Connecting your expansion units

Learn important information about connecting your expansion units. Some installations require that a unit be powered off. You should verify your remote input/output (high-speed link) (RIO/HSL), GX Dual-Port 12X Channel Attach adapter (12X), and 12X adapter Double Data Rate (12X DDR) configuration prior to connecting any expansion unit.

1. You can install the expansion units with the system unit power on or off. For more information about when system unit power must be off before installation, refer to Enclosures and expansion units.
   1. If you are installing a new system unit and expansion units, refer to step 5.
   2. If you must power off the system to add the expansion units, or you are choosing to add the expansion units with the system power off and the system unit is not currently powered off, power it off now. For details, refer to Stopping a system or logical partition. After you have powered off your system unit, continue with step 5 to complete this procedure.
   3. If you are installing an expansion unit to an existing system and can leave the power on, continue with step 2.
2. Verify the existing RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR configuration.
   Important: When simultaneously adding multiple expansion units to an existing RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR loop, it is required that the units be adjacent to each other so the existing loop is broken at only one spot.
   Tip: If multiple expansion units are to be added with the system power on, it is recommended to work with one RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR loop at a time. For example, if the plan is to add three expansion units to loop X and two to loop Y, follow the complete procedure to simultaneously add the three units to loop X. When the first procedure has been completed, then follow the procedure to simultaneously add the two units to loop Y. It is not necessary to complete the procedure for each expansion unit separately.
   If problems with the RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR loops are discovered in this step, they must be corrected before continuing with this procedure to add expansion units. Follow the appropriate step below to determine if there are problems with the RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR loops.

   • If your system is not managed by an HMC and you are running the IBM® i operating system, refer to Verify the RIO/HSL loops without an HMC.
   • If your system is managed by an HMC, see Verifying the RIO/HSL and 12X loops with an HMC. You can use the Save button to overwrite the existing Last Valid Hardware Topology. This action allows you to compare the topology before and after the addition of the expansion units.
3. To verify the System Power Control Network (SPCN), see Verifying the system power control network (SPCN). If you discover a problem with the SPCN, you must correct the problem before continuing.
   Important: When simultaneously adding multiple expansion units to an existing SPCN loop, the units must be adjacent to each other so the existing loop is broken at only one spot.
4. Set the SPCN Firmware Update Policy.

   The SPCN Firmware Update Policy controls when and how SPCN firmware on expansion units will be updated. The default setting shipped with your system is for the SPCN Firmware Update Policy Enabled. This setting allows for firmware updates to be completed over the RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR interface whenever an update is required and does not allow updates over the slower serial SPCN interface.

   1. Access the ASMI using an authority level of Administrator or Authorized service provider. For details, see Managing the Advanced System Management Interface.
   2. In the ASMI navigation area, expand System Configuration and select Configure I/O Enclosures.
   3. Verify there are no SPCN firmware updates in progress by checking the Power Control Network Firmware Update Status column. This will show the words In Progress and a percent complete if an SPCN firmware update is in progress.

      If there is an SPCN firmware update in progress, determine if the update is a Serial or HSL update by checking the Power Control Network Firmware Update Status column for one of these words indicating the type of update.

      If the SPCN firmware update is an HSL update, wait for the update to complete before continuing.

      Tip: To determine when the update is complete, select Configure I/O Enclosures every 15 to 30 seconds until the words Not Required are displayed in the Power Control Network Firmware Update Status column. Do not use the Back or Refresh buttons on the browser to monitor the status.
      If the SPCN firmware update is a Serial update, either wait for the update to complete or stop the update. If you choose to stop the update, the update will need to be restarted from the beginning after you have completed the procedure. To stop the update, perform the following steps:

