The console software products are compatible with the NUMA system console PC. The console software products are not compatible with any other IBM platforms.
The system console PC must be running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5, or Windows 2000
ATTENTION If you are running a VCS version prior to 1.3.2, contact Customer Support for instructions. Use the VCS CLI command vcsrev to determine your VCS version.
DANGER The Console PC is verified with specific settings, configurations, BIOS, operating system, service pack level, and software/firmware versions. Changing any of these things without consulting Customer Service can result in the Console PC becoming incompatible with the Console Software.
The following are the maximum numbers of quads and systems (as configured with the sysdef -c command) in various configurations that can be managed from a single Console PC:
8 2000 CQuads/SQuads/Quads in either 1 or 2 defined systems. For example, you could define all eight quads into a single system, or have 2 quads assigned to one system and 6 quads to the other.
16 2000 series CQuads/SQuads in 1 defined system.
4 1000 series MQuads in 2 defined systems. Each system can be defined with 2 MQuads.
4 partitions containing a maximum of 12 2000 series quads and 3 LASHs. The maximum number of quads in any one partition is 7, with 1 LASH.
The console PC includes circuitry that prevents powering off the PC while it is performing power-on self tests. After the 5-10 seconds of testing, you can power off the PC using one of these methods:
Hold down the power switch until the PC powers off. It will power off after the power-on self tests are complete.
Wait until the power-on self tests are complete and then press the power switch.
Updated to support ptx 4.4.10.
The flash script for 1.7.7 has been updated to use CRC checking.
Users must not perform any tasks, such as opening windows, clicking buttons, or running any other applications while either the flash script or the MdcGetFwCrc command is running. The flash script uses a CRC checking protocol which is sensitive to CPU load. Increasing the CPU load may result in a timeout. In this case, the flash would fail, and may require a complete flash of the entire system.
The logging behavior in V1.7.7 has been changed to remove the weekly deletion of log files.
File deletion is now based on the amount of file space consumed relative to the amount specified with the log -m option. The fragment size (set by the log -F command) must be less than 25% of the overall maximum log size (set by the log -m command) Changes made to the -m and -F values will take effect the next time the log name is changed using the -n argument.
File scanning and deletion can result in a significant load of system resources. This system load increases as the number of log file fragments increases. If the log -n times out with an error message then the command should be repeated with a timeout value greater than the default of 20000 (milliseconds) using the -t argument: log -n C:/vcs/log/newlog -t 100000
Do not change settings values in the OS Console unless advised by IBM NUMA Customer Service.
When settings are changed from the Settings dialog box while the System state is either OS running or OS shutdown, there are two new dialog boxes. These dialog boxes clarify the effectivity of changes to the settings. The user action is different depending on the system state, so the specific messages differ.
OS Shutdown
The message instructs the user to click the Boot button, not to press Enter for a reboot.
OS Running
The message reads: Many changes in the Settings Dialog require booting from Held Reset. However, if changes were limited to:
you must run bootflags -cp at the ptx command prompt.
Many of the other settings take effect immediately. For example, all of the Lynxer tab settings. Changes to settings which only take effect when booted from the Held Reset state, include the following:
Changes made via the CLI using the bootflags command are subject to the same restrictions and effectivity criteria as described here. No warning messages are displayed.
ing f
Diary command listed only one Centurion processor in a quad (254396).
log -n command now correctly reports log file name created when no path is specified.(254513)
Shortcut keys have been added for the Reset and Settings buttons (alt-R and alt-S respectively) (254614)
Corrected error message if password was wrong for sysdef -d command (254615)
Display of misleading cursor icons at the borders VCS Console Windows now eliminated (254618)
Password entered for sysdef -c and sysdef -d is now hidden (254621)
Console Software Reboot failure (timeout) during scan dump, fixed within reboot.cli (255525)
Partially hidden refresh button on Settings dialog (was specific to system font size) (255524)
A logdump with dates outside the range of the current file is now searched (255520)
This is a maintenance release to support DYNIX/ptx version 4.4.9 and 4.6.1. Windows 2000 is now a supported operating system on the Console PC.
This is a maintenance release to support DYNIX/ptx version 4.5.2.
The masterid bootflag is now used by DYNIX/ptx and should be set as part of the 4.6.0 installation. The bootflag can be set from the VCS CLI window or from the VCS Console window. The masterid should be set to the lowest nodeid for the quads. The masterid can be set through the VCS Console window or from the VCS CLI. If nodeid is not set, contact your Service representative.
