SPARC M5-32 and M6-32 Servers: OVM Recovery Mode (Doc ID 1928902.1)

Last updated on AUGUST 03, 2023

Applies to:

SPARC M5-32 - Version All Versions and later
SPARC M6-32 - Version All Versions and later
SPARC

Goal

The ILOM HOST configuration software might not be able to boot a selected LDOMS configuration (/HOSTx/bootmode/ config) following a Pdom restart (stop/start). This can occur when a hardware resource is either added or becomes unavailable or if the IO topology changes.

Some possible causes for falling back to factory-default include :

added/removed CMU(s) while the ioreconfigure property is set to true or add_only, as this will impact the IO topology,
added/removed CMU(s) regardless of the ioreconfigure property, as this will change the cpu and memory configuration,
faulted components that impact the available CPU, Memory, or IO configuration,
user-disabled components such as a CMU, CPU, memory, or IO resources,
modified expandable property, as this impacts the physical address and cpu map.

Note: The above list is not exhaustive and other conditions might impact resource availability.

Guest domains are unavailable when the system falls back to factory-default and fails to boot the desired LDOMS configuration. This can be a big impact when guest domain applications are not running (e.g., databases, middleware).

During the Pdom startup sequence host console WARNING messages may provide clues about why a HOST falls back to factory-default. The WARNINGS can lead to messages like :

Missing required strand resources to boot config
bootconfig not bootable: missing strand id
Missing IO resources to boot LDOM config
Missing required memory resources to boot config
System may not be running with the optimum IO topology
HOST expandable property must be set to true in order to boot config

Thorough data analysis must be conducted for the various types of events which can trigger the system to fall back to factory-default. Oracle Support can assist the diagnosis effort by opening a My Oracle Support hardware SR.

Example scenarios with plain English explanation:

Example A:

2015-06-28 07:52:51 8:0:0> WARNING: bootconfig not bootable: missing strand id 768 (1)
2015-06-28 07:52:51 8:0:0> WARNING: Missing required strand resources to boot config (2)
2015-06-28 07:52:52 8:0:0> WARNING: Unable to boot <LDOM_CONF> due to missing resources
2015-06-28 07:52:52 8:0:0> WARNING: Falling back to factory-default

(1) The HOST configuration is missing an expected CPU strand required to use an LDOMS configuration.

Use Doc ID 1540202.1 to assist in the identification of the missing (e.g., faulted, disabled, or degraded)
CMU resource. (2) Missing CMU resources prevent using the LDOMS configuration and the HOST falls back to
factory-default.

Example B:

2014-04-13 08:14:41 0:0:0> WARNING: System may not be running with the optimum IO topology (1)
2014-04-13 08:15:54 0:0:0> WARNING: Missing IO resources to boot LDOM config (2)
2014-04-13 08:15:54 0:0:0> WARNING: Unable to boot <LDOM_CONF> due to missing resources
2014-04-13 08:15:55 0:0:0> WARNING: Falling back to factory-default

(1) All available root complexes are not fully utilized. This might occur following the loss of a CMU or
IO board (e.g., fault, disabled). (2) ILOM service processor Hostconfig software identfies that expected IO paths
are missing and consequently the HOST falls back to factory-default. See Doc ID 1540545.1 to understand the
M5-32/M6-32 server root complexes and available IO paths.

Note: The "Missing IO resources" WARNING occurs upon the loss of expected IO paths. This can occur due to faulted or disabled hardware. It can also be triggered upon the addition of CMUs and the reconfiguration of the IO topology when the ioreconfigure property is set to true or add_only.

Example C:

2017-07-06 01:07:36 0:00:0> WARNING: Missing guest memory [0xa0030000000:0xa2030000000] (1)
2017-07-06 01:07:36 0:00:0> WARNING: Missing required memory resources to boot config (2)
2017-07-06 01:07:36 0:00:0> WARNING: Unable to boot <LDOM_CONF> due to missing resources
2017-07-06 01:07:36 0:00:0> WARNING: Falling back to factory-default

(1) The HOST configuration is missing an expected physical memory address range required to use an
LDOMS configuration. (2) Required memory is not availale in the HOST configuration. As result the
server falls back to factory-default. The output of the Solaris 'prtdiag' command can be used to
identify the CMU from which memory is missing.

Example D:

2014-05-07 07:30:26 16:0:0> WARNING: HOST expandable property must be set to true in order to boot config (1)
2014-05-07 07:30:26 16:0:0> WARNING: Unable to boot init due to missing resources (2)
2014-05-07 07:30:26 16:0:0> WARNING: Falling back to factory-default

(1) The HOST property expandable does not match the expected value for the desired LDOMS configuration.
The expandable property affects the physical address assignment of the devices in the PDomain. (2) Expected
resources are now missing because of address changes and the LDOMS configuration cannot be used. The HOST falls
back to factory-default. See Doc ID 1640383.1 for more details.

References :