      1. Complete step 4.d.
      2. Press the Stop SPCN Firmware Update button on the Configure I/O Enclosures panel.
      3. Select Configure I/O Enclosures every 15 to 30 seconds until the word Pending is displayed in the Power Control Network Firmware Update Status column. Do not use the Back or Refresh buttons on the browser to monitor the status.
   4. If your SPCN Firmware Update Policy is Expanded, record the current setting so it can be restored later and then change the setting to Enabled. If the SPCN Firmware Update Policy is Enabled or Disabled, continue without changing the setting.
5. Remove or open the back of the system unit.
6. Locate the connectors on your expansion unit and system unit. For details on the connector locations, refer to Connector locations.
   Note: For system unit slot locations and descriptions, see PCI adapter placement for machine types 82xx and 91xx.
7. To connect the expansion unit with RIO/HSL cables, refer to Connecting the expansion unit with RIO/HSL, 12X, and 12X DDR cables.
8. To connect the expansion unit with SPCN cables, refer to Connecting the expansion unit with SPCN cables.
9. Connect the power cables for the expansion units that you are installing to the power source. Then connect them to the power supplies on the expansion units. If you installed the expansion units with the system unit's power off, continue with step 11. If not, continue with the next step.
   Note: Plug the power cable into the power source prior to connecting it into the power supply of the expansion unit.
10. The expansion units will power on automatically. After the expansion units that you have installed are powered on and you have waited 10 minutes for the hardware initialization to complete, continue with step 12.
    Tip: For each expansion unit, wait for the green power indicator to light on the control panel of the expansion unit that just powered on. This may take between one and 10 minutes. During this time, the yellow attention indicator may be lit on the control panel of the expansion unit that just powered on. After the green power indicators are lit on the control panels of all of the expansion units that were just powered on, wait 10 additional minutes for hardware initialization to complete before proceeding to step 12.
11. To start the system or logical partition, refer to Start the system or logical partition.
12. To verify the SPCN, refer to Verifying the system power control network (SPCN). When following these instructions, consider that the following errors logs are expected depending upon various factors in the system configuration and procedure.
    • 10009133 permanent log entry due to disruption to the RIO/HSL or GX Dual-Port 12X Channel Attach adapter loop.
    • 10009135 informational or permanent log entry due to an open SPCN loop.
    • 10009137 permanent log entry due to disruption to the RIO/HSL or GX Dual-Port 12X Channel Attach adapter loop.
    • 10009139 informational log entry for SPCN closed.
    • 1000910A, 1000 91DE if SPCN firmware updates were required.
    • 1000913B permanent log entry if an SPCN firmware update is required but not automatically started. If this error log entry is found, continue with the procedure and the error will be handled in step 14.
13. Verify the RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR Loops.

    If your system is not managed by an HMC and you are running the IBM i operating system, refer to Verify the RIO/HSL loops without an HMC.

    If your system is managed by an HMC, refer to Verifying the RIO/HSL and 12X loops with an HMC. If you saved the original RIO/HSL/12X/12X DDR topology before adding the expansion units, use this saved topology to compare the original and modified configurations.

    When following these instructions, consider that the following errors log entries are expected depending upon various factors in the system configuration and procedure.

    • B7006907 informational log entries for each new expansion unit that was added that has information in its nonvolatile storage from a system which the expansion unit was previously attached to.
    • B7006985 informational log entries before and after the B700 6907 informational log entries.
    • B7006984 informational log entries to indicate a broken HSL loop.
14. Start necessary SPCN firmware updates.

    If error log entry 1000913B was found in step 12, an SPCN firmware update is needed; however, due to the current SPCN Firmware Update Policy, the update could not be done automatically. Therefore, the SPCN firmware update must be done manually. To complete this task, see Updating the SPCN firmware.

    Wait for the SPCN firmware updates to complete before continuing to the next step. This could take several hours depending on the number of expansion units on the SPCN loop and the current level of the SPCN firmware in the expansion unit.

15. If you changed the SPCN Firmware Update Policy in step 4, ensure that you changed the policy back to the original setting.
    1. Access the ASMI using an authority level of Administrator or Authorized service provider. For details, see Managing the Advanced System Management Interface .
    2. In the ASMI navigation area, expand System Configuration and select Configure I/O Enclosures.
    3. Change the SPCN Firmware Update Policy setting to the setting recorded in step 4. The default and recommended setting is Enabled.
16. Verify the new configuration. For details, refer to Verifying that the new configuration is functioning.
17. If the system is partitioned, you can now assign the new hardware to a logical partition.