IBM i integration
with BladeCenter and System x

Migrating Linux servers from V5R2/V5R3 to i 5.4

In i5/OS® V5R2 and V5R3, support for Linux® on the integrated xSeries® solutions was made available with a program temporary fix (PTF) to the IBM® iSeries™ Integration for Windows® Server™ (5722-WSV) product. The Linux support was an extension of the Windows support and used the IBM i infrastructure for Windows. Most notably, Linux servers used a Network Server Description (NWSD) type of *WINDOWSNT.

In i 5.4, support for Linux on integrated servers has its own IBM i infrastructure. Most notably, in i 5.4 Linux servers have their own Linux NWSD type, which must be used. In addition, the 5722-WSV product has been replaced with product 5722-SS1 option 29 (Integrated Server Support) and Linux servers also require a new product, 5722-LSV (IBM i5/OS Integration for Linux on xSeries).

This web page describes the process required to migrate integrated Linux servers that were installed on V5R2 or V5R3 to the new IBM i 5.4 infrastructure for Linux. The migration process described below preserves your Linux disk drives, including the applications and data that are installed.

Note: In the IBM i commands in the sections below, the example Linux server NWSD name used is mylinux which has a system drive named mylinux1 and an install drive named mylinux2. An example tape device with device description name tap01 is also used. When performing the migration steps below, you need to replace these items with the ones that are appropriate for your environment.

Note: Performing these steps allows the server to function temporarily after the i5/OS upgrade to i 5.4 until the server is migrated to the new IBM i 5.4 infrastructure for Linux as described in the next section.
 

1. Apply the latest PTFs to your V5R2 or V5R3 IBM i system. See the IBM i PTFs page.
    
2. Apply the latest Linux integration fixes to your server.
   • Vary on your Linux server and sign on as 'root'.
   • Open a shell prompt and run the following command:
      
          ixsupdt
      
3. Vary off your Linux server.
    

Note: These steps are requred to migrate the Linux server to use the new IBM i infrastructure for Linux. IBM will not provide service support for Linux servers that use the Windows based IBM i infrastructure for Linux on i 5.4.

Important: There must be no customer applications or data stored on the "install" drive (the second linked storage space, which is device /mnt/sdb1 when viewed from Linux). The install drive is reserved for use by the Linux integration support and will be replaced during the following migration process. Any customer applications or data stored on the install drive will be lost during the migration, so you must move them to a different drive before continuing with this migration process.
 

1. Make sure the following i5/OS software is installed:

   • 5722-SS1 option 29: Integrated Server Support
   • 5722-LSV: IBM i5/OS Integration for Linux on xSeries
      
2. Apply the latest Linux integration PTFs to your IBM i system. See the IBM i PTFs page.
    
3. Run the following command and record the link information (link type, sequence and access) of all storage spaces associated with your Linux server:
    
        WRKNWSSTG NWSD(mylinux)
    
4. Run the following command to print the NWSD attributes:
    
        DSPNWSD NWSD(mylinux) OUTPUT(*PRINT)
    
   When you run the INSLNXSVR command in step 7, use this as a reference for the values to specify.
    
5. Back up the system drive storage space associated with your Linux server as follows:
    
        SAV DEV('/QSYS.LIB/tap01.DEVD')
         OBJ(('/QFPNWSSTG/mylinux1'))
    
   Note: In this example, storage space mylinux1 is saved to tape. Alternatively, you could save the storage space to a save file or to a virtual tape. The SAV command in this step and the RST command in the restore step later on would then refer to the save file or virtual tape instead of the physical tape device description.
    
6. Delete your Linux server NWSD and associated objects. The easiest way to do this is to delete the Linux server with the following command:
    
        DLTWNTSVR NWSD(mylinux)
    
   Note: Make sure you have saved your Linux server's system drive storage space as described previously, since this command will delete it.
    
7. Run the INSLNXSVR command, using the original NWSD name to create a new NWSD and associated objects.

   Notes:

   • Use the minimum system storage space size of 1024 MB.
   • For an IXA attached server, you can cancel the INSLNXSVR command when it prompts for the Linux CD. Your server will not vary on.
   • For an IXS server, vary off the server after the INSLNXSVR command completes.
   
   Note: You do not need to complete the install on the Linux server console, since the server's system storage space will be replaced with the original system storage space as described below.

 
8. Unlink the newly created system storage space then delete it as follows:
    
        RMVNWSSTGL NWSSTG(mylinux1) NWSD(mylinux) RENUMBER(*NO)
 
     DLTNWSSTG NWSSTG(mylinux1)
    
   Note: You should not unlink and delete the server's new install storage space mylinux2.

 
9. Restore your Linux server's original system storage space then link it to the NWSD as follows:
    
        RST DEV('/QSYS.LIB/tap01.DEVD')
         OBJ(('/QFPNWSSTG/mylinux1')) ALWOBJDIF(*ALL)
 
     ADDNWSSTGL NWSSTG(mylinux1) NWSD(mylinux)
    
   Note: You should not restore and link the server's original install storage space mylinux2.

 
10. If necessary, use the ADDNWSSTGL command to link any additional storage spaces (except the install storage space mylinux2) that you originally had linked into your Linux server. Make sure that each storage space is linked with the same link type, sequence and access parameters as before. Otherwise your Linux server may not boot. See the information you recorded in step 3 above.
     
11. Vary on your Linux Server and sign on as 'root'.
     
12. Open a shell prompt and run the following command to complete the migration:
     
         /mnt/sdb1/install/ixssetup.sh
     
    Note: Your Linux server will automatically reboot.