C H A P T E R  4

Using the SunVTS CDE User Interface

This chapter describes how to run a test session using the SunVTS CDE UI. The procedures are written in a step-by-step form so you can use them to become familiar with SunVTS using the SunVTS CDE UI. This chapter is divided into the following sections:



Note - This chapter assumes that you have already performed the following procedures:
bullet Installed SunVTS as described in Installing and Removing SunVTS,
bullet Started SunVTS as described in Starting SunVTS,
bullet Prepared your system for testing as described in Preparing Devices for Testing.



See Appendix A for descriptions of each SunVTS window and dialog box.


4.1 Getting Started With the SunVTS CDE UI

This section describes how to use the fundamental features of the SunVTS CDE UI to perform diagnostic testing on a system. For information about using more advanced features, see Using Additional Features With the SunVTS CDE UI.

4.1.1 The SunVTS CDE UI Main Window

When you start the SunVTS CDE user interface, the SunVTS CDE main window is displayed (FIGURE 4-1). SunVTS is in an idle state with all testing options set to default values.

The procedures in this chapter explain how to use the CDE main window:

FIGURE 4-1 SunVTS CDE Main Window

Screenshot of SunVTS CDE main window showing the menu bar, quick-access buttons, and panel locations.

Note - See Appendix A for details about each main window item.




procedure icon  To Configure SunVTS for a Test Session

1. Identify the current state of SunVTS in the Status panel (FIGURE 4-2).

FIGURE 4-2 CDE Status Panel

Screenshot of the SunVTS CDE status panel.

The following information is displayed in the Status panel:

2. Select a test mode from the Test Mode panel (FIGURE 4-3):

FIGURE 4-3 CDE Test Mode Panel

Screenshot of the SunVTS CDE test mode panel.

About test modes:



Note - As you change test modes, the tests that are selectable in the System Map change.



3. Specify the System Map display mode (logical or physical):

FIGURE 4-4 CDE System Map (Logical View, Collapsed)

Screenshot of the SunVTS CDE system map (located inside the SunVTS CDE main window) with a callout highlighting the Physical and Logical display mode radio buttons.

About display modes:

The devices that SunVTS identified as testable devices on your system are listed in the System Map (FIGURE 4-6). You control the way that SunVTS displays these devices by selecting one of the following:

FIGURE 4-5 Logical and Physical Mapping Examples

Screenshots of the SunVTS system map that show an example of logical device mapping and physical device mapping.

How to do it:

Select the Physical or Logical button.

4. Expand the System Map to view selectable devices.

FIGURE 4-6 CDE System Map (Logical View, Expanded)

Screenshot of the SunVTS system map that shows the logical view of the system devices expanded.

About devices in the System Map:

When SunVTS is started, most of the devices in the System Map are collapsed, meaning individual devices are grouped together and hidden from view under a device category. A "+" (plus) indicates that the device group is collapsed. A "-" (minus) indicates that the device group is expanded so you see each device for a given category.

How to do it:

Use the following methods to open the System Map:

5. Select the devices that you want to test.

FIGURE 4-7 Devices Selected in the System Map

Screenshot of the SunVTS system map that illustrates devices selected by means of check boxes.

About selecting devices:

A checkmark next to a device in the System Map indicates that device is selected. Depending on the devices on your system, and the test mode that you select, SunVTS selects certain devices by default.

How to do it:

    a. Select your devices using the buttons in the Device Selection panel:



    Note - Any device that requires your intervention before the test can run (such as loading media for tape, CD-ROM, and diskette tests), also requires that you notify SunVTS that you have performed this action by selecting the Intervention checkbox. You cannot select any intervention mode tests until you select this checkbox.



    b. Refine the selected devices by clicking on the checkmark box next to a device or device group.

6. Modify the system-level test options (if desired).

About test options:

SunVTS is ready to test each device once you select it. There are, however, testing options that you can modify that alter the way tests run to suit your testing needs. There are three levels where you control test options:

The order that you apply the system-level, group-level, and device-level options is important. Start by assigning the system-level options, then assign the group-level options, and finish with the device-level options. Otherwise, if you make lower-level option settings, then higher level option settings, the higher-level settings will propagate down and undo your lower-level settings. An alternative to this approach is to use locks and overrides to protect lower level settings. See Preserving Test Options with Locks and Overrides.



