C H A P T E R  5

Using ALOM Configuration Variables

This chapter contains information on ALOM configuration variables and consists of:


Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables

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.


procedure icon  To Use Configuration Variables in the ALOM Command Shell



Note - You must have 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. Refer to userperm for more information about setting user permissions, and Overview of the scadm Utility for more on scadm.



From the ALOM command shell:

single-step bulletTo specify a value (or values) for a settable variable, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo show the configuration variables and their settings, use the showsc command.

See showsc.

single-step bulletTo set a value for a configuration variable, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

single-step bulletTo reset all variables to their factory defaults, use the setdefaults command.

See setdefaults.

Using the scadm utility:

single-step bulletTo view the current value, use the show command.

See scadm show.

single-step bulletTo change the value, use the set command.

See scadm set.

Related Information

Overview of the scadm Utility.


Serial Management Port Variables

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 (SER 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:

Related Information


Network Interface Variables

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:

From the ALOM command shell:

single-step bulletTo specify a value (or values) for this variable, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo show the configuration variables and their settings, use the showsc command.

See showsc.

single-step bulletTo set a value for a configuration variable, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

single-step bulletTo reset all variables to their factory defaults, use the setdefaults command.

See setdefaults.

Using the scadm utility:

single-step bulletTo view the current value, use the show command.

See scadm show.

single-step bulletTo change the value, use the set command.

See scadm set.

Related Information

Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables.


Managed System Interface 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:

From the ALOM command shell:

single-step bulletTo specify a value (or values) for a settable variable, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo show the configuration variables and their settings, use the showsc command.

See showsc.

single-step bulletTo set a value for a settable variable, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

single-step bulletTo reset all variables to their factory defaults, use the setdefaults command.

See setdefaults.

Using the scadm utility:

single-step bulletTo view the current value, use the show command.

See scadm show.

single-step bulletTo change the value, use the set command.

See scadm set.

Related Information

Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables.


Network Management and Notification 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:

single-step bulletTo set up these variables, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo view the current settings, use the showsc command.

See showsc.

single-step bulletTo change a value for a variable, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

Related Information

Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables.


System User 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.

From the ALOM command shell:

single-step bulletTo specify a value (or values) for a settable variable, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo show the configuration variables and their settings, use the showsc command.

See showsc.

single-step bulletTo set a value for a settable variable, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

single-step bulletTo reset all variables to their factory defaults, use the setdefaults command.

See setdefaults.

Using the scadm utility:

single-step bulletTo view the current value, use the show command.

Refer to scadm show.

single-step bulletTo change the value, use the set command.

Refer to scadm set.

Related Information

Overview of the ALOM Configuration Variables.


Descriptions of Configuration Variables

This sectionlists the descriptions of ALOM configuration variables in alphabetical order.

if_emailalerts

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.



Note - The if_network variable must be enabled before you can enable if_emailalerts. Refer to if_network.



From the ALOM command shell:

single-step bulletTo specify a value for this variable, use the setupsc command.

See setupsc.

single-step bulletTo set or change the value, use the setsc command.

See setsc.

single-step bulletTo view the current value for this variable, use the showsc command.

See showsc.


procedure icon  To Use the setupsc Command to Set the if_emailalerts Variable

1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setupsc 

The setupsc script prompts you as follows:

Should the SC email alerts be enabled [y]? 

2. Type y to configure the interfaces; that is, to set the value to true.

The default value for this variable is true (enabled).


procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the if_emailalerts Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc if_emailalerts response 

Where response is true to enable email alerts, or false to disable them.

if_network

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. Refer to Network Interface Variables.

TABLE 5-1 if_network Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a settable variable

setupsc.

 

View the configuration variable settings

showsc.

scadm show.

Set or change a configuration variable

setsc.

scadm set.

Reset all variables to their factory defaults

setdefaults.

 



procedure icon  To Use the setupsc Command to Set the if_network Variable

1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setupsc 

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).


procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the if_network Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc if_network response

Where response is true to enable the network interface or false to disable it.

if_modem

ALOM supports incoming serial modem communication from an external modem for remote management. To accept an incoming communication, you need to 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. See Configuring ALOM or Configuring Your Network Manually for further information.


procedure icon  To Configure the Serial Management Port to Use a Modem

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.



Note - After you set the if_modem variable to true, input on the serial connection is disabled unless either the DCD signal on the serial management port goes high or the if_modem variable is set back to false. You cannot use the SERIAL MGT port until you connect a modem to it. However, you can use Telnet to connect to ALOM through the NET MGT port.




procedure icon  To Return the Serial Management Port to Use Without a Modem

1. Power off the modem.

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:

mgt_mailalert

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.

