| Sun Advanced Lights Out Manager (ALOM) 1.6 Administration Guide |    
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| Sun Advanced Lights Out Manager (ALOM) 1.6 Administration Guide |
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| C H A P T E R 6 |
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Using ALOM Configuration Variables |
This chapter contains information on ALOM configuration variables and consists of:
ALOM has nonvolatile configuration variables that you can use to change ALOM behavior. The default values for these variables are preinstalled. You customize the variables for the first time using the setupsc interactive script command. You can change settings for individual variables using either the ALOM shell or the scadm set command. See setupsc and scadm set for more information.
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Note - You must have administrative (a) level user permission to set configuration variables from the ALOM shell. You must log in to the host server as superuser to set an ALOM configuration variable using the scadm utility. See userperm for more information about setting user permissions, and Overview of the scadm Utility for more on scadm. |
The host system sets the serial management port variables when it starts up, so these variables are read-only. ALOM uses the serial management port variables to report the serial management (SERIAL MGT) settings on the host server. To view the settings for these variables, use the showsc command. See showsc. To view the settings using the scadm utility, use the scadm showsc command. See scadm show
You can view settings for the following serial port variables, but you cannot set or adjust them:
Use the network interface variables to specify the network settings that ALOM uses across its Ethernet connection at the NET MGT port on the host server.
ALOM uses the following network interface variables:
Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables
Use the managed system interface variables to specify how ALOM behaves when it passes information to the host server. Some of these variables are configurable, and others are set by default and cannot be changed.
ALOM uses the following managed system interface variables:
Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables
Use the network management and notification variables to specify how ALOM manages the host system and sends alerts.
ALOM supports the following network management and notification variables:
From the sc> prompt at the ALOM command shell:
Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables
The system user variables enable you to customize the way ALOM identifies and interacts with the host server. When you use the setupsc script to customize ALOM, you can reach these variables by responding y when setupsc prompts you. See setupsc for more information.
Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables.
This section lists the descriptions of ALOM configuration variables in alphabetical order.
Use this variable with the setsc command to specify the remote connection type to the SC. if_connection Options
You can specify if_connection as an option to the showsc command, which shows you the remote connection type that is currently specified.
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where option is none, ssh, or telnet. For Sun Fire V210, V240, V250, and V440 servers and Netra 210 and 240 servers, the default for secure out-of-the-box configurations is none, so you do not have to change this variable if you do not want a remote connection. For Sun Fire V215, V245, and V445 servers, the default is true to enable DHCP by default. See Default DHCP Connection (Sun Fire V215, V245, and V445 Servers).
You can choose only one of the three options. SSH and Telnet servers will not be enabled at the same time.
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Note - After you change a connection type, you must reboot the SC for it to take effect. |
Use this variable to enable email alerts. When this variable is set to true (enabled), you can set values for the ALOM network management and notification variables. See Network Management and Notification Variables. The network management and notification variables, mgt_mailhost and mgt_mailalert, specify how to manage and enable email alerts. See mgt_mailhost, and mgt_mailalert.
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Note - The if_network variable must be enabled before you can enable if_emailalerts. See if_network. |
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1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
The setupsc script prompts you as follows:
2. Type y to configure the interfaces; that is, to set the value to true.
The default value for this variable is true (enabled).
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where response is true to enable email alerts, or false to disable them.
Use this variable to enable the ALOM network interface. When this variable is set to true (enabled), you are able to use the ALOM network interface variables. This variable is false by default on Sun Fire V210, V240, V250, and V440 servers and Netra 210, 240, and 440 servers. It is true by default on Sun Fire V215, V245, and V445 servers. The default is different between these two groups of servers, because the latter servers are newer servers that were designed with security safeguards that allow enabling DHCP by default. See netsc_dhcp. The intent of the default settings is to ensure that the system controller is secure-by-default. See Network Interface Variables.
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1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
The setupsc script prompts you as follows:
Do you wish to configure the enabled interfaces [y]?
2. Type y to configure the interfaces.
The default value for this variable is true (enabled).
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where response is true to enable the network interface or false to disable it.
ALOM supports incoming serial modem communication from an external modem for remote management. To accept an incoming communication, you must configure the modem hardware and ALOM software locally before accessing the system remotely.
A modem attached to the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) has exclusive use of the port. You might want to configure ALOM for use on an Ethernet to enable local users to connect to ALOM through Telnet or Secure Shell. See Configuring ALOM or Configuring Your Network Manually for further information.
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1. Set the if_modem variable to true by doing one of the following:
2. Connect the modem to the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) and turn on the power to the modem.
The DTR, CTS, and AA lights illuminate.
