IBM i, FSP, and HMC release levels and PTFs (October 2020)

Below is a table of the major group PTFs for the last few releases. This is what we are installing for our customers on iTech Solutions Quarterly Maintenance program.

7.4 7.3 7.2 7.1 6.1 V5R4
Cumul Pack 20121 20128 20114 17192 15063 12094
Tech. Refresh 2 8 9 11 – –
Grp Hipers 36 118 179 260 210 204
DB Group 9 21 26 43 33 33
DB2 Mirror 7 – – – – –
Java Group 8 19 27 42 41 34
Print Group – – 3 13 31 49
Backup/Recov. 16 42 62 75 61 57
Blade/IXA/IXS – – 1 16 30 15
HTTP 8 27 39 53 46 36
TCP/IP  1  5 7 11 17 22
Security 13 54 87 99 60  33
High Availability 4 12 15 18  5
Hardware 2 18 35 44  17
Open Source – 6 6 6 –

The easiest way to check your levels is to issue the command WRKPTFGRP. They should all have a status of installed, and you should be up to the latest for all the above, based upon your release. Now there are more groups than the ones listed above, but these are the general ones that most people require. We can help you know which group PTFs you should be installing on your machine based upon your licensed programs. Here is a nice tidbit. The Cumulative PTF package number is broken down as YDDD, where Y is the year and DDD is the day it was released. Therefore, if we look at the cumulative package for 7.3, the ID is 18023. We can determine that it was created on the 23rd day of 2018, which is January 23, 2018. Look at your machine and this will give you a quick indication of just how far out of date in PTFs you may be.

HMCs

If you have a Hardware Management Console (HMC,) you should be running:

HMC Version Fixes (recommended install order) End of Service
V9.1 for POWER-based (7063-CR1) HMCs
  1. SP931 MH01832
  2. MH01854
  3. SP941 MH01860
  4. MH01865

 April 30, 2021
V8.870 for POWER-based (7063-CR1) HMCs
  1. MH01707
  2. SP3 MH01794
  3. MH01819
  4. MH01848
 August 31, 2019
V9.1 for Intel-based (7042-CRn) HMCs
  1. SP931 MH01831
  2. MH01853
  3. SP941 MH01859
  4. MH01864

April 30, 2021
V8.870 for Intel-based (7042-CRn) HMCs
  1. MH01706
  2. SP3 MH01793
  3. MH01818
  4. MH01847

August 31, 2019
V8.860
  1. MH01655
  2. SP3 MH01711
  3. MH01764
  4. MH01795
 October 31, 2018
V8.850
  1. MH01617
  2. SP3 MH01689
  3. MH01758
  4. MH01730

May 31, 2018
V8.840
  1. MH01560
  2. SP3 MH01652
  3. MH01730
  4. MH01729

November 30, 2017
V8.830
  1. SP3 MH01619
  2. MH01717

July 31, 2017
V8.820
  1. SP3 MH01583
  2. MH01688

October 31, 2017
V8.810
  1. SP3 MH01545
  2. MH01645

June 30, 2016
V7.790
  1. SP3 MH01546
  2. MH01587
  3. MH01687

December 30, 2016
V7.780
  1. SP1 MH01397
  2. SP2 MH01432
  3. MH01570

October 31, 2015
V7.770
  1. SP3 MH01379
  2. SP4 MH01415
  3. MH01516

February 28, 2015
V7.350
  1. SP4 MH01277

May 31, 2014

Fixes are listed above in the order in which they should be installed for each software version. Be sure to read the release notes for each HMC version, service pack, and PTF for installation instructions and prerequisites.

Not all software versions are supported on all HMC models. Check IBM’s Supported HMC Hardware Matrix to see which versions your HMC can run. Attempting to install an unsupported version can result in an unusable HMC.

Important notes:

  • HMC v9+ is required to manage a POWER9 system. The new POWER9 “G” model firmware requires service pack 941 to be installed on the HMC. HMC v9 cannot manage POWER6 or older.
  • HMC v8+ is required to manage a POWER8 system. HMC v8 cannot manage POWER5 or older.
  • HMC v9.1 will be the last release to support x86-based physical HMCs (machine type 7042). Support will continue for x86-based virtual HMCs.
  • HMC v8.8.6 was the last release to include the “Classic” interface.
  • Beginning with HMC v8, the upgrade process supports a maximum span of two releases. Some examples:
    • HMC v8.8.1 supports upgrading from v7.7.8 and v7.7.9.
    • HMC v8.8.2 supports upgrading from v7.7.9 and v8.8.1.
    • HMC v9.1 supports upgrading from v8.8.6 and v8.8.7.
  • When upgrading to v8.8.6 or v8.8.7, carefully read the installation notes in the readme file before you begin. There is a step during the upgrade process which can fail without warning, leaving the HMC unusable. The only option when this occurs is to perform a fresh install of the HMC software and reconfigure the appliance from scratch. To that end, IBM provides a list of settings you should make note of before beginning the upgrade in case they are needed.

If you have a Flexible Service Processor (FSP) your firmware should be:

Machine Processor Model Version End of Service
POWER5 or 5+ 520, 515, 525, 550, 570 SF240_418_382 11/30/2012
POWER6 940x, M15, M25, M50 EL350_176_038 01/31/2017
8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8204-E4A EL350_176_038 01/31/2017
MMA, 560, 570 EM350_176_038 01/31/2017
9119-FHA EH350_176_038 01/31/2017
POWER7 8231-E1B, 8202-E4B, 8231-E2B, 8205-E6B, 8233-E8B, 8236-E8C AL730_159_159 05/31/2018
9117-MMB, 9179-MHB AM780_100_100 05/31/2018
8231-E1C, 8202-E4C, 8205-E6C AL740_167_167  05/31/2018
9117-MMC, 9179-MHC AM770-126_126  05/31/2018
POWER7+ 8231-E1D, 8202-E4D, 8231-E2D, 8205-E6D AL770_126_126  05/31/2018
8408-E8D, 9109-RMD AM770_126_126  05/31/2018
9117-MMD, 9179-MHD AM780_100_100  05/31/2018
POWER8 8408-E8E, 8284-21A,  8284-22A, 8286-41A, or 8286-42A SV860_215_165 Not Announced
9119-MHE or 9119-MME SC860_215_165 Not Announced
POWER9 9009-22G, 9009-41G, 9009-42G, or 5105-22E VL941_039_035 Not Announced
9008-22L, 9009-22A, 9009-41A, or 9009-42A VL940_061_027 Not Announced

If you need help with upgrading your HMC or FSP just give us a call. We will be happy to perform the function for you or assist you in doing it. Contact us here.

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