System Flash Memory Configuration; Vital Product Data And System Smart Chips; Section 2.5, "System Flash Memory Configuration; Section 2.6, "Vital Product Data And System Smart Chips - IBM p5 590 System Handbook

2.5 System flash memory configuration

In the p5-590 and p5-595, a serial electronically erasable programmable read
only memory (sEEPROM) adapter plugs into the back of the central electronics
complex backplane. The platform firmware binary image is programmed into the
system sEEPROM, also known as
initially programmed during manufacturing of the p5-590 and p5-595 systems.
However, this single binary image can be reprogrammed to accommodate
firmware fixes provided to the client using the hardware management console.
The firmware binary image contains boot code for the p5-590 and p5-595. This
boot code includes, but is not limited to, system service processor code, code to
initialize the POWER5 processors, memory, and I/O subsystem components,
partition management code, and code to support Advanced POWER
Virtualization. The firmware binary image also contains hardware monitoring
code used during partition run time.
During boot time, the system service processor dynamically allocates the
firmware image from flash memory into main system memory. The firmware code
is also responsible for loading the operating system image into main memory.
Additional information regarding the system service processor can be found in
Chapter 7, "Service processor" on page 169.
Refer to 7.4, "Firmware updates" on page 186 for a summary of the firmware
update process. Refer to 2.4, "Central electronics complex" on page 30 for more
information regarding the system CEC.

2.6 Vital product data and system smart chips

Vital product data (VPD) carries all of the necessary information for the service
processor to determine if the hardware is compatible and how to configure the
hardware and chips on the card. The VPD also contains the part number and
serial number of the card used for servicing the machine as well as the location
information of each device for failure analysis. Since the VPD in the card carries
all information necessary to configure the card, no card device drivers or special
code has to be sent with each card for installation.
Smart chips are micro-controllers used to store vital product data (VPD). The
smart chip provides a means for securely storing data that cannot be read,
altered, or written other than by IBM privileged code. The smart chip provides a
means of verifying IBM Sserver On/Off Capacity on Demand and IBM Sserver
Capacity Upgrade on Demand activation codes that only the smart chip on the
intended system can verify. This allows clients to purchase additional spare
IBM Eserver p5 590 and 595 System Handbook
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system FLASH memory
. FLASH memory is