4.4.2 Firmware Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.4.3 Firmware Flash Update ........................... 68
4.4.4 Firmware Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.4.5 Power-On Self Test (POST) ........................ 69
4.5 LCD Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.6 System Management Service (SMS) ...................... 72
4.6.1 SMS Graphical Main Menu ......................... 73
4.6.2 SMS ASCII Main Menu ........................... 73
4.6.3 Start-Up Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
4.6.4 Test Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
4.6.5 Tools Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Chapter 5. AIX Version 4.1.4 Support ...................... 75
5.1 Electronic Key-Switch Function ......................... 75
5.1.1 Boot-Device Order List ........................... 75
5.1.2 Function Keys - Key-Switches at Boot Time ............... 77
5.1.3 bootlist Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.2 Entering Debug Mode .............................. 78
5.3 System Dump Support .............................. 79
5.3.1 Defining a Directory for the System Dump ................ 79
5.3.2 Creating a Logical Volume for the System Dump ............ 80
5.3.3 Initiating a System Dump .......................... 80
5.3.4 Dump LCD Support ............................. 82
5.4 Managing System Backups ........................... 82
5.4.1 The bootinfo Command ........................... 83
5.4.2 Creating a System Backup ......................... 83
5.4.3 Testing Your System Backup ....................... 85
5.4.4 Restoring Your System Backup ...................... 86
vi Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
5.4.5 Creating System Backups on Microchannel-Based RS/6000 Systems 87
5.4.6 Cloning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.5 Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.6 Graphics Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5.6.1 Installing the S15 Graphics Adapter .................... 93
5.6.2 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
5.6.3 Configuring the Adapter ........................... 94
5.6.4 Multiple Adapter Support .......................... 96
5.6.5 Accessing the Second Display ....................... 97
5.6.6 Support for Other Adapters ......................... 98
Chapter 6. Adapter and Device Configuration on PCI-Based RS/6000
Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
6.1 Device Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
6.1.1 Device Configuration Database ..................... 100
6.1.2 Device Location Codes .......................... 101
6.2 PCI Adapter Configuration ........................... 102
6.2.1 Configuring Non-Graphic PCI Adapters ................. 103
6.2.2 Configuring SCSI Devices ........................ 103
6.3 ISA Adapter Configuration ........................... 104
6.3.1 Recording Settings of ISA Adapters Already Configured ....... 104
6.3.2 Selecting ISA Adapter Hardware Parameters ............. 106
6.3.3 Installing Device Drivers ......................... 106
6.3.4 Defining ISA Adapters at AIX Level ................... 106
6.3.5 Setting the Adapter DIP Switches .................... 107
6.3.6 Making ISA Adapters Available ..................... 108
6.4 8-Port EIA-232 Asynchronous ISA Adapter (FC 2931) ........... 108
6.4.1 DIP-Switch Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6.4.2 Configuring the Adapter .......................... 109
6.5 128-Port EIA-232 Asynchronous ISA Adapter (FC 2933) ......... 111
6.5.1 DIP-Switch Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
6.5.2 Configuring the Adapter .......................... 112
6.6 4-Port Multi-Protocol ISA Adapter (FC 2701) ................ 115
6.6.1 Cable Selections for 4-Port Multiprotocol Interface .......... 115
6.6.2 DIP-Switch Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
6.6.3 Configuring the Adapter .......................... 117
6.7 X.25 Interface Co-Processor ISA Adapter (FC 2961) ........... 120
6.7.1 DIP-Switch Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
6.7.2 Configuring the Adapter .......................... 122
6.8 Ethernet and Token-Ring ISA Adapters ................... 125
6.8.1 Configuring an ISA Ethernet Adapter .................. 126
6.8.2 Setting ISA Ethernet Adapter Parameters at Firmware Level .... 129
6.8.3 Configuring the Auto 16/4 Token-Ring ISA Adapter ......... 130
6.8.4 Setting Auto 16/4 Token-Ring ISA Adapter Parameters at Firmware
Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Chapter 7. SCSI Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
7.1 General SCSI Considerations ......................... 137
7.1.1 SCSI Bus Length ............................. 137
7.1.2 SCSI Terminators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
7.1.3 SCSI Device Addresses ......................... 138
7.1.4 SCSI Bus Width .............................. 138
7.2 Cabling the SCSI-2 Fast/Wide Single-Ended PCI Adapter ........ 139
7.2.1 Adapter-to-First Device Cables ..................... 139
Contents vii
7.2.2 Device-to-Device Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
7.2.3 Terminators for Use with this Adapter ................. 141
7.3 Cabling the SCSI-2 Fast/Wide Differential PCI Adapter .......... 142
