I have an LPAR on a p690 that I performed user account maintenance on
this morning. Specifically, I was required to change the account name
for a user account, which I did as follows:

1. rmuser <username>
2. mv /home/<username> /home/<new username>
3. mkuser id=<old user id> <new username>
4. edit /etc/passwd to put ! in second field
5. edit /etc/security/passwd to change <username> to <new username> in
the <username> stanza heading.

I did this on 3 LPARs on this p690, and on 3 other systems without
problem. On this particular LPAR, no user can login at this time, not
even root. I am forced to believe that I sufferred finger-failure in
changing either /etc/passwd or /etc/security/passwd. I can recover
either one from opasswd if I could log into the LPAR (which I cannot
8^( ).

To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
potentially offending file systems?

Yes, you can do it that way. You could also put the cdrom in that lpar
and boot off your AIX install cd's into a maintenance shell. Or if you
are comfortable with NIM you can start up a re-install on that lpar and
get into a maintenance shell from that way.

Early in the install procedure you have the options to:
1)Install and overwrite the existing system
2)Change the install paramaters and install
3)Maintenance Mode
(Approximate language of menu)

Choose 3, then choose to start a shell After mounting the rootvg. Now
you'll be at an equivalent root shell and can start troubleshooting.
Note, you will have limited commands available, but you can still vi
files and what-not.

> To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> potentially offending file systems?

Nathan wrote:
> Yes, you can do it that way. You could also put the cdrom in that lpar
> and boot off your AIX install cd's into a maintenance shell. Or if you
> are comfortable with NIM you can start up a re-install on that lpar and
> get into a maintenance shell from that way.
>
> Early in the install procedure you have the options to:
> 1)Install and overwrite the existing system
> 2)Change the install paramaters and install
> 3)Maintenance Mode
> (Approximate language of menu)
>
> Choose 3, then choose to start a shell After mounting the rootvg. Now
> you'll be at an equivalent root shell and can start troubleshooting.
> Note, you will have limited commands available, but you can still vi
> files and what-not.
>
> > To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> > its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> > dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> > potentially offending file systems?

Thanks for the info. All is better now.

takarov2003@yahoo.com wrote:
> To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> potentially offending file systems?

If you have a couple of LPAR's the you probably have a NIM server as
well (for installation/recovery/etc.). You can boot the offending LPAR
from the NIM server, pretending to reinstall, but not in unattended mode
(no bosinst_data file). From the console you can now go to recovery /
getrootfs exactly like from CD. You avoid repartitioning and allocating
adapters.
I encountered situations where the getrootfs function on the AIX cd did
not work because the installled OS was on a higher mainantenence level.
The only resort was to set up a nim server with a SPOT at the same
maintenence level and use this to boot and fix the system.

Markus

Well one can just go to in perform nim administration tasks and then
manage machine...then perform operations on machines ...select the
machine and specify maint_boot which will ask for a spot and one is
good to go (ofcourse you have to reboot the client in sms and do the
remote ipl thingy with proper values )...

Well one can just go to in perform nim administration tasks and then
manage machine...then perform operations on machines ...select the
machine and specify maint_boot which will ask for a spot and one is
good to go (ofcourse you have to reboot the client in sms and do the
remote ipl thingy with proper values )...

ghani.salman@gmail.com wrote:
> Well one can just go to in perform nim administration tasks and then
> manage machine...then perform operations on machines ...select the
> machine and specify maint_boot which will ask for a spot and one is
> good to go (ofcourse you have to reboot the client in sms and do the
> remote ipl thingy with proper values )...

Thanks Ghani and Markus.

>
> To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> potentially offending file systems?
>

If you try to import the rootvg on another AIX system you will get all
the lv's renamed and in a worst situation than you are now... boot from
cd or nim and go to maintenance.

--
BC

Bernardo Cabral wrote:
> >
> > To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> > its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> > dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> > potentially offending file systems?
> >
>
> If you try to import the rootvg on another AIX system you will get all
> the lv's renamed and in a worst situation than you are now... boot from
> cd or nim and go to maintenance.

did the boot from nim, but won't the lv's retain the name from the VGA?
>
> --
> BC

takarov2003@yahoo.com wrote:
> Bernardo Cabral wrote:
> > >
> > > To recover, should it be possible to take the problem LPAR down, add
> > > its SCSI controller(s) to one of my other LPARs (on which I have
> > > dynamic LPAR enabled), mount the root file system and fix the
> > > potentially offending file systems?
> > >
> >
> > If you try to import the rootvg on another AIX system you will get all
> > the lv's renamed and in a worst situation than you are now... boot from
> > cd or nim and go to maintenance.
>
> did the boot from nim, but won't the lv's retain the name from the VGA?

s/VGA/VGDA/

> >
> > --
> > BC