Note - System-level, group-level, and device-level options are only available when Functional Test Mode is selected. Most of these options are grayed-out and not available for Connection Mode testing.



FIGURE 4-8 Items From the Options Menu

Screenshot of the SunVTS CDE main window, Options drop-down menu. The menu has the following items: Thresholds, Notify, Schedule, Test execution, Advanced, and Option files.

How to do it:

Access the system-level options from the Options menu in the Menu Bar (FIGURE 4-8).

The following dialog boxes provide system-level options that define how the entire test session runs.



Note - These dialog boxes are described in detail in Appendix A.





Note - To increase or decrease a numeric value in a SunVTS CDE dialog box, you can either use the up or down arrows, or type a new value in the text box and press Return. Press Apply to apply all dialog box changes.



7. Modify group-level and device-level options (if desired).

FIGURE 4-9 Test-Specific Options

Screenshot of the SunVTS system map that illustrates a test-specific options pop-up window that is displayed from right-clicking on a test.

About group-level and device-level options:

Group-level and device-level options are testing attributes that accompany each test and pertain to a specific device (or device group) only.

How to do it:

Access the group-level and device-level menus by placing your pointer over a device (or device-group) and right-clicking on it.

A menu appears offering access to the following dialog boxes (FIGURE 4-9):



Note - For descriptions of the options presented in these dialog boxes see, SunVTS Dialog Boxes.




procedure icon  To Run, Monitor, and Stop a Test Session

1. Start the test session by clicking on the Start Button.

Depending on how you configured the options in the Test Execution menus, testing continues until:

2. Monitor the overall test session status by watching the Status panel.

The Status panel indicates that a test session is running by displaying testing for the Testing status. The system passes, cumulative errors, and elapsed test time will increment.

3. Monitor specific tests by watching the System Map.

Watch for:

4. Check for test messages by watching the Test Message panel.

The Test Message panel displays test messages under the following circumstances:

5. Stop the test session (if desired) by clicking the Stop button.


procedure icon  To Review and Reset Test Session Results

1. Review the logs.

About logs:

SunVTS provides access to four log files:

How to do it:

    a. Click the Log button.

    The Log file window is displayed.

    b. Specify the log file that you want to view by selecting it from the top button in the Log file window.

    The content of the selected log file is displayed in the window.

    c. With the three lower buttons you can:



    Note - Take the length of the log file into consideration before you print it.



2. Interpret SunVTS messages.

There are many messages for each of the many tests that run under SunVTS. For this reason, it is difficult to document the implication of each message that you might see. Most messages contain all the explanatory text that is possible for each event that is encountered. Some messages are information messages (INFO, VERBOSE, WARNING) which do not represent an error, and some messages are error messages (ERROR and FATAL), indicating that the test detected a failure. This section explains generic test message information.

SunVTS information message example:

04/24/00 17:19:47 systemA SunVTS5.1: VTSID 34 disktest.VERBOSE
c0t0d0: "number of blocks 3629760"

SunVTS error message example:

05/02/00 10:49:43 systemA SunVTS5.1: VTSID 8040 disktest.
  FATAL diskette: "Failed get_volmgr_name()"
  Probable_Cause(s):
    (1)No floppy disk in drive
  Recommended_Action(s):
    (1)Check the floppy drive

Whenever possible, the error message supplies a message type (as shown in the following table), followed by the message text, one or more probable causes, and one or more recommended corrective actions.

The following table describes the types of messages you might encounter. All messages are displayed in the Message panel, and most are logged in one of the SunVTS logs (Info or Error).

TABLE 4-1 Message Types

Message Type

Log file

Description

INFO

Info log

Displayed when a nonerror test event occurs.

ERROR

Error and Info logs

Displayed when a test detects an error, often an indication of a problem with a specific function or feature of the device under test.

FATAL

Error and Info logs

Displayed when a test detects a severe error that might cause the test to exit; such as a failure to open a device. These errors are indicative of hardware failures.

VERBOSE

Not logged

Test progression messages that are displayed when the verbose feature is enabled.

WARNING

Info log

Displayed when something affects the test that is not an error; such as a device that is busy.


You can write scripts that watch for certain SunVTS events as they are logged in the log files, and which trigger an action when a particular message string occurs. If you plan to do this, refer to the following table of SunVTS message syntax and descriptions.