7.3.1 Adapter-to-First Device Cables ..................... 142
7.3.2 Device-to-Device Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
7.3.3 SCSI-2 F/W Differential PCI Adapter Terminators ........... 144
7.3.4 High-Availability Multi-Initiator SCSI-2 Fast/Wide Differential Cabling 144
Chapter 8. Diagnostics Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
8.1 Diagnostics Operating Considerations .................... 147
8.2 Stand-Alone Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
8.2.1 Booting the Stand-Alone Diagnostics CD-ROM ............ 149
8.2.2 Running Stand-Alone Diagnostics in Concurrent Mode ........ 151
8.3 Online Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
8.3.1 Concurrent Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
8.3.2 Service Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
8.3.3 Maintenance Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
8.4 Using NIM to Run Online Diagnostics over the Network .......... 154
Chapter 9. Network Installation Management (NIM) Support ....... 157
9.1 NIM Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.1.1 NIM Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.1.2 NIM Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
9.2 Configuring a PCI-Based RS/6000 Server as NIM Master ........ 161
9.2.1 NIM Master Requirements ........................ 161
9.2.2 Filesystem Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
9.2.3 NIM Master Activation ........................... 162
9.2.4 Network Objects Definition ....................... 163
9.2.5 NIM Client Machine Definition ...................... 166
9.2.6 Resource Objects Definition ....................... 169
9.2.7 Allocating Resources for the Stand-Alone Installation ........ 172
9.2.8 Initiating the BOS Installation ...................... 173
9.3 Using a PCI-Based RS/6000 Server as a NIM Client ........... 174
9.4 Post-Installation Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
9.4.1 PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems Network Installation Limitations ... 178
Chapter 10. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
10.1 Power-Up Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
10.1.1 Firmware Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
10.2 Booting Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
10.2.1 Booting From CD-ROM ......................... 180
10.2.2 System Hangs During AIX Boot Process ............... 180
10.2.3 Recovering a System with no Bootable Media ............ 181
10.3 Installation Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
10.3.1 AIX Boot Device Order List ....................... 182
10.3.2 NIM Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
10.4 Accessing Diagnostics With NIM ...................... 183
10.5 Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
10.6 Hints and Tips ................................. 183
10.6.1 Accessing System Management Services with an ASCII Terminal 183
10.6.2 Power-On Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
10.6.3 ISA Adapter Configuration ....................... 184
10.6.4 Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
10.6.5 Using the Error Logging Facility .................... 185
viii Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
10.6.6 Operator Panel F30 LED Status .................... 185
10.6.7 Dealing With Power Failures ...................... 186
Appendix A. Firmware Checkpoint Three-Digit Codes ........... 189
List of Abbreviations ................................ 195
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Contents ix
x Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Figures
1. Old Compatibility Model .............................. 2
2. Innovation Within The Old Compatibility Model ................ 2
3. PReP Specification Compatibility Model .................... 3
4. PReP Specification Design Environment .................... 3
5. PCI RS/6000 Entry Server Logical Block Diagram ............. 12
6. PowerPC 604 Microprocessor Logical Block Diagram ........... 16
7. PCI-Based RS/6000 Server's Electronics Partitioning ............ 19
8. RISC System/6000 Model 7024-E20 ..................... 20
9. RS/6000 Model E20 Front View ........................ 22
10. RS/6000 Model F30 Bays ........................... 33
11. Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
12. Installing Hot-Swap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
13. Front Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
14. Removing the Front Panel ........................... 45
15. Disk Drive Light ................................. 46
16. Boot Structure on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems and Microchannel-Based
RS/6000 Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
17. Hardfile Layout on Microchannel-Based RS/6000 Systems ........ 54
18. Hardfile Layout on PReP Specification .................... 54
19. Hardfile Layout on Microchannel-Based RS/6000 Systems ........ 55
20. NVRAM Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
21. Relation Map of Base Proto and Proto Extension Files ........... 60
22. Boot Image Layout on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems ............ 62
23. Structure of the Boot Image on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems ...... 62
