Oracle ILOM Troubleshooting Overview

The Oracle ILOM firmware enables you to remotely run diagnostics, such as POST, that would otherwise require physical proximity to the server module. You can also configure Oracle ILOM to send email alerts of hardware failures, hardware warnings, and other events related to the server module or Oracle ILOM.

The SP runs independently of the server module, using the server module’s standby power. Therefore, Oracle ILOM firmware and software continue to function when the server module OS goes offline or when the server module is powered off.

Fault Management

Error conditions detected by Oracle ILOM, POST, and the Oracle Solaris PSH technology are forwarded to Oracle ILOM for fault handling.

The Oracle ILOM fault manager evaluates error messages it receives to determine whether the condition being reported should be classified as an alert or a fault.

• Alerts – When the fault manager determines that an error condition being reported does not indicate a faulty FRU, the fault manager classifies the error as an alert.

  Alert conditions are often caused by environmental conditions, such as computer room temperature, which might improve over time. Conditions might also be caused by a configuration error, such as the wrong DIMM type being installed.

  If the conditions responsible for the alert go away, the fault manager will detect the change and will stop logging alerts for that condition.

• Faults – When the fault manager determines that a particular FRU has an error condition that is permanent, that error is classified as a fault. This condition causes the Service Action Required LEDs to be turned on, the FRUID PROMs updated, and a fault message logged. If the FRU has status LEDs, the Service Action Required LED for that FRU will also be turned on.

  You must replace a FRU identified as having a fault condition.

In the event of a system fault, Oracle ILOM ensures that the Service Action Required LED is turned on, FRUID PROMs are updated, the fault is logged, and alerts are displayed. Faulty FRUs are identified in fault messages using the FRU name.

Fault Clearing

The SP can detect when a fault is no longer present. When this happens, it clears the fault state in the FRU PROM and extinguishes the Service Action Required LED.

A fault condition can be removed in two ways:

• Unaided recovery – Faults caused by environmental conditions can clear automatically if the condition responsible for the fault is no longer present.

• Repaired fault – When a fault is repaired by human intervention, such as a FRU replacement, the SP will usually detect the repair automatically and extinguish the Service Action Required LED. If the SP does not perform these actions, you must perform these tasks manually by setting the Oracle ILOM component_state or fault_state of the faulted component. The procedure for clearing faults manually is described in Clear Faults (clear_fault_action Property).

Many environmental faults can automatically recover. For example, a temporary condition might cause the computer room temperature to rise above the maximum threshold, producing an overtemperature fault in the server module. If the computer room temperature then returns to the normal range and the server module’s internal temperature also drops back to an acceptable level, the SP will detect the new fault-free condition. The SP will extinguish the Service Action Required LED and clear the fault state from the FRU PROM.

The SP can automatically detect when a FRU is removed. In many cases, the SP does this even if you remove the FRU while the SP is not running (for example, if you unplug the system power cables during service procedures). This function enables Oracle ILOM to sense that a fault, diagnosed to a specific FRU, has been repaired.

Oracle Solaris Fault Manager Commands in Oracle ILOM

The Oracle ILOM CLI includes a feature that enables you to access Oracle Solaris fault manager commands, such as fmadm, fmdump, and fmstat, from within the Oracle ILOM shell. This feature is referred to as the Oracle ILOM faultmgmt shell.

HDD Faults

The Oracle Solaris PSH technology does not monitor hard drives for faults. As a result, the SP does not recognize hard drive faults and will not light the fault LEDs on either the server module or the hard drive itself. Use the Oracle Solaris message files to view hard drive faults. See View the System Message Log Files.

Related Information

• Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 3.0 Concepts Guide

• SPARC T3 Series Servers Administration Guide

• Oracle ILOM Troubleshooting Overview

• Access the SP (Oracle ILOM)

• Display FRU Information (show Command)

• Check for Faults (show faulty Command)

• Check for Faults (fmadm faulty Command)

• Clear Faults (clear_fault_action Property)

• Service-Related Oracle ILOM Command Summary

• Oracle ILOM Properties That Affect POST Behavior