SunVTS Message Syntax

timestamp hostname "SunVTS<version_id>:" [VTSID vts_msgid
modulename[.submodulename][.instnum][(#P)].vts_msgtype]
[device_pathname:] msg_text

:

TABLE 4-2 SunVTS Message Syntax Descriptions

Message Item

Descriptions

timestamp

Represents the date in mm/dd/yy format, and the time in hh:mm:ss format, when the message was logged.

hostname

Name of the system under test.

SunVTSversion_id

Displays the string SunVTS followed by the version of SunVTS, for example SunVTS5.1.

VTSID vts_msgid

Displays the string VTSID followed by the ID of the message.

modulename

Name of the module (usually the test name or vtsk) that generated the message.

submodulename

Name of the subtest, if applicable.

instnum

Number of the test instance.

(#P)

Processor ID for which the test is bound (applicable if a test is assigned to a specific processor with the processor affinity option).

vts_msgtype

Identifies the message with one of the following message types: ERROR, FATAL, INFO, VERBOSE, or WARNING.

device_pathname

Name of the device under test.

msg_text

The text of the message. This often includes the error, a probable cause, and a recommended action.




Note - As of SunVTS 5.0, the VTS_OLD_MSG variable is no longer supported. It was used to display test messages in a pre-SunVTS 4.0 format, usually because a script relies on the older format. Now your scripts must accept the current SunVTS message formtat.



3. Reset the test session results (if desired).

When you are done reviewing the information in the main window, you can clear the current results by clicking on the Reset button. This resets the information in the Status panel. This does not reset your test options.


4.2 Using Additional Features With the SunVTS CDE UI

This section describes additional SunVTS features using the SunVTS CDE user interface:

4.2.1 Using the Automatic Configuration Feature

The Automatic Configuration feature simplifies the SunVTS configuration steps by automatically assigning a predetermined set of test options. This feature provides the following benefits:


procedure icon  To Use the Automatic Configuration Feature

1. Prepare any "intervention" devices and select the Intervention checkbox.

See Preparing Devices for Testing.

2. Select Auto Config from the Select Test Mode panel.

The Automatic Configuration dialog box is displayed (FIGURE 4-10).

3. Select one of the following choices from the Automatic Configuration dialog box:

FIGURE 4-10 Automatic Configuration Dialog Box

Screenshot of the SunVTS Automatic Configuration test mode dialog box.

Note - The Help button displays a dialog box with Auto Configuration information and instructions.



4. Click on Select in the dialog box.

SunVTS applies the predefined options and is ready to test selected devices.

5. (Optional) Select or deselect the devices that you want to test in the System Map.

This step is optional. For full system testing, use the devices that are selected by the Automatic Configuration feature.

6. Click the Start button in the SunVTS main window.

The test session runs with the predetermined set of options based on the level of coverage (comprehensive or confidence) that you selected. The AC Coverage (Confidence or Comprehensive) is displayed in the Status panel.

4.2.2 Connecting to Another Host

You can connect the SunVTS user interface on your local system to a SunVTS kernel that is running on another system in your network. Once you are connected to the remote system, all of the controls in the CDE UI control the testing of the remote system.


procedure icon  To Connect to Another Host

1. Make sure that the SunVTS kernel is running on the remote system.

You can do this in several ways. You can remote login (using rlogin or telnet) to the remote system and run the vtsk command.



Note - On the remote system, you must login (or switch user) as a user that has SunVTS privileges (superuser by default) before you can start the SunVTS kernel (vtsk).





Note - You can only connect to a system running the same version of SunVTS.



2. On the local system (the system running the SunVTS UI), click on the Connect to Host button.

The Connect to Host dialog box is displayed.

3. Specify the name of the remote system to which you want to connect.

Enter the hostname in the Connect to Host field. As you connect to various remote systems, SunVTS keeps track of those systems and displays them in the Hostname List. You can reconnect to one of those hosts by double-clicking on the host name in this list. This list is only maintained during your current SunVTS session. When you quit SunVTS, the Hostname List is cleared.

Any number of UIs can connect to a SunVTS kernel and each UI displays a synchronous view of SunVTS.

