Find information unique to upgrading a partitioned server.
Upgrading a partitioned server is more complex than upgrading a server without partitions. When upgrading a partitioned server, be aware of the following.
When you upgrade a partitioned server, you actually perform one upgrade for each partition. This upgrade process includes planning, preparing for, and performing the upgrade. Planning is most involved and may require up to six weeks, depending on the complexity of your environment. Installing the i5/OS™ release on a server that is not preloaded requires at least one hour. Upgrading from one server to another server requires up to three days for each partition. In addition, it is recommended that you stabilize the server after upgrading each partition, which means your total upgrade may take several weeks to complete.
When you convert an expansion unit, two things happen. First, new buses with new bus numbers are created. You need to assign the new bus numbers to the correct partition before turning on the partition. Second, some new resource names are created. You need to reassign or rename the new resource names as appropriate. For information about converting from one expansion unit to another in a partitioned environment, see the Convert expansion units in a partitioned environment topic.
If the target server has fewer processors than the source server, you must ensure that the target server can satisfy the minimum processor values per partition. You can redefine the partitions either before or after performing the upgrade. Either adjust the configuration on the source server to reflect the target server's processing resources or correct the configuration on the target server before starting the secondary partitions.
For example, if you are upgrading from a 4-way server to a 2-way server, you must define your partitions so they will work on the new 2-way server. You can do this before the upgrade, by defining the partitions so that only 2 of the 4 processors are used, or after the upgrade by defining the partitions to use only 2 instead of 4 processors.
If the target server has more processors than the current server, the configuration on the target server will indicate additional resources that must then be manually assigned to the appropriate partitions.
Similarly, you must ensure that target server can satisfy the minimum memory values per partition. The current memory values can be adjusted on the target server.
If your solution includes Linux, be sure to use the Linux topic to help you identify the requirements for configuring Linux in an iSeries™ logical partition. If you are upgrading to a system with a POWER4™ processor and are running Linux in an iSeries logical partition, you must ensure that the version of Linux you are running supports the new hardware. See the Linux for IBM® Web site for a list of Linux distributions that support the new hardware. If your current Linux distribution does not support the new hardware, you must upgrade your Linux distribution before upgrading to the new hardware.
In a server upgrade, the service representative upgrades all of the hardware on the partitioned server. However, the service representative does not reassign resources or upgrade software on individual partitions. IBM offers these and other services for a fee. For more information about these services, select Migration on the Integrated Applications Services Web site.
For additional information about logical partitions, see the Logical partitions topic.