24. AIX Version 4 Boot Image Creation ...................... 64
25. Firmware Boot Sequence ............................ 65
26. Boot Sequence Selection Submenu ...................... 76
27. Copying a System Dump on Reboot ..................... 79
28. Creating a mksysb ................................ 84
29. Editing the mksysb Script ............................ 88
30. Changing the Display Type ........................... 95
31. Devices' Location Codes ........................... 102
32. List of Configured ISA Adapters ....................... 105
33. Attributes Listed Using the lsresource Command ............. 105
34. Attributes Listed Using the lsattr Command ................ 105
35. SMIT ISA Menu ................................ 107
36. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an 8-Port Asynchronous ISA
Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
37. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an 128-Port Asynchronous ISA
Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
38. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an 4-Port Multi-Protocol ISA
Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
39. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an X.25 Interface Co-Processor
ISA Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
40. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an ISA Ethernet Adapter ..... 128
41. SMIT Configuration Menu for Adding an Auto 16/4 Token-Ring ISA
Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
42. Example of HACMP Cabling ......................... 145
43. ISA Adapter Service AID Diagnostic Menu ................. 150
44. ISA Adapter Attribute Selection Diagnostic Menu ............. 151
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 xi
45. Sample Network Topology .......................... 160
46. Network Topology Used in Our Lab ..................... 164
47. Defining the Third Network .......................... 165
48. Defining the Route Between First and Second Networks ......... 166
49. Machine Object Definition Menu ....................... 168
50. Resource Object Definition Menu (SPOT Resource) ........... 171
51. Initial Boot Screen ............................... 175
52. System Management Services Menu .................... 175
53. System Management Services Utilities Menu ............... 176
54. Adapter Parameters Submenu ........................ 176
55. Operator Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
xii Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Tables
1. PowerPC and Bus Specification ........................ 15
2. Optional Disk Drives on Model E20 ...................... 23
3. Optional Tape Drives on Model E20 ..................... 23
4. Optional CD-ROM drive on Model E20 .................... 24
5. Supported Monitors on Model E20 ...................... 25
6. SCSI Adapter Connections on Model E20 .................. 26
7. Optional Disk Drives on Model F30 ...................... 35
8. Optional Tape Drives on Model F30 ..................... 35
9. SCSI Adapter Connections on Model F30 .................. 36
10. PCI-based RS/6000 Comparison Performance Table ............ 39
11. Status Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
12. Platform Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
13. Checkpoint Codes on the LCD Panel ..................... 72
14. Dump Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
15. bootinfo -T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
16. Accessing a Second Display .......................... 97
17. 8-Port Asynchronous ISA Adapter DIP Switches ............. 109
18. 128-Port Asynchronous ISA Adapter DIP Switches ............ 112
19. Physical Interfaces on 4-Port Multiprotocol Interface Cable ....... 116
20. Maximum Cable Length ............................ 116
21. DIP-Switches on 4-Port Multi-Protocol ISA Adapter ............ 116
22. 4-Port Multiprotocol Adapter: DIP-Switch Suggested Settings ...... 117
23. DIP Switches on the X.25 Interface Co-Processor ISA Adapter ..... 121
24. X.25 Adapter: DIP-Switch Suggested Settings ............... 121
25. Adapter Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
26. SCSI-2 Fast/Wide Single-Ended Adapter-to-First Device Cables .... 140
27. Device-to-Device Cables for Single-Ended Installations ......... 141
28. Terminators for Single-Ended Installations ................. 141
29. SCSI-2 Fast/Wide Differential Adapter-to-First Device Cables ...... 142
30. Device-to-Device Cables for Differential Installations ........... 143
31. Terminators for Differential Installations ................... 144
32. HACMP/6000 Cabling Features and Part Numbers ............ 145
33. NIM Client Configurations ........................... 158
34. NIM Object Classes .............................. 158
35. LED Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
36. Firmware Checkpoint Three-Digit Codes .................. 189
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 xiii
xiv Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Special Notices
This publication is intended to help system engineers, system administrators,
customer personnel and users to support, configure and manage the PCI-based
RS/6000 Servers, RS/6000 Model E20 and RS/6000 Model F30. The information
in this publication is not intended as the product specification for these systems.
