IBM 520Q User Manual

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Chapter 3. RAS and manageability 
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3.1.5  N+1 redundancy
The use of redundant parts allows the p5-520 and p5-520Q to remain operational with full 
resources:
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Redundant spare memory bits in L1, L2, L3, and main memory
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Redundant fans
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Redundant power supplies (optional)
3.1.6  Fault masking
If corrections and retries succeed and do not exceed threshold limits, the system remains 
operational with full resources, and no intervention is required:
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CEC bus retry and recovery
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PCI-X bus recovery
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ECC Chipkill soft error
3.1.7  Resource deallocation
If recoverable errors exceed threshold limits, resources can be deallocated with the system 
remaining operational, allowing deferred maintenance at a convenient time.
Dynamic or persistent deallocation 
Dynamic deallocation of potentially failing components is nondisruptive, allowing the system 
to continue to run. Persistent deallocation occurs when a failed component is detected, which 
is then deactivated at a subsequent reboot.
Dynamic deallocation functions include:
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Processor
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L3 cache line delete
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Partial L2 cache deallocation
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PCI-X bus and slots
For dynamic processor deallocation, the service processor performs a predictive failure 
analysis based on any recoverable processor errors that have been recorded. If these 
transient errors exceed a defined threshold, the event is logged and the processor is 
deallocated from the system while the operating system continues to run. This feature 
(named 
CPU Guard
) enables maintenance to be deferred until a suitable time. Processor 
deallocation can only occur if there are sufficient functional processors (at least two).
To verify whether CPU Guard has been enabled, run the following command:
lsattr -El sys0 | grep cpuguard     
If enabled, the output is similar to the following:
cpuguard    enable      CPU Guard     True
Note: With this optional feature, every deskside or rack-mounted p5-520 or p5-520Q 
requires two power cords, which are not included in the base order. For maximum avail-
ability, we highly recommend that you connect power cords from the same p5-520 or 
p5-520Q to two separate PDUs in the rack, which are connected to two independent client 
power sources. For a deskside p5-520 or p5-520Q, you need to plug power cords to two 
independent power sources in order to achieve maximum availability.