Aix Service Strategy v8

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AIX Service Strategy Details and Best Practices

06/10/2009 2

Contents

Contents .................................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction............................................................................................................................. 3

Enhanced Service Strategy Releases ...................................................................................... 3

Contents of a Service Pack ..................................................................................................... 3

Changing the names of the service packs ............................................................................... 4

Changing the M in VRMF ...................................................................................................... 5

Technology Levels Must be Applied as a Group.................................................................... 5

Recommendation to apply the whole SP instead of just individual PTFs .............................. 6

Service Pack schedules ........................................................................................................... 6

Technology Level Lifecycle and Support............................................................................... 6

Interim Fix Guidelines/Policy for Maintenance ..................................................................... 8

Certified Interim Fixes............................................................................................................ 8

Security Fixes.......................................................................................................................... 9

APAR Numbers for each TL .................................................................................................. 9

New Automatic Interim Fix Removal Function ..................................................................... 9

Hardware Support with a Service Pack ................................................................................ 11

Moving to a New TL............................................................................................................. 11

Staying Current ..................................................................................................................... 12Maximum Stability Model.................................................................................................... 12

Additional Information ......................................................................................................... 12

Summary............................................................................................................................... 12


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Introduction

IBM has enhanced the AIX operating system (OS) Release and Service Strategy as part of an

ongoing effort to improve the manageability and stability of the AIX operating system for our

clients. The enhanced strategy will provide clients with:

Longer support for each AIX Technology Level update (formerly known as

Recommended Maintenance Levels) Improved serviceability for AIX throughout the life of each Technology Level

Support for some new hardware on existing Technology Levels

The previous paragraph came from the IBM AIX Operating System Release Service Strategy

paper, which should be read before reading this paper.

This paper will go deeper into some of the changes, give some best practice scenarios and

discuss some of the more advanced function available.

Enhanced Service Strategy Releases

The AIX enhanced service strategy will start with AIX 5.3 TL6 and continue with AIX 6.1. AIX

5.2 will not use the new service strategy; TL10 is the last technology level available on 5.2 andwe will continue to provide service packs until the end of support.

Contents of a Service Pack

Service packs contain fixes for:

Customer reported problems (APARs) that cannot wait until the next TL

Critical problems found by development or test teams

Very, very limited number of changes to support new hardware. Examples: A newdevice driver, a new ODM entry to allow for configuration of a new class or type of

device, small changes in the kernel to recognize a new processor speed, etc.

The only changes that are allowed in an SP are limited to minimal corrections that do not change

behavior or add new functionality. The development team employs a fix rating system to

enforce this. New function, both for hardware exploitation and software features, is only shippedin Technology Levels or new releases.

While AIX TLs contain RSCT and CSM fileset updates, those filesets are not updated in the

AIX Service Packs. The reason for this is scheduling. The RSCT and CSM teams line up their

schedules to meet the AIX TL schedules, but do not do the same for Service Packs. The fixesare placed into the next TL. Occasionally, usually with applications or products that rely moreheavily on CSM or RSCT, you may be required to download a fix directly from the RSCT or

CSM download sites. This situation may be more suited for your environment because it doesnot require application of a specific AIX SP, only the individual fix for CSM or RSCT. We are

continuing to explore possibilities here to simplify the maintenance of AIX and its components.


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Changing the names of the service packs

Starting with TL6, Service Packs will be labeled with their release date, using the YYWWformat, where:

YY = 2 digit yearWW = 2 digit week

An example: AIX 5.3 TL6 SP3 was released in 2007 and the 32nd week of the year, therefore:

5300-06-03-0732

' ' ' '---------------------YYWW

' ' '-----------------SP3

' '------------TL level

'--AIX release

The oslevel s command was updated to report this new name. The nice thing about this is not

only can you tell when the SP was released, but you will also know which SP to move to on anew TL. When moving up to a new TL, you must move to a SP that is the same or later than

your current SP. The SP number itself (IE SP3) will not be the same, because the Service Packs

will be numbered consecutively as they are released, but the dates will tell you where you needto be on the new TL. In general, it is recommended that you apply the latest Service Pack when

moving to a new TL.

Figure 1: Service Strategy Service Pack Name Detail

*All statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject

to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.