See the PUBLICATIONS section of the IBM Hardware Announcement for the IBM
RS/6000 Model E20 and the IBM RS/6000 Model F30 for more information about
what publications are considered to be product documentation.
References in this publication to IBM products, programs or services do not imply
that IBM intends to make these available in all countries in which IBM operates.
Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or
imply that only IBM's product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally
equivalent program that does not infringe any of IBM's intellectual property rights
may be used instead of the IBM product, program or service.
Information in this book was developed in conjunction with use of the equipment
specified, and is limited in application to those specific hardware and software
products and levels.
IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter in
this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to
these patents. You can send license inquiries, in writing, to the IBM Director of
Licensing, IBM Corporation, 500 Columbus Avenue, Thornwood, NY 10594 USA.
The information contained in this document has not been submitted to any formal
IBM test and is distributed AS IS. The information about non-IBM (VENDOR)
products in this manual has been supplied by the vendor and IBM assumes no
responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The use of this information or the
implementation of any of these techniques is a customer responsibility and depends
on the customer's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the customer's
operational environment. While each item may have been reviewed by IBM for
accuracy in a specific situation, there is no guarantee that the same or similar
results will be obtained elsewhere. Customers attempting to adapt these
techniques to their own environments do so at their own risk.
Any performance data contained in this document was determined in a controlled
environment, and therefore, the results that may be obtained in other operating
environments may vary significantly. Users of this document should verify the
applicable data for their specific environment.
Reference to PTF numbers that have not been released through the normal
distribution process does not imply general availability. The purpose of including
these reference numbers is to alert IBM customers to specific information relative to
the implementation of the PTF when it becomes available to each customer
according to the normal IBM PTF distribution process.
The following terms are trademarks of the International Business Machines
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries:
AIX AIX/6000
AIXwindows AT
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 xv
IBM InfoExplorer
OS/2 Power Series
PowerPC PowerPC Reference Platform
PowerPC 604 PS/2
RISC System/6000 RS/6000
SP 400
The following terms are trademarks of other companies:
C-bus is a trademark of Corollary, Inc.
PC Direct is a trademark of Ziff Communications Company and is
used by IBM Corporation under license.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other
countries licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.
Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows 95 logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Apple, LocalTalk, Macintosh Apple Computer, Inc.
Compaq Compaq Computer Corporation
DEC, VAX, VMS, VT100 Digital Equipment Corporation
Intel Intel Corporation
Windows NT Microsoft Corporation
Motorola Motorola, Inc.
NFS, Solaris, SunSoft Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Novell Novell, Inc.
NuBus Texas Instruments, Inc.
Racal-Vadic Racal-Vadic Corporation
SCSI Security Control Systems, Inc.
