3    Using the AlphaServer Management Utility

This chapter describes the different tasks you can accomplish using the AlphaServer Management Utility (AMU). Section 3.1 provides a brief overview of the program, after which, the following topics are discussed:

3.1    Overview

The AlphaServer Management Utility (AMU) is a client-server based application. The server runs on the AMS machine and the client is a Web-based graphical user interface. Use the client to remotely monitor the status of platforms connected to the AMS and the partitions configured on the platforms.

Using the AMU, you can monitor the platform's environmental status, I/O connections, and power connections. You can also connect to the management port of ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms, load and boot operating systems by connecting to the console of a configured subpartition, view hardware error logs, and create, modify and configure partitions.

The AMU's online help provides step-by-step information about tasks you can perform with the AMU. To view the AMU online help, select Help in the menu bar and then select Contents.

3.2    Accessing and Configuring AMU

You can access the AMU in two ways:

3.2.1    Running AMU as a Standalone Application

You can install and run AMU as a standalone application on computers running Tru64 UNIX, Linux, OpenVMS, or Windows Operating Systems. The following steps describe the steps you need to perform after you have installed the AMU kit

  1. Start the Tomcat Server by entering one of the following commands:

  2. Configure the Java plug-in if you use a Tru64 or Linux machine to access the AMU client:

  3. Access AMU

    To access AMU locally or remotely, specify a URL in the following form:

    http://amu_server_name:8080/mpmu

    Before the AMU is displayed, you will see the Java Plug-in Security Warning. Selecting Grant this session or Grant always allows AMU to run. (See Section 2.2.3 for information about the security certificate.)

    The first time AMU is launched, you will see a message that says "There are currently no configured platforms. Open the Visual Editor to add your configuration".

  4. Use the AMU Visual Editor to configure ES47/ES80/GS1280 platforms to be managed by AMU:

    1. Select Open Visual Editor from the File Menu.

    2. Configure the platforms you want to manage, as described in Section 3.17.

    3. After the configurations are created and saved, the next time you open AMU it will contain a list of the platforms you have configured.

    4. Select the platform you want to view.

3.2.2    Running AMU from SPM

To access AMU from SPM, you must first configure your ES47, ES80, or GS1280 platforms. See Section 2.4.2 for information about adding a platform.

After the platforms you added have been successfully discovered, you can launch AMU by selecting AMU... from the platform's context menu.

3.3    The Main AMU Window

The main AMU window (Figure 3-1) is composed of three frames:

The following sections describe the content of these frames.

Figure 3-1:  Main AMU Window

3.3.1    The Left Frame

Select icons in the left frame of the AMU window to display in the top right frame the physical view of the platform's cabinets and their hardware contents, including IP cable and connection information, I/O cable information, and configured hard partitions and subpartitions. You can also determine the power status of the system drawers and the hard partitions and subpartitions in the left frame.

You can view properties in the top right frame or perform actions depending on the component icon you select in the left frame.

Selecting each icon with the left mouse button displays in the right frame the following information:

3.3.2    The Top Right Frame

The top right frame displays information that depends on what you select in the left frame. For example, you can display a graphical representation of the system by selecting Hardware from the left frame. You can display a graphical representation of how the platform is partitioned by selecting Partitions. You also can display the platform's log files, and IP cable connections, and such.

3.3.2.1    The Hardware View

The hardware view (seen in Figure 3-1) is displayed when you select the Hardware tree node in the left frame. This view displays a graphical representation of a platform, complete with system, I/O, and power supply drawers. The system lights display a real time status of the components.

You can monitor the power status of a system drawer using the status lights for each drawer. Pause the mouse pointer over a component to display its properties. For example, the system drawer displays the number of processors, the system box it is running on, and its status.

A green light indicates the system drawer is powered on and a yellow light indicates the system drawer is in an abnormal state. If the graphic of the drawer is grayed-out, then it indicates that the drawer is powered off.

You can determine why a system drawer is in an abnormal state by displaying its properties. To display its properties, pause the mouse pointer over the graphic of the system drawer in the hardware view. You can also select the system drawer's icon in the left frame with the right mouse button and then select Properties.

3.3.2.2    The Logical View

The logical view (also known as the partitions view) provides a logical representation of the system drawers and the CPUs they contain. Figure 3-2 shows the main AMU window with the logical view displayed.

Figure 3-2:  Right Frame with Logical View

By clicking on the arrows in the display, you rotate the axis and CPUs in a circular fashion simulating the toroidal mesh of ES47, ES80, and GS1280 systems. The logical view uses colors and symbols to show the partitions, the subpartitions they contain, the type of CPUs and the CPUs that are connected to I/Os. Check the Legend (see Section 3.3.2.3) for a full description of the symbols used in the logical view.

The left-hand side of Figure 3-3 shows the logical view of a four-drawer system that contains 32 CPUs. The x, y axis shown on the top and left of the display highlights a CPU's coordinates when the CPU is selected. The right-hand side shows the same view rotated clockwise.

Figure 3-3:  Logical View

CPUs can be assigned to hard partitions and subpartitions only by selecting them in the logical view. See Section 3.12 for information about adding CPUs to a partition.

You select CPUs by clicking the left mouse button on a CPU square. To select multiple CPUs, select one and move the mouse pointer to consecutive CPUs without releasing the button. Release the button when you have finished selecting.

3.3.2.3    Displaying an Icon Legend

You can display an icon legend in either the hardware view (Figure 3-4) or the partitions view (Figure 3-5) by selecting Legend from the View Menu.

Figure 3-4:  Hardware View Icon Legend

Figure 3-5:  Partition View Icon Legend

3.3.3    Bottom Right Frame

The bottom right frame displays either a timestamped list of activities that the AMU has performed or a listing of any alerts being sent by system firmware. You click on either the Activities tab or the Alerts tab to choose the list you want to see.

3.3.3.1    Activity Tab

Selecting the Activity tab (see Figure 3-2) displays an ongoing list of AMU activities and the times they occur. For example, a list item might specify the time that the AMU started to retrieve information about hardware, while another list item specifies the time that the task was completed.

The Activity tab is the default display when you open the AMU.

3.3.3.2    Alerts Tab

Firmware version V2.3-7 and higher for the ES47/ES80/GS1280 MBM supports asynchronous alerts for hardware errors or configuration changes. The alerts are generated by the firmware when hardware components fail, hardware or partition configurations change, and environmental sensors report out of spec values.

To display the firmware alerts, AMU provides an Alert tab at the bottom of its right frame of its main window (see Figure 3-1), as well as a listing in the context menus of most Properties windows. The alerts displayed in the Properties windows are for the specific component. Figure 3-6 shows alerts as they appear in the Properties window for a system drawer.

Figure 3-6:  Alerts Tab in System Drawer Properties Window

The display includes the time the alert occurred, the severity and description of the alert, and the component that is the source to the alert. For some alerts, clicking on the component will open the component's Properties window, where you may find additional information.

Note that the AMU displays only the alerts that occur while the AMU client is running. Starting with AMS Version 5.0, the AMU service forwards all alerts to EVM, which enables you to see them in the SPM's Recent Events window and with the EVM Event Viewer. See Section 2.3.4.2 for information about the Recent Events window and Section 2.6.4 for information about the Events Viewer.

Appendix B lists all of the alerts generated by the firmware, the source of each alert, the severity level, and the data that is contained in the alert packet.

All the alerts generated by the SMLAN firmware will appear in the Alerts display of the Main window. The Alerts tab window is the same in all Properties windows, but the alerts displayed depend on the component that generated the alert. Table 3-1 lists the dialog boxes that display alerts and the origin of the majority of the alerts that those dialog boxes display.

Table 3-1:  Types of Alerts

Dialog Box Origin of Alert
CPU Properties EV7 alerts
Dual CPU Module Properties - Alert CMM alerts
Dual CPU Module Properties - Environment CMM environmental alerts
Hard Partition Properties Operational alerts originated from that partition
I/O Drawer Properties - Alerts PBM alerts
I/O Drawer Properties - Environment PBM environmental alerts
I/O Power Supply properties PBM alerts
Main Display Server Management LAN firmware
Partitions Properties Operational alerts originated from that partition
Platform Properties Operational alerts
Power Supply Tray Properties PBM alerts
SubPartition Properties Operational alerts originated from that partition
System Drawer Properties - Alerts MBM alerts
System Drawer Properties - Environment MBM environmental alerts
System Power Supply Properties PBM alerts

Because environmental readings can fluctuate, with different alerts generated for each different reading, the environmental displays include a Last Alert column and a History button. The Last Alert column displays the reading of the last sent alert, while the History button allows you to see all the readings of the Locator that has the problem.

AMU supports backwards compatibility with firmware versions 2.3-6 and older. You can use the AMS/AMU 4.0 applications to manage AlphaServer ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms running MBM firmware V2.3-6 or older.

3.4    Displaying the Platform's I/O and Power Connections

You can view a graphical representation of the I/O and power connections of a platform. Display the platform in the hardware view and click on the system or I/O drawer to view its I/O and power connections (Figure 3-7).

Figure 3-7:  I/O and Power Connections

3.5    Monitoring the Platform's Environmental Status

You can monitor the platform's environmental status by viewing the graphic of the system and the properties of each system drawer, I/O drawer, and dual CPU module.

The graphical representation of the platform shown in the AMU's hardware view includes status lights for each system drawer. If the status light is green, then the system drawer is powered on and ready. If the status light is yellow, then the system drawer is in an abnormal state. It may be in an abnormal state because of a problem with its environmentals; that is, its fan, voltage, or power.

You can also monitor the I/O drawer in this way.

To determine why a system or I/O drawer is in an abnormal state, you can view the properties of a system drawer, I/O drawer, or dual CPU modules. See Section 3.16 for more information.

Figure 3-8 shows a close-up of one of the system drawers in the hardware view. The status lights of each drawer are green, which indicates that they are operating in a normal state.

Figure 3-8:  Status Lights

3.6    Connecting to a Console

You can connect to either the SRM console or operating system running on a subpartition using the AMU Java Telnet applet. If no operating system is loaded and running on the subpartition, then you connect to the SRM console. If an operating system is running on the subpartition, then you connect to the console of the operating system.

Connecting to the SRM console allows you to manage the firmware of a partition or boot an operating system that is loaded on a subpartition. The SRM console is firmware on the backplane manager module that provides you with a command-line interface for operator control of the platform or of a partition. The SRM console is responsible for booting the operating system and passing system configuration data, discovered during power-up, to it.

Connecting to an operating system running on a subpartition allows you to log in to and manage the operating system.

3.7    Connecting to the Platform's Management Port

You can establish a connection to the management LAN of ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms directly from the AMU by connecting to the platform's management port. The management LAN connects to the platform's management software, which is controlled by the backplane manager (MBM). You can view the status and error logs of the platform and manage the MBM when you connect to the management port.

Note

AMU connects to console ports using exclusive connections only.

There can be only one exclusive connection to the management port open at a time. If an exclusive connection to the management port is already established by another user, you will not be able to connect to the management port.

It is important to terminate the Telnet session when you are finished because the port will not be accessible while the session is in progress.

You can access the management port of ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms through a Network Address Translator (NAT) box. A NAT box provides the platform with a unique IP address for the AMS and the hard partitions configured on the platform with a single point of access to the AMS. It allows you to assign to the hard partitions a set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a single IP address for external traffic.

The prompt of the management port is MBM>. See the CLI Reference manual on the Server Management CD-ROM for more information.

For a list of commands you can perform at the MBM> prompt, enter help.

3.8    Taking Exclusive Control

To perform certain tasks, you must take exclusive control of the AMU so that no other user can inadvertently perform conflicting critical tasks at the same time when using AMU on another client machine. However, users without exclusive control may still do noncritical tasks and activities by connecting to an MBM directly or through another console manager.

To take or relinquish exclusive control of the AMU system, use the Actions menu or the Exclusive Mode toggle button on the right side of the menu bar.

If you have exclusive control, no other user can take exclusive control until you relinquish it. Remember to relinquish exclusive control when you are finished with it.

3.9    Viewing MBM Error Log Files

AMU retains daily log files of all MBM errors. To view these log files, proceed as follows:

  1. Click on Platform in the left frame to display the platforms properties in the right frame. You can open a separate properties box (Figure 3-9) by right clicking on Platform or opening the Actions menu and selecting Properties.

    Figure 3-9:  Platform Properties Window Logs Tab

  2. Click on Retrieve to bring up a list of dates that contain MBM error logs from the server.

  3. Highlight the day for which you want to view the logs and click on Open... This displays a Daily Log Properties box, which lists all messages from that day, along with a timestamp and the source of the message.

3.10    Using CDL File Support

Console Log Data (CDL) file support provides a way to save an error state when critical errors occur on an AlphaServer. The data saved is retrieved from the MBM and forwarded by the SRM console to the Operating System, which places it into the binary event log.  The OS can create and save the file only when it is up and running.

Using AMU, the CDL log can be retrieved and saved no matter the state of the operating system or partition.  Only the PMU and associated MBMs need to be active for this error state retrieval to work.

Once CDL files are generated, they can be loaded into the System Event Analyzer (SEA) for error analysis.

When you create a CDL, AMU creates a new file if one does not exist.  New CDL data is always appended at the end of the file.  All the CDL data returned by the MBM firmware together with an event log header, event log terminator subpacket, and event log trailer are written into the file every time the user asks for CDL data and the response contains at least one entry.  Nothing is written into the file if there is no data returned by the PMU.  

To create or save a CDL file, select the CDL file ... menu item from a hard partition's drop-down menu (Figure 3-18) to bring up the Save CDL File dialog box (Figure 3-10).

Figure 3-10:  Save CDL File Dialog Box

This dialog box asks for the following information:

The file is saved as follows:

3.11    Working with Firmware

You can upgrade the firmware of dual CPU modules, I/O drawers, and system drawers directly from the AMU. You must be in Exclusive Mode to upgrade firmware. The procedure is as follows:

  1. Click on Platform in the left frame to display the platforms properties in the right frame. You can open a separate properties box by right clicking on Platform or opening the Actions menu and selecting Properties.

    Figure 3-11:  Platform Properties Window Firmware Tab

  2. In the Properties box, select the Firmware tab. This displays a list of the firmware versions (Figure 3-11) for all modules found in the platform. If the list is empty, click on the Retrieve button to generate the list.

  3. Highlight the module whose firmware you want to upgrade. You can upgrade the firmware for all module micros, for the PMU server only, or for selected micros.

    Figure 3-12:  Firmware Module Properties Window

    Specify the PMU server or the TFTP's server address as the source and the module you want to upgrade. Note that only the firmware of the selected micro is updated.

    Clicking on any button in the Firmware window or the Firmware Module Properties window opens the Upgrade Firmware window (Figure 3-13).

    Figure 3-13:  Upgrade Firmware Window

3.12    Working with Partitions

You can view and modify partitions' properties and create new partitions and subpartitions from the menus available in the Partitions tree.

The following sections describe the drop-down menus available from the Partitions, Hard Partitions, and Sub Partitions branches of the tree structure in the left frame. You can access these menus by using the branch's context menu or by selecting the branch and clicking on the Action menu.

You must take exclusive control of the AMU to perform many of the tasks in these menus. (See Section 3.8 for information about exclusive control.)

3.12.1    The Partitions Branch

The drop-down menu available from the Partitions branch lets you perform actions on all partitions. Figure 3-14 shows the menu. The sections that follow describe the items in that menu and a detailed description of the Partitions Properties window.

Figure 3-14:  Partitions Drop-Down Menu

3.12.1.1    The Partitions Drop-Down Menu

The following list describes the actions you can perform from the Partitions drop-down menu. Section 3.12.1.2 describes the contents of the Partitions Properties window.

3.12.1.2    The Partitions Properties Window

Figure 3-15 shows the Partition Properties window when you select Properties from the Partitions drop-down menu. The sections that follow describe the Partitions Properties window.

Figure 3-15:  Partitions Properties Dialog Box — General Tab

3.12.1.2.1    General Tab

The General tab of the Partitions Properties window provides information about partitions, and buttons to let you work with partitions.

Information

The table at the top of the dialog box provides the following information about partitions:

The second table in the dialog box lists all hard partitions and their power status. I contains the following columns:

Selecting an entry in this table enables the Delete Partition button if the partition's power is off. Delete Partition permanently deletes the hard partition and all its subpartitions. The partition is identified by its hard partition number, its name, and its running status.

Actions

The buttons of the dialog box let you perform the following actions:

The following buttons are enabled only if a hard partition is powered off:

3.12.1.2.2    Free Pool Tab

The Free Pool Tab of the Partitions Properties dialog box (Figure 3-16) provides information about CPUs assigned to the free pool.

Figure 3-16:  Partitions Properties Dialog Box — Free Pool Tab

The Free Pool tab provides the following information:

3.12.1.2.3    IP Connections Tab

Figure 3-17 shows the contents of IP Connections Tab.

Figure 3-17:  Partitions Properties Dialog Box — IP Connections Tab

The following information is provided:

3.12.1.2.4    Alerts Tab

The Alerts tab displays operational alerts that originated from the selected partition. See Section 3.3.3.2 for information about firmware alerts.

3.12.2    The Hard Partitions Branch

The drop-down menu available from the Hard Partition branch lets you perform actions on the selected partition. Figure 3-18 shows the menu. The sections that follow describe the items in that menu and a detailed description of the Hard Partitions Properties window.

Figure 3-18:  Hard Partitions Drop-Down Menu

3.12.2.1    Hard Partition Drop-Down Menu

The following list describes the actions you can perform from the Hard Partitions drop-down menu. Section 3.12.2.2 describes the contents of the Sub Partitions Properties window.

3.12.2.2    The Hard Partition Properties Window

Figure 3-19 shows the Hard Partition Properties window when you select Properties from the Hard Partition drop-down menu. A description of the Properties window follows.

Figure 3-19:  Hard Partition Properties Window

The General tab of the Hard Partition Properties window provides the following information:

The Sub Partitions table lists all subpartitions found in the hard partition and displays the following information:

A subpartition can be deleted by selecting it and clicking on the Delete Sub Partition button.

When the hard partition's power is off, you can select the New Sub Partition button to create a new subpartition.

You can delete a subpartition by selecting it and clicking on the Delete Sub Partition button.

Figure 3-20:  Hard Partition Properties — Resources Tab

The Hard Partition Resources tab (Figure 3-20) lists all the CPUs assigned to the hard partition and displays the following information for each CPU:

3.12.2.3    Alerts Tab

The Alerts tab displays operational alerts that originated from the selected partition. See Section 3.3.3.2 for information about firmware alerts.

3.12.3    The Sub Partition Branch

The drop-down menu available from the Sub Partition branch lets you perform actions on the selected subpartition. Figure 3-21 shows the menu. The sections that follow describe the items in that menu and a detailed description of the Partitions Properties window.

Figure 3-21:  Subpartitions Drop-Down Menu

3.12.3.1    The Sub Partition Drop-Down Menu

The following list describes the actions you can perform from the Sub Partitions drop-down menu. Section 3.12.3.2 describes the contents of the Sub Partitions Properties window.

Figure 3-22:  Sub Partition Properties Box

3.12.3.2    The Sub Partition Properties Window

The Sub Partition Properties window (Figure 3-22) provides the following information:

Figure 3-23:  Sub Partition Properties — Resources Tab

The Sub Partition Resources tab (Figure 3-23) displays the following information:

To assign memory to a subpartition, select the Assign Memory to Sub Partition button. This button is enabled when the hard partition's power is off.