SpringFallSpringFallSpringFall

2007 2008 2009 2010

Technology

Level 8

Technology

Level 7

HP

SP

Service pack names will be changed to reflect the release dates:

VR00-TL-SP-YYWW 5300-07-04-0812

We will line SPs up so the upgrade path will be clear

* Not showing all SPs above and example dates are not necessarily accurate

0812

SP

SP0830

0830

SP

SP

SP

SP

0845

0845

SP4 SP6 SP8

SP2 SP4

0903

SP9

SP5

0903

New Release Strategy Service Pack Name Detail (AIX V5.3 shown)


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Applying individual PTF updates after a Service Pack will not be shown with the oslevel scommand. Instead, use oslevel s g 5300-06-03-0732 to show what filesets are greater than

the specified service pack.

The installp command was changed, as were the updates themselves, to not allow a system to

apply any updates that are younger than what is currently installed. This would cause

regression. When moving to a new TL, we recommend moving to the latest SP, that way you areguaranteed it will pass the installp regression test.

Using the example above, if you are currently at TL7 SP8 (5300-07-08-0845), then you would

not be allowed to install TL8 SP2 (5300-08-02-0830), because 0845 was released after 0830,and therefore will have fixes and hardware enablement that 0830 does not have.

The oslevel s command will now print out the new SP format, but the other options will not

change.

# oslevel

5300

# oslevel r

5300-06# oslevel s

5300-06-03-0736

The installp command will also stop an update entirely if it sees any updates that are older(released before) in the list it is trying to apply. This is to make sure that part of a SP is not

installed, if that was not your intention. If you see a message from installp about not being able

to install a fileset update because of regression, then go to a newer SP (the latest) and try theinstall again.

Changing the M in VRMF

Starting with AIX 5.3 TL7, any filesets that are updated will get a new M in the VRMF. For

example, if the bos.rte.lvm fileset was updated, its update in TL7 would be 5.3.7.0 and the firstupdate, in SP1, will be 5.3.7.1. The fileset updates wont necessarily correspond to the SPbecause an update for fileset bos.rte.install might not come out until SP3, but it would be called

bos.rte.install 5.3.7.1. Likewise, if bos.rte.lvm had not changed since SP1, it would still be

bos.rte.lvm 5.3.7.1 in SP3.

Technology Levels Must be Applied as a Group

Technology Levels must be applied as a group, using the smitty update_all or

install_all_updates commands. Installing a Technology Level is an all or nothing operation.

Initially, the plan was to add requisites to glue the TL together, but this was not done because of

the complications of circular requisites. But, installing a partial Technology Level will not berecognized from a support standpoint.

Before applying a TL, you should always create a backup and plan on restoring that backup if

you need to rollback to your previous level. Or, use alt_disk_install or multibos as a way to get

back to your previous level. Technology Level updates should always be committed becausethey cannot be rejected. Committing the updates saves space in the / and /usr file systems and

also makes it easier to track and reject service pack PTFs.


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After the TL has been successfully applied and tested, another backup should be taken fordisaster recovery situations.

Recommendation to apply the whole SP instead of just individual PTFs

For planned maintenance windows, customers are encouraged to apply Service Packs as a group,

to simplify inventory and make it easier to report levels to service representatives and auditors.

Fix Central and SUMA will now download the entire SP for a specified APAR (search function).This was also done to simplify the ordering process.

For more information on Fix Central changes, see the paper:

Fix Central changes supporting AIX Service Strategy athttp://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/best/home.html.

Even though the entire SP is downloaded, individual fileset updates or APARs can still be

applied with SMIT (smitty install_by_fix) or from the command line (installp or instfix).There is nothing in the Service Pack that glues all the updates in a Service Pack together. While

most of the testing that occurs in the regression test lab is done as a group, applying individual

updates is still fully supported.

For unplanned application of fixes (like security or HIPERs), changing the minimum amount ofcode is certainly the desired outcome.

For example:

An interim fix was just released for a security issue and it requires an update from aservice pack.

The service pack would require a reboot of the system whereas applying just theindividual PTF would not.

