boot lpar up w/bootp using etherchannel-enabled ethernet adapter

[mpezeur]

on our p7, our vio servers have 3x ethernet ports configured w/ etherchannel.

I have fsck errors on one of the vio servers, so I'd like to boot up off a nim server to run maintenance, but when I go into the SMS menu of the lpar and setup remote ipl, the ping fails using one of the 3x adapters. the ports of the switch these connections are plugged into have LACP/etherchannel enabled.

is there any setup within sms/remote ipl that I can get one of the adapters to ping and boot up to a nim server ?

 

[p5wizard]

Ask the network guys to disable two of the three ports and boot off the third port.

Or if you have someone on site, have them unplug two of the three network cables and boot off the one adapter that is plugged in.

Or if the ports are on different adapters, build an LPAR profile with just one adapter and boot using that profile. The other adapters will not power up and the link on the switch for these ports will stay down.

The idea in all three options is: the Etherchannel will still be running but all traffic is routed over the one active port.

HTH,

p5wizard

 

[mpezeur]

I've disconnected 2x of the 3x cables just now. within sms->remote ipl->adapter configuration I set it use 802.3, do I set spanning tree to yes or no ? it still fails on the ping

 

[p5wizard]

set it to standard ethernet w/ spanning tree no

HTH,

p5wizard

 

[mpezeur]

still no good

 

[p5wizard]

And it won't boot in normal mode? If so, go to oem_setup_env, then shutdown -m. Or if you have an appropriate DVD, boot it in maint mode from DVD?

HTH,

p5wizard

 

[mpezeur]

the vio lpar boots up just fine, but I need to re-image it from a mksysb because something got screwed up in the vio configuration. that's why I'd like to boot up to a nim server to reimage it with the last mksysb I made of the vio server

 

[p5wizard]

Did you configure the correct netmask and default gateway in SMS menus?

HTH,

p5wizard

 

[mpezeur]

yes I did

 

[markuscj]

Speed/duplex set correctly? bootp can be a bit fussy about that......

 

[mpezeur]

yes, everything I was setup. I gave up and created a mksysb dvd from a previous image to reimage the vio server

thanks

 

[blueslave]

This is a problem with etherchannel - when at the SMS and boot level the system is not smart enough to handle the etherchannel.

You will need to get the network guys to break the etherchannel and then you will be able to use one of the ports (as a normal host port) to boot from.

This is why I have a dedicated non-trunked interface (usually ent0) that is used for access/installation/maintenance/migrations and a separate set of trunked ports for etherchannel.

The IP address used by the VIOS does not have to be configured on the SEA - as mentioned above I configure it on a dedicated interface.

 

[mpezeur]

thanks Blueslave

that's what I figured. I didn't want to have to ask our network guys to disable LCAP on one of the ports and then later re-enable, when I had the option of just reimaging from a mksysb dvd

 

[exsnafu]

make use of your IVE ports for this kind of stuff, get a cable run to an IVE port and split it up amongst your VIOS for maintenance access.

my 2 cents.

 

[p5wizard]

Unless the IVE ports are used as ordinary ports in a VIOS and then made into SEAs

HTH,

p5wizard