Linux® running on an Integrated xSeries® Server (IXS) or a System x™ model that is attached to the IBM i platform via an Integrated xSeries Adapter (IXA) has been tested with various 32-bit x86 Linux kernel versions.
Kernels for new server installs
Installations of Linux on an IXS or a System x model that is attached via an IXA have been tested with the install media available on CD for Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 3 ES and AS Editions (RHEL 3), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ES and AS Editions (RHEL 4), SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 8 (SLES 8) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9). Once the initial installation is complete, you can upgrade the 32-bit x86 Linux kernel to one of the tested kernel versions using the procedure described in the following section.
Upgrading the kernel after the initial server install
The following table lists the latest 32-bit x86 Linux kernels that have been tested for each Linux distribution.
Linux distribution
Latest tested kernels (rpm version)
RHEL 3
2.4.21-40.EL
2.4.21-40.ELsmp
RHEL 4
2.6.9-34.EL
2.6.9-34.ELsmp
SLES 8
k_deflt-2.4.21-306
k_psmp-2.4.21-306
SLES 9
kernel-default-2.6.5-7.252
kernel-smp-2.6.5-7.252
To update your server to one of the above Linux kernels, you must do the following:
Apply the latest Linux integration PTFs. See IBM i PTFs for the latest list of PTFs that are required.
Apply the Linux distribution's kernel update. You may need to explicitly select one of the kernel versions listed above.
Run the ixsupdt utility on the Linux server. This step must be done immediately after applying the Linux distribution's kernel update and before the server is restarted.
Restart your server to run the new kernel.
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