4. Click Apply in the Connect to Host dialog box.

The SunVTS UI now controls the SunVTS testing of the remote system. The remote system hostname is displayed in the Status panel, confirming the connection.

4.2.3 Using the Email Notification Feature

You can have SunVTS send the test status messages to you using email.


procedure icon  To Enable Email Notification

1. Select Notify from the Options menu in the Menu bar.

The Notify Options dialog box is displayed.

2. Select one of the following from the Send Email pull-down menu:

3. Enter an email address in the email address field.

4. If you selected Periodically or on_error&periodically, specify the log period in minutes (1-99999).

5. Click on Apply.

You will receive the SunVTS information messages in email based on your notification criterion.

4.2.4 Controlling the Size of the Log Files

The log file sizes of the SunVTS test error log (/var/opt/SUNWvts/logs/sunvts.err), the SunVTS kernel error log (/var/opt/SUNWvts/logs/vtsk.err) and the information log (/var/opt/SUNWvts/logs/sunvts.info) are each limited to a maximum size of 1 Mbyte by default. When the log file reaches the maximum size, the content is moved to a file called logfilename.backup. Additional events are added to the main log files. If the log file reaches the maximum size again, the content is moved to the backup file, overwriting the earlier backup file content. Only one backup file is maintained for each log file.

You can modify the log file maximum size specification.


procedure icon  To Modify the Log File Size Limits

1. Select Optionright arrowThresholds from the Menu bar.

The Threshold Option dialog box is displayed.

2. Use the arrows to increase the Max System Log Size number.

Select a number from 1 to 5 (Mbytes). For example, if you choose 5 Mbytes, SunVTS will use up to 30 Mbytes for log files (there are three log files, each may also have an equal sized backup file).

3. Click on Apply.

4.2.5 Tracing a Test

You can use the Trace test option to create a log of every system call made when a test is running. This feature logs the system calls using the standard UNIX command truss. The trace messages logged by this feature give you a powerful debugging tool for isolating the specific cause of an error.


procedure icon  To Enable Tracing

1. Select Commandsright arrowTrace test from the Menu bar.

The Trace Test window is displayed.

2. Choose a test to trace from the list of test names and then select Apply, or double-click a test name to enable tracing and close the window.

When you select a test, system call tracing is enabled immediately. If the test is already running when you select it, tracing begins immediately and the trace test messages appear in the SunVTS console window.



Note - You can only select one test at a time to trace when using the SunVTS CDE user interface.





Note - When using the Physical map view, you can only see one level in the hierarchy (such as one controller on a system board). Therefore, some devices that are several levels down are not available to trace. Use the Logical view to select tracing for these devices.



3. Select File and click Apply to write the trace test messages to a file called
/var/opt/SUNWvts/logs/sunvts.trace.


procedure icon  To Disable Tracing

1. Bring up the Trace Test window again, click on the highlighted test name, and click Apply.

This action deselects the test and disables tracing.

4.2.6 Preserving Test Options with Locks and Overrides

With locks and overrides you can preserve or override the options you set at the system level, group-level, and device-level (see Modify the system-level test options (if desired).).

4.2.6.1 Locks

Normally, when you change an option setting at the system level or group-level, the new option setting propagates down to all lower levels. Enabling the lock prevents an option setting made at a higher level from affecting the lower-level option setting.



Note - The override option nullifies lower-level locks.




procedure icon  To Set (or Unset) a Lock

1. Open the Test Advanced Options dialog box from the group-level or device-level you want to lock.

To access this dialog box, place your pointer over the group or device and right-click. Then select Test Advanced Options from the menu.

2. Click the Enable button to set the lock (or disable button to unset the lock).

With the lock set, you can make option setting changes at higher levels without affecting the option settings of the locked device.