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2. Disconnect the RJ-45 modem connection from the serial management port (SERIAL MGT).
3. If another device was attached to the serial management port before you removed it to connect the modem, reconnect that device to the serial management port.
4. Set the if_modem variable to false by doing one of the following:
Use this variable to configure email alerts. The procedure for setting up email alerts varies slightly, depending on which method you use. You can specify up to eight email addresses.
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1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
The setupsc script prompts you as follows. Default values appear in brackets after each question.
2. Type the number of email recipients.
For each recipient you specify, the script asks the following question, substituting n for the number of the recipient it is currently configuring. For example, if you enter 2 as in the above example, you are prompted to configure email alerts for address 1, and then for address 2.
3. Type the email address of the recipient, as shown in the above example.
ALOM accepts email addresses of up to 128 characters. The script then asks:
Enter the level of events to send to recipient <n> where valid settings are 1 (critical), 2 (critical and major) and 3 (critical, major and minor) [2]? |
4. Type the response that corresponds to the levels of alerts you want sent to the recipient.
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Where email is the email address to which you want the alert sent, and level is the level of alerts (critical, major, or minor) you want sent.
For example, to remove the entry for the previous example, type the following:
Use this variable to specify the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of one or two mail servers to which ALOM delivers email alerts.
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1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where ipaddr1 and ipaddr2 are the IP addresses of the mail hosts you want to specify.
For example, to specify one mail server using setsc, type the following command at the sc> prompt, substituting the IP address of your mail server for xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
The default IP address is 0.0.0.0.
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Note - The default IP address of 0.0.0.0 is not a valid IP address. You must enter a valid IP address for this command. |
2. To specify two mail servers, type the following command. Use a single space to separate the IP address of the first mail server from the IP address of the second server.
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1. At the server's superuser prompt, type the following command:
Where ipaddr1 and ipaddr2 are the IP addresses of the mail hosts you want to specify.
For example, to specify one mail server using the scadm set command, type the following command at the # prompt, substituting the IP address of your mail server for xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
The default IP address is 0.0.0.0.
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Note - The default IP address of 0.0.0.0 is not a valid IP address. You must enter a valid IP address for this command. |
2. To specify two mail servers, type the following command. Use a single space to separate the IP address of the first mail server from the IP address of the second server.
Use this variable to specify whether you want to use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to obtain your network configuration. The available values are true and false. The default value is false on Sun Fire V210, V240, V250, and V440 and Netra 210, 240, and 440 servers. The default is true on Sun Fire V215, V245, and V445 servers. The default is different between these two groups of servers, because the latter servers are newer servers that were designed with security safeguards that allow enabling DHCP by default.
Use this variable to display the MAC address (Ethernet address) for ALOM in the standard six-byte format (for example, 0a:2c:3f:1a:4c:4d). This variable is set at the factory. You cannot set or change this variable.
Use this variable to specify the ALOM IP (Internet Protocol) address.
The default IP address supplied by this variable is 0.0.0.0.
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Note - If you are using DHCP to obtain your ALOM network configuration, you do not need to set this variable. If netsc_dhcp is set to true, then the setupsc script does not ask you to set netsc_ipaddr. See netsc_dhcp and setupsc for further information. |
A typical IP address contains four sets of numbers between 0 and 255, separated by decimal points. This is referred to as standard dot notation.
If the IP address you specify does not work with the subnet mask and gateway addresses you specify, ALOM returns the following error message, substituting the values for netsc_ipgateway and netsc_ipnetmask:
Check that all the values you entered are correct. See netsc_ipgateway, and netsc_ipnetmask for more information. If you need help obtaining the correct IP address, ask your network administrator.
Use this variable to specify the IP (Internet Protocol) address for the default IP gateway (also called a router). This gateway enables ALOM to access different subnetworks, other than the one to which it is connected.
The default IP address supplied by this variable is 0.0.0.0.
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Note - If you are using DHCP to obtain your ALOM network configuration, you do not need to set this variable. If netsc_dhcp is set to true, then the setupsc script does not ask you to set netsc_ipgateway. See netsc_dhcp and setupsc for further information. |
A typical IP address contains four sets of numbers between 0 and 255, separated by decimal points. This is referred to as standard dot notation.
If the IP address you specify does not work with the subnet mask and ALOM IP addresses you specify, ALOM returns the following error message, substituting the values for netsc_ipnetmask and netsc_ipaddr:
Check that all the values you entered are correct. See netsc_ipgateway and netsc_ipaddr for further information on these commands. If you need help obtaining the correct IP address, ask your network administrator.
Use this variable to specify the ALOM IP (Internet Protocol) netmask.