Other trademarks are trademarks of their respective companies.
xvi Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Preface
This document is intended to assist system engineers, customer engineers, system
administration personnel, and customers in configuring, managing and using AIX
Version 4.1 on the PCI-based RS/6000 servers, RS/6000 Model E20 and RS/6000
Model F30.
It contains descriptions of processes which are unique to AIX Version 4.1 on
PCI-based RS/6000 servers. Practical configuration and environment examples are
provided as well as hints and tips to address "how-to" issues involving PCI-based
RS/6000 servers.
How This Document is Organized
This document is organized as follows:
Chapter 1, “Introduction”
This chapter includes an introduction to the PCI-based RS/6000 servers and to
the
PowerPC Reference Platform Specification (PReP)
section on the
Platform (CHRP)
PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference
.
. It also includes a
Chapter 2, “PCI-Based RS/6000 Server Hardware”
This chapter introduces the PCI-based RS/6000 server's hardware design.
This includes a description of the main components around the Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI) bus and the electronics partitioning. The
RS/6000 Model E20 and RS/6000 Model F30 standard and optional features
are also described in this chapter.
Chapter 3, “Hot-Swap Subsystem”
This chapter includes an overview of the hot-swap subsystem provided with the
RS/6000 Model F30. Component descriptions and installation procedures are
explained along with the features of AIX which can take advantage of this
hot-swap capability.
Chapter 4, “Boot Support and Firmware”
The first part of this chapter explains the components involved in the boot
process. The boot process performed by the firmware is described. This
chapter also includes an introduction to the System Management Services
(SMS) programs.
Chapter 5, “AIX Version 4.1.4 Support”
AIX Version 4.1.4 is the first version of AIX supported on the PCI-based
RS/6000 servers, E20 and F30. This chapter explains the enhancements
included in AIX Version 4.1.4 that support these new machines. Important
topics such as system backup are described in detail, and hints and tips are
included.
Chapter 6, “Adapter and Device Configuration on PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers”
This chapter includes step-by-step procedures on how to configure devices and
adapters. It also includes cable types and cabling information that is necessary
on most adapters.
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 xvii
Chapter 7, “SCSI Cabling”
This chapter describes the main SCSI cabling features used with the
PCI-based RS/6000 servers. It addresses frequently asked questions, such as:
How many SCSI devices can be attached to a single SCSI adapter? What are
the right cable features to attach more SCSI devices on the same SCSI chain?
and others.
Chapter 8, “Diagnostics Support”
This chapter describes the diagnostics support provided by the PCI-based
RS/6000 servers. It explains how to run the diagnostics programs in both
stand-alone and online modes, locally and over the network.
Chapter 9, “Network Installation Management (NIM) Support”
This chapter describes the steps required to configure your PCI-based RS/6000
server as a Network Installation Management (NIM) Master and as a NIM
Client.
Chapter 10, “Troubleshooting”
There are some differences between the PCI-based RS/6000 servers and the
microchannel-based RS/6000 systems which require different approaches to
problem determination. This chapter addresses some of the problems which
can occur and how to prevent or solve them. This chapter also includes a hints
and tips section.
Related Publications
The publications listed in this section are considered particularly suitable for a more
detailed discussion of the topics covered in this redbook.
IBM RISC System/6000 7024 E Series User's Guide
IBM RISC System/6000 7024 E Series Service Guide
IBM RISC System/6000 7025 F Series User's Guide
IBM RISC System/6000 7025 F Series Service Guide
IBM RISC System/6000 7024 and 7025 Diagnostic Information
AIX Version 4.1 Network Installation Managament Guide and Reference
SC23-2627
, SA38-0501
, SA38-0502
, SA38-0504
, SA38-0505
International Technical Support Organization Publications
Managing AIX Version 4.1 on PCI-Based RS/6000 System Workstations
(40P/43P)
A complete list of International Technical Support Organization publications, known
as redbooks, with a brief description of each, may be found in:
International Technical Support Organization Bibliography of Redbooks,
GG24-3070.
