If you got the error LED 611: failure: mount, it means the lpar was unable to mount that specific nfs mount and most probably you have some errors in nim's nfs configuration.

Normally, the /etc/exports file

should not contain any lines related to nim operations

because NIM is able to do everything by itself. However, if you have some lines that could impact nim's operations, you have to (at least temporary) remove them from nfs configuration.

In the example below, the lpar was unable to boot from our nim resource because /export/mksysb/ was present in /etc/exports file:

The error:

[gznim:root:/home/root:] lsnim -l gzlpar
gzlpar:
   class          = machines
   type           = standalone
   connect        = shell
   platform       = chrp
   netboot_kernel = mp
   if1            = vlan99_IR gzlpar 0
   cable_type1    = N/A
   Cstate         = BOS installation has been enabled
   prev_state     = not running
   Mstate         = in the process of booting
   info           = [color=red]LED 611: failure: mount gznim:/export/mksysb/gzlpar/gzlpar-rootvg.sysb /NIM_BOS_IMAGE[/color]
   boot           = boot
   mksysb         = gzlpar_mksysb
   nim_script     = nim_script
   spot           = gzlpar_spot
   cpuid          = 00C987A32C00
   control        = master

The fix:

1. Edit /etc/exports and commented out or remove the line with /export/mksysb.

2. Unexport /export/mksysb: exportfs -u /export/mksysb.

3. Reset the nim resource and start all over. At the end of smitty nim_bosinst process, you should see the following nfs exports:

[gznim:root:/home/root:] exportfs | grep tscm
/export/spot/gzlpar_spot/usr                       -ro,root=gzlpar,access=gzlpar
/export/mksysb/gzlpar/gzlpar-rootvg.sysb           -ro,root=gzlpar,access=gzlpar
/export/nim/scripts/gzlpar.script                  -ro,root=gzlpar,access=gzlpar

4. Now restart your lpar because it is stuck here:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Welcome to AIX.
                       boot image timestamp: 12:03 12/16
                 The current time and date: 12:15:36 12/16/2014
               number of processors: 2    size of memory: 8192MB
boot device: /vdevice/l-lan@30000002:speed=auto,duplex=auto,9.9.3.61,,9.9.1.173,9.9.1.129,5,5,255.255.255.192,512
                     kernel size: 12686704; 32 bit kernel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

END!