C H A P T E R 5 |
System Management Services Software |
SMS software supports Sun Fire high-end system domains that are running the Solaris Operating Environment. The commands provided with the SMS software can be used remotely.
SMS software enables the platform administrator to perform the following tasks:
Administrate domains by logically grouping domain configurable units (DCU) together. DCUs are system boards, such as CPU and I/O boards. Domains are able to run their own operating systems and handle their own workloads.
Dynamically reconfigure a domain so that currently installed system boards can be logically attached to or detached from the operating system while the domain continues running in multiuser mode. A system board can be physically swapped in and out when it is not attached to a domain, even while the system continues running in multiuser mode.
Perform automatic dynamic reconfiguration of domains using a script.
Monitor and display the temperatures, currents, and voltage levels of one or more system boards or domains.
Monitor and control power to the components within a platform.
Execute diagnostic programs such as power-on self-test (POST).
The following features are provided in this release of Sun Fire high-end SMS software:
Dynamic system domain (DSD) configuration
Configured domain services
Domain control capabilities
Domain status reporting
Automatic diagnosis and domain recovery
Hardware control capabilities
Hardware status monitoring, reporting, and handling
Hardware error monitoring, reporting, and handling
System controller (SC) failover
Configurable administrative privileges
Ability to allocate, activate, and monitor additional processing resources through the Capacity on Demand (COD) option
SMS software uses a distributed client-server architecture. The init(1M) command starts, and restarts as necessary, one process: ssd(1M). The ssd command is responsible for monitoring all other SMS processes and restarting them as necessary.
The Sun Fire high-end platforms, the SC, and other workstations communicate over the Ethernet. You perform SMS operations by entering commands on the SC after remotely logging on to the SC from another workstation on the local area network. You must log in as a user with the appropriate platform or domain privileges if you want to perform SMS operations such as monitoring and controlling the platform.
Dual system controller boards are supported within the Sun Fire high-end systems. One board is designated as the primary or main system controller board, and the other is designated as the spare system controller board. If the main system controller fails, the failover capability automatically switches to the spare system controller.
Administration tasks on the Sun Fire high-end systems are secured by group privilege requirements. Upon installation, SMS installs the following UNIX groups to the /etc/group file.
platadmn identifies a platform administrator.
platoper identifies a platform operator.
platsvc identifies a platform service.
dmn[A...R]admn - domain [domain_id|domain_tag] identifies the administrator of one of the eighteen available domains.
dmn[A...R]rcfg - domain [domain_id|domain_tag] identifies the configurator of one of the eighteen available domains.
One of the system controller's main functions is to provide administration services for the Sun Fire high-end systems platform and its domains. The Sun Fire high-end systems Management Network (MAN) is a combination of hardware and software providing the network architecture by which such administration services are delivered.
The primary services provided by the Management Network include:
Domain consoles
Message logging
Time synchronization
Dynamic reconfiguration
Network boot and Solaris installation
System controller heartbeats
Access to the Management Network is restricted to the SC and the domains in the platform. No external IP traffic should be routed across the Management Network.
Your Sun Fire high-end system is configured with a specific number of processors (CPUs) that reside on CPU/Memory boards. These boards were purchased as part of your initial system configuration or as add-on components. The purchase of the boards includes the right to use the CPUs on those boards.
The Capacity on Demand (COD) option provides additional processing resources that you pay for as you use them. Through the COD option, you receive and install unlicensed CPU/Memory boards. These boards, which are identified as COD CPU/Memory boards, contain four CPUs. However, you do not have the right to use the CPUs on COD CPU/Memory boards until you also purchase the COD right-to-use (RTU) licenses for them. The purchase of a COD RTU license entitles you to receive a license key, which enables the appropriate number of COD processors.
Your Sun Fire high-end system can have any combination of active CPU/Memory boards and COD CPU/Memory boards, up to the maximum capacity allowed for the system. You must have at least one active CPU for each domain in your system.
Contact your Sun sales representative or authorized Sun reseller to purchase COD CPU/Memory boards and the appropriate number of COD RTU licenses. After the COD CPU/Memory boards are installed, use the SMS software to allocate COD RTU licenses, activate COD CPUs, and monitor the COD CPUs used.
See SMS Software Information to determine which documents to read for more information about SMS software.
Copyright © 2003, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.