4.2.6.2 Overrides

You can use overrides to void the lock protection. Setting the system-level override nullifies all locks, and setting a group-level override nullifies all the locks below that group.


procedure icon  To Set (or Unset) an Override

1. Open the Advanced Option dialog box at one of the following levels:

2. Enable the Override setting (or disable the Override setting to unset it).

3. Click Apply.

4.2.7 Scaling Your Test Session

You can use a combination of options to scale (increase or decrease testing intensity) to meet your diagnostic needs. For example, you can modify test options so that each test instance runs simultaneously, thus increasing the stress level for a single or multiprocessor system. The following procedures can be used individually or in combination to scale the test session.


procedure icon  To Modify the Number of Test Instances

You can scale your test session by running multiple copies of the same test on your devices. Each copy is call a test instance. Each test instance is a separate process of the same test. The number of test instances can be set at the system level, group level, and the device level as follows:

1. Open the Test Execution dialog box at one of the following levels:

2. Use the arrow buttons to increase or decrease the number of instances.

3. Click Apply.


procedure icon  To Modify Test Concurrency Options

The test concurrency option sets the number of tests that run at a given time during a test session. You can set this value to one to run one test at a time, or increase the test concurrency value thus increasing the stress level of your test session.

There are two options in the Schedule Option dialog boxes (at the system level and group level) to scale your test session:

1. Open the Schedule dialog box from one of the following levels:

2. Use the arrow buttons to increase or decrease the System Concurrency and Group Concurrency values.

3. Click Apply.


procedure icon  To Bind a Test to a Processor with the Processor Affinity Option (for Multiprocessor Systems)

By default, the Solaris kernel assigns each test instance to whichever processor is available at the time. On multiprocessor systems, you can bind (assign) a test instance to a particular processor as follows:

1. Open the Test Execution dialog box at one of the following levels:



Note - The Processor Affinity field is only displayed on multiprocessor systems.





Note - The Processor Affinity option is not available for processor tests such as cputest and fputest. These tests are associated with each individual processor on your system and you cannot bind these tests to a different processor.



2. Select a Processor from the Processor Affinity field.

By default, the test instances are not bound to any processor. You can either keep this unbound or select a specific processor to bind or select option for "sequential" binding. Selecting the "sequential" option binds the test instance(s) to different processors in the system as the test instances are created. Even if there is a higher number of processors than instances, the sequential binding will eventually bind the test instances to all the processors in subsequent test passes.

3. Click Apply.

4.2.8 Using the Debugging Features

You can enable certain options that cause the SunVTS test session to output more test data than when you run the session with the default option values. The following procedures describe how to enable these features.


procedure icon  To Enable (or Disable) Verbose and Core File Options

1. Open the Test Execution dialog box at one of the following levels:

2. Enable (or disable) one or more of the following options:



Note - The Trace feature also provides additional test data. See Tracing a Test.



4.2.9 Saving a Test Session Configuration for Repeated Use (Option Files)

You can use the Option Files feature to save the current set of selected devices and test options for reuse. This is a convenient feature when you plan to perform the same test session configuration repeatedly.

The configuration information is saved in a filename of your choice in the
/var/opt/SUNWvts/options directory.

The option file could be saved in host-dependent format or host-independent generic option format. If the option file is stored in host-dependent format, it can be used on other hosts only if the device configurations match. Alternately, the generic option format is designed to work on multiple hosts with different device configurations. The generic option format may save one set of options for one test which can then be applied to all devices (irrespective of the number of devices) for that test in that machine or other machines. Note that this feature is useful when the number of devices of a specific test is machine-dependent.While saving the configuration in host-independent generic option format, select at most, one device per device type. If multiple devices of similar type have been selected, any one device will be chosen automatically for being saved. When the same option file is loaded, all devices of that device type will be selected and configured with the same test options.The host-independent option file could be saved for either normal load or cumulative load. The cumulative generic option file can be used to do incremental configuration by loading one after another. Loading a cumulative option file does not deselect already selected test devices. Alternately, loading of a non-cumulative option file first deselects all tests, then only selects the devices that are defined in the option file.

The host-independent generic option file save feature also has an option to save the total number of instances. If this option is chosen, the same number of instances will be forced during load time.

The option file contains information about system level options and test level options. Option file creation is primarily intended to be done from a GUI. However, you can edit option files with any text editor to accomodate specific needs, if needed. See Appendix C for information on editing generic option files.


procedure icon  To Create an Option File

1. Configure SunVTS for the test session that you want to save.

See To Configure SunVTS for a Test Session.

2. Select Optionsright arrowOption files from the Menu bar.

The Option Files dialog box is displayed.

3. Select an option file name in the Option File field.

4. Select Host Dependent or Generic.

For generic options, select Enable/Disable Cumulative option, and select Enable/Disable Save Number of Instances.