TABLE 5-2 mgt_mailalert Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Set or change the value(s),

setsc.

scadm set.



procedure icon  To Use the setupsc Command to Set the mgt_mailalert Variable

1. At the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setupsc

The setupsc script prompts you as follows:

When you use the setupsc command to configure mgt_mailalert, you are prompted to answer the following questions. Default values appear in brackets after each question.

Enter the number of email recipients to configure [0]? 2 

2. Type the number of email recipients.

The default value, 0, appears in brackets after the prompt.

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).

Enter the email address for recipient n (maximum of 128 characters) []? johnsmith@sysadmin.com

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.


procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the mgt_mailalert Variable

single-step bulletTo send an email alert, type the following command st the sc> prompt:

sc> setsc mgt_mailalert email level 

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:

sc> setsc mgt_mailalert kevin@abc.com 1 

single-step bulletTo remove a mgt_mailalert entry, specify the values for this variable again, omitting the alert level.

For example, to remove the entry for the previous example, type the following:

sc> setsc mgt_mailalert kevin@abc.com

Related Information

mgt_mailhost

Use this variable to specify the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of one or two mail servers to which ALOM delivers email alerts.

TABLE 5-3 mgmt_mailhost Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value for this variable

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.



procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the mgt_mailhost Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc mgt_mailhost ipaddr1 ipaddr2 

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:

sc> setsc mgt_mailhost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 

The default IP address is 0.0.0.0.



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.



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.

sc> setsc mgt_mailhost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy


procedure icon  To Use the scadm Utility to Change the mgt_mailhost Variable

single-step bulletAt the server's superuser prompt, type the following command:

# scadm set mgt_mailhost ipaddr1 ipaddr2 

Where ipaddr1 and ipaddr2 are the IP addresses of the mail hosts you want to specify.

For example, to specify one mail server using scadm set, type the following command at the # prompt, substituting the IP address of your mail server for xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:

# scadm set mgt_mailhost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 

The default IP address is 0.0.0.0.



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.



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.

# scadm set mgt_mailhost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy

Related Information

netsc_dhcp

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.

TABLE 5-4 netsc_dhcp Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

netsc_enetaddr

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.

From the ALOM command shell:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

netsc_ipaddr

Use this variable to specify the ALOM IP (Internet Protocol) address.

TABLE 5-5 netsc_ipaddr Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


The default IP address supplied by this variable is 0.0.0.0.



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:

Error: Invalid IP address for gateway address netsc_ipgateway and IP netmask 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.

Related Information

netsc_ipgateway

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.

TABLE 5-6 netsc_ipgateway Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


The default IP address supplied by this variable is 0.0.0.0



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:

Error: Invalid IP gateway address for IP address netsc_ipaddr and IP netmask netsc_ipnetmask. 

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.

Related Information

netsc_ipnetmask

Use this variable to specify the ALOM IP (Internet Protocol) netmask.

TABLE 5-7 netsc_ipnetmask Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


The default IP address supplied by this variable is 255.255.255.0 (Class C network).



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:

Error: Invalid IP netmask for IP address netsc_ipaddr and IP gateway netsc_ipgateway. 

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.

Related Information

netsc_tpelinktest

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.

TABLE 5-8 netsc_tpelinktest Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.




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 platforms.

Related Information

sc_backupuserdata

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:

Should the SC user database be stored on the SCC [n]? 

The values for this variable are as follows.

sc_clieventlevel

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).

TABLE 5-10 sc_clieventlevel Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_cliprompt

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.

TABLE 5-11 sc_cliprompt Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.



procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the sc_cliprompt Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc sc_cliprompt prompt 

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:

sc> setsc sc_cliprompt ernie-sc 
ernie-sc> 

In addition, you can set this variable through the setupsc command. See setupsc. The setupsc command prompts you for the following:

Enter the SC cli prompt (maximum of 16 characters) [sc] ? 

To use the default prompt of sc>, press Return.


procedure icon  To Use the scadm Utility to Change the sc_cliprompt Variable

At the server's superuser prompt, type the following command:

# scadm set cliprompt prompt 

Where prompt is the desired ALOM command prompt.

Related Information

sc_clitimeout

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 timeout will be set to 0.



Note - If the ALOM session is in console mode, automatic logout will not occur, even when this variable is set. Refer to console.



For example, to set the automatic logout interval to 60 seconds, type the following command at the ALOM shell prompt:

sc> setsc sc_clitimeout 60 

You can specify a value for the timeout using the setupsc command. Refer to setupsc. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:

Enter the SC CLI timeout in seconds (maximum of 10000s) [0]? 

.

TABLE 5-12 sc_clitimeout Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_clipasswdecho

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:

sc> setsc sc_clipasswdecho n 

You can specify a value for this variable using the setupsc command. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:

Should password entry echo '*'s [y] ? 