From the Console window, click the Settings button. Click on the Advanced tab, and enter the appropriate value in the masterid field.
From the VCS CLI window, use the command:
-> cd \\ibmsys1\quad0 -> bootflags masterid master_idwhere ibmsys1 is your system name, and master_id is the masterid value.
The create system (-c) and delete system (-d) options to the sysdef command now require a password. Contact your IBM Professional Services or Customer Service representative. For example:
->sysdef -d system1 Please Enter PassWord for system creation/deletion:
ATTENTION If system creation or deletion is performed as part of a script, the script will halt until the password is entered.
The mdcblink command has been added. This command blinks the LED display on the current quad. This is used to identify the physical quad in large installations. The syntax is: mdcblink -S [status_var] -O [output_var] -t [time]
-S option captures the status of the command into the specified variable name status_var. The status is the number of errors sent to the log. -O option captures the output of the command into the specified variable name output_var. The -t specifies the amount of time in seconds (5 to 120) to blink the LED. The default is 5 seconds.
The following example blinks the LED on quad0 for 90 seconds. The system name is ibmsys1.
-> cd //ibmsys1/quad0 -> mdcblink -t 90
An autoconfig tool has been developed. This tool can only be run by an IBM representative. A special password in required. When the tool is run, the existing system is saved. If you exit from the tool, the existing configuration is restored.
ATTENTION Before running the autoconfig tool, verify which quad is set up as the boot quad. The name of the boot quad must be entered during the configuration.
Once the tool is started, the existing systems are deleted. You are prompted for the password for each system to be deleted. After the deletions, a list of configuration choices is displayed. The number of choices vary, depending on the number of quads and LASHs available for configuration. Enter the Selection number for the desired configuration or enter the number for Exit to restore the system to the previous configuration.
In the following example, 7 quads are available:
-> autoconfig =================================================================== Please note the following before running these scripts: 1. If any Quad or Lash is added or removed from the configuration, the following files must be deleted prior to running the scripts - c:\winnt\connections.tbl c:\winnt\resourceXref.tbl c:\winnt\probe.tbl 2. It is recommended that the Pbay connections be made after running the scripts because, before running the scripts, it may not be clear as to how the script will partition the available resources in reference to the BOOT QUAD. =================================================================== Press <ESC> followed by <Enter> to exit or <Enter> to continue Saving the Existing Partition information Please Enter PassWord for system creation/deletion : sysdef: 'sys1' deleted successfully SELECTION |PARTITION 1|PARTITION 2|PARTITION 3|PARTITION 4| ==========|===========|===========|===========|===========| 1. | 1Q | 1Q | 1Q | 5Q | 2. | 1Q | 1Q | 2Q | 4Q | 3. | 1Q | 1Q | 3Q | 3Q | 4. | 1Q | 2Q | 5Q | | 5. | 3Q | 5Q | | | 6. | 8Q | | | | ___________________________________________________________ 7. Exit Enter your selection ==> 6Once you enter a Selection number (5 for this example), the list of resources is displayed. You are prompted to enter the number for the boot Quad. In this example, Quad255 is the boot quad. You are prompted for the password for each system that the configuration tool creates.
A 8 Quad configuration is going to be created now .. The Quads available are : Quad255 Quad209 Quad104 Quad256 Qsq053 Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the boot Quad name (should be one among the list shown above): Quad255 The Quads available are : Quad209 Quad104 Quad256 Qsq053 Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Quad209 The Quads available are : Quad104 Quad256 Qsq053 Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Quad104 The Quads available are : Quad256 Qsq053 Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Quad256 The Quads available are : Qsq053 Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Qsq053 The Quads available are : Qcq024 Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Qcq024 The Quads available are : Qcq005 Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Qcq005 The Quads available are : Qcq025 Enter the next Quad name to be part of the system (should be one among the list shown above): Qcq025 Please enter the name for this partition (system name): sys1 Please Enter PassWord for system creation/deletion : ->
If a quad or LASH is added or removed from a system or partition, the following steps must be performed:
Add or remove the physical unit, following the procedures in the hardware installation manual.
Delete the files: C:\winnt\connections.tbl, c:\winnt\resourceXref.tbl, c:\winnt\probe.tbl
Run the C:\vcs\scripts\autoconfig tool.