The default IP address supplied by this variable is 255.255.255.0 (Class C network).
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Note - If you are using DHCP to obtain your ALOM network configuration, you do not need to set this variable. If netsc_dhcp is set to true, then the setupsc script does not ask you to set netsc_ipnetmask. See netsc_dhcp and setupsc for further information. |
A typical IP address contains four sets of numbers between 0 and 255, separated by decimal points. This is referred to as standard dot notation.
If the IP address you specify does not work with the subnet mask and ALOM IP addresses you specify, ALOM returns the following error message, substituting the values for netsc_ipnetmask and netsc_ipadddr:
Check that all the values you entered are correct. See netsc_ipgateway and netsc_ipaddr for further information on these commands If you need help obtaining the correct IP address, ask your network administrator.
Use this variable to enable 10BASE-T Ethernet link integrity tests. If you are using ALOM in a hub that does not support Ethernet link integrity tests or that has them disabled, set this variable to false. Changes to this variable take effect after the next ALOM reset. Users on the Ethernet network will not be able to log in to ALOM while the tests are running.
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Note - ALOM and the local hub need Ethernet link integrity tests enabled or disabled consistently. If this setting is not consistent, communication might not be possible. |
This variable works like the OpenBoot PROM environment variable tpe-linktest?, which is available on some Sun servers.
This variable specifies whether the local user database on ALOM (that is, user, password, and permission information) should be backed up. When this variable is set to true, this data is backed up on the system configuration card (SCC) in systems that have an SCC. If your host server does not have an SCC, this variable has no effect.
If you are running the setupsc script, setupsc asks the following question:
The values for this variable are as follows.
Use this variable to specify the level of ALOM events that you want ALOM to display in the ALOM shell during an ALOM session. There are four levels of events:
The default value for this variable is 2 (Major).
Use this variable to change the ALOM shell prompt. The default prompt is sc>.
You can specify any string of characters for the prompt, up to a maximum of 16 characters. The characters allowed in the string are alphanumeric, hyphen, and underscore.
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where prompt is the desired ALOM command prompt.
For example, if your host name is ernie and your host's ALOM name is ernie-sc, type the following command to specify ernie-sc as your ALOM shell prompt:
In addition, you can set this variable through the setupsc command. See setupsc. The setupsc command prompts you for the following:
To use the default prompt of sc>, press Return.
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At the server's superuser prompt, type the following command:
Where prompt is the desired ALOM command prompt.
Use this variable to specify the number of seconds that an ALOM shell session can be idle before an automatic logout occurs. You can specify values from 0 to 10,000 seconds. If you specify a value between 1 and 59 seconds, the variable will automatically be set to the minimum value of 60 seconds. The default value is 0 seconds (no idle time). If you specify a value that has more than five digits in it, the time-out will be set to 0.
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Note - If the ALOM session is in console mode, automatic logout will not occur, even when this variable is set. See console. |
For example, to set the automatic logout interval to 60 seconds, type the following command at the ALOM shell prompt:
You can specify a value for the time-out using the setupsc command. See setupsc. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:
Use this variable to turn password echo on and off. When password echo is on, each character that a user types when logging in to ALOM is echoed to the screen with an asterisk (*). Note that the actual password is never echoed to the screen.
The default value for this variable is y (echo asterisks to screen).
For example, to change the value of this variable to n (no echo) type the following command at the ALOM shell prompt:
You can specify a value for this variable using the setupsc command. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:
Use this variable to store information about the host server, or any other information you want to enter that identifies the host server to ALOM. If you answer y when the setupsc utility asks Do you wish to configure the SC parameters [y]?, then the setupsc utility returns the following prompt:
Enter any customer data for this platform (maximum of 40 characters) []? This is the test lab server. |
See setupsc for more information about this command.
Use this variable to change the escape character sequence. The default escape character sequence you use to switch from a console session back to ALOM is #. (pound-period). You can specify between two characters and six characters to customize the escape character sequence. The second character must always be a period (.).
You can specify a value for this variable using the setupsc command. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:
See setupsc for more information about that command.
Use this variable to cause the server to wait for a short time before powering on. The delay is a random interval of one to five seconds. Delaying the server power-on helps minimize current surges on the main power source. This is important when multiple servers in racks power on after a power outage.
You can set the power-on delay using the setupsc command. When the setupsc script asks the following question, type y to enable the delay or n to disable it:
See setupsc for more information about that command.
From the ALOM command shell and from the scadm utility, the values for this variable are enable and disable.
For example, from the scadm utility, type the following command to enable the delay:
To disable the delay, type the following: .
ALOM runs as soon as power is applied to the host server, even if the server is powered off. When you first apply power to the host server, ALOM starts to run, but the server does not start up until you power it on.