, SG24-2581
, SA38-0509
,
xviii Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
How Customers Can Get Redbooks and Other ITSO Deliverables
Customers may request ITSO deliverables (redbooks, BookManager BOOKs, and
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Index # 4421 Abstracts of new redbooks
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Preface xix
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CD-ROMs) and information about redbooks, workshops, and residencies in the
following ways:
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xx Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Acknowledgments
This project was designed and managed by:
Miguel Crisanto
International Technical Support Organization, Austin Center
The authors of this document are:
Alexandre Bonfim de Azevedo
IBM Brazil
Giampiero Galli
IBM Italy
Simon M. Robertson
IBM UK
Miguel Crisanto
IBM Austin
Thanks also to our editor:
Marcus Brewer
Editor, ITSO Austin Center
This publication is the result of a residency conducted at the International Technical
Support Organization, Austin Center.
Preface xxi
xxii Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Chapter 1. Introduction
IBM offers a family of powerful workgroup servers, the RS/6000 Model E20 and the
RS/6000 Model F30, that are ideal for running small business and departmental
applications. These servers use the PowerPC processor architecture and offer
large memory capacities, PC I/O compatibility and flexible configurations.
The RS/6000 Model E20 is the lowest-cost entry server and is intended to be the
RS/6000 family's competitive product for the price-conscience entry server market.
The RS/6000 Model F30 is a system targeted toward those customers looking for
investment protection, with a reliable, highly expandable system.
In order to keep development costs as low as possible, the PCI-based RS/6000
servers use components and subsystems developed in other areas of IBM as well
as the "PC Clone" industry at large. The design of this server family is intended to
have much in common with the PC Server line of IBM products produced in Boca
Raton and Raleigh. The power and mechanical packaging of the PCI-based
RS/6000 servers is the same as that used for packaging the IBM PC Server
products.
The electronics partitioning of the PCI-based RS/6000 servers (see 2.3, “Electronics
Partitioning” on page 19 for more information) has been chosen so as to allow a
fast and easy upgrade to more powerful processors, and even to multiprocessor
systems.
The PCI-based RS/6000 servers are based on the PowerPC Reference Platform
(PReP) system architecture; thus they have the capability to run several different
operating systems. Currently, only AIX and MicroSoft's Windows NT have been
announced for this platform; however, the PReP-based hardware design for
memory and I/O subsystems allows for the support of other operating systems that
may be announced in the future. See 1.2, “Introducing the PowerPC Reference
Platform Specification” on page 4 for more information about the PReP
specification.
Their orientation to the PReP specification makes the PCI-based RS/6000 servers
different from the "classical" microchannel-based RS/6000 systems. As yet,
microchannel is not available, but the PCI and ISA bus architectures have been
implemented on these types of machines. The AIX operating system was
enhanced in several areas in order to manage the new hardware architecture.
Those areas include support for stand-alone and online diagnostics on machines
without a physical mode key as well as configuration helpers for ISA adapters.
Although most changes made to AIX to enable support for the PCI-based RS/6000
servers are transparent to the end-user, in some areas the system administrator will
be confronted with platform-specific issues. This will be the case, for example,
when configuring a PCI-based RS/6000 server as a Network Installation
Management (NIM) Master. This book is intended to help end-users and system
administrators in understanding these platform-specific AIX issues and provide the
“how to” information required to handle these differences.
In this chapter, we include a brief introduction to the PReP specification. For a
more detailed overview of the specification, you may refer to the
on PCI-Based RS/6000 Workstations, SG24-2581
Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 1
, redbook.
Managing AIX V4
The PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference Platform, previously
known as the Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP), is a superset of the
PReP Specification. Although IBM has not yet announced any system based on
this new specification, it is becoming very popular, and many companies have
published their intentions to develop CHRP-compliant systems. For this reason, we
include a description of the CHRP specification in this chapter.