 

TABLE 5-13 sc_passwdecho Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_customerinfo

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) []? 

For example:

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.

TABLE 5-14 sc_customer_info Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_escapechars

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.

You can specify a value for this variable using the setupsc command. The setupsc script prompts you to enter a value as follows:

Enter the console session escape sequence (2 characters). The first character can be any printable characters or control-A through control- Y except for control-C, control-D, control-H, control-J, or control-M. The second character must be a ".". [#.]?

See setupsc for more information about that command.

TABLE 5-15 sc_escapechars Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_powerondelay

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:

Should poweron sequencing be disabled [y]? 

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:

# set sc_powerondelay enable 

To disable the delay, type the following: .

# set sc_powerondelay disable

TABLE 5-16 sc_powerondelay Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sc_powerstatememory

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.

Related Information

ser_baudrate

This variable sets the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) baud rate. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.

The default setting is 9600.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

ser_data

This variable sets the number of serial management port (SERIAL MGT) data bits. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.

The default setting is 8.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

ser_parity

This variable sets the serial management port (SERIAL MGT) parity. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.

The default setting is none.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

ser_stopbits

This variable sets the number of serial management port (SERIAL MGT) stop bits. Its value is preset and cannot be changed.

The default setting is 1.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

sys_autorestart

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:

The default value is xir.



Note - For the xir and reset options, an event is logged to the ALOM event log.



TABLE 5-18 sys_autorestart Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sys_bootfailrecovery

The sys_bootfailrecovery variable tells ALOM what recovery action to take if the Netra 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 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:

The default value is none.

TABLE 5-19 sys_bootfailrecovery Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sys_bootrestart

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:

The default value is none.



Note - For the xir and reset options, an event is logged to the ALOM event log.





Note - If you set the sys_bootrestart property to xir, you must also set the OpenBoot PROM NVRAM variable auto-boot-on-error? to true and the error-reset-recovery variable to boot. In addition, for this option to work reliably, the system must reboot followed by an xir, which may not happen in all cases (for example, if the system fails to find the boot disk and drops down to the ok prompt). Because of these restrictions, you may want to set the sys_bootrestart property to reset for a more consistent behavior.



TABLE 5-20 sys_bootrestart Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


sys_boottimeout

ALOM will start a boot timeout 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.



Note - Choose the value of this variable carefully. Consider the system configuration and the typical amount of time it takes for the system to boot up completely when deciding on a value for this variable. You must also have the auto-boot setting in the OpenBoot PROM for the Netra system set to true; if you have the auto-boot setting set to false, the system will not reboot automatically after being powered on or reset and ALOM will view this as a boot failure.



TABLE 5-21 sys_boottimeout Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.



procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the sys_boottimeout Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc sys_boottimeout value 

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 timeout value to 240 seconds, type the following command at the sc> prompt:

sc> setsc sys_boottimeout 240

Related Information

sys_consolegrablogout

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 on page 44 for more information.



Note - For the Netra 240 and 440 servers, this variable is always set to true (the default) and cannot be changed.



single-step bulletTo see the status of this parameter, at the sc> prompt type:

sc> showsc sys_consolegrablogout

Related Information

sys_enetaddr

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.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

sys_eventlevel

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).

TABLE 5-22 sys_eventlevel Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sys_hostname

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.

From the sc> prompt:

Using the scadm utility:

Related Information

sys_maxbootfail

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 peforming the recovery action continuously (see sys_bootrestart for more information). The default value for this variable is 3.

TABLE 5-23 sys_maxbootfail Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.


Related Information

sys_wdttimeout

Use the sys_wdttimeout variable to set the ALOM watchdog timeout. The default value is 60 seconds.

TABLE 5-24 sys_wdttimeout Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set.



procedure icon  To Use the setsc Command to Change the sys_wdttimeout Variable

single-step bulletAt the sc> prompt, type the following command:

sc> setsc sys_wdttimeout value 

Where value is the amount of time in seconds that you want to set the ALOM watchdog timeout value to.

For example, to set the ALOM watchdog timeout value to 120 seconds, type the following command at the sc> prompt:

sc> setsc sys_wdttimeout 120

Related Information

sys_xirtimeout



Note - This variable works only when the sys_autorestart variable is set to xir.



This variable enables you to set a timeout 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 timeout 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 timeout 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 timeout 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:

How many seconds should be allowed for an XIR to complete (maximum timeout of 10800s) [900]?

TABLE 5-25 sys_xirtimeout Tasks

Task

ALOM Shell Command

scadm Utility

Specify a value for a variable

setupsc.

 

View the current value

showsc.

scadm show.

Change the value of the variable

setsc.

scadm set


Related Information