FICON Administrator's Guide v6.4.0 (53-1001771-01, June 2010)

FICON Administrator’s Guide 33
53-1001771-01
Mode register bit settings
3
FICON file access facility
The FICON file access facility (FAF) is used to store configuration files. This includes the initial
program load (IPL) and other configuration files. The Fabric OS saves the IPL and all other
configuration files on the switch. A maximum of 16 configuration files, including the IPL file, are
supported.
You can upload the configuration files saved on the switch to a management workstation using the
configUpload command. If the switch loses the configuration due to a hardware failure or file
system error, use the configDownload command to restore previously uploaded configuration files.
Data uploaded using the configUpload command also contains the IPL file that was current at the
time the command was executed. If Active=Saved mode is enabled, the switch owns a lock on the
IPL file and will ignore the IPL file that is downloaded when the configDownload command is
executed.
Refer to the Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide for more information on the configUpload process.
Configuration files uploaded
When you execute the configUpload command, all the files saved in the file access facility are
uploaded to a management workstation (there is a section in the uploaded configuration file
labeled [FICU SAVED FILES] where the files are stored in an encoded format).
Configuration files downloaded with Active=Saved mode enabled
The contents of existing files saved on the switch, which are also present in the “FICON_CUP”
section, are overwritten.
The files in the [FICU SAVED FILES] section of the configuration file, which are not currently on the
switch, are saved on the switch.
The IPL will not be replaced because Active=Saved mode is enabled. A warning message is
displayed in the event log to warn users that the IPL will not be overwritten.
Configuration files downloaded with Active=Saved mode disabled
The contents of existing files saved on the switch, which are also present in the [FICU SAVED FILES]
section, are overwritten.
The files in the [FICU SAVED FILES] section of the configuration file, which are not currently on the
switch, are saved on the switch.
The IPL is replaced because Active=Saved mode is disabled.
Sample IOCP configuration file
The channel subsystem controls communication between a configured channel, the control unit,
and the device. The I/O Configuration Data Set (IOCDS) defines the channels, control units, and
devices to the designated logical partitions (LPARs) within the server; this is defined using the
Input/Output Configuration Program (IOCP). The IOCP statements are typically built using the
hardware configuration dialog (HCD). The interactive dialog is used to generate your Input/Output
Definition File (IODF), invoke the IOCP program, and subsequently build your production IOCDS.