8 - C H A P T E R -

C H A P T E R 8

System Test (systest)

The systest checks the overall functionality of a Sun system by exercising the CPU, I/O, and Memory channels simultaneously. The test ensures the concurrency of the different channels by the use of Solaris threads. The test aims at stimulating failures that might be caused due to the interaction of the various different hardware modules in the system. It is very stressful on the CPU, and stresses the parallel computational capability of a multiprocessor system.

systest Options

To reach the dialog box below, right-click on the test name in the System Map and select Test Parameter Options. If you do not see this test in the System Map, you might need to expand the collapsed groups, or your system may not include the device appropriate to this test. Refer to the SunVTS User's Guide for more details.

FIGURE 8-1 systest Test Parameter Options Dialog Box

Screenshot of the systest Test Parameter Options dialog box.

Caution - Use discretion when defining the syspass parameter. One linpack pass (syspass=1) takes approximately 40 minutes on a server with 12 UltraSPARC trademark III processors. If the syspass value is set to a high value, it also increases the probability of detecting residual errors.

Caution - Use strong discretion when defining the System Isolation (sysiso) parameter. BE AWARE THAT sysiso MAY ONLINE / OFFLINE CPUs IN THE SYSTEM. DO NOT USE sysiso ON PRODUCTION SERVERS. If you choose CPUs (sysiso=2) Isolation, the run time may be much higher than for board(s) (sysiso=1) Isolation. The total run time for Isolation can not be precisely estimated. If a residual error is found in the initial evaluation phase, the Isolation functionality will online / offline CPUs in order to detect the defective boards and CPUs in the system.

Note - Users are advised to not use the Processor Affinity option for this test. Doing so reduces the effectiveness of the test.

TABLE 8-1 `systest` Options
`systest` Options	Description
Asynch I/O Test	Enables or disables the Asynch I/O subtest. The default is enable.
Memory Test	Enables or disables the Memory subtest. The default is enable.
CPU Test	Enables or disables the CPU/FPU subtests. The default is enable.
Internal System Passes	Defines the number of internal linpack passes. A set of boards and CPUs will be declared "GOOD" after "`syspass`" number of passes. The default is 1.
System Isolation	Defines the type of Isolation that `systest` needs to perform if a residual error is found in the initial evaluation phase. 0 = No Isolation (default)1 = Board(s) Isolation only2 = Board(s) and CPUs Isolation

The default values are recommended for an initial evaluation of the system.

systest Test Modes

TABLE 8-2 `systest` Supported Test Modes
Test Mode	Description
Exclusive	Performs only the `systest` (full test).

systest Command-Line Syntax

TABLE 8-3 `systest` Command Line Syntax
Argument	Description
`io=`Enable\|Disable	Enables or disables the Asynch I/O subtest.
`mem=`Enable\|Disable	Enables or disables the Memory subtest.
`cpu=`Enable\|Disable	Enables or disables the CPU/FPU subtests.
`dev=`system	Specifies the pseudo device name.
`syspass=`1,2000	Defines the number of internal linpack passes. A set of boards and CPUs will be declared "GOOD" after "`syspass`" number of passes. The default is 1.
`sysiso=`0\|1\|2	Defines the type of Isolation that `systest` needs to perform if a residual error is found in the initial evaluation phase.0 = No Isolation1 = Board(s) Isolation only2 = Board(s) and CPUs Isolation

Note - 64-bit tests are located in the sparcv9 subdirectory: /opt/SUNWvts/bin/sparcv9/testname, or the relative path to which you installed SunVTS. If a test is not present in this directory, then it may only be available as a 32-bit test. For more information refer to the "32-Bit and 64-Bit Tests" section of the SunVTS 5.1 Test Reference Manual (816-5145-10).

Recommended Option Selection

The default values are recommended for an initial evaluation of the system.

Command-Line Examples

The following examples assume the user wants to execute systest from the command-line with verbose enabled.

Example 1:

# ./systest  -xv

The above example invokes the following:

systest with default parameter values
I/O, MEM, and CPU subtests
One internal pass of linpack and no Isolation

Example 2:

# ./systest  -xv -o io=Disable,mem=Enable,cpu=Enable,dev=system

The above example invokes the following:

systest without the I/O subtest
MEM and CPU subtests
One internal pass of linpack and no Isolation

Caution - Do not perform the following systest examples (3 and 4) on production servers because systest may online / offline CPUs.

Example 3:

# ./systest  -xv -o syspass=15,sysiso=1

The above example invokes the following:

I/O, MEM, and CPU subtests
Declares a set of boards free from residual errors after 15 internal passes of the linpack algorithm
If an error is found, systest will perform boards isolation

Example 4:

# ./systest  -xv -o syspass=10,sysiso=2

The above example invokes the following:

I/O, MEM, and CPU subtests
Declares a set of boards AND CPUs free from residual errors after 10 internal passes of the linpack algorithm
If an error is found, systest will perform boards AND CPUs isolation