IBM AIX Interview Questions

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We have categorized IBM AIX Interview Questions into 2 levels they are:

• Freshers
• Experienced

Top 10 Frequently Asked IBM AIX Interview Questions

1. What is the Difference between JFS & JFS2?
2. What is the Mirroring concept?
3. What is T – Factor?
4. What is the default PP Size in AIX?
5. What is the major number?
6. What will you do if a disk gets failed?
7. What is the error levels' severity?
8. What is the command to see the error log?
9. What is the command to clear the error log?
10. Which file that error daemon stay?

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IBM AIX Interview Questions for Freshers

1. How do I know if my volume group is normal, big, or scalable?

Run the lsvg command on the volume group and look at the value for MAX PVs. The value is 32 for normal, 128 for big, and 1,024 for the scalable volume group.

2. How do I create a volume group?

• Use the following command, where partition_size sets the number of megabytes (MB) in each physical partition where the partition_size is expressed in units of MB from one through 1,024. (It’s one through 131,072 for AIX 5.3.)

• mkvg -y name_of_volume_group -s partition_size list_of_hard_disks

• The partition_size variable must be equal to a power of two (for example one, two, four, or eight). The default value for standard and big volume groups is the lowest value to remain within the limitation of 1,016 physical partitions per physical volume. The default value for scalable volume groups is the lowest value to accommodate 2,040 physical partitions per physical volume.

3. How can I change the characteristics of a volume group?

You use the chvg command to change the characteristics of a volume group.

4. How do I create a logical volume?

• mklv -y name_of_logical_volume name_of_volume_group number_of_partition

5. How do I increase the size of a logical volume?

To increase the size of the logical volume represented by the lv05 directory by three logical partitions, for example, type extendlv lv05 3.

6. How do I display all logical volumes that are part of a volume group (e,g, rootvg)?

You can display all logical volumes that are part of rootvg by typing the following command: #lsvg -l rootvg/

7. How do I list information about logical volumes?

Run the following command to display information about the logical volume #lv1: lslv lv1.

8. How can I clone the rootvg?

You can run the alt_disk_copy command to copy the current rootvg to an alternate disk. The following example shows how to clone the rootvg to hdisk1: alt_disk_copy -d hdisk1.

9. How do I replace a disk?

• extendvg VolumeGroupName hdisk_new

• migratepv hdisk_bad hdisk_new

• reducevg -d VolumeGroupName hdisk_bad

10. How do I mirror a logical volume?

• mklvcopy LogicalVolumeName Numberofcopies

• syncvg VolumeGroupName

11. How can I display or set values for network parameters?

The no command sets or displays current or next boot values for network tuning parameters

12. How do I get the IP address of my machine?

Type one of the following: ifconfig -a or host Fully_Qualified_Host_Name. For example, host cyclop.austin.ibm.com.

13. How do I identify the network interfaces on my server?

Either of the following two commands will display the network interfaces: lsdev -Cc if or ifconfig -a. To get information about one specific network interface, for eaxample tr0, run the command ifconfig tr0.

14. How do I activate a network interface? 

To activate the network interface tr0, run the command ifconfig tr0 up.

15. How do I display routing table, interface, and protocol information?

To display routing table information for an Internet interface, type netstat -r -f inet. To display interface information for an Internet interface, type netstat -i -f inet. To display statistics for each protocol, type netstat -s -f inet.

16. How will you create a file if a disk is given to you?

• mkvg –y datavg –s 128 hdisk1 (pv name)

• mklv -y datalv –t jfs2 datavg 1

• crfs –v jfs2 –d datalv –g datavg –a size=10M –m /fs1

17. What is the Difference between JFS & JFS2?

JFS:

• JFS is a normal filesystem. We cannot create large files in JFS.

• Files can be accessed dynamically.

• Max file system size=1TB

• Max file size=64GB

• Inode size=128b

JFS2:

• Can create a large-size filesystem.

