C H A P T E R 1

Overview

This chapter introduces the features for the Sun Fire family of entry-level midrange servers-the E2900/V1280/Netra 1280 systems.The objective of this chapter is to provide you with a basic understanding of the features of Sun Fire entry-level midrange systems.

The procedural overview of how to set up your system, and detailed procedures, is covered in Chapter 2.

System Controller

The System Controller is an embedded system resident on the IB_SSC Assembly which connects to the system baseplane. The system controller is responsible for providing the Lights Out Management (LOM) functions which include power on sequencing, sequencing module power on self tests (POST), environmental monitoring, fault indication and alarms.

The System Controller provides an RS232 serial interface and one 10/100 Ethernet interface. Access to the LOM command line interface and the Solaris/OpenBoot PROM console is shared and obtained through these interfaces.

System Controller functions include:

Monitoring the system

Providing the Solaris and OpenBoot PROM consoles

Providing the virtual TOD (time of day)

Performing environmental monitoring

Performing system initialization

Coordinating POST

The software application running on the System Controller provides a command line interface for you to modify system settings.

I/O Ports

The following ports are on the rear of the system:

Console serial (RS-232) port (RJ45)

Reserved serial (RS-232) port (RJ45)

Two Gigabit Ethernet ports (RJ-45)

Alarms port (DB15)

System Controller 10/100 Ethernet port (RJ45)

UltraSCSI port

Up to six PCI ports (five 33 MHz, one 66 MHz)

Their locations are shown in FIGURE 1-1.

FIGURE 1-1 I/O Ports

Graphic showing the I/O ports accessible from the rear of the chassis.

[ D ]

The console serial port and 10/100 Ethernet port can be used to access the System Controller.

Use the console serial port to connect directly to an ASCII terminal or a NTS (network terminal server). Connecting the System Controller board with a serial cable enables you to access the System Controller command line interface with an ASCII terminal or an NTS.

Use the 10/100 Ethernet port to connect the System Controller to the network.

LOM Prompt

The LOM prompt provides the command line interface for the System Controller. It is also the place where console messages are displayed.

The prompt is:

lom>

Some of the system management tasks are shown in TABLE 1-1.


System Controller Management Tasks	System Controller Commands To Use
Configuring the System Controller.	`password`, `setescape`, `seteventreporting`, `setupnetwork,setupsc`
Configuring the system.	`setalarm,` `setlocator`
Powering boards on and off and powering the system on or off.	`poweron`, `poweroff`, `reset`, `shutdown`
Testing the CPU/Memory board.	`testboard`
Resetting the System Controller.	resetsc
Marking components as faulty or OK.	`disablecomponent`, `enablecomponent`
Upgrading firmware.	`flashupdate`
Displaying the current System Controller settings.	`showescape`, `showeventreporting`, `shownetwork`, `showsc`
Displaying the current system state.	`showalarm`, `showboards`, `showcomponent`, showenvironment, `showfault`, `showhostname`, `showlocator`, `showlogs`, `showmodel, showresetstate`
Setting the date, time, and time zone.	setdate
Displaying the date and time.	showdate

Solaris Console

If the Solaris operating environment, the OpenBoot PROM, or POST is running, you can access the Solaris console. When you connect to the Solaris console, you will be in one of the following modes of operation:

Solaris operating environment console (% or # prompts)

OpenBoot PROM (ok prompt)

System will be running POST and you can view the POST output.

To switch between these prompts and the LOM prompt, refer to Switching Between the Different Consoles.

Environmental Monitoring

There are sensors that monitor temperature, voltage, and cooling.

The System Controller polls these sensors in a timely manner and makes the environmental data available. If necessary, the System Controller shuts down various components to prevent damage.

For instance, in the case of an overtemperature, the System Controller notifies the Solaris operating environment of the overtemperature and the operating environment takes action. In the case of extreme overtemperature, the System Controller software can shut down the system without first notifying the operating environment.

System Indicator Board

The system indicator board contains the On/Standby switch and indicator LEDs as shown in FIGURE 1-2.

FIGURE 1-2 System Indicator Board

Graphic showing system indicator board, containing the On/Standby switch and indicator LEDs.

The indicator LEDs function as shown in TABLE 1-2.