5. Select Store.

6. Repeat Step 1 through Step 5 for each test session configuration you want to save.

7. Select Close in the Option Files dialog box.

The Option Files dialog box is closed, and your test session configurations are saved for future use.


procedure icon  To Load an Option File



Note - Loading an option file that was created on another system is permitted, but you must make sure that the configuration is valid for the system you plan to test.





Note - Do not load an option file that was created in a 64-bit environment into a 32-bit environment.



1. Select Optionsright arrowOption files from the Menu bar.

The Options Files dialog box is displayed.

2. Select an option file from the Option file list.

3. Click Load.

The test session configuration is loaded into SunVTS and the name of the option file is displayed in the Status panel. You can use this configuration, or modify it before you start the test session.


procedure icon  To Remove an Option File

1. Select Optionsright arrowOption files from the Menu bar.

The Options Files dialog box is displayed.

2. Select the option file that you want to delete from the Option File List.

3. Click Remove.

4. Click Close.

4.2.10 Using the Auto-Start Feature

You can use the auto-start feature, along with saved option files, to simplify the process of configuring a test session and running it.When the auto-start feature is turned on in an option file, SunVTS automatically starts the test session when the option file in invoked, eliminating the need to select the start button.


procedure icon  To Configure SunVTS to use the Auto-Start Feature

1. Select Optionsright arrowSchedule from the Menu bar.

The Schedule dialog box is displayed.

2. Enable the Auto Start setting in the Schedule dialog box.

3. Create an option file as described in To Create an Option File.

The option file that you create is configured to use the auto-start feature.


procedure icon  To Use the Auto-Start Feature

1. Select Commandsright arrowQuit SunVTSright arrowUI and Kernel.

You must quit SunVTS and restart it for the auto-start feature to work.

2. Use the following command to restart SunVTS from the command-line, specifying the option file that you created:

# /opt/SUNWvts/bin/sunvts -o option_file

SunVTS displays the main window and automatically starts the test session.

4.2.11 Suspending and Resuming a Test Session

You can suspend a test session while it is running. For example, you might want to look at messages on the Message panel that have scrolled out of view, or you may want to view and print a log file.


procedure icon  To Suspend and Resume a Test Session

1. Select Commandsright arrowSuspend from the Menu bar.

"Suspended" is displayed in the Status panel, and the test session pauses until you resume it.

2. Select Commandsright arrowResume from the Menu bar.

"Testing" is displayed in the Status panel, and the SunVTS kernel resumes the suspended test session.

4.2.12 Recording and Replaying a Test Session

You can use the Record and Replay feature to record a SunVTS test session. Only one test session recording is saved at a time.

The events are recorded in a file called /var/opt/SUNWvts/vts_replay_file.

Once a test session is recorded, you can use the recorded events to drive the SunVTS kernel so it reproduces the recorded sequence of events at a later time.



Note - The Record and Replay feature closely reproduces the sequence of events, but it cannot reproduce the time periods of these events because the execution times vary from one run to another.





Note - Do not edit the /var/opt/SUNWvts/vts_replay_file.




procedure icon  To Record and Replay a Test Session

1. Configure SunVTS for the test session that you want to run.

See To Configure SunVTS for a Test Session.

2. Select Commandsright arrowStart testing with record from the Menu bar.

The test session runs, and the events are recorded. When testing stops, the recorded session is available to replay.

3. Select Commandsright arrowReplay to replay the test session.

The kernel reruns the same tests, with the same configuration that you specified in Step 1.



Note - During the replay, the kernel is actually rerunning the tests, not just re-displaying the recorded session.




4.3 Scheduling Test Sequences With the Deterministic Scheduler

SunVTS provides a Deterministic Scheduler that you can use to define what tests run and in what order. If you do not use this feature, selected tests run in an order that is dynamically determined by SunVTS kernel.

4.3.1 Deterministic Scheduler Overview

The Deterministic Scheduler is available as a dialog box from the SunVTS CDE interface menu-bar area.

The following list provides an overview of the steps you perform to start, run, and quit the Deterministic Scheduler feature. Detailed instructions follow.

  1. Start SunVTS with the SunVTS CDE user interface.

  2. Start the Deterministic Scheduler.

  3. Create one or more tasks. A task is a SunVTS test session configuration (one or more selected SunVTS tests, test options, and specified test mode).

