Power10 processor RAS- IBM Power E1050

Although there are many differences internally in the Power10 processor compared to the Power9 processor that relate to performance, number of cores, and other features, the general RAS philosophy for how errors are handled has remains the same. Therefore, information about Power9 processor-based subsystem RAS can still be referenced to understand the design. For more information, see Introduction to IBM Power Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability for Power9 processor-based systems using IBM PowerVM.

The Power E1050 processor module is a dual-chip module (DCM) that differs from that of the Power E950, which has single-chip module (SCM). Each DCM has 30 processor cores, which is 120 cores for a 4-socket (4S) Power E1050. In comparison, a 4S Power E950 supports 48 cores. The internal processor buses are twice as fast with the Power E1050 running at 32 Gbps.

Despite the increased cores and the faster high-speed processor bus interfaces, the RAS capabilities are equivalent, with features like PIR, L2/L3 Cache ECC protection with cache line delete, and the CRC fabric bus retry that is a characteristic of Power9 and Power10 processors. As with the Power E950, when an internal fabric bus lane encounters a hard failure in a Power E1050, the lane can be dynamically spared out.

Figure 4-2 shows the Power10 DCM

Figure 4-2 Power10 Dual-Chip Module

4.3.1 Cache availability

The L2/L3 caches in the Power10 processor in the memory buffer chip are protected with double-bit detect, single-bit correct ECC. In addition, a threshold of correctable errors that are detected on cache lines can result in the data in the cache lines being purged and the cache lines removed from further operation without requiring a restart in the PowerVM environment. Modified data is handled through Special Uncorrectable Error (SUE) handling. L1 data and instruction caches also have a retry capability for intermittent errors and a cache set delete mechanism for handling solid failures.

4.3.2 Special Uncorrectable Error handling

SUE handling prevents an uncorrectable error in memory or cache from immediately causing the system to terminate. Rather, the system tags the data and determines whether it will ever be used again. If the error is irrelevant, it will not force a checkstop. When and if data is used, I/O adapters that are controlled by an I/O hub controller freeze if the data were transferred to an I/O device; otherwise, termination can be limited to the program/kernel, or if the data is not owned by the hypervisor.

4.3.3 Uncorrectable error recovery

When the auto-restart option is enabled, the system can automatically restart following an unrecoverable software error, hardware failure, or environmentally induced (AC power) failure.

4.4 I/O subsystem RAS

The Power E1050 provides 11 general-purpose Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) slots that allow for hot-plugging of I/O adapters, which makes the adapters concurrently maintainable. These PCIe slots operate at Gen4 and Gen5 speeds. Some of the PCIe slots support OpenCAPI and I/O expansion drawer cable cards.

Unlike the Power E950, the Power E1050 location codes start from index 0, as with all Power 10 systems. However, slot c0 is not a general-purpose PCIe slot because it is reserved for the eBMC Service Processor card.

Another difference between the Power E950 and the Power E1050 is that all the Power E1050 slots are directly connected to a Power10 processor. In the Power E950, some slots are connected to the Power9 processor through I/O switches.

All 11 PCIe slots are available if 3-socket or 4-socket DCMs are populated. In the 2-socket DCM configuration, only seven PCIe slots are functional.

DASD options

The Power E1050 provides 10 internal Non-volatile Memory Express (NVMe) drives at Gen4 speeds, which means that they are concurrently maintainable. The NVMe drives are connected to DCM0 and DCM3. In a 2-socket DCM configuration, only six of the drives are available. To access to all 10 internal NVMe drives, you must have a 4S DCM configuration. Unlike the Power E950, the Power E1050 has no internal serial-attached SCSI (SAS) drives You can use an external drawer to provide SAS drives.

The internal NVMe drives support OS-controlled RAID 0 and RAID 1 array, but no hardware RAID. For best redundancy, use an OS mirror and dual Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) mirror. To ensure as much separation as possible in the hardware path between mirror pairs, the following NVMe configuration is recommended:

Ê Mirrored OS: NVMe3 and NVMe4 pairs, or NVMe8 and NVMe9 pairs

Ê Mirrored dual VIOS:

– Dual VIOS: NVMe3 for VIOS1, NVMe4 for VIOS2.

– Mirrored dual VIOS: NVMe9 mirrors NVMe3, and NVMe8 mirrors NVMe4.

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