S1000-007 IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Questions and Answers

Configuring both ethernet adapters as IEEE 802.3ad link aggregated withsrc_dst_portmode provides network resilience and better performance. This configuration uses link aggregation to combine the two adapters into a single logical interface, which balances the traffic load and provides redundancy in case one adapter fails.References:= IBM AIX Link Aggregation Documentation

The umask value of 027 for the root user means that newly created files will have default permissions of 0640. This is because the umask value subtracts permissions from the default file mode (0666 for files). Specifically, 0666 (default) - 027 (umask) = 0640. This results in read and write permissions for the owner, and read permissions for the group.References:= IBM AIX Documentation

AIX allows for the management of subsystems on remote systems through the System Resource Controller (SRC). This means that an administrator can issue commands to start, stop, or restart subsystems on remote AIX systems. Thesrcmstrprocess does not need to be halted to restart subsystems, and not all subsystems can be restarted using therefreshcommand.References:= IBM AIX Documentation

Yes, the administrator can use themksysbimage to boot the server and perform the required maintenance tasks, but they may need to create a SPOT (Shared Product Object Tree) first. A SPOT is required in the Network Installation Manager (NIM) environment to boot a client machine from amksysbimage. The SPOT provides the necessary resources, such as the boot image and other files needed for network boot and system maintenance.References:= IBM AIX NIM mksysb Backup and Recovery Documentation

An EtherChannel network device provides network redundancy and load balancing by combining multiple physical network adapters into a single logical interface. If one adapter fails, traffic will automatically flow through the other available adapters in the channel, ensuring continuous network availability.References:= IBM AIX EtherChannel Documentation

To upgrade from one release of AIX to another (such as from AIX 7.1 to AIX 7.2), the recommended method is a Migration Install. This method allows the administrator to upgrade the operating system while preserving existing data and settings. It updates the existing AIX installation to the new version, ensuring compatibility and continuity of system configurations and installed applications. The other methods, such as Preservation Install, New and Complete Overwrite Install, and Update Install, are either not suitable for upgrading to a new release or would result in data loss or incomplete updates.References:= IBM AIX Documentation

Thealogcommand is used to view the AIX boot log. This command accesses the boot log file, which contains messages and information about the boot process. The boot log helps administrators troubleshoot and understand the sequence of events during system startup.References:= IBM AIX alog Command Documentation

If a session hangs after entering the password, it is most likely due to problems with the authentication mechanism. This could be due to issues with the configuration of authentication services, network delays in authentication if using network-based authentication (such as LDAP), or misconfigurations in the PAM (Pluggable Authentication Module) settings. The other options, such as thepasswddaemon, full file systems, or network failures, are less likely to cause a login hang at this stage.References:= IBM AIX Documentation

In the/etc/filesystemsfile, theautoattribute can be set tonoto prevent the automatic mounting of NFS filesystems during system startup. This ensures that the system does not attempt to mount NFS filesystems, thereby avoiding potential hangs during network outages.References:= IBM AIX Documentation

The default Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) size of a network adapter in AIX is 1500 bytes. The MTU size determines the largest packet size that can be transmitted over the network. Setting an appropriate MTU size is essential for optimizing network performance and minimizing fragmentation.References:= IBM AIX Network Adapter Documentation

The root account is the special user in the /etc/passwd file with the user ID (UID) of 0 and is commonly given the user name, root. It is not the user name that makes the root account so special, but the UID value of 0. This means that any user that has a UID of 0 also has the same privileges as the root user. Also, the root account is always authenticated by means of the local security files.

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/aix/7.2?topic=passwords-root-account

The two additional commands that an AIX V7.2 administrator should run after mirroring the rootvg with the mirrorvg command are 'bosboot' and 'bootlist'. The bosboot command is used to update the boot image on all disks in the volume group, and the bootlist command is used to set the boot order for the system. These commands are available on IBM AIX v7 systems and are documented in the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide. For more information, please see the IBM documentation at https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_aix_72/com.ibm.aix.cmds3/bosboot.htm  and https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_aix_72/com.ibm.aix.cmds3/bootlist.htm.

The vmstat command is used to display the types, counts, and percentages of LPAR memory. The -v flag is used to display the virtual memory statistics, including the types and counts of memory. Reference: IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide (page 6-17).

