When performing your scheduled Maintenance of Server hardware, be sure to include a physical inspection of your ServeRAID battery. We have seen a number of installations where the ServeRAID adapter has failed due to either a depleted or defective battery. This has resulted in unscheduled outages and extreme high levels of stress.     IBM Retain Tip H001648 states: “ Users should install and monitor battery conditions using the IBM ServeRAID Manager application for the following IBM ServeRAID controller models: 4M, 4H, 4Mx, 5i, 6i, 6i+, 6M, 7k, 8i, 8k, and 8s. All have cache backup batteries of which the battery status can be checked on the controller properties Status tab.     Users should install and monitor battery conditions usin...

VMware has been the market leader in the server virtualization world.  But, are other virtualization tools catching up?  Industry leaders believe VMware will remain the best, but will businesses begin to deploy multiple virtualization platforms?  While this consideration flies in the face of recommended best practices, the sheer financial consideration to do so may result in the emergence of virtualization tool management software.  Check out this article to learn more.

thinkASG is one of the first IBM Business Partners nationwide to achieve this unique and coveted recognition.   With our investments in IBM System Storage skills and resources we can more effectively help our clients realize the benefits of leveraging IBM best of breed storage solutions. The specialization validates thinkASG and our capabilities to design and deliver storage solutions based on IBM technologies. This accomplishment is derived from a combined measure of sales and technical certifications, client references, and our annual volume IBM System Storage solutions.   We are now eligible for a variety of benefits we provide directly to our clients, including direct access to IBM’s team of Client Technical Specialists, exclusive IBM Storage Specialty education...

Looking for IBM's i5OS and OS/400 release support schedule?  Look no further.  Bookmark this link below. http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/i/planning/software/i5osschedule.html

Let's hear cheers for AIX 5.3! It was GA back on 8/13/2004. It's been a trusted workhorse in our data centers for over eight years now! Few operating systems can claim a track record and durability such as this. But, end-of-life for normal support is coming soon. In fact, it is about six months away.   This morning, I just had an email exchange with a customer regarding AIX 5.3, and the looming EOL date. This particular customer was somewhat caught off-guard that AIX 5.3 would be going EOL quite so soon.   The most current Releases are: AIX 5.3 TL12 SP5, AIX 6.1 TL7 SP1, AIX 7.1 TL1 SP1.   If you cannot leave 5.2 or 5.3, and wish to maintain support, it is allowed to run, fully supported, as a WPAR under AIX 7.1. Need more information?   http://p...

Yep - it finally happened, earlier this week.   AIX 7.1 TL1 - and oddly enough, SP1 for that TL was released on the same date, October 17th.   For the many of you that have been waiting for TL1 before beginning with AIX 7, this is your signal.

Continued problems exist with Version 7.7.3.   I have worked with three customers this week that had significant issues in production with this particular HMC Code. Fortunately, none of the customers experienced any downtime, merely anxiety and inconvenience.   If you have, or are planning to upgrade to HMC 7.7.3:   Get it to Service Pack 1 Get all available PTFs applied. (list below) Do not stay logged in to the HMC. Do your work and log out.   When I last spoke with a support rep, I learned that IBM is very aware of the issues and working on fixes to the remaining issues.   All that said, HMC 7.7.4 was released today. I will be applying that in our BPIC later this week. I'm hopeful that some of the bumps and bruises from 7.7.3 a...

It appears that a little problem developed with the normally-bulletproof backup commands, such as mksysb and savevg.   The way I read this, it appears you have to be doing something somewhat specific to get the problem to occur.   Review this for AIX 5.3: http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/subscriptions/pqvcmjd?mode=18&ID=5577&myns=paix53&mync=E   Review this for AIX 6.1: http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/subscriptions/pqvcmjd?mode=18&ID=5582&myns=paix61&mync=E  

thinkASG entered a scarecrow, this year,  in the 2nd annual Great Park Pumpkin Harvest exhibition.   The competition, presented by the Orange County Great Park and Second Harvest Food Bank, gives local businesses and community organization's the opportunity to build and display unique scarecrow creations while providing support for a worthy cause.  Our Facility Manager, Jim Seeley, worked hard to create an imaginative scarecrow that showcases our organizations spirit for bicycling, teamsmanship and sports sponsorship.   We are proud to have the opportunity to help alleviate hunger in Orange County and participate in a community event in our corporate home town of Irvine, CA.                  ...

Not all storage controllers are crated equal.  Review the details below for a measure of individual drive performance. Question: Do you know of a study of like 2.5” 10K drives against 3.5” 15K drives? (2.5” 10K 600GB vs. 3.5” 15K 600GB drives) I keep getting like answers, but no real documentation to back it up. Answer: Before I begin, I would like to point out that the disk drive is not 100% responsible for the performance of a storage subsystem. You cannot predict the performance of a storage subsystem by the drives alone. Meaning that two different subsystems, with the exact same drive type and count will provide different performance levels. The “secret sauce” is in the controller firmware, and how it handles the I/O’s from the host. This is how the DS3500 ca...