Learn How to Download AIX Software and Updates from IBM Support
How to Download AIX: A Guide for Beginners
If you are looking for a secure, scalable, and robust UNIX operating system for your IBM Power servers, you might want to consider AIX. AIX is IBM's proprietary UNIX operating system that has been trusted by organizations for over three decades to run their most mission-critical applications. In this article, we will show you how to download AIX ISO images from IBM, and how to install AIX on your system.
What is AIX and Why You Need It
AIX stands for Advanced Interactive eXecutive, and it is a series of proprietary UNIX operating systems developed and sold by IBM for several of its computer platforms. AIX is based on UNIX System V with 4.3BSD-compatible extensions, and it provides fully integrated support for 32 and 64 bit applications. AIX is certified to the UNIX 03 and UNIX V7 marks of the Single UNIX Specification, which means it conforms to the industry standards for UNIX operating systems.
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AIX Features and Benefits
AIX has many features and benefits that make it a powerful and reliable operating system for your business needs. Some of the key features and benefits of AIX are:
Security: AIX provides strong, enduring security with features that include Trusted AIX and Trusted Execution, which prevent unauthorized access and tampering of the system. AIX also supports encryption, authentication, authorization, auditing, firewall, and intrusion detection capabilities.
Performance: AIX delivers high performance and scalability with features such as processor, disk, and network virtualization, dynamic hardware resource allocation, workload management, live partition mobility, and live update. AIX also supports running AI inference directly in the core with AIX 7.3.
Reliability: AIX offers best-in-class reliability and availability with features such as journaling file system, online backup and restore, error logging and reporting, fault tolerance, clustering, disaster recovery, and serviceability tools.
Innovation: AIX drives innovation with hybrid cloud and open-source capabilities that help you build and deploy modern applications in a secure and resilient environment. AIX supports cloud deployment with IBM Power Systems Virtual Server, containerization with IBM Workload Partitions (WPARs), orchestration with Ansible, application modernization with IBM accelerators and tools, and integration with popular open-source software.
Compatibility: AIX ensures compatibility and portability with features such as binary compatibility, which allows applications to run unchanged and without recompilation on the newest releases of AIX. AIX also supports POSIX / SUS standards, common desktop environment (CDE), KornShell (ksh88), OpenGL graphics library, X Window System, NFS file sharing protocol, TCP/IP networking protocol, LDAP directory service protocol, SNMP network management protocol, Kerberos security protocol, NTP time synchronization protocol, SSH secure shell protocol, SFTP secure file transfer protocol, SSL/TLS secure sockets layer protocol, SMTP email protocol, HTTP web protocol, FTP file transfer protocol, Telnet remote login protocol, RSH remote shell protocol, RCP remote copy protocol.
AIX Versions and Support Lifecycle
AIX has different versions and technology levels (TLs) that are released periodically by IBM. Each version of AIX has a different support lifecycle that indicates the availability of fixes and updates for that version. The current versions of AIX are:
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AIX VersionRelease DateEnd of Service Pack Support (EoSPS)
AIX 7.3December 2021April 2032
AIX 7.2December 2015April 2030
AIX 7.1September 2010April 2022
AIX 6.1November 2007April 2019
AIX 5.3August 2004April 2017
You can check the latest AIX support lifecycle information on the IBM website. You can also subscribe to the AIX newsletter to get the latest news and updates on AIX.
How to Download AIX ISO Images from IBM
If you want to download AIX ISO images from IBM, you need to have an IBM ID and an entitlement to access the Entitled Software Support (ESS) website. ESS is a web-based tool that allows you to download software, fixes, and updates for your IBM products. You can also use ESS to order physical media such as DVDs or CDs if you prefer.
Prerequisites for Downloading AIX
Before you can download AIX ISO images from ESS, you need to meet the following prerequisites:
You need to have an IBM ID, which is a free account that you can create on the IBM website. You need to use your IBM ID to log in to ESS and other IBM services.
You need to have an entitlement, which is a license or a contract that grants you the right to use a specific IBM product or service. You can check your entitlements on the IBM My Entitlements website. If you don't have an entitlement, you can contact your IBM sales representative or business partner to obtain one.
You need to have a supported browser, which is a web browser that meets the minimum requirements for using ESS. The supported browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Edge. You also need to enable JavaScript and cookies in your browser settings.
You need to have a sufficient disk space, which is enough storage space on your computer or external device to save the downloaded AIX ISO images. The size of the AIX ISO images varies depending on the version and the technology level, but it is usually around 4 GB per image. You can check the size of the AIX ISO images on the ESS website before downloading them.
You need to have a reliable internet connection, which is a stable and fast network connection that allows you to download the AIX ISO images without interruption or corruption. The download speed depends on your internet service provider and your network bandwidth, but it is recommended to have at least 10 Mbps for optimal performance.
You need to have a download manager software, which is an optional but recommended tool that helps you manage and resume your downloads in case of network issues or power outages. Some examples of download manager software are Free Download Manager, Internet Download Manager, and JDownloader. You can also use the built-in download manager of your browser, but it may not support resuming downloads or verifying checksums.
You need to have a checksum verification software, which is an optional but recommended tool that helps you verify the integrity and authenticity of the downloaded AIX ISO images. A checksum is a unique code that is generated from the content of a file, and it can be used to compare two files and detect any errors or modifications. Some examples of checksum verification software are MD5summer, WinMD5Free, and HashTab. You can also use the built-in checksum verification feature of some download manager software.
Steps to Download AIX from Entitled Software Support (ESS)
Once you have met all the prerequisites for downloading AIX, you can follow these steps to download AIX ISO images from ESS:
Go to the and log in with your IBM ID and password.
Select AIX Operating System Software Downloads from the left navigation menu.
Select the AIX version that you want to download from the drop -down list. You can also filter the results by Technology Level and Service Pack if you want to download a specific release of AIX.
Select the Download Options button next to the AIX version that you want to download. You will see a list of available ISO images for that versi