vi /etc/inittab = BAD IDEA
We all know that vi (or any other text editor) can easily edit a text file such as the inittab. We also know that nobody is perfect, and that mistakes do happen (escape characters, wrong formatting etc.) The problem is, when editing the inittab, if you make an error in the wrong place, you can render the system unbootable. This is because the inittab is an important part of the boot sequence for an lpar, and once the boot sequence get mucked up, bad things start to happen.
This guide will go over the correct ways to edit the inittab without the risk of breaking the lpar altogether. (The only way to recover from some inittab errors are to network boot and fix from there…)
lsitab -a -> list contents of the inittab
lsitab identifier -> find specified identifier in inittab and display entry
chitab identifier:run_level:action:command -> change the run level, action and command of the specified identifier
mkitab identifier:run_level:action:command -> create new entry in the inittab
mkitab -i search_term identifier:run_level:action:command -> create new entry in the inittab after specified identifier
rmitab identifier -> remove specified entry from the inittab
