IBM AIX Tips and Tricks

Accounts

• A document that describes the default set of user accounts.

Archiving

• Document describing how to archive raw logical volumes using dd.

Booting

• How to boot your server into Service mode (aka Maintenance mode).

CDE

• Having problems making CDE work with HACMP?

CD-ROM

• How can I find the CD-ROM device on AIX?

Cron

• Trying to get your cron job to run every other week?

Disks

• List all the disks that are currently not being used, where they are, and what their size is.
• List all the info about which logical volumes reside on which disks.

Documentation

• AIX Command Crib Sheet PDF
• Pimpin' Networks IBM resources
• IBM has lots of good Redbooks to help you.
• Various articles from SysAdmin magazine about AIX administration.

FAQ

• AIX FAQ (PDF)

Filesystems

• How to reduce the /var or /tmp filesystem.
• When using raw logical volumes, does VMM or sync handle the updates?
• How to resolve issues with local JFS filesystems that have run out of available space.

Hardware

• How can I determine the CPU Speed in my AIX server the IBM way or the easier script method to find out how fast your CPU is running?
• Figure out the serial number of your server, even if it isn't near you.

Links

• This should be the first site you go to for info on AIX.

LVM

• Logical Volume Manager intro and concepts (pdf)
• LVM commands and Troubleshooting tips (pdf)

Network

• Script to figure out what speed your network adapter is using.
• AIX 4.3 Network Hardening paper

OS

• What is the best way to determine when a system was installed?
• How to recover the root password in AIX 4.x.
• Use errpt to check if there are any errors you should know about.
• Why du and df don't return the same ouput.
• Check to see if the OS is running in 32 or 64 bit mode as well as if it is 64 bit capable.
• Info about 64-bit mode on AIX.
• Some 5L upgrade gotchas you need to watch out for.

Partitions

• How to get the partition number on AIX partitions.

PVID

• How to assign a specific PVID when your system won't cooperate.

Rosetta Stones

• Compares: AIX Logical Volume Manager and Veritas Volume Manager (PDF)
• Compares: AIX 5.1 and Solaris 8 (PDF)
• Compares: AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Redhat, Solaris, Tru64 (PDF)
• Compares: Everything and the kitchen sink (PDF)

Shell

• Lots of good info (memory refreshers) on KSH.

SSA

• See what the temperature is on your SSA enclosures.