The sc_powerstatememory variable enables you to specify the state of the host server as false (keep the host server off) or true (return the server to the state it was in when the power was removed). This is useful in the event of a power failure, or if you physically move the server to a different location.
For example, if the host server is running when power is lost and the sc_powerstatememory variable is set to false, the host server remains off when power is restored. If the sc_powerstatememory variable is set to true, the host server restarts when the power is restored.
The values for this variable are as follows.
This variable sets the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) baud rate. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.
This variable sets the number of serial management port (SERIAL MGT) data bits. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.
This variable sets the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) parity. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.
This variable sets the number of serial management port (SERIAL MGT) stop bits. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.
ALOM has a "watchdog" function that monitors the host server and detects when the host encounters a hang condition or stops running. Use this variable to specify the action ALOM should take when the watchdog function times out while waiting for a response from the host. Note that when the watchdog function discovers a hang condition, the ALOM event log registers an event.
sys_autorestart has three options:
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Note - For the xir and reset options, an event is logged to the ALOM event log. |
The sys_bootfailrecovery variable tells ALOM what recovery action to take if the host system fails to boot after the value set in the sys_maxbootfail variable is met (see sys_maxbootfail for more information).
Note that the boot timer will be disabled for the host reset or reboot after the action set through the sys_bootfailrecovery variable is taken; it will not be enabled again until after the user application restarts the watchdog timer.
sys_bootfailrecovery has three options:
Use the sys_bootrestart variable to set the action that ALOM will take if the host fails to boot within the amount of time set through the sys_boottimeout variable (see sys_boottimeout for more information).
sys_bootrestart has three options:
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Note - For the xir and reset options, an event is logged to the ALOM event log. |
ALOM will start a boot time-out timer once the host system is powered on or reset. If the host fails to boot by the time this timer expires, it will perform an action that you set through the sys_bootrestart variable (see sys_bootrestart for more information). Use the sys_boottimeout variable to set the amount of time that ALOM will wait for the host to boot before performing that action. The default value is 120 seconds.
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where value is the amount of time in seconds that ALOM will wait for the watchdog enable message before performing the action you set through the sys_bootrestart variable.
For example, to set the ALOM boot time-out value to 240 seconds, type the following command at the sc> prompt:
The sys_consolegrablogout variable determines whether ALOM should automatically log out of a user session if the console session write lock is taken by another user. See console for more information.
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Note - For the Netra 240 and 440 servers, this variable is always set to true (the default) and cannot be changed. |
To see the status of this parameter, at the sc> prompt type:
This variable is automatically configured by the system software, so you cannot set it or change it. The value is read and determined from the server's Ethernet address (MAC address) and then stored as a variable in ALOM.
Use this variable to specify the level of ALOM events that you want ALOM to send to the host server. There are four levels of events:
The default value for this variable is 2 (Major).
The sys_hostname variable is automatically configured by the system software, so you cannot set it or change it. When the host server boots and starts to communicate with ALOM, ALOM reads the host name from the server's operating system and stores it in this variable.
The sys_maxbootfail variable allows you to set a limit to the number of times that the recovery action applied through the sys_bootrestart variable is allowed to be taken, keeping the system from performing the recovery action continuously (see sys_bootrestart for more information). The default value for this variable is 3.
Use the sys_wdttimeout variable to set the ALOM watchdog time-out. The default value is 60 seconds.
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At the sc> prompt, type the following command:
Where value is the amount of time in seconds that you want to set the ALOM watchdog time-out value to.
For example, to set the ALOM watchdog time-out value to 120 seconds, type the following command at the sc> prompt:
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Note - This variable works only when the sys_autorestart variable is set to xir. |
This variable enables you to set a time-out value for the XIR (externally initiated reset) you specified using the sys_autorestart variable. If the XIR does not complete within the specified number of seconds, ALOM aborts the XIR and forces the server to perform a hard reset instead. If you specify a time-out of zero seconds, the XIR never times out after a watchdog XIR event.
If you want to specify a value other than zero seconds, choose a time-out value of 900 to 10,800 seconds (15 minutes to 3 hours). If you specify a value between 1 and 899, the value defaults to 900. If you specify a value over 10,800, that value defaults to 10,800. If you specify a value that has more than five digits in it, the time-out will be set to 0.
You can specify a value for this variable while running the setupsc command. When you set this variable using setupsc, the following prompt is displayed:
| Sun Advanced Lights Out Manager (ALOM) 1.6 Administration Guide | 819-2445-11 |
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Copyright © 2006, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
To Use Configuration Variables in the ALOM Command Shell