New firmware files are included to support the CQuad and Midrange CQuad: cstr1_XX.obj and cmstr1_XX.obj, where XX is the revision number for the file.
The EES feature is integrated with CSW. Error, Warning, and Fatal log messages occurring during initial powerup, successive bootup or while the OS is running, are sent to DYNIX/ptx.This transfer is through the QMI. The new VCS CLI command eeslog <sysid> <mesg> can be used to write mesg to the EES log to test EES functionality. If the EES-QMI connection cannot be made, messages are stored in a buffer. The buffered messages are resent when one of the following conditions occur
The EES- QMI connection gets established or re-established.
The buffer overflows
Two minutes have elapsed since the last message was buffered.
If different processors or different steppings of the same processor are installed in a quad, a warning message is displayed. If Windows NT is the operating system on the quad, the processors will have to be replaced. Windows NT requires all processors in the system to be identical.
The console window no longer accepts user input while the system is starting. The console remains blocked until the system is in either a single user or a multi-user state.
A new menu choice, Exit Online Diags, has been added to the File menu of the Online Diagnostics GUI. This command closes all Online Diagnostics windows.
The cliprintf command no longer includes the 'cliprintf:' banner. As this command is generally used in scripts, the banner was extraneous.
The poweronflag command was added to set or reset the poweron test flag and the test level. This affects all quads in the system, not just the boot quad.
The eeslog <sysid> <mesg> command can be used to write mesg to the EES log to test EES functionality.
There is a new script to report the version of the CSW, VCS, TSCL, Lynxer, and MultiQuad Tests. It also prints the available Baseboard BIOS, SCLIC, sak.dat, and ptxldr.elf information. A versioninfo.man has also been added. Here is an example of the versioninfo report:
Console Software V1.7.1 Rev 001 VCS 1.7.0 Build 219 TSCL 1.7.0 Build 219 Lynxer 1.7.0 Build 213 Wed Sep 01 11:21:38 PDT 1999 Multiquad Test v1.7.0 Build 213 Wed Sep 01 11:21:38 PDT 1999 MDC firmware 1.7.0 Build 4 3/10/99 QBB BIOS 1.7.0 SCLIC firmware Rev 12 SBB BIOS 1.7.0 DSCLIC firmware Rev 03 BSCLIC firmware Rev 02 ptx Standalone Kernel V4.4.6 Tue Apr 13 18:48:06 GMT 1999 ptx Loader V4.4.6 03/18/99 ptx Standalone Kernel V4.4.7 Mon Nov 29 23:11:01 GMT 1999 ptx Loader V4.4.7 11/29/99 ptx Standalone Kernel V4.5.0 Fri Sep 3 15:47:28 GMT 1999 ptx Loader V4.5.0 08/23/99
The ARA (Automatic Remote Application) is an alternative to an interactive VCS telnet session, especially in cases where you want to remotely execute and capture the output of a single CLI command or script. An advantage of ARA is that it can be used even if VCS is not running on the remote console. Using ARA for audits and query commands is a low performance impact on anyone using VCS locally. Other commands, such as building an offline diagnostics test tree, are a higher impact to the local session.
ATTENTION For secure environments, installing ARA should be carefully considered. ARA does not require a password. Anyone with a local ARA client and the IP address or system name can access the CLI.
The following are required to run ARA:
Console Software version 1.6.0 and higher.
ARA server installed via the Console Software Setup process on the remote console. As part of the installation process, the psapi.dll file is placed in the \winnt\system32 directory.
ARA server running on the remote console. The server is started with the araserv command. A shortcut to this command can be placed in the Startup Folder to be automatically started.
ARA client (either Windows NT or UNIX) on your local machine. You must copy the appropriate client from the C:\vcs\ara directory. The Windows NT client is named ara.exe and the UNIX client is named ara. The ARA source code and a makefile are also included if the provided UNIX client does not run on your particular UNIX host.
IP address or machine name of the remote console running the ARA server.
Network access.
The ARA client and ARA server use TCP/IP communications via standard sockets. You can use the ping command (when available) to test the connection between your local machine and the remote console. For example, if the remote console's IP address is 188.95.122.23, type ping 188.95.122.23.
This example uses ARA from your local machine to list the current system definition (sysdef -l):
ara 188.95.122.23 sysdef -l
This example uses ARA to perform a console audit, using the conaudit.cli script:
ara 188.95.122.23 conauditThe conaudit.cli script audits all hardware connected to the console via the MDC net.
