Remote Hosts Diagnostics for x86 and SPARC Systems

C H A P T E R 10

Topics
Description	Links
Learn about diagnostic tests for x86 or SPARC systems	Diagnostics
Collect data for use by Oracle Services personnel to diagnose system problems	Collect SP Data to Diagnose System Problems

Related Topics
For ILOM	Chapter or Section	Guide
CLI	Diagnosing x86 Systems Hardware Issues Diagnosing SPARC Systems Hardware Issues Collect SP Data to Diagnose System Problems	Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 3.0 CLI Procedures Guide (820-6412)
Web interface	Diagnosing x86 Systems Hardware Issues Diagnosing SPARC Systems Hardware Issues Collect SP Data to Diagnose System Problems	Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 3.0 Web Interface Procedures Guide (820-6411)
The ILOM 3.0 Documentation Collection is available at: `http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/int.lights.mgr30#hic`

Diagnostics

All diagnostics have the same goals: stimulate some component or components, observe the behavior of the component(s) under test, and determine whether the behavior is expected. If the behavior is not expected, diagnostic tools can help to identify the likely cause of the error and send a clear message or notification to the user.

Diagnostic configuration options in ILOM are accessible from the Remote Control
--> Diagnostics tab in the ILOM web interface or by using the CLI.

Refer to your platform ILOM Supplement guide or platform Administration guide for information about whether your server platform supports the following diagnostic options:

Pc-Check (x86 Systems)

Generate NMI (x86 Systems)

SPARC System Diagnostic Configuration Settings

Information about each of these diagnostics options follows.

Pc-Check (x86 Systems)

Pc-Check is a DOS-based utility that is integrated into your system service processor (SP) firmware. This utility can be accessed from ILOM, or the utility can be accessed and executed from your server Tools and Drivers DVD. Pc-Check tests all motherboard components (CPU, memory, and I/O), ports, and slots. When enabled, this utility runs at host power-on. The Pc-Check utility is disabled by default in ILOM.

Pc-Check has four operating modes that you can run either through the ILOM web interface or through the ILOM CLI. These modes are as follows:

Enabled - Select this mode if you want to run Pc-Check diagnostic tests upon start-up of the host. It is recommended that you run this mode prior to a mission-critical application to ensure the quality of the system. This mode runs a predefined test suite without user intervention and, upon completion, will continue to boot the next device based on the BIOS Boot Priority List. This mode is also recommended as a quick test for first-time field installation. These basic diagnostic tests typically take five minutes to complete.

Extended - Select this mode if you want to run extended Pc-Check diagnostic tests upon start-up of the host. It is recommended that you run this mode for first-time installation of the system. This mode runs a comprehensive test suite to ensure that the system was transported without physical damage. This mode should also be run any time you physically change the system configuration to ensure that newly added components are installed correctly prior to running production operating systems and applications. These extended diagnostic tests typically take 20 to 40 minutes to complete.

Manual - Select this mode if you want to run select Pc-Check diagnostic tests upon start-up of the host. You can use this mode to select individual tests from the Pc-Check menus, or to select predefined test suites available through the Immediate Burn-in test menu.

Disabled - Select this mode if you do not want to run Pc-Check diagnostic tests upon start-up of the host. This is the default mode when your system arrives. You should set up Pc-Check to Disabled mode when you have concluded running the diagnostic tests.

For more information on specific test suites and in-depth instructions for running the Pc-Check diagnostics utility, see the Oracle x86 Servers Diagnostics Guide (820-6750).

Generate NMI (x86 Systems)

You can send a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) to the host operating system using either the CLI or the web interface. Note that sending an NMI to the host could cause the host to stop responding and wait for input from an external debugger.

SPARC System Diagnostic Configuration Settings

On a Sun SPARC system using ILOM, you can enable the diagnostic mode, specify triggers and the level of diagnostics, as well as the verbosity of the diagnostic output. For more information about SPARC platform diagnostics, see your platform- specific Service Manual.

ILOM web interface examples of x86 server and SPARC server Diagnostics pages are displayed below.

FIGURE 10-1 Diagnostic Page for x86 Systems

This graphic shows an x86 server Diagnostics page.

FIGURE 10-2 Diagnostics Page for SPARC Servers

This graphic shows a SPARC server Diagnostics page.

Collect SP Data to Diagnose System Problems

The ILOM Service Snapshot utility enables you to produce a snapshot of the server processor at any instant in time. You can run the utility from the ILOM CLI or the web interface.

Caution - The purposeof the ILOM Service Snapshot utility is to collect data for use by Oracle Services personnel to diagnose system problems. Customers should not run this utility unless requested to do so by Oracle Services personnel.

The ILOM Service Snapshot utility gathers SP state data. The utility collects log files, runs various commands and collects their output, and sends the data collection as a downloaded file to a user-defined location.

As of ILOM 3.0.3, a FRUID data set option is available from the Snapshot utility. Specifically, this option enables Services personnel to analyze data in a binary format about field-replaceable hardware installed on a server. This FRUID option is not for customer use, unless an authorized Services representative instructs a customer to use the option.