In these cases, just applying the individual APARs/PTFs may be the best solution. Service

Packs, because they will always require a reboot, are recommended for planned maintenancewindows or if the application of the fix will require a reboot anyway.

Service Pack schedules

Because there will be more Technology Levels shipping new fixes and because the Service

Packs will be lined up to come out at the same time (with the same YYWW), the SP releaseschedules will be increased to approximately every 12 weeks. Occasionally, if a very critical

problem is found (high severity security, for example) and it cannot wait for the next SP, a

standalone PTF will be released and will be made available via APAR search on Fix Central.The PTF will be included in the next Service Pack.

Technology Level Lifecycle and SupportWith a valid Software Maintenance Agreement (SWMA), customers can continue to open PMRs

to ask questions and report problems with AIX 5.2, AIX 5.3 and AIX 6.1. However, if a code

defect is identified (i.e. an APAR is created) then the release and TL must be in the New FixesAvailable period to request a fix. This applies to both interim fixes and Service Pack updates.

More information about the System p Product Lifecycle dates can be found at:

http://www.ibm.com/software/support/systemsp/lifecycle


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The following chart illustrates the entire lifecycle of a technology level, showing both the timeswhere new fixes are delivered and when it is still supported via PMR for how to and usage

questions and problem determination.

Figure 2: Technology Level Lifecycle

The chart below is a listing of the technology levels that have been released in the last two years.

The chart highlights the differences in the timeframes of when fixes were available. AIX 5.2TL8 and TL9 fell under the old service strategy and had a shorter time period of fixes, about one

year from release. The new strategy allows new fixes to become available for approximately two

years after release. Use this chart for comparison and planning.

ReleaseRelease

DateFixes Available

Until

AIX 5.2 TL8 Feb-06 Feb-07

AIX 5.2 TL9 Jul-06 Nov-07

AIX 5.2 TL10 Jun-07 4/30/2009 **

AIX 5.3 TL5 Aug-06 11/30/2007

AIX 5.3 TL6 Jun-07 5/30/2009

AIX 5.3 TL7 Nov-07 2 years later

AIX 5.3 TL8 April-08 2 years later


AIX 5.3 TL10 May-09 2 years later


AIX 6.1 TL1 April-08 2 years later


AIX 6.1 TL3 May-09 2 years later

Technology Level Lifecycle

Support Period

How to Q&A, problem determination

New Fixes Available

Period

Availabilityof the TL

End of New Fixes

Available Period

End of support for the AI

New Fixes created (Interim Fixes

and Service Packs)


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Figure 3: New Fixes Available NOTE: All future dates are subject to change.

* New Fixes will be made available until two years later or when the new TL is offered. In some cases this may

mean slightly less than two years of support, in some cases it may mean slightly more. AIX will only make new

fixes available for up to four Technology Levels for each release at any given time.

** For 5.2, the date for Fixes Available Until and End of Support are the same date.

When selecting a TL for upgrade, keep the New Fixes Available period in mind. Therecommendation is to move to the latest TL and the latest SP when performing an upgrade, to getthe longest period of support.

Interim Fix Guidelines/Policy for Maintenance

Interim fixes are fixes made available to our customers to offer relief for a problem until the

customer is able to update to a Service Pack or Technology level that contains the fix. Thegeneral rule is that a customer can request an interim fix for Technology Levels that are in the

New Fixes Available period; it will then be evaluated by development. Development will

make every attempt to supply an interim fix, however, there may be some that cannot be supplied

due to complexity.

Here are the guidelines that the Service team will be following:

If a client is at the latest level and finds a problem they can request an Interim Fix

If a client finds a problem that is already in a later SP - they will be asked to install thelatest SP (or, at a minimum, the Service Pack that includes their fix or individual PTF thatcontains the fix)

If it is a critical problem and/or the client can't install a SP - an interim fix can berequested, however it is recommend they move to the latest SP during their next

maintenance window

If a client finds a new, unique problem at any level that is making new fixes available -they can get an Interim Fix on their current level (if it's possible)

If a client finds a new unique problem on a prior SP and has multiple Interim Fixesinstalled, which are included in a later SP - they must move to the latest SP before gettinganother Interim Fix

If a client has multiple Interim Fixes and only some of them are in a later SP - they maybe asked to move to the latest SP and another Interim Fix will be bundled with their prior

Interim Fixes on the latest SP

Clients should update to the SP that contains the fix as soon as they are able

Certified Interim Fixes

Interim fixes are offered to customers as a faster way to get temporary relief for a problem.Interim fixes are shipped in emgr format instead of installp format. Interim fixes are also

tracked via the lslpp L and emgr l commands.

