z/VM service required for the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers

Last Updated: 7 January 2022

PLEASE READ ALL NOTES PRIOR TO UPGRADING:


z/VM 7.2 service information

All z/VM z15 and LinuxONE III service mentioned below are included in the base of z/VM 7.2. No additional service for z/VM 7.2 is required in support of the z15 or the LinuxONE III. For additional details on hardware supported by z/VM 6.4, 7.1, and 7.2, please see the z/VM General Information Manual.


 

Pre-requisite service for Single System Image (SSI) environments

The PTF for APAR VM66206 provides infrastructure support in z/VM V6.4 and V7.1 for the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers, which must be installed on all the members of an SSI cluster before any member is IPLed on the z15 or LinuxONE III servers. This PTF is in the base of z/VM 7.2. In addition, the PTF for APAR VM65976 provides infrastructure support for ESA/390-compatibility mode within z/VM V6.4, and must be installed on all members of an SSI cluster before any z/VM V6.4 member of the cluster is run on an IBM z15 or LinuxONE III server.


 

Required z/VM 6.4 and 7.1 service

With the PTF for APARs VM66248, VM66321, VM66325, and VM66332 (and all required pre-requisite APARs), z/VM V6.4 and V7.1 provide support that will enable guests to exploit function supported by z/VM on IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers, which includes the following new hardware facilities:

  • Synchronous execution support for on-chip data compression and DEFLATE conversion.
  • Enhanced Vector and Vector packed decimal.
  • Message-Security-Assist Extension 9
  • Crypto Express7S adapter and cryptographic enhancements.
    • Support for Crypto Express7S: z/VM Support for the new Crypto Express7S (CEX7S) adapter is included for both shared and dedicated guest use. As with the prior crypto adapter support, the CEX7S adapter can be configured as an accelerator or as an IBM Common Cryptographic Architecture (CCA) coprocessor for shared or dedicated use by z/Architecture guests. When the CEX7S adapter is configured as an IBM Enterprise Public- Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) #11 (EP11) coprocessor, the domains on the adapter can be dedicated to z/Architecture guests, but not shared.

With the available PTF for APAR PI99085, the z/VM V6.4 and V7.1 TCP/IP stack and NETSTAT OSAINFO command have been updated to provide support for:

  • OSA-Express7S GbE
  • OSA-Express7S 10GbE
  • OSA-Express7S 25GbE
  • OSA-Express7S 1000BASE-T

Dynamic I/O enhancements: Host dynamic I/O support is provided for managing the configuration of Crypto Express7S, OSA-Express7S OSD CHPIDs, FICON Express16SA FC and FCP CHPIDs, RoCE Express2.1, and Coupling Express LR Adapters.

FICON Express16SA adapter

*** Warning ***   z/VM Stand Alone Dump to SCSI 1st and 2nd level is supported with the PTFs for APARs VM66321, and VM66332. Both must be applied before attempting a SAD to SCSI on the z15 from 1st or 2nd level. Also note, guest IPL from SCSI with the DUMP option requires a minimum virtual memory size of 512MB.

Note: APAR VM66325 must be installed prior to relocation of a guest using SCSI EDEVs or direct attached FCP devices.

For z/VM 6.4 and 7.1, you can check which service is required in the table below.

Service notes:

  • For z/VM 6.4, you can check which service is missing on your z15 T01 or LinuxONE III LT1 system:
  • For z/VM 7.1, you can check which service is missing on your z15 T01 or LinuxONE III LT1 system:
  • For z/VM 6.4, you can check which service is missing on your z15 T02 or LinuxONE III LT2 system:
  • For z/VM 7.1, you can check which service is missing on your z15 T02 or LinuxONE III LT2 system:

 

z/VM 7.1 System Recovery Boost support service

The PTF for APAR VM66283, z/VM V7.1 will provide support for the IBM z15 System Recovery Boost, including:

