Troubleshooting Less Obvious Problems

When board LED codes do not specify the failing hardware, several types of software programs are available to supply information about the problem. This software includes the SunVTS(TM) program, the prtdiag command, the prtenv command, POST and OpenBoot PROM commands, and the SyMON(TM) program.

SunVTS

Run SunVTS(TM) under the Solaris operating environment, or equivalent.

The SunVTS online validation test suite is designed to stress test Sun hardware. By running multiple and multithreaded diagnostic hardware tests, the SunVTS software verifies the system configuration and functionality of most hardware controllers and devices.

SunVTS tests many board and system functions, as well as interfaces for Fibre Channel, SCSI, and SBus interfaces. SunVTS accepts user-written scripts for automated testing.

Refer to the SunVTS User's Guide for starting and operating instructions.

prtdiag Command

You can use the prtdiag command to display:

• System configuration, including information about:

  • Clock frequencies

  • CPUs

  • Memory

  • I/O+ card types

• Diagnostic information

• Failed field replaceable units (FRUs)

Refer to the prtdiag man page for instructions.

History Log Option

To isolate an intermittent failure, it can be helpful to maintain a prtdiag history log. Use the prtdiag command with the -l (log) option to send output to a log file in the /var/adm directory.

Running prtdiag

To run prtdiag, type:

% /usr/platform/sun4u/sbin/prtdiag

or use the log option:

% /usr/platform/sun4u/sbin/prtdiag -l