Compatibility Mode
When running in pre 5.2 compatibility mode (controlled by the pre520tune attribute of sys0, see Introduction to AIX 5L Version 5.2 tunable parameter setting in the Performance Management Guide), reboot values for parameters, except those of type Bosboot, are not really meaningful because in this mode they are not applied at boot time.
In pre 5.2 compatibility mode, setting reboot values to tuning parameters continues to be achieved by imbedding calls to tuning commands in scripts called during the boot sequence. Parameters of type Reboot can therefore be set without the -r flag, so that existing scripts continue to work.
This mode is automatically turned ON when a machine is MIGRATED to AIX 5L Version 5.2. For complete installations, it is turned OFF and the reboot values for parameters are set by applying the content of the /etc/tunables/nextboot file during the reboot sequence. Only in that mode are the -r and -p flags fully functional. See "AIX 5L Version 5.2 kernel tuning" in the Performance Tools Guide and Reference for details about the new AIX 5.2 mode.