Name	Color	Function
Locator ^[1]	White	Normally off; can be lit by user command
System Fault^*	Amber	Lights when the LOM detects a fault
System Active^*	Green	Lights when power is applied to the system
Top Access	Amber	Lights when a fault occurs in a FRU which can only be replaced from the top of the system
UNIX Running	Green	Lights when Solaris is running.
Alarm1 and Alarm2	Green	Light when triggered by events as specified in the LOM
Source A and Source B	Green	Light when the relevant power feeds are present

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS)

Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) are features of this system. The descriptions of these features are:

Reliability is the probability that a system stays operational for a specified time period when operating under normal environmental conditions. Reliability differs from availability in that reliability involves only system failure, whereas availability depends on both failure and recovery.

Availability, also known as average availability, is the percentage of time that a system is available to perform its functions correctly. Availability can be measured at the system level or in the context of the availability of a service to an end client. The "system availability" is likely to impose an upper limit on the availability of any products built on top of that system.

Serviceability measures the ease and effectiveness of maintenance and system repair for the product. There is no single well-defined metric, because serviceability can include both Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and diagnosability.

The following sections provide details on RAS. For more hardware-related information on RAS, refer to the Sun Fire E2900 System Service Manual or Sun Fire V1280/Netra 1280 Service Manual, as appropriate. For RAS features that involve the Solaris operating environment, refer to the Sun Hardware Platform Guide.

Reliability

The software reliability features include:

Disabling Components or Boards and Power-On Self-Test (POST)

Manual Disabling of Components

Environmental Monitoring

The reliability features also improve system availability.

Disabling Components or Boards and Power-On Self-Test (POST)

The power-on self-test (POST) is part of powering on the system. If the board or component failed testing, POST disables components or boards. The showboards command displays the board as either being failed or degraded. The system, running the Solaris operating environment, is booted only with components that have passed POST testing.

Manual Disabling of Components

The system controller provides component-level status and user-controlled modification of component status.

Set the component location status by running the setls command from the console. The component location status is updated at the next domain reboot, board power cycle, or POST execution (for example, POST is run whenever you perform a setkeyswitch on or off operation).

Note - The enablecomponent and disablecomponent commands have been replaced by the setls command. These commands were formerly used to manage component resources. While the enablecomponent and disablecomponent commands are still available, it is suggested that you use the setls command to control the configuration of components into or out of the system.

The showcomponent command displays status information about the component, including whether or not it has been disabled.

Environmental Monitoring

The System Controller monitors the system's temperature, cooling, and voltage sensors. The System Controller provides the latest environmental status information to the Solaris operating environment. If hardware needs to be powered off, the System Controller notifies the Solaris operating environment to perform a system shutdown.

Availability

The software availability features include:

Dynamic Reconfiguration.

Automatic fault auto-diagnosis engine.

Power Failure.

System Controller Reboot.

Host Watchdog.

Dynamic Reconfiguration

The following components can be dynamically reconfigured:

Hard disk drives.

CPU/Memory boards.

Power supplies.

Fans.

Power Failure

On recovery from a power outage, the System Controller attempts to restore the system to its previous state.

System Controller Reboot

The System Controller can be rebooted and will start up and resume management of the system. The reboot does not disturb the currently running Solaris operating environment.

Host Watchdog

The System Controller monitors the state of the Solaris operating environment and will initiate a reset if Solaris stops responding.

Serviceability

The software serviceability features promote the efficiency and timeliness of providing routine as well as emergency service to the system.

LEDs.

Nomenclature.

System Controller error logging.

System Controller XIR (eXternally Initiated Reset) support.

LEDs

All field-replaceable units (FRUs) that are accessible from outside the system have LEDs that indicate their state. The System Controller manages all the LEDs in the system, with the exception of the power supply LEDs, which are managed by the power supplies. For a discussion of LED functions, refer to the appropriate board or device chapter of the Sun Fire E2900 System Service Manual or Sun Fire V1280/Netra 1280 Service Manual, as appropriate.

Nomenclature

The System Controller, the Solaris operating environment, the power-on self-test (POST), and the OpenBoot PROM error messages use FRU name identifiers that match the physical labels in the system. The only exception is the OpenBoot PROM nomenclature used for I/O devices, which use the device path names as described in Chapter 8, to indicate I/O devices during device probing.

System Controller Error Logging

System Controller error messages are automatically notified to the Solaris operating environment. The System Controller also has an internal buffer where error messages are stored. You can display the System Controller logged events, stored in the System Controller message buffer, by using the showlogs command.

System Controller XIR (eXternally Initiated Reset) Support

The System Controller reset command enables you to recover from a hung system and extract a Solaris operating environment core file..

^{1 (TableFootnote) This indicator is repeated on the rear of the system.}