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Tutorial

Download technology levels and service packs using SUMA for a specific client in NIM server

Use client OS level as the filter technology level in SUMA

By Amarjit Banerjee, Srikanth Thanneeru

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Archived content

Archive date: 2025-11-03

This content is no longer being updated or maintained. The content is provided “as is.” Given the rapid evolution of technology, some content, steps, or illustrations may have changed.

Introduction

Generally, Service Update Management Assistant (SUMA) is supposed to download fix packs corresponding to the operating system (OS) level of the system in which it runs. However, in a Network Installation Management (NIM) environment, you might want the NIM server to have fix packs applicable to NIM clients which are at earlier levels than that of the server and use the same to update the clients. This tutorial explains how you can use the suma command to download the technology level or service pack (TL/SP) filesets for clients with any OS level on the NIM server in such cases.

Understanding the basics

If your IBM AIX NIM server has internet access or uses proxy, you can use the suma command to download TL/SP for any OS level. The FilterML field of the suma command allows you to mention a specific OS level if it is different from the current OS level.

Download client-specific fix packs using SUMA in the NIM server

  1. Run the lsnim -t standalone command to get the list of stand-alone NIM clients.
     # lsnim -t standalone
 aix-install-zep01-lp016     machines       standalone
 aix-install-zep01-lp015     machines       standalone
 aix-install-zep01-lp017     machines       standalone
 aix-install-zep01-lp009     machines       standalone
 idevp8-lp14                 machines       standalone
  2. For each client, use the /usr/lpp/bos.sysmgt/nim/methods/c_rsh utility in the NIM server to fetch the oslevel -r value from the client. In this example, let us target the first client in the list from step 1. Similar steps can be repeated for all the clients.
     # /usr/lpp/bos.sysmgt/nim/methods/c_rsh aix-install-zep01-lp016 '/usr/bin/oslevel -r'
 7300-02
  3. Create a directory corresponding to the client’s OS level.
     # mkdir -p /export/inst.images/7300-02

  4. Run the suma command to download TL/SP/latest fixes by specifying the FilterML attribute populated with the OS level value obtained in step 2, and the DLTarget attribute with the directory created in step 3.

    Run the following command to review the SUMA configuration settings:

     # suma -D
         DisplayName=
         Action=Download
         RqType=Latest
         RqName=
         Repeats=y
         DLTarget=/usr/sys/inst.images
         NotifyEmail=root
         FilterDir=/usr/sys/inst.images
         FilterML=7300-03
         MaxDLSize=-1
         Extend=y
         MaxFSSize=-1

    Download the fix packs using the following suma command:

     # suma -x -a FilterML=7300-02 -a DLTarget=/export/inst.images/7300-02
 Filesystem size changed to 3670016 512-byte blocks
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U900613.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894284.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894283.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U900844.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891796.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U900631.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891774.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891752.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891751.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U900618.bff
 .......
 .......
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894064.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894034.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894063.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894061.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894038.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894640.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891788.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894035.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U891794.bff
 Download SUCCEEDED: /export/inst.images/7300-02/installp/ppc/U894054.bff
 Total bytes of updates downloaded:1481169920
 Summary:
         161 files were attempted to download
         161 downloaded
         0 failed
         0 skipped

    Note: This sample shows the latest fixes that I downloaded for the OS level 7300-02. Toggling with the RqType and RqName attributes in the suma –D command allows you to set your own values.

    For example, to change the request type to TL, run the following command:

     # suma -D -a RqType=TL

 # suma -D
         DisplayName=
         Action=Download
         RqType=TL
         RqName=
         Repeats=y
         DLTarget=/usr/sys/inst.images
         NotifyEmail=root
         FilterDir=/usr/sys/inst.images
         FilterML=7300-02
         MaxDLSize=-1
         Extend=y
         MaxFSSize=-1

    For more information about these fields, refer to the SUMA documentation links provided in the References section.

  5. Optionally, merge steps 2 to 4 and use automation to download TL/SP for all NIM clients.

    Refer to the following sample automation script to download TL/SP/latest fixes for all the NIM clients. You can enhance or customize it as per your requirement.

     # cat ./download_client_fixes.sh
 for CLIENT in $(lsnim -t standalone | awk '{print $1}');
 do
    OSLEVEL=$(/usr/lpp/bos.sysmgt/nim/methods/c_rsh $CLIENT '/usr/bin/oslevel -r')
    mkdir -p /export/inst.images/$OSLEVEL
    suma -x -a FilterML=$OSLEVEL -a DLTarget=/export/inst.images/$OSLEVEL
 done

Summary

This tutorial explained how to use SUMA to download TL/SP filesets for NIM clients with different OS levels from the NIM server. It also guided you through the process of managing fix packs in a NIM environment, ensuring that the NIM server can update clients running earlier OS levels.

References

Explore the following resources: