How to update AIX to a new Technology Level or Service Pack

Preparation
The latest Technology Level and Service Pack releases for AIX on Pseries can be found here
--> IBM Pseries fixcentral
http://www-912.ibm.com/eserver/support/fixes/fixcentral

Download your required package, it is a good idea to check "Yes, include Technology Level XXXX-XX with the Service Pack" just in case there are any filesets required from the Technology Level

Either place the files in a directory on the server to be updated or burn them to a CD

Then login to the server as root and run lppchk -v, this will check to see if all the currently installed software is correctly entered in the Software Vital Product Database (SWVPD) and that all filesets have all the required requisites and are completely installed.

It is a good idea to check if the hardware microcode is up to date

Ensure all hardware including external devices are connected and powered on

Check for any existing faults on the server using the command errpt -a and fix as required

Ensure that there is enough free disk space available

Create a mksysb to back up the root volume group, also run a full system backup to backup all partitions on the server

It is advisable to reboot the server before updating it to ensure that if the server fails to reboot the cause can be more easily determined and not attributed to the update process

Performing the update

1. Insert the AIX technology level CD into the CD drive or change directory into the directory containing the software and verify that the software is present and correct
2. Type smitty update_all
3. Select required values in entry fields, for example it is advisable to apply the updates and then commit them later once you are sure the update was successful
4. Review /smit.log for any errors
5. Reboot the server by typing shutdown -Fr
6. After the reboot verify that all the currently installed software is correctly entered into the Software Vital Product Database (SWVPD) by typing lppchk -v
7. Check for system errors by typing errpt -a

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