How to fix a corrupted OS installation. formerly Re: Reaching the tipping point on my JS12 blade

[Pete Helgren <Pete@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Maybe a better subject line, a la Scott Klement's suggestion will get 
more replies.

Questions 1 and 2 (below) get to the meat of the matter..

Plus #3: How do I reload from DVD just IPL to DST and Load Operating System?

Any other suggestions?

Pete

Pete Helgren wrote:
> No way I can describe the countless hours I have spent with the Blade 
> Center folks trying to get my i partition on the JS12 to keep running.  
> The partition crashes when the blade loses contact with the SAS storage 
> module.  The BCS folks say it is an IBM i OS issue, or at least think 
> so, although I have yet to understand the connection between the i OS  
> and the SAS storage module.  The module comes up missing with no SAS 
> drives even though I haven't even started the partition.  The blade 
> doesn't even see the SAS module so I don't see how the i partition even 
> plays here.  I DO know this, if you run the i partition long enough, it 
> will fail.  How long, nobody knows.....
>
> So here is the latest depressing news.  Convinced that IBM i was source 
> of the problem, the BCS folks recommended I load the latest CUME.  I 
> spent a day and a half downloading the entire CUME and managed this 
> afternoon to get the files ftp'd to the partition and an image catalog 
> built and loaded.  So I started the process of loading a PTF package 
> and, you guessed it, the blade crashed about 75% through the process, at 
> the point where it was setting the IPL actions.
>
> So here (after my whining) is my question:
>
> 1. Can I re-load the OS without hammering my data?
> 2. If I don't lose my data, what do I lose by re-installing the OS?
>   
> I don't think I have ever tried to re-install the OS, except from scratch.
>
> Seems to me that yes, I can reinstall, although the thought of the 
> partition crashing in the middle of *that* send chills down my spine.  
> Right now the partition will IPL on the A side (just like an earlier 
> post from me back last fall) but as far as I can recall, it seems to me 
> there is no way to "fix" the B side without re-loading from DVD.  But I 
> don't want to lose the data.
>
> This is such a bummer and time waster......
>
> Pete Helgren
>
>