Upgrading AIX from 5.3 to 7.

1
Also known as AIX 5.3 to 7.1 migration
The first question many customers ask: Is this a supported operation? Absolutely!
This paper gives an overview of the process of upgrading your existing AIX 5.3 system to AIX 7.1 and
offers some key considerations. The terms upgrade and migration may be used interchangeably in this
document.

Why Should I Upgrade to AIX 7.1?

The answer to this question will vary by customer, but one of the main reasons is AIX 5.3 will no longer
be supported after April, 2012, unless an extended service agreement is purchased.
For more information on AIX 5.3 End of Service, see the announcement letter IBM Service Extension
for IBM AIX V5.3 offers extended support and Jay Kruemckes blog.
For information on the new features in AIX 7.1, see
http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/software/aix/upgrade/index.html

Quick Overview of the Upgrade/Migration process

An AIX upgrade/migration basically installs a new level of AIX on top of the existing level and
converting, where possible, the configuration to meet the requirements of the new level. File systems
are not removed but may be extended. Other software, applications or middleware are not removed.
For more information on other software, see the Other Software, Applications and Middleware section
below.
Some operating system filesets which are no longer supported on the new release are removed. Some
configuration files may be saved for manual user merge because the file formats have changed and
cannot be automatically converted.

The pre_migration script should always be run on the system before a migration. This script will not
modify any files on the existing system. It is a validation script that will check the state of the system
and report any software that will be removed, configuration files that will not be merged, etc. It will
also verify file system and boot logical volume size requirements, disk space and any other specific
issues that require attention.
The pre_migration script can be found on the AIX 7.1 media in the <mount_point>/lpp/bos directory.
# mount -v cdrfs -o ro /dev/cd0 /mnt
# ls /mnt/usr/lpp/bos
inst_root
liblpp.a
pre_migration

If you create a 7.1 NIM spot, it can be found in <SPOT_location>/lpp/bos.

Copy the script to your 5.3 system (/tmp), make sure its executable and run it as root.
Example output of running the pre_migration script:
# ./pre_migration
All saved information can be found in: /home/pre_migration.120322174013
Checking size of boot logical volume (hd5).
Listing software that will be removed from the system.
Listing configuration files that will not be merged.
Listing configuration files that will be merged.
Saving configuration files that will be merged.
Running lppchk commands. This may take awhile.
Please check /home/pre_migration.120322174013/software_link_existence_check for possible errors.
Please check /home/pre_migration.120322174013/software_file_existence_check for possible errors.
Please check /home/pre_migration.120322174013/software_checksum_verification for possible errors.
All saved information can be found in: /home/pre_migration.120322174013
It is recommended that you create a bootable system backup of your system before migrating.

Preparation
The first thing to do is decide which method you will use to perform the upgrade. There are a few
options.
1. Upgrade the existing 5.3 system in place
This involves booting the system from 7.1 media, either DVD or network (Network Install
Manager NIM) and upgrading. The system will be down during the process. If using NIM, the
level of the NIM master and/or server must match or be higher than the level you are upgrading.
2. Using nimadm
Network install alt_disk_install migration creates a mksysb image of the system, restores it to
another disk (physical or virtual) and upgrades on the side. The nimadm process requires use
of a NIM 7.1 system and only the NIM master can be used as the server. Using nimadm is a
more complex method of migration and takes much more time to set up, but it has several
advantages in terms of reduced downtime and faster recovery. The nimadm process does not
allow converting from JFS file systems to J2 file systems for rootvg.
3. Install AIX 7.1 directly and move selected data over from your 5.3 system
This option is not technically an upgrade, but you may decide it is the best path. For instance, if
you want to convert to J2 file systems types for rootvg or if your rootvg file systems are too large
and you want to clean them up or change the configuration.
You should always use the latest base level of AIX 7.1 available. The goal is to move to the
recommended level of AIX. The Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT)
www.ibm.com/support/customercare/flrt can be used to determine the recommended level.
Here is a quick link to show the latest recommendations for AIX 7.1.
http://www-304.ibm.com/webapp/set2/flrt/report?fcn=power&plat=power&mtm=9179MHD&p1.parnm=Partition+1&p1.os=aix&p1.aix=7100-02-00&reportname=&btnGo=Submit

Getting to the recommended level may involve a two-step process, if you are using physical media, or it
can be combined into a one step process if you are using NIM.
Example:
The latest level of AIX is 7100-02 as of June 5, 2013. This is the media/ISO image you obtain for your
upgrade.
A visit to the FLRT website will show that the current recommended level is 7100-02-02 (released Feb
20, 2013). You should download Service Pack 2 from Fix Central. FLRT will provide a direct link for
download.
If you create a 7.1 NIM spot and lpp_source from your product media, you should add the SP2 updates
to the lpp_source and update your spot. This will allow the updates to be applied at migration time.
This will add some additional time to the update process, but you will achieve your goal of upgrading to
7100-02-02 in one step and will save a reboot.

Always Backup
If you do not have a current backup (mksysb) available of your 5.3 system, create one now.
One advantage of using nimadm is you will have a quick way to get back to your original 5.3 system
because it will still be on the original disk.

Other Software, Applications and Middleware

You will need to determine if your other software that is currently running on AIX 5.3 will still run on
AIX 7.1 or if you will need to upgrade.
Information on compatibility with AIX and other IBM software can be found using FLRT
www.ibm.com/support/customercare/flrt and with the Software Product Compatibility reports tool http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/prodguid/v1r0/clarity/index.html .
With FLRT, use AIX 7100-01-02 as your AIX level and then select your existing IBM software and
levels. FLRT will report any compatibility issues.

Summary
Upgrading from AIX 5.3 to 7.1 is supported and encouraged.
-

Decide on a method of execution

Run the pre_migration script on your 5.3 system
Backup your existing system
Upgrade to the latest/recommended level of 7.1
Have a plan for existing applications and middleware

Thank you for choosing AIX!