Fans Revving Like Crazy On Your Power10? Check The Firmware
July 15, 2024 Timothy Prickett Morgan
It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes a patch to firmware for Power Systems is defective, and when it does happen, we like to point it out.
Defective PTFs happen fairly regularly with IBM i, as defective patches happen for other operating systems. Sometimes the effects of defective PTF patches are dramatic, sometimes they are just weird. Sometimes they are in between.
Both IBM i 7.4 and IBM i 7.5 have a defective patch in the firmware for Power10 systems, and to be super precise it affects machine types 9105-22A (Power S1022), 9105-22B (Power S1022s), 9105-41B (Power S1014), 9105-42A (Power S1024), 9786-42H (Power L1024), and 9786-22H (Power L1022).
Here is what IBM says:
“System firmware level 01ML1050_070_052 / FW1050.11/MH01964 has been placed ON HOLD. After upgrade to FW1050.11 the fans will run at high speed if NVMe U.2 drives are installed in the system.
RECOMMENDATION: If you have already loaded AND applied MH01964 and you are not seeing a problem, no further action is required. (This can be verified through DSPFMWSTS by checking the *ACTIVE firmware level. If “ML1050_070 MH01964” is active, no further action is required.)
Otherwise, perform the following IBM i command(s):
DSPPTF LICPGM(5733910) SELECT(MH01964) + RLS(V1R1M0).
If the PTF is not found, no further action is required. If the PTF is in “Save file only” status, issue the following command to delete it:
DLTPTF PTF(MH01964) LICPGM(5733910) + RLS(V1R1M0)
If the PTF is in “Not applied” status, install the new PTF MH01967 (or its supersede) when it is released. The MH01964 PTF will be superseded when the fixing PTF is installed.
If the PTF is in “Temporarily applied” status, install the fixing PTF, MH01967 (or its supersede) when it is available.
Otherwise, call IBM support for assistance to remove the PTF.
Once the issue with MH01964 has been resolved, a future firmware level will be available and listed in Fix Central.
We will keep you posted in the IBM i PTF Guide if other issues develop.
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Aren’t the removal instructions assuming you have a single lpar of IBM i and have your machine set to get firmware updates via PTF and not via HMC?