IBM RS/6000 - Manual (Page 203)

Chapter 10. Troubleshooting
In an ideal world, computers would not have problems, and if they did, the
computers would correct them without user intervention. In the real world,
however, things are different. In this chapter, we aim to provide you with ways of
overcoming some problems that you may run into when using the PCI-based
RS/6000 server.
On the whole, the PCI-based RS/6000 servers will be susceptible to the same
problems that the microchannel-based RS/6000 systems can have. This is due to
the fact, that when AIX is running on both architectures, any problems that arise
can usually be dealt with in the same manner. For most problems, therefore, you
can use existing documentation or InfoExplorer, which is available on your system.
There are some differences between the PCI-based RS/6000 servers and
microchannel-based RS/6000 systems which require different approaches to
problem determination. In this chapter, we show some of the problems which can
occur and how to prevent or solve them. Finally, there is a hints and tips section
which provides some useful information for managing your PCI-based RS/6000
server.
10.1 Power-Up Problems
In this section, we define power-up problems as problems which occur during the
firmware boot process before AIX is given control of the system. Problems can
result due to hardware failures or problems with the firmware code itself. For
detailed information on the firmware boot-up process and how to detect failures,
see 4.4, “Understanding the Firmware” on page 64.
10.1.1 Firmware Problems
The two main firmware problems discussed in this section are:
Firmware corruption
Firmware language problems
10.1.1.1 Firmware Corruption
When you receive your system, it is advisable to make a firmware recovery
diskette. To do this, perform the following steps:
1. Access the System Management Services.
2. Select Option 3, Utilities.
3. Select Option 7, Update System Firmware. The system will display a
message recommending that you create a firmware recovery diskette.
4. Insert a DOS formatted, write-enabled blank diskette, and press Enter.
If your firmware becomes corrupted, for example if you experience a power failure
during the update of the firmware, you can use the firmware recovery diskette to
repair the system.
To start the recovery operation, insert the firmware recovery diskette into the
diskette drive and power-on the system. The process should start automatically. If
 Copyright IBM Corp. 1996 179