There are several new VCS CLI commands:
There is also a new option for the diary command:
-z zapitcode specifies the access code for clearing everything (required with the -c option). Contact Customer Service for the access code.
The flash script displays a list of available ptx versions when it is run. Type the option number (appearing in the parenthesis) and press Enter. The script flashes only the firmware components necessary for each quad or IQ-Ring module. If the OTHER choice is selected, flash does not update the OS firmware.
CommandPoint Launcher is no longer supported. Instructions for removing the existing Launcher information is included as part of the installation. Launcher information must be removed prior to installing the new files.
The sysflash.txt script has been renamed flash. It does not require a system name. For example: -> flash
OS boot choices have been added to the Console window Settings dialog (and bootflags) to determine which operating system to boot on a 1000 system. The specified operating system must have been previously installed on the system. Boot flag values that do not apply to the selected operating system are grayed (stippled) out.
CommandPoint Launcher is no longer supported. Instructions for removing the existing Launcher information is included as part of the installation. Launcher information must be removed prior to installing the new files.
The following commands have been added to the VCS CLI:
'bootcheckflag -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Set/clear/display boot check enable flag. 'bootcheckscript -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Set/display boot check script name flag. 'forcePOSTcodelogging -S statusVar -O outputVar [-p path] on|auto' # Controls whether POST codes are logged 'lashdeconfig -S statusVar -O outputVar [ -p path ] [on | off] ' # Turn Lash De-Configuration on or off 'matrix -S statusVar -O outputVar [-r] [partno] [rev]' # Get compatibility matrix information. 'nteventredirect -S statusVar -O outputVar [ -p path ] [y|n] ' # display or set NtEventRedirect flag 'vcspriority -S statusVar -O outputVar [-h | -n]' # set VCS priority to either High or NormalThe following commands have been added to both the VCS CLI and the Online Diagnostics CLI:
'clint -S statusVar -O outputVar [-l] [-b] script_file' # scan a script file and find undefined symbols. 'fastforeach -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' 'ffe -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' 'findfile -S statusVar -O outputVar fileName' # Find a file in the VCS install base. Returns nothing if file not found. 'fwgold -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Returns a description/list of the firmware which should be at the current # hardware path. 'fwgoldfile -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Get/Sets the firmware golden file used by fwgold. 'islash -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Returns 1 if current hardware path is a lash. Otherwise returns 0. 'isquad -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Returns 1 if current hardware path is a quad. Otherwise returns 0. 'issystem -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Returns 1 if current hardware path is a system. Otherwise returns 0. 'substring -S statusVar -O outputVar sourcestring offset length terminator' # return substring of sourcestring deliminated by offse t and length, or optionally by terminator 'timezonebias -S statusVar -O outputVar <no args>' # Returns the difference, in minutes, between C oordinated Universal Time (UTC) and local time. 'tolower -S statusVar -O outputVar string' # Convert string to all lower case characters. 'undeclare -S statusVar -O outputVar -g|-l varName1 varName2 ...' # undeclare a local or global variable. Default is local.
The sysflash.txt script now requires a system name. For example:
-> sysflash.txt ibmsys1
The console software supports up to 16 quads and 4 IQ-Ring Modules (LASHs).
ATTENTION If you set up an alternate boot quad for a large system, use one that is on a different IQ-Ring Module than the primary boot quad. This provides a boot alternative if the IQ-Ring Module with the boot quad fails.
The following problem has been fixed:
MDC Does Not Reconnect after Quad Error Recovery
The script /vcs/scripts/sysflash.txt can be used to automatically flash all of the MDC firmware and system files and the SBB and QBB BIOS. Host Adaptor firmware flashing must still be performed manually.
There are several new CLI commands:
sbbupdatebios flashes the SQuad firmware.
getmdctype returns the MDC type: SQuad, Quad, or IQ-Ring module (LASH).
biosver returns the BIOS version for the current path.
fwcheck checks the firmware on the current SQuad/Quad.
fwlist lists the firmware on the current SQuad/Quad.
panicprogress reports the status of a panic.
sysinfotable displays the system information.
updateProcInfo updates processor information in the config PROMs
The following problems have been fixed:
Console Panic button locks the console power button.
qct -a command causes a Dr. Watson.
If your shipment is incomplete or you encounter problems while installing the console software, contact your local Customer Support representative.