Some interim fixes get additional functional and regression testing before they are released.These interim fixes are usually intended for a wider audience than other interim fixes, which are

specific to a single customer.

Examples of certified Interim Fixes are security fixes that are released thru a vulnerability

advisory or subscription notification.


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Security Fixes

Security fixes for security vulnerabilities are published thru advisories. Customers will continue

to be notified of security fixes by notices from IBM Subscription services at:

http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/subscriptions/pqvcmjd

The security fixes published in the vulnerability advisories are posted here:

ftp://aix.software.ibm.com/aix/efixes/security

In the past, security interim fixes were offered for a longer period than other fixes to allowcustomers time to transition to the current levels. But, because the enhanced service strategy

allows new fix availability for a longer period (even longer than the previous security fix policyof 3 total TLs), security fixes will be made available for the same time period as all other new

fixes (see chart above). This offers consistency to the service strategy in regards to types of fixesoffered in the New Fixes Available period.

To assist our customers with the transition to AIX 5.3 Technology Levels that support the

enhanced service strategy, we will continue to generate 5.3 TL5 security interim fixes until 5.3

TL9 is shipped in 2H08 (approximately 10/2008). AIX 5.2 TL8 and AIX 5.2 TL9 support ofsecurity interim fixes will continue until 6/2008. AIX 5.2 TL10 will continue to be supported

via Service Packs and interim fixes until end of support in April, 2009.

APAR Numbers for each TL

In the past, if a problem existed in two releases, only one APAR number was created for each

release. Starting with AIX 5.3 TL7, a new APAR number will be created for every TechnologyLevel where the problem is fixed. When PTFs were only made available on the current TL, only

one APAR number was required. Now that multiple service streams exist per release, an APAR

must be created for each one where a new fileset update (PTF) will be shipped.

If youve been given an APAR number for a particular problem, do a Fix Search in Fix Central

to verify the APAR number with the Technology Level. The search will return results for theother sister APAR numbers, APAR numbers for the same release (e.g. 5.3) but different TLs,

and also cousin APARs for other releases (e.g. 6.1). The search will also show availability ofthe APAR and allow signup for a subscription notice if it has not been released.

For more information on searching for APAR and fixes, see the Fix Central paper at:

http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/best/home.html.

New Automatic Interim Fix Removal Function

Because of the issues with multiple APARs numbers in a release (APARs differ per TL as

described above) installp was not able to map the fixes it was shipping to the interim fixes that

were installed. Starting with 5.3 TL10 and 6.1 TL3, installp and emgr have been enhanced tomap the APARs and automatically remove interim fixes if the fix is present in the TL, SP or PTF

that installp is applying.

Interim fixes will now be packaged with a reference number. That number will allow installp tomap it back to APARs for all the Technology Levels where the fix was shipped.

When installp performs a preview install/update or an actual update, information will be

provided to list any interim fixes that will be automatically removed. Preview installs are always

highly recommended, even if you dont currently have any interim fixes applied. But, if you do,


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It is also recommended to watch the bos.rte.install fileset to pick up any fixes or new function.You can always update the bos.rte.install fileset to a lever higher than your current TL, so if new

function ships in a later TL, you can obtain it without updating your entire system.

All interim fixes shipping will have a reference field that allows installp to map the APARs to

the interim fix. When the interim fix is installed (if you have the new bos.rte.install filesetapplied) then a message will be printed by emgr to alert you to the fact that automatic removal is

enabled:

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+Processing APAR reference file+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ATTENTION: Interim fix is enabled for automatic removal by installp.

To verify that your interim fix has a reference number, you can check the contents of the /usr/emgrdata/DBS/aparref.db file:

# cat /usr/emgrdata/DBS/aparref.dbIZ39706|:|220

This file contains a list of interim fix labels with their corresponding reference number values.

