Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

This chapter includes information about troubleshooting RSC problems, and troubleshooting the server using RSC.

Troubleshooting RSC Problems

Can't log in to RSC

• Check the RSC device name you are connecting to (normally servername-rsc).

• Check that you are using your correct RSC username; it may not be the same as your system username.

• Check that you are using your correct RSC password.

Can't connect to RSC using telnet

RSC supports a maximum of two simultaneous telnet connections. This includes command line interface sessions and RSC GUI connections to the server console (Open Console). When two telnet sessions are active, further attempts to connect using the telnet command will receive a connection closed error. For example, from UNIX:

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% telnet bert-rsc
Trying 129.148.49.120...
Connected to bert-rsc.
Escape character is '^]'.
Connection closed by foreign host.

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Can't connect to RSC through the Ethernet connection

First, log in to the server as root and see if the command rscadm status reports a good status. If it does, then RSC is working and there is an Ethernet configuration problem. Use the rscadm show command to check that Ethernet configuration variables are set correctly.

You can also:

• Log in to RSC through the serial port and use the GUI or the shownetwork command to see the current settings.

• Log in to another machine on the network and use the ping command to see if RSC is alive. Use RSC's name (for instance, servername-rsc), not the server name, as the argument to the ping command.

• Run SunVTS diagnostics to check the Ethernet connection; the external Ethernet test requires that the device be connected to a functional 10-Mbit hub.

• Run SunVTS diagnostics to check the SSP and paddle card.

Can't connect to RSC through the serial port

First, log in to the server as root and see if the command rscadm status reports a good status. If it does, then RSC is working. Log in to the server as root and use the rscadm show command to check that serial port configuration variables are set correctly.

If the problem is with a modem:

• Log in to the server as root and use the command rscadm modem_setup to check and verify modem configuration. It is very important that the modem is configured to use a fixed baud rate for incoming calls.

• Verify that the modem is working properly by attaching it to another computer.

• Attach a terminal or another system to the serial port and verify that the serial port is working. Set the configuration variable serial_hw_handshake false and then reset RSC before trying this.

• Run SunVTS to check the serial port; the external serial port test requires a serial loopback connector.

• Run SunVTS to check the SSP and paddle card.

No alerts received from RSC

• RSC does not send alerts for all RSC events; check that the alert you are expecting is an event for which RSC sends alerts.

• Log in to the server as root and use the command rscadm send_event -c message to send an alert.

If email alerts are not received:

• Check email configuration variables.

• Check that the mail server and backup mail server are up and configured properly.

• Try sending an email message to the recipients without using RSC.

• Check Ethernet configuration.

If pager alerts are not received:

• Check pager configuration variables.

• Try sending a pager message by some method other than RSC.

• Check with your pager service for proper pager configuration, or problems with the paging service.

RSC passwords are unknown

If users have forgotten RSC passwords or passwords are not working, log in to the server as root and use the command rscadm userpassword to assign new passwords. Inform RSC users of the new passwords.

Times in RSC event log do not match times in server console logs

Log in to the server as root and use the command rscadm date -s to synchronize RSC time to server time. Consider setting up a repetitive job to do this using the cron utility.

You can perform some RSC functions, but not others

Specific user permissions are required to perform functions; check your permission level. In addition, the following problems may exist:

• Cannot put the server in debug mode or use the RSC break command:

  The server keyswitch is in the Lock position.

• The poweroff command has no effect:

  The server is already powered off.

• The poweron command has no effect:

  The server is already powered on, or the keyswitch is in the Standby position.

RSC is not working after you replace the main logic board

After replacing the server main logic board, you must reconfigure RSC. Use the rscadm utility to restore configuration settings from a backup file. You may also need to update the server flash PROM with the latest version of the Sun Enterprise 250 OpenBoot firmware.

Troubleshooting Server Problems Using RSC

RSC is useful for troubleshooting a server that is not responding. If the server is responsive, connect to it as usual and use standard tools such as Solstice SyMON, SunVTS, and OpenBoot Diagnostics.

If the server is not responding, log in to your RSC account and:

• Check the RSC event log and server environmental status for problems.

• Check console logs for recent error messages.

• Try connecting to the server console to reboot the system.

Scenario: An unreliable SIMM in memory bank 2 is causing continuous reboots

1. Log in to RSC and check the RSC event log.

   You will see repeated server resets in the log.

2. Examine console logs.

   You will see many SIMM bank 2 errors in the original run log, and eventually a panic message.

3. Connect to the server console.

   You may see that the system is up now, but receiving periodic SIMM errors.

4. Log in to the server as root, and halt the system.

5. Enter the following OBP command to disable SIMM bank 2:

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   ok> asr-disable bank2
   

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6. Reboot the server.

7. Order new memory for the server.