1.1 Rationale for the PowerPC Reference Platform Specification
Computer systems today span a wide range of environments, from hand-held
portables to room-size mainframes. The largest percentage of systems are based
on the IBM PC/AT, Apple Macintosh or a variety of workstation-level RISC
architectures.
These machines cover the needs of personal productivity, entry engineering design,
entry commercial data management, information analysis, and database, file, and
application servers. Today, despite their high levels of performance and
functionality, existing architectures limit the system designer's ability to add
innovative new features without jeopardizing operating systems and applications.
These limitations restrict the use of hardware and software enhancements which
promise improved user interfaces, faster system performance and broader
operating environments. Many times, system designers must carry obsolete
hardware structures to maintain compatibility.
Figure 1. Old Compatibility Model. Software communicates directly with hardware.
Figure 1 shows the old compatibility model, where the software communicates
directly with the hardware. Changes applied to the hardware require changes to
software and vice-versa, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Innovation Within The Old Compatibility Model
2 Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
To be sustainable and to continue growing, the computer industry must define
computer architectures which allow system and application designs to utilize the
latest silicon, interface, storage, display, and software technologies. The key to
these new computer architectures is the ability of the software to abstract the
hardware from the operating system kernel and applications without sacrificing
compatibility or performance.
Figure 3. PReP Specification Compatibility Model. Abstraction layer separates hardware
and software.
Figure 3 shows the new model specified in the PowerPC Reference Platform
Specification. An abstraction layer separates the hardware from the software. The
advantage of this model is that hardware designers now have room to innovate
without jeopardizing the ability of their platform to run as many operating systems
as possible.
Figure 4. PReP Specification Design Environment
Figure 4 shows, that changing the hardware, for example from hardware level 1 to
hardware level 2, only requires a change in the abstraction layer. No changes are
required in the operating system or in the application itself.
Chapter 1. Introduction 3
Independent software vendors (ISV) would like to develop for a large, installed base
of hardware systems and on as few operating system platforms as possible. For
this to happen, an industry standard computer architecture is required. The time
has come to define a new architecture in this area which has the following key
features:
The ability to allow hardware vendors to differentiate
The ability to use industry standard components and interfaces
The ability to support optimization of application performance
Compatible Operating Systems
This type of open system architecture allows hardware system vendors to
develop differentiated, yet compatible, systems. Each system is able to run any
of the compatible operating systems as well as the applications written for these
operating systems and system architecture.
1.2 Introducing the PowerPC Reference Platform Specification
The PowerPC Reference Platform Specification provides a description of the
devices, interfaces and data formats required to design and build a PowerPC-based
industry standard computer system. It is written to create a hardware, which when
coupled with the hardware abstraction software provided by the operating system or
hardware-system vendors, allows the computer industry to build PowerPC systems
which all run the same shrink-wrapped operating systems and the same
shrink-wrapped applications for those operating environments.
It gives system developers the freedom to choose the level of market differentiation
and enhanced features required in a given computer environment without carrying
obsolete interfaces or losing compatibility.
This specification defines the minimum functional requirements for a compliant
PReP implementation. It also provides a list of recommended hardware
subsystems, devices and interfaces.
Operating system vendors may use this specification as a reference to determine
the level of functionality required in a hardware abstraction layer. The specification
shows the hardware subsystems that are likely to change and therefore may need
hardware abstractions.
The PowerPC Reference Platform Specification is written primarily for system
developers. It contains operating-system-specific descriptions and references to
their hardware abstraction approach.
This specification also describes a reference implementation which is a fully
functional PReP system design supporting all operating systems and applications
that are being ported to this reference platform. This reference implementation
provides an example to which system developers can compare and gives them a
better understanding of their own design goals.
