IBM RS/6000 and AIX Issues

IBM has provided detailed information about Year 2000 compliance of its RS/6000 hardware and AIX operating system on the http://www.software.ibm.com/year2000/papers/aixy2k.html web page. That web page is frequently updated by IBM, and its information should be considered more authoritative and current than this document.

RS/6000 Hardware

All RS/6000 systems, except the machine types listed below, are Y2k-compliant. The exceptions are:

6015
6040
6042
6050
6070
7020 (also known as 40P series)
7024 (models E20 and E30)
7025 (model F30 only)
7247 (models 821, 822, and 823)
7248 (models 100, 120, and 132)
7249 (models 851 only)
7586 (models 001, E01, E02)
AIX server module for cross-platform product 7596-001

These machine types have firmware problems, and IBM has issued fixes. Microcode fixes can be downloaded from http://www.rs6000.ibm.com/support/micro/. The actual firmware defects were not identified.

The machine type is specified by the first four digits of the serial number. For instance, the 43P-140 from which I am typing this has a serial number "7043 26-12167", and its machine type is "7043". RPI's DCE master security server is an F30, and its serial number begins with "7025". From the list above, we see that it will need to have its firmware upgraded.

IBM notes that the machine type "7007" is a Y2k-compliant laptop. However, it can only run AIX 3.2.5, which is not (and will not be) Y2k-compliant. (But strangely enough, the document later describes the patches needed to make AIX 3.2.5 Y2k-compliant!)

The above list of non-compliant machine types has changed over time, and may change again. For up-to-date information, check IBM's authoritative web page.

AIX Operating System

IBM intends that versions of AIX later than 3.2.5 (including 4.1.5, 4.2.1, and 4.3) be Y2k-compliant. However, patches must be obtained, and new patches appear periodically. At one time, AIX 4.3.1 was said to require no patches, but that has changed. Currently, AIX 4.3.2 is said to not require any patches. One should not be surprised if this changes!

In general, it is helpful to keep operating system software as current as possible, and to periodically check for Y2k updates.

IBM also offers a program to check the revision and patch levels of IBM software. This program is found in ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/aix/tools/y2k/. As this is written, the current program is aixy2k_fixcheck19.

Last updated 1999-Apr-30

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