Part locations and location codes

Using location codes

For additional information about reading your location code, use the following table to link to a specific topic.

Location code overview

Servers (system unit and expansion units) use physical location codes to provide mapping of replaceable units. Location codes are produced by the server's firmware, which structures them so that they can be used to identify specific parts in a system. The location code format is the same for all servers.

If you are working with a specific location code, the feature immediately follows the first character (U5887). See the Unit type and locations table.

If the location code ends with -Txx-Lxx, the server's firmware could not identify the physical location. When a physical location cannot be identified, a logical location code is provided. Where logical location codes occur in enclosures, the locations topic for the enclosure has the known conversions listed. For logical location codes with no conversion, contact your next level of support.

If the location code begins with UTMPx, the expansion I/O unit's machine type, model, and serial number have not been set yet and this is a temporary unit identifier. To identify the unit, examine the display panels on all of the expansion I/O units connected to the server until you find one with the same characters in the first 5 digits of the top line in the unit's display. Record the unit's real machine type and model from the unit label. Match the unit's machine type and model in the Unit type and locations table, and follow the link to determine the service information.

Physical location codes

Physical location codes provide a mapping of logical functions and components (such as backplanes, removable modules, connectors, ports, cables, and devices) to their specific locations within the physical structure of the server.

Logical location codes

If the physical location cannot be mapped to a physical location code, the server's firmware generates a logical location code. A logical location code is a sequence of location labels that identifies the path that the system uses to communicate with a given resource.

An example of a logical location code is:

U5887.001.10ABCDE-P3-C31-T2-L23

The first part of the location code (through the T2 label) represents the physical location code for the resource that communicates with the target resource. The remainder of the logical location code (L23) represents exactly which resource is indicated.

Location code format

The location code is an alphanumeric string of variable length, consisting of a series of location identifiers, separated by a dash. An example of a physical location for a fan is Un-A1.

The first position, represented by Un (where n is equal to any string contained between the U and the hyphen) in the preceding example, is displayed in one of the forms in the following table.

Utttt.mmm.sssssss-A1

Uffff.ccc.sssssss-A1

The location code is hierarchical; that is, each location identifier in the string represents a physical part. The order (from left to right), in which each identifier is shown, allows you to determine which parts contain other parts in the string.

The dash (-) separator character represents a relationship between two components in the unit. In the example of the fan, whose location code is Un-A1, the dash shows that the fan (A1) is contained in the base unit (or Un). Modules, adapters, cables, and devices are all parts that are plugged into another part. Their location codes always show that they are plugged into another part as components of the server. Another example follows: Un-P1-C9 is a memory DIMM, with memory DIMM (C9) plugged into a backplane (P1), which is inside the unit (Un).

Location code labels

The location code label represents a physical part of the server. The following table describes the prefixes of location code labels.

Worldwide unique identifier

The location code label for the worldwide unique identifier consists of the prefix W followed by a maximum of 16 uppercase hexadecimal digits with no leading zeros. A location code might not consist of a worldwide unique identifier. When present, the worldwide unique identifier location label follows the location label of the resource that interfaces with the resource that has the worldwide unique identifier, usually a port.