1.

Run IOS commands as root

According to IBM you should never work as root on VIO servers. However, if you login as user padmin and type
oem_setup_env

you get the root credentials (without even been asked for a password). By default the ioscli commands are not available for the root user. All ioscli commands are in fact calls of /usr/ios/cli/ioscli with the command as argument. You see this if you list the aliases of the padmin user. Knowing this you can use all ioscli commands as user root by appending /usr/ios/cli/ioscli. Instead of lsmap -all you would type
root@vios# /usr/ios/cli/ioscli lsmap -all

If you set an alias

alias i=/usr/ios/cli/ioscli

you could even type

root@vios# i lsmap -all

2. What is the AIX command behind an ioscli command?

If you want to know what AIX command is behind the command you issued as user padmin yo can use a special debug mode:
$ export CLI_DEBUG=33

That's the output of the lsnports command in this mode:

$ lsnports AIX: "/usr/lib/methods/viosmgr -t npiv -f query_fc_ports >/dev/null" name physloc fabric tports aports swwpns awwpns fcs0 U789C.001.DQDH231-P1-C2-T1 1 64 64 2048 2047 fcs1 U789C.001.DQDH231-P1-C2-T2 1 64 62 2048 2043

IOS - Information and Maintenance

1. List all ioscli commands

$ help

You can type

$ help <command>

to display a command's syntax, e.g

$ help lsmap Usage: lsmap {-vadapter ServerVirtualAdapter | -plc PhysicalLocationCode | -all} [-type BackingDeviceType ... | -net | -npiv ] [-field FieldName ...] [-fmt delimiter] lsmap -ams {-vtd PagingDevice | -all} [-type BackingDeviceType ... ] [-field FieldName ...] [-fmt delimiter] lsmap -clustername ClusterName {-all | -hostname} Displays the mapping between physical and virtual devices. -all -clustername -hostname -vadapter -plc -vtd -type -net -npiv -ams -field -fmt Displays mapping for all the server virtual adapter devices. Defaults to VSCSI adapter devices. Specifies the cluster name. Specifies the host name. Specifies the server virtual adapter device by device name. Specifies the server virtual adapter device by physical location code. Specifies the (AMS)Active Memory Sharing Paging Device to be displayed. Specifies to display virtual devices whose backing device matches the type given. Specifies supplied device is a virtual server Ethernet adapter. Displays NPIV binding information. Displays (AMS)Active Memory Sharing paging space device information. Specifies a list of fields to be displayed. Divides output by a user-specified delimiter.

2. IOS Version
$ ioslevel 2.2.0.10-FP-24

3. Apply IOS Fixes

Put the IOS fixes somewhere in a local directory or on an NFS server (e.g. /mnt/iosfixes). Then run
$ updateios -dev /mnt/iosfixes -accept

4. Reboot the VIO Server

$ shutdown -restart

Virtual Devices: Storage

1. List unmapped disks

$ lspv -free NAME hdisk24 hdisk25 hdisk26 hdisk27 PVID none none none none SIZE(megabytes) 8631 8631 8631 8631

Warning: If you use vendor specific device drivers (such as the SDD or EMC drivers) you see all hdisks as free. You have to limit the list to your logical devices, e.g.
$ lspv -free | grep vpath

2. List all Disk Mappings

$ lsmap -all SVSA Physloc Client Partition ID --------------- -------------------------------------------- ----------------vhost1 U9117.570.65E12FB-V1-C102 0x0000000a VTD LUN Backing device vtscsi1 0x8100000000000000 hdisk6

Physloc L4021400000000000 VTD LUN Backing device Physloc L4031400100000000

U7879.001.DQDHXYN-P1-C4-T1-W50050763041302AAvtscsi8 0x8200000000000000 hdisk14 U7879.001.DQDHXYN-P1-C4-T1-W50050763041302AA-

3. Create a Virtual SCSI Host Adapte r

This has to done on the HMC for the profile of the VIO server: You create a new Virtual SCSI HostAdapter and assign it only to your client LPAR. The same slot ID should then be assigned to a new client adapter in the client LPAR's profile. You can do these steps dynamically to avoid a restart of the VIO server. Use the Dynamic Logical Partitioning option for that. If you go for the dynamic option don't forget to do the same assignments in the profiles aswell, otherwise your LPAR loses all storage after a new start of the VIOS!

After dynamically adding the server hostadapters you have to rerun the configuration mamager before you can see the new vhost device:
$ cfgdev

4. Remove a Virtual SCSI Host Adapter

$ rmdev -dev vhostX [ -recursive ]

The option -recursive can be used to remove all still attached child devices. Then remove the adapters dynamically from the VIO server aswell as from the VIOS' profile.