• Files can be accessed accordingly as required. (not randomly or sequentially)

• Max files system size=4PB

• Max file size=4PB

• Inode size=512

17. How will you find the inode number?

• ls –li

• istat /etc/passwd

18. How will you find LTG size?

• lsvg vgname

• lquerypv –M hdiskname

19. How will you change LTG size?

• rmdev -l hdiskx

• chdev -l hdiskx -a max_transfer=0*80000

• mkdev -l hdiskx

20. How will you find whether a quorum is up or not?

• lsvg vg name

21. How to copy an LV from one VG to another?

• cplv -v

22. What is the Mirroring concept?

• Check disk size belong to vg, take two same size disk to mirror

• bootinfo –s hdisk2

• lsvg –p rootvg

• Add one more disk of the same size of already have disk having rootvg.

• extendvg rootvg hdisk2

• lsvg –p rootvg

• Now mirror vg with background sync LV. It sync LVs in the background with new LVs

• mirrorvg –s rootvg

• Create a boot image

• bosboot –ad /dev/hdisk2

• bosboot –ad /dev/hdisk1

• Add a blv

• record of the newly added disk first checks and then add.

• bootlist –m normal -o

• bootlist –m normal hdisk2 hdisk1

23. How will you unmirror a VG if a PV gets failed?

• First, check the blv record using,

• bootlist –m normal –o

• Remove the old blv record, using

• chpv –c hdisk2

• bootlist –m normal hdisk1

• bootlist –m normal hdisk2

• Now unmirrorvg

• unmirrorvg rootvg hdisk2

• reducevg rootvg hdisk2

• lsvg –p rootvg

• lspv

• bootlist –m normal –o

24. How will you change a PP size?

PP size can be changed using a T-factor. If not then add partitions in VG by adding one disk.

• chvg –t3 rootvg

25. What is T – Factor?

• T – factor means that it will change the pp size to increase the efficiency of vg

• chvg –t16 datavg

• Cal-if suppose that datavg pp size is 1016 we can take t factor is 16 then it comes to 2048 and pv contains in vg is 2.

26. What is the default PP Size in AIX?

• 128MB

27. How will you rename a VG?

• Unmount all filesystems in VG.

• umount /test (mount point name)

• varyoffvg datavg

• exportvg datavg0

• Importvg with new name

• importvg –y newvg hdisk4

28. What is the major number?

• A major number refers to a type of device. A device number is a major number, and a minor number specifies a particular device of that type or sometimes the operation mode of that device type.

29. What will you do if a disk gets failed?

• diag command

IBM AIX Interview Questions for Experienced

30. How to enable & disable quorum?

• chvg –vy pv_name

• chvg –vn pv_name

• chvg –Qn vgname

• chvg –Qs vgname

32. What are the error levels severity?

• permanent

• Temporary

• Informational

• Unknown.

33. What is the command to see the error log?

• errpt –a

• errpt –d H [H/W]

• errpt –d S [S/W]

34. What is the command to clear the error log?

• errclear.

35. What is the command to increase the size of the error log when it is full?

• usr/lib/errdemon –s ____ [ size ].

36. What is the command to start, stop, restart, and list a demon?

• startsrc –g [ Demon name ]

• stopsrc [Demon name ]

• refrest [Demon name ]

• lssrc –al.

37. When does error demon start in boot process?

• rc.boot phase 3.

38. Which file that error daemon stay?

• /usr/lib/errdemon.

39. Two states of device availability and explain them?

Available state and defined state. When the device is in a defined state it means it cannot use. Not in a ready state. Run cfgmgr try to make available known in the system that device. Available state means that device is ready to use

• lsdev –Cc disk

It displays which disks are available

40. How will you check whether a device is installed or not?

• lsdev –Cc disk.

41. How to change a 64-bit kernel to a 32-bit kernel?

1. Modify the /usr/lib/boot/Unix directory and the /Unix directory to be a symbolic link to the binary for the desired kernel.
2. Run the bosboot command to write a new system boot image.
3. Reboot the system.

The path name of the 64-bit kernel is /usr/lib/boot/unix_64, and the path name of the multiprocessor versions of the 32-bit kernel is

• /usr/lib/boot/unix_mp.