  • General CPs running as subcapacity can be boosted to full capacity for a limited time during z/VM system initialization and workload bring-up, during workload quiesce and system shutdown, and during system abend processing.
  • Speed change status can be logged in z/VM monitor data.
  • Support for System Recovery Boost must be explicitly enabled in the system configuration file for z/VM 6.4 and z/VM 7.1 using the following record:
    FEATURES ENABLE RECOVERY_BOOST
    Note: When enabling or disabling System Recovery Boost in the z/VM SYSTEM CONFIG file, it is recommended to add a separate FEATURES statement on a new line rather than include RECOVERY_BOOST on an existing FEATURES line. This will avoid issues with existing FEATURES statements when IPLing CPLOAD MODULES which do not include System Recovery Boost support.
  • The System Recovery Boost support default is set to ON in z/VM 7.2.
  • z/VM System Recovery Boost support primarily benefits the z/VSE and z/TPF guest environments.

 

Additional z/VM information

Installing z/VM on the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers

If you are upgrading to an IBM z15 or LinuxONE III server from a z13 / z13S or earlier server, you MUST upgrade the Stand Alone Program Loader (SAPL), or else you won't be able to IPL z/VM. Refer to the red alert at the following URL: http://www.vm.ibm.com/service/redalert/#SAPLZ14 issued December 13, 2017 for more information.

Installing z/VM on the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers

z/VM 6.4, 7.1, 7.2 can be installed directly on the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers. z/VM 6.4 requires an image obtained from IBM after August 25, 2017. The PTF for APAR VM66248 must be applied immediately after installing z/VM.

Installation of z/VM V6.4, 7.1, and 7.2 from the IBM z15 and LinuxONE III servers USB flash drive is supported. Information on receiving z/VM product deliverables electronically can be found at http://www.vm.ibm.com/install/prodinst.html


z/VM 6.4 and 7.1 support for the z15 and LinuxONE III servers also requires the PTFs for the following APARs
  • ICKDSF support requires APAR PI46151
  • EREP/VM support requires APAR VM65952
  • HCD support requires APARs VM66239 (IBM z15 T01) and VM66318 (LinuxONE III LT1)
  • HCD support requires APAR VM66307 (IBM z15 T02) and VM66347 (LinuxONE III LT2)
  • HCM support requires APARs VM65266 and VM65598
  • IOCP support requires APAR VM66240
  • HLASM support requires APARs PH00902

Refer to the table below for information on which additional APARs are needed for the version of z/VM you are installing. If you are installing z/VM 7.2, no additional service is required in support of the z15 or the LinuxONE III.


 

z/VM APAR table

APAR z/VM 6.4 z/VM 7.1 z/VM 7.2 Description
VM66248

7.2 base Support for new hardware facilities
VM66321

7.2 base Corrects an HTT001 abend on a 1st level system on a z15 when a 2nd level initiates a Stand Alone Dump to SCSI
VM66325

7.2 base Fix for VMRELOCATE when active I/O is present
VM66332

7.2 base Support for Stand Alone Dump to SCSI 1st and 2nd level on a z15
VM66242

7.2 base IBM Fibre Channel Endpoint Security query support
VM66283

7.2 base* z/VM System recovery boost
PI99085

7.2 base TCP/IP support for OSA-Express7S Adapter
VM66239

7.2 base IBM z15 T01 HCD support
VM66318

7.2 base LinuxONE III LT1 HCD support
VM66307

7.2 base IBM z15 T02 HCD support
VM66347

7.2 base LinuxONE III LT2 HCD support
VM66206

7.2 base Fix for AP Crypto messages may be lost during relocation
VM65976

7.1 base 7.2 base LGR Support for ESA/390 removal
VM65952

7.2 base EREP/VM support
VM65266

7.1 base 7.2 base z/VM support of a 3906 processor
VM65598

7.2 base VMHCM support
VM66240

7.2 base z/VM IOCP update
PH00902

7.2 base New HLASM hardware instructions
PI46151

7.2 base ICKDSF Stand alone version z/Architecture support

 

* The System Recovery Boost support default is set to ON in z/VM 7.2.