Brian, Thanks for your reply.
I wasn't sure how the updates were applied. The activation of the updates is done by our configurators and they told me that they take down the PCHID, but apparently that isn't necessary, which makes the whole process easier. My main concern was if there were issues with TCP/IP communicating through OSA-ports with different microcodelevels. Your mail and Radoslaw's eased my concerns. TCP/IP is configured to work non-disruptively over multiple OSA-ports and this has been tested succesfully. So, except for the 'servicemode'-part, my procedure should work fine. P.s. I missed your message about microcode application because I hardly have time to read 1% of all messages and just scan the subjects for anything interesting. I read it now though ;) P.P.s. What about the 4-port OSA Express3 1000BASE-T? I read about them after sending my message yesterday. The four ports have two CHPIDs assigned. Does each port still have its own computer and microcode? Or do computer and microcode control two ports? -- Maarten -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] Namens Brian Peterson Verzonden: woensdag 13 mei 2009 18:51 Aan: [email protected] Onderwerp: Re: Applying and activating MCL's to OSA-cards in flight I think you have a bit of a misunderstanding of how OSA ports work. It turns out that each port on a card has its own computer and its own microcode, which is independent of any other ports on that same card. I wrote about how OSA microcode application works last month, in the following post: http://bama.ua.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0904&L=ibm-main&P=R105&I=1&X=- What happens is your CE installs the updated microcode onto your machine. The code update is then applied to OSA ports the next time each port is offline. If you have configured your machine so that your workload nondisruptively operates across multiple OSA ports, then you can take each OSA port offline and then back online, one OSA port at a time, to complete the implementation of the microcode update for each port. In the above referenced port, I also explained a way to tell from the HMC or SE exactly which OSA CHPIDs have microcode pending for them. Putting OSA microcode on to OSA ports, one port at a time, is absolutely the intended method for deploying such updates to your machine, and is 100 % supported by IBM. Brian On Wed, 13 May 2009 15:44:07 +0200, Maarten Slegtenhorst wrote: >Dear list, > >Forgive me if my terminology is not entirely correct, since I'm not a >mainframe configurator. > >At the moment we do a power-on reset and IPL's of the hosts to activate >new MCL's for the OSA-cards. >According to IBM, applying and activating MCL's can be done without >disruption. > >All our hosts have at least two OSA-ports, each port on an other >OSA-card ( OSA Express2 ). >I can deactivate the CHPID of an OSA-port on all LPAR's that use that >port, and then put the PCHID in service mode. > >Network traffic will then continue, without disruption, over the >remaining OSA-port. > >After applying the new MCL, I can activate the PCHID, CHPID's and >ofcourse the TCP/IP-port. >Then I can do the same procedure for the remaining OSA-port > >Halfway during this procedure, there is a moment when the two OSA-ports >have different microcode levels. > >Did anyone ever experience problems, using different MCL's? >Is there another way to activate the MCL's without disrupting the hosts? > > > >-- >Maarten Slegtenhorst > ----------------------------------------------------------------- ATTENTION: The information in this electronic mail message is private and confidential, and only intended for the addressee. Should you receive this message by mistake, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or use of this message is strictly prohibited. Please inform the sender by reply transmission and delete the message without copying or opening it. Messages and attachments are scanned for all viruses known. If this message contains password-protected attachments, the files have NOT been scanned for viruses by the ING mail domain. Always scan attachments before opening them. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