Thevmstat -vcommand in AIX provides a detailed report on memory usage, including the types, counts, and percentages of different memory components in the system. This includes information on virtual memory, paging space, and various other memory statistics, making it the appropriate command for assessing LPAR memory utilization.References: IBM AIX Documentation - vmstat

Amksysbimage can be used to boot an AIX system and perform maintenance tasks. However, when using Network Installation Management (NIM), the administrator may need to create a SPOT (Shared Product Object Tree) resource from themksysbimage. The SPOT resource provides the necessary boot files and maintenance environment to boot the client system and perform the required tasks, such as varying on therootvgand troubleshooting the issue.References: IBM AIX NIM Documentation

The root user is not required to run SMIT, and the size of the window is the only factor that determines the minimum output display requirements. According to the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide (page 9-3), SMIT requires 24 lines and 80 columns for the output display for successful execution.

The error message1800-005 SMIT requires a minimum of 24 line by 80 column output displayindicates that the terminal window does not meet the minimum size requirements for runningsmit. To resolve this, the user needs to resize their terminal window to at least 24 lines by 80 columns. Ensuring the terminal meets this size requirement will allowsmitto display its interface properly.References: IBM AIX Documentation – SMIT

Thevtmenucommand in an HMC SSH session is used to display a menu of all managed systems and their LPARs. This menu provides options to open virtual terminal sessions to these LPARs, making it easy for administrators to monitor the boot process and manage their AIX partitions. Other commands likemkvtermopen a console for a specific partition, butvtmenuis designed to list all and provide an interface for selection.References: IBM HMC Documentation

"The command to limit root user access to only members of the group called system is chadmin group=system root. This command will set the primary group of the root user to the system group, thereby limiting root user access to only members of that group. This command can be used to set any user's primary group, not just root." The source of this information is the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide.

Themlcvtermcommand is used to open a console to an AIX virtual machine that is controlled by a Hardware Management Console (HMC). According to the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide, themlcvtermcommand allows you to open a terminal window to the console of a logical partition (LPAR) running AIX.

The mkps command creates a paging space and activates it when the system is rebooted. This is explained in the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide, under the topic "Creating and Activating a Paging Space".

When a customer calls with a complaint about slow workload performance, it is important to ask for additional details to help pinpoint the source of the issue. This could include details such as which application or process is running slowly, what errors are appearing, how long the issue has been occurring, etc. Having this information will help the administrator to determine the cause of the problem and determine the best course of action. Reference: IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide (page 5-29).

When a customer reports slow workload performance without additional details, the first step should be to gather more information. This includes asking specific questions about the nature of the workload, when the slowdown occurs, any recent changes to the system, and other pertinent details. This information is crucial for diagnosing the issue accurately and determining the appropriate course of action. Arbitrarily increasing resources like CPU or memory without understanding the root cause may not resolve the issue and can lead to inefficient resource usage.References: IBM AIX Performance Tuning Guide

Based on the output from thelparstatcommand, the partition has 8 logical processors configured. This is determined by the "Online Virtual CPUs" value, which shows 2, and the fact that the system is running in SMT-4 mode. Therefore, 2 Virtual CPUs x 4 (SMT threads per core) = 8 logical processors.References:= IBM AIX lparstat Command Documentation

According to the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide, the lsmcode command is used to list the microcode of the system. The -A flag is used to list the microcode level and the active microcode level of the system. This command can be used to confirm the system firmware level which is required to use the IBM Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT).

The procedure to check which system tunables have been changed in the system since last boot is to run the 'lstuncfg -1 | grep -v DEFAULT' command. The lstuncfg command is used to display the current configuration of the system tunables. By using the '-1' option, the command will display the system tunables and whether they have been changed since the last system reboot. The 'grep -v DEFAULT' command will filter out the default values, allowing you to see only the tunables that have been changed. This command is available on IBM AIX v7 systems and is documented in the IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty Study Guide. For more information, please see the IBM documentation at https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_aix_72/com.ibm.aix.cmds2/lstuncfg.htm.

The superstrict mirror write consistency policy is the most reliable policy for achieving data consistency between mirrors in AIX V7.2. This policy will maintain the data consistency between mirrors by writing the data to both mirrors before the write operation is acknowledged as complete. Reference: IBM AIX v7 Administration Specialty Study Guide (section 10.6.2, pp. 651-652).