This specification supports all 32-bit PowerPC processors and is intended to cover
the following systems:
4 Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
Portables
Medialess
Desktop
Workstations
Servers
Because PReP requires machine abstractions, the specification accommodates the
evolution of software and hardware technologies without losing system
compatibility.
The PReP specification covers:
Hardware Configuration
The hardware configuration defines the minimum and recommended
hardware standards and capacities required to be PowerPC Reference
Platform-compliant and compatible with targeted operating
environments.
Architecture
The system architecture defines the minimum and recommended system
attributes required to design a compatible computer system. This
section describes the key hardware and software architecture attributes
and restrictions defined for PReP compliance.
Machine Abstraction
To enable the same operating system to run on different
PReP-compliant platforms, the operating system must be designed to
use
abstraction
Abstraction software concentrates operating system
hardware-dependent code into a collection of code that has well-defined
interfaces with the operating system kernel and may be modified to
meet the hardware interface.
Boot Process
This section describes the boot process, the format and the contents of
boot information, and the state of the system at the end of the boot
process. It also mentions “Open Firmware,” the IEEE standard P1275
for Boot Firmware, as the goal for a PReP-compliant firmware
implementation.
Open Firmware is defined in one of the appendixes included in the
specification.
Reference Implementation
The PReP specification describes a reference implementation of a
PReP-compliant system. This description may be used as a high-level
design for vendors waiting to produce a compatible system, or it may be
used as an example for vendors who want to produce a different
system.
software to interface with the hardware.
Power Management
Power Management is used for saving electronic power. There are two
types of Power Management techniques:
Micro Power Management
This is hardware-managed power control.
Chapter 1. Introduction 5
Macro Power Management
This uses system software to control the hardware. Macro Power
Management is, by far, the more powerful technique and thus is the
basis for the PReP Power Management model.
1.3 The PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference
Platform (CHRP)
This section introduces the PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware
Reference Platform, previously referred to within the industry as Common Hardware
Reference Platform (CHRP), and describes the purposes and the goals of this
platform.
To avoid using the platform's long name, the industry has assigned a nickname to
this specification, PowerPC Platform.
Before talking about the platform itself, we want to give you a brief introduction
about the history, rationale and reasons why this platform had to be developed.
1.3.1 PowerPC Platform - Introduction and History
The PowerPC family of microprocessors, which is being jointly developed by Apple,
IBM and Motorola, is the foundation for an established and rapidly expanding
market for RISC-based systems. Apple Computer has shipped well over one
million Power Macintosh computers since March 1994. IBM has made major
announcements for a full line of PowerPC systems, thus completing its successful
PowerPC-based workstation and server products. Motorola has introduced a broad
range of desktop and server systems. Other companies, such as Bull, Canon and
FirePower, have announced or shipped PowerPC-based systems.
The PowerPC systems shipped by Apple retain many legacy characteristics of
Macintosh hardware and software. The existing PowerPC systems shipped by IBM
and Motorola retain many legacy characteristics of Intel-based PC design. The
operating systems on which the applications run are not compatible with the
different hardware platforms. This incompatibility causes hardware manufacturers
and software developers to have to choose platform families, and this limits the
options available to users.
To correct the problems facing customers and developers, Apple, IBM and Motorola
looked at various ways of combining the two hardware architectures into a common
system architecture. In November 1994, Apple, IBM and Motorola agreed to
develop a specification for a common hardware platform with the purpose of
defining a system which will become the pervasive open industry standard for
single users and on up through to server configurations. Finally, on November 13,
1995, the three companies announced the availability of the PowerPC Platform.
1.3.2 The PowerPC Platform Document
The PowerPC Platform is a set of specifications that defines a unified personal
computer architecture and brings the combined advantages of the Power Macintosh
platform and the standard PC environment to both system vendors and users.
These open specifications will make it easier for system vendors to design
computers capable of running multiple operating systems. Operating systems from
6 Introduction to PCI-Based RS/6000 Servers
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