Later, well update the emgr l command to show this reference number. So, again, its a goodidea to get the latest level of bos.rte.install to make sure you have all the latest fixes and

enhancements.

The bos.rte.install 5.3.10.0 or bos.rte.install 6.1.3.0 or higher update must be installed in order toget the automatic interim fix removal function. If this fileset update is installed along with other

PTFs, in a Technology Level, for example, it will automatically re-invoke itself and it will then

perform the mapping and automatic removal, if applicable.

Hardware Support with a Service Pack

When new hardware is released, the required TLs or SPs will be published in the release notesand RFA (Release For Announce). If the TL is still in the New Fixes Available period, then

the latest SP will have the hardware support.

If new boot media is required for an existing TL, then it will be made available for web

download (ISO image) via the PRPQ process.

If you currently have the TL in your environment, then updating to the required SP and creatinga mksysb backup media or image (NIM) will allow boot and install of the new hardware

systems.

Moving to a New TL

You should move to a new TL:

If your existing TL is out or is about to go out of the New Fixes Available period


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You want to use new function and/or features in a new TL. Hardware exploitation, suchas large page space or new software function, such as multibos, will only be released in aTL.

You are going to test a new level for distribution into your production environment andwant to get the longest period of new fixes available. In this case, you should move to

the latest TL.

Staying Current

If you are currently running on a TL where new fixes are being made available, then any SP will

be supported for your interim fix needs. But, the risk in not updating to a service pack that

contains your fix during a planned maintenance window is that you will require another interim

fix to the same file. See the Interim Fix Guidelines for more information.

Updating twice a year to a new SP or TL is recommended to stay current.

Maximum Stability Model

Realizing that customers appreciated and relied on the CSP for planning their maintenance, and

realizing that having a specific SP to recommend to customers that want to maintain the moststable environment and do not plan on moving up to a new SP before moving to a new TL, wewould recommend using the SP that roughly would be delivered in the same time frame as the

CSP. We would recommend planning around SP3.

This is not to say that other Service Packs in the TL are less stable than SP3, but because the TL

has been out a few months and any major issues have usually been identified by that point intime, and there is still more than a year left for service, SP3 is a good one to target and our

recommendation for maximum stability. This recommendation is meant as guidance for

planning. Individual situations may require applying earlier or later SPs, depending oncircumstances.

Additional Information

The IBM Service and Support Best Practices for UNIX servers Web page at

http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/best includes additional information on the

AIX Release and Service Strategy, and best practices for managing the AIX and System p

servers.

The Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT) is a planning tool to help administrators

determine what key components of your System p server are at the minimum recommended fix

level. It can be found at: http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/flrt/home.

Summary

The new AIX service strategy will offer customers more options for maintenance in theirenvironment. Two years of new fixes per TL will help simplify and reduce cost for maintenance.

Supporting new hardware on existing TLs will reduce complexity in customer environments.


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IBM Corporation 2009

IBM Corporation

Marketing Communications

Systems Group

Route 100

Somers, New York 10589

Produced in the United States of America

June 2009

All Rights Reserved

This document was developed for productsand/or services offered in the United States.IBM may not offer the products, features, orservices discussed in this document in othercountries.

The information may be subject to changewithout notice. Consult your local IBMbusiness contact for information on the

products, features and services available inyour area.

All statements regarding IBMs futuredirections and intent are subject to change orwithdrawal without notice and represent goalsand objectives only.

IBM, the IBM logo, AIX, A IX 5L, POWER5+,System p are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of International BusinessMachines Corporation in the United States orother countries or both. A full list of U.S.trademarks owned by IBM may be found athttp://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The OpenGroup in the United States and othercountries.

Other company, product, and service namesmay be trademarks or service marks of others.

Copying or downloading the images containedin this document is expressly prohibitedwithout the written consent of IBM.

Information concerning non-IBM products wasobtained from the suppliers of these productsor other public sources. Questions on thecapabilities of the non-IBM products should beaddressed with the suppliers.

The IBM home page on the Internet can befound at http://www.ibm.com.

The IBM System p home page on the Internetcan be found athttp://www.ibm.com/systems/p.

The IBM AIX home page on the Internet canbe found at: http:///www.ibm.com/servers/aix.

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