AIX 4.1 Installation Tips

This document contains the latest tips for successful installation of AIX 4.1.5, and will be updated as new tips become available.

The upgrade of RS/6000 601 Symmetric Multi-Processor (SMP) systems to 604 processors requires AIX 4.1.4 and a small set of fileset updates, or AIX 4.1.5 or AIX 4.2. No updates are required for AIX 4.1.5 or AIX 4.2.

NOTE: Regardless of the software update path, the system must be rebooted immediately after installing the updates. Until the system is rebooted, users will not be able to log in to the system.

The 604 SMP updates for AIX 4.1.4 can be obtained by ordering APAR IX57164 from FixDist or from the IBM Support Center. APAR IX57164 is only a packaging APAR to allow easy ordering of the update package. It will not appear in the list of APARs on the Install Fileset Updates by Fix panel in SMIT, nor will you be able to see this APAR using the instfix command after the updates are installed. To install the update package, use the command:

    smit update_all 

No additional updates are required when you are installing from the AIX 4.1.5 for Server for G5 Processors media. This is also true when you are installing from the updated AIX 4.1.4 for Server for G5 Processors media. The label on the updated AIX 4.1.4 media includes the words "Includes SMP Support". To update an existing AIX 4.1 system from the AIX 4.1.5 product media, use the command:

    smit update_all 

Customers who are part of the 604 SMP Early Support Program (ESP) will receive a CD-ROM and installation instructions as part of their 601 to 604 SMP upgrade kit. This CD-ROM can be identified by the part number 604UPGR on the bottom of the CD-ROM label. This CD-ROM contains the AIX 4.1.4 maintenance level and the required 604 SMP updates. A problem has been found with the TCP/IP update on this media that can, under some circumstances, cause TCP/IP connections to hang. This problem is corrected by APAR IX58507, but can be avoided by using one of the following circumventions.

1. Set tcp_keepinit to less than 5 seconds. This is generally the preferred solution. To set tcp_keepinit, use the following command:

       no -o tcp_keepinit=5            (default value = 150) 
   

2. Set tcp_keepidle to the same value as tcp_keepinit. This solution could result in normal connections timing out more quickly than desired. To set tcp_keepidle and tcp_keepinit to the same value, use the following commands:

       no -o tcp_keepinit=150          (default value = 150) 
       no -o tcp_keepidle=150          (default value = 14400) 
   

• Log in as root.
  
• Insert the AIX 4.1.4 Update CD-ROM.
  
• Install only selected filesets using the command:
  

      smit install_selectable_all 
  

• Press F4 and select the CD-ROM drive as the installation device.
• Press F4 to list the filesets to install and select the following filesets using the F7 key. When all filesets have been selected, press the ENTER key.

  4.1.4.4 Hardware Diagnostics
  4.1.4.12 Base Operating System Multiprocessor Runtime
  4.1.4.2 ISA Keyboard & Mouse Diagnostics
  4.1.4.7 Common Async Adapter Support
  4.1.3.1 MCA Keyboard & Mouse Adapter (f6f8) Diagnostics
  4.1.4.2 Keyboard Tablet & Mouse Device and Adapter Diagnostics
  4.1.4.6 AIXwindows Runtime Environment

• Set other installation options as desired and press ENTER to begin the installation.

  NOTE: Some selected filesets may fail to install if the base level software is not installed on the system. This is normal.

Reboot the system using the command:

    shutdown -r 

A problem, which manifests itself as a system hang, has been discovered in the ORACLE kernel extension pw-syscall4.1 running on SMP processors. The problem has only been experienced on the 604 with 6 or more CPUs running Oracle Version 7.1.6 and applications with heavy insert activity.

ORACLE is providing a new kernel extension with ORACLE version 7.3.2 that fixes the problem. Customers should upgrade their ORACLE post wait kernel extension before installing the 604 processor to avoid this situation. Please contact your ORACLE support representative (and refer to BUG 397843 filed for SAP) if you have any questions about this problem.

Dates, times, or timestamps are incorrect in DB2 for AIX Version 2.1. The problem was introduced in DB2 for AIX V2.1.1 on PowerPC 604 chips or any processor that uses an interval timer instead of special time registers. This interval timer needs to be reset after a process is forked or the value will be incorrect.

If your software configuration includes S/370 Block Multiplexer, and you are updating to AIX 4.1.5 from a previous level of AIX 4.1, use the following steps to replace the driver after the AIX 4.1.5 update is complete.

1. Log in as root.
2. Replace the if_ca file provided AIX 4.1.5 with the version supplied with S/370 Block Multiplexer using the command:

       cp -p /usr/lpp/devices.mca.fe92/if_ca 
   

3. Reboot your system for the changes to take effect using the command:

       shutdown -r 
   

The hardware system clock is not set on RS/6000 models 7006, 7009, and 7011 with 601 PowerPC processors when running AIX 4.1.5. This problem does not affect other RS/6000 models, nor does it occur when using other levels of AIX.

DB2 for AIX PTF U444032 contains an APAR IX57721 fix which corrects the problem in DB2 for AIX.

If Netware is installed after DCE, the Netware installation process creates an /opt file system, and overmounts the /opt directory already created by DCE. To avoid this problem, install Netware first, and then install DCE.

Listing "SOFTWARE to install" from the "Install/Update From All Available Software" panel of SMIT (smit install_selectable_all) in AIX 4.1.4 can take an excessive amount of time. The problem is resolved by APAR IX56941, which is currently available from FixDist, and is included in AIX 4.1.5.

Customers upgrading systems with attached 7135-110 Raidiant Array subsystems to AIX 4.1 must also obtain and install the latest version of controller and drive microcode. This microcode update can be obtained via hardware service channels by requesting ECA 005. A new publication for the 7135, containing information on microcode and device driver installation, should also be ordered. This publication is titled 7135 Raidiant Array for AIX: Installation Guide and Reference (form number SC23-1742).

Prior to AIX 4.1.4, the system key had to be in the service position for the kernel debugger to be activated. However, this restriction was removed in AIX 4.1.4 to facilitate the use of the kernel debugger on systems without a key.

If you have the kernel debugger enabled on a system that is using one of the native serial ports for something that could do binary data transfers, the kernel debugger will be activated if the data happens to contain the binary value for the key sequence used to bring up the debugger. This can occur if you're using the S1 or S2 ports for a SLIP or PPP connection and you've enabled the kernel debugger.

The AIX man command searches the Hypertext Information Libraries in addition to traditional man pages. The Hypertext Information Base Libraries are available on CD-ROM, or may be installed on disk from the AIX 4.1 Installation media. The AIX commands and file formats man pages are in the following Hypertext Information Libraries, each of which can be installed separately.

    Fileset Name      Size in MB 
    ----------------- ---------- 
    Commands Database     28 
    Files Database        11 

After you have successfully installed and committed ESSL 2.2.2 on AIX 4.1 or 4.2, lppchk -c may produce the following errors.

lppchk: 0504-206  File /usr/lpp/essl/essl.rs1.rte/2.2.2.1 
could not be located. 
lppchk: 0504-206  File /usr/lpp/essl/essl.rs2.rte/2.2.2.1 
could not be located. 

These errors are due to temporary directories, removed as part of the commit process, having entries in the ODM inventory object. The errors can be safely ignored.