  4. Create the sequence. A sequence is a group of tasks specified to run in a certain order.

  5. Define the number of times (loops) that sequence runs.

  6. Start the sequence.

  7. When the sequence is done, reset the Deterministic Scheduler if desired.

  8. Quit the Deterministic Scheduler feature.

4.3.2 Getting Started With the Deterministic Scheduler

1. Start SunVTS with the SunVTS CDE user interface as described in Starting SunVTS.

2. Start the Deterministic Scheduler by selecting DSchedright arrowstart DS from the SunVTS menu bar.

The Deterministic Scheduler Dialog box is displayed (FIGURE 4-11).



Note - When you start the Deterministic Scheduler, many of the commands from the main SunVTS window such as Start, Stop, Resume, Suspend, Record, Replay, Load, and Set are not permitted. When you stop the Deterministic Scheduler, these SunVTS features become functional.





Note - The Help button displays a dialog box with Deterministic Scheduler information and instructions.



FIGURE 4-11 Deterministic Scheduler Dialog Box

Screenshot of the SunVTS Deterministic Scheduler dialog box.

3. Define your task(s) as described below:

    a. In the Deterministic Scheduler dialog box, click on the Edit button.

    The Deterministic Scheduler displays the Task Manager panel and shows a list of existing tasks (if any have been created) in the Available Tasks list. You can use existing tasks or create new tasks. If this is the first time that the Deterministic Scheduler is used, you must create your own.

    b. In the SunVTS main window, configure a test session (select one or more devices and your desired test mode).

    If you assign more than one test to a task, the order of the tests within this task will be determined by SunVTS. If you want to control the order of every test, assign only one test for each task.

    When the Deterministic Scheduler is started, it changes the default values of Max System Passes from 0 (run indefinitely) to 1 (run one pass). This is necessary so that each task only runs selected tests once and proceeds to run subsequent tasks in the sequence.

    c. In the Deterministic Scheduler dialog box, enter a task name.

    d. Click on Store in the Task Manager panel.

    Your task appears in the Available Task list.

    FIGURE 4-12 Tasks Defined in the Task Manager Panel

    Screenshot of the SunVTS Task Manager dialog box.

    e. Repeat Step a through Step d to create additional tasks.

    f. To see the tests configured for a particular task, select the task from the Available task list and press Load.

    The SunVTS main window shows the SunVTS test configuration that is associated with the selected task.

    g. If you want to modify a task: select it; load it; change the test configuration in the SunVTS main window; and press Store in the Task Manager panel.

    h. If you want to delete a task, select it and press Remove in the Task Manager panel.

    The task is removed from the Available Task list.

4. Define the sequence as follows:

    a. Select a task from the task list.

    b. Press the Insert button.

    The task is added to the sequence list.

    c. Repeat the previous steps until all desired tasks are added to the sequence list in the order that you want them to run.

    You can add the same task more than once.

    When you begin testing, the tasks run from the top of the list down.

    d. If you want to remove a task from the sequence list, select it and press Delete.

    e. To save the sequence for future use, enter a name in the Sequence name field and press Store in the Task Manager panel.

    The sequence will be saved for easy retrieval for future testing.

    FIGURE 4-13 Deterministic Scheduler Dialog Box

    Screenshot of the SunVTS Deterministic Scheduler dialog box with callouts highlighting the Sequence Name field and the Tasks in Sequence field.

    f. With the Sequence selected, press the Run button.

    The right-hand panel displays the Sequence Runner panel (FIGURE 4-14), providing access for you to define the number of times (loops) for the sequence to run and to start running the sequence.

    FIGURE 4-14 Sequence Runner Panel

    Screenshot of the SunVTS Sequence Runner dialog box.

5. Define the sequence loops.

    a. Increment or decrement the Total Loop value to the desired number of times you want the sequence to run.

6. Press the Start button to start the sequence.

While testing is underway you can:

7. Use the Reset button to reset the SunVTS main window and the Deterministic Scheduler.

The SunVTS main window test statistics and the Deterministic Scheduler current loop count are reset.

8. Quit the Deterministic Scheduler when you are done by selecting Commandsright arrowQuit Optionsright arrowQuit DS and UI.

The Deterministic Scheduler and the Deterministic Scheduler dialog box are dismissed.