5. Assign a Disk/LV to a Virtual SCSI Host Adapter

To map hdisk22 to vhost1 just type
$ mkvdev -vdev hdisk22 -vadapter vhost1 vtscsi19 available

The VIO server assigns the next free number (19 here) and creates the mapping device
vtscsi19. But you can specify your own name for the mapping device by making use of the dev option: $ mkvdev -vdev hdisk22 -dev vthdisk22_barney -vadapter vhost1 vthdisk22_barney available

If you use LVs rather than whole disks or LUNs the same rules apply:
# default mapping device $ mkvdev -vdev lpar21_lv03 -vadapter vhost1 vtscsi19 available # custom mapping device $ mkvdev -vdev lpar21_lv03 -dev vtdisk21_lv03 -vadapter vhost1 vtdisk21_lv03 available

6. Unassign a Disk/LV from a Virtual SCSI Host Adapter

$ rmvdev -vtd vtscsiXX

Virtual Devices: Fibre Channel IBM introduced the support of NPIV technology with VIOS (Virtual I/O Sever) 2.1 with a client AIX running either AIX 5.3 TL9 or later, or AIX 6.1 TL2 or later, or AIX 7.1. Earlier releases are not supported.

1. Create a Virtual Fibre Channel Adapter

This has to done on the HMC for the profile of the VIO server: You create a new Virtual Server Fibre Channel adapter and assign it to only one client LPAR. The same slot ID should then be assigned to a new Client Fibre Channel adapter in the client LPAR's profile.

2. List Virtual Fibre Channels

$ lsmap -all -npiv Name Physloc ClntID ClntName ClntOS ------------- ---------------------------------- ------ -------------- -----vfchost0 U8203.E4A.05A6DD1-V1-C41 3 mylpar6 AIX Status:LOGGED_IN FC name:fcs1 Ports logged in:2 Flags:a<LOGGED_IN,STRIP_MERGE> VFC client name:fcs0 FC loc code:U789C.001.DQDH231-C3-T2 VFC client DRC:U8203.E4A.05A6DD1-V3-C41-T1

Name Physloc ClntID ClntName ClntOS ------------- ---------------------------------- ------ -------------- -----vfchost1 U8203.E4A.05A6DD1-V1-C43 4 mylpar8 AIX Status:LOGGED_IN FC name:fcs1 Ports logged in:2 Flags:a<LOGGED_IN,STRIP_MERGE> VFC client name:fcs0 FC loc code:U789C.001.DQDH231-C3-T2 VFC client DRC:U8203.E4A.05A6DD1-V4-C43-T1

3. List NPIV Capable Ports

NPIV = N_port ID Virtualization

$ lsnports name awwpns fcs0 2047 fcs1 2043

physloc U789C.001.DQDH231-P1-C2-T1 U789C.001.DQDH231-P1-C2-T2

fabric tports aports swwpns 1 1 64 64 64 62 2048 2048

4. Assign a Physical FC Adapter to a Virtual Fibre Channel Adapter

$ vfcmap -vadapter vfchost0 -fcp fcs1

5. Unassign a Physical FC Adapter from a Virtual Fibre Channel Adapter

There isn't a separate command for this action - you just leave the argument after -fcp empty:
$ vfcmap -vadapter vfchost0 -fcp

Virtual Devices: Network

1. List Shared Ethernet Adapters

$ lsmap -all -net SVEA Physloc ------ -------------------------------------------ent12 U9117.570.65E12FB-V2-C20-T1 SEA Backing device Physloc ent13 ent3 U7311.D20.651372C-P1-C01-T2

2. Create a Shared Ethernet Adapter

To create a Shared Ethernet Adapter (SEA) you need:
y

a physical adapter as backend: <PHYS>

y y

a virtual adapter as defined in the VIOS' profile: <VIRT> an internal VLAN ID: <VLAN>

If you use the Shared Ethernet Adapter Failover capability of recent IOS releases you also need
y

a second virtual adapter as defined in the VIOS' profile: <CONT>

for the control channel:

# simple: $ mkvdev -sea <PHYS> -vadapter <VIRT> -default <VIRT> -defaultid <VLAN> # Shared Ethernet Adapter Failover: $ mkvdev -sea <PHYS> -vadapter <VIRT> -default <VIRT> -defaultid <VLAN> attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=<CONT>

Example: To create a Shared Ethernet Adapter on top of an virtual adapter ent11 using VLAN 20, the physical adapter ent2 as backend, and the virtual adapter ent13 for the control channel type:
$ mkvdev -sea ent2 -vadapter ent11 -default ent11 -defaultid 20 -attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent13

3. List Links on Physical Ethernet Adapters

$ netstat -cdlistats | grep -Ei "\(ent|media|link status" ETHERNET STATISTICS (ent3) : Link Status : Up Media Speed Selected: 100 Mbps Full Duplex Media Speed Running: 100 Mbps Full Duplex

4. Set an local IP Address

To configure an local IP 192.168.1.2 address to en0 use
$ mktcpip -hostname <HOSTNAME> \ -inetaddr 192.168.1.2 \ -interface en0 -start \ -netmask 255.255.255.0 \ -gateway <GATEWAY>

5. Remove an local IP Address

If you want to remove the IP configuration from en0, type
$ rmtcpip -interface en0