• ln -sf /usr/lib/boot/unix_mp /unix

• ln -sf /usr/lib/boot/unix_mp /usr/lib/boot/unix

• lslv -m hd5

• bosboot -ad /dev/ipldevice

• shutdown -Fr

• bootinfo -K (should now be 32).

42. How to change a 32 bit kernel to 64 bit kernel?

To truly change the kernel to 64-bit from 32-bit, the system must be at the AIX® 5.1 or AIX 5.2levels.

• bootinfo –y

It shows a kernel is either 32-bit or 64-bit.

To truly change the kernel to 64-bit from 32-bit, the system must be at the AIX® 5.1 or AIX 5.2levels.

• bootinfo –y

It shows a kernel is either 32-bit or 64-bit.

To change to a 64-bit kernel, enter the following commands:

• ln -sf /usr/lib/boot/unix_64 /unix

• ln -sf /usr/lib/boot/unix_64 /usr/lib/boot/unix

• lslv -m hd5

• bosboot -ad /dev/ipldevice

• shutdown -Fr

43. How many VGs can be created in a LVM?

• 255 any no. of vg can create.

44. Types of VG & explain about them?

• Normal vg -32 pv, 256 lv

  mkvg –y normvg –s 128 hdisk4

• Big vg :- 128pv,512lv

  mkvg -B –y bigvg –s 128 hdisk9

• Scalable vg: -1024pv, 4096 lv

  mkvg –S –y scalvg –s  512 hdisk1.

45. How to convert a normal VG to big & scalable VG and also Big to Scalable VG?

• chvg –B vgname/big vg

• chvg –S/-G vgname/scale vg.

46. What is VGDA, VGSA?

• VGDA: Volume Group Descriptor Area. It contains information about the volume group to which the physical volume belongs to. It also contains information about physical partitions, logical partitions, and logical volumes.

• VGSA: Volume Group Status Area contains the information about physical partition from all physical volumes of the same volume group. It contains the status of VG

47. Default dump device?

• hd6.

48. Default secondary dump device?

• /dev/sysdumpdevnull.

49. How find a system dump?

• sysdumpdev -L.

50. Where the file does the paging space stay?

• /etc/swap spaces.

51. How will check whether a fix is installed or not?

• instfix –ik  ptfname.

52. What are the two states of installation?

• Applied and commit state.

• In the applied state, if want to do any changes to installed software then we can do

• But in the commit, the changes are not allowed to do. Once did the installation.

• A committed fileset update cannot be rejected.

• The output from the install -s command, which is used to get a list of applied software fileset updates and updates that are available to be either committed or rejected.

53. How will you reject committed files?

• installp –r –g fileset name.

54. How will you check whether the service pack is installed or not?

• oslevel –s.

55. What is the latest OS level?

• oslevel -rq.

56. How will you check whether the software is installed or not?

• lslpp -L |grep -i   (software_name).

57. How do you find the history of a file set?

• lslpp –h.

58. How to remove a failed package installation?

• installp -C.

59. How do remove the entries of the device in the ODM?

• rmdev -dl.

60. What are the types of ODM databases?

• Pre-defined database PdDv, PdAt.

• Customised database CuDv, CuAt.

61. What are ODM Commands?

• odmcreate: To customize ODM.

• To remove ODM: odmdrop.

• odmdelete: To remove the object from ODM.

• To see info in ODM  odmget.

• To change the fields in object class  odmchange.

• To add the object to ODM  odmadd.

62. Types of Installation?

• New and complete overwrite

• Migration

• Preservation.

63. Where do log files reside?

• AIX logs messages as specified in /etc/syslog.conf file.

64. How to unlock a user account?

• chuser –an account=true username.

65. How to lock a user’s account?

• chuser account_lock=true username.

66. How do u take a backup of file systems?

• backup -f /dev/rmt0.

67. How will u restore a file from already taking backup using backup?

• restore -xvqf /dev/rmt0.

68. How will u append a file to a previous archive take by Tar?

• tar -rvf /dev/rmt0.

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69. What command to take backup other vg’s?

• savevg –if /dev/rmt0 /vgname.

70. What command to restore a backup of non – rootvg?

• restvg  –x –d –f /dev/rmt0.