3.12.3.3    Alerts Tab

The Alerts tab displays operational alerts that originated from the selected partition. See Section 3.3.3.2 for information about firmware alerts.

3.13    Creating and Modifying Partitions

You can create and modify partitions using the AMU. The following sections tell you how.

3.13.1    Creating a Partition

The following sections describe how to create a new partition.

3.13.1.1    Preliminary Steps

Before you begin the process of creating or modifying a partition, make sure that your partition meets the following criteria:

Decide ahead of time on the following items:

3.13.1.2    New Hard Partitions Menu

Choosing New Hard Partition from the Partitions main menu or the Actions menu opens the New Hard Partition menu Figure 3-24.

Figure 3-24:  New Hard Partition Menu

This menu asks for the following information:

3.13.1.3    Creating the Partition

The following steps provide an overview of how to create a new hard partition:

  1. In the left frame, highlight Partitions and choose New Hard Partition from the Partitions menu.

  2. Fill in the requested data in the New Hard Partition menu and click OK. A new hard partition will appear in the AMU tree. The new hard partition has a default subpartition named Default_SP.

  3. Optionally, you can create a new subpartition by right clicking on the partition you created and choosing New Subpartition. Give the subpartition a name.

  4. Select the CPUs you want to assign to the partition. In the partitions logical view displayed in the right frame, select one or more CPUs by moving the cursor over the CPUs and selecting with the left mouse button pressed.

  5. Assign the selected CPUs to the partition by right clicking on the subpartition and choosing the Assign to Sub Partition subpartition menu

  6. Boot the partition.

3.13.2    Modifying an Existing Partition

You must power a partition off before you try to modify it. Menu items related to partition modifications are disabled when the partition is in power on state. The following is the list of some of the operations that modify the configuration of a partition:

3.13.2.1    Remove CPUs from a Partition

To remove CPUs from a partition, select the CPUs in the logical view and assign them to the platform's free pool or the hard partition's free pool using the Partitions and Hard Partitions drop-down menus.

3.13.2.2    Add CPUs to a Subpartition

You can only add CPUs from the platform's free pool or the hard partition's free pool to a subpartition. To add CPUs:

  1. Move the CPUs to the free pool.

  2. Reselect the CPUs and assign them to the subpartition.

3.13.2.3    Assign Memory to a Subpartition

To assign memory to a subpartition perform the following steps:

  1. Select the subpartition's properties menu.

  2. In the properties dialog box, select the Assign Memory To Sub Partition button and enter the amount of memory you want to assign.

3.13.2.4    Assign Memory to a Community

You can assign memory to a Community only if a hard partition has more than one subpartition. To do this:

  1. Select the hard partition's Properties menu.

  2. In the hard partition properties dialog box, select the Assign Memory To Community button and enter the memory you want to assign.

3.14    Reconfiguring Cable Connections

When you make changes to the platform's cabling, you must update the firmware cabling database.

To reconfigure the cabling, you must first take exclusive control of the AMU. See Section 3.8 for more information.

Next, right-click on the Hardware icon in the left frame and then select Reconfigure Cabling. A message in the bottom frame of the main display confirms your action.

3.15    Testing All Cable LEDs

You can test the LEDs of all IP and I/O cable ports from the AMU. When you test the LEDs, they blink on and off until the interval timer elapses.

To test the LEDs, you must take exclusive control of the AMU. See Section 3.8 for more information.

After you take exclusive control, right-click the Hardware icon in the left frame and select Turn On All Cable LEDs from the pop-up menu. Then enter the amount of time in seconds you want the LEDs to blink. The maximum value is 3600 (1 hour).

You can also turn on the LEDs of either the IP Cables Connections Properties or I/O Cables Connections Properties dialog boxes.

To stop the blinking, right-click the Hardware icon in the left frame and select Turn Off All Cable LEDs from the pop-up menu.

3.16    Viewing Detailed Information About Each Component

You can view detailed information about:

3.16.1    Viewing Properties of System Drawers

You can view detailed information about each system drawer of the platform; such as general information, environmentals, drawer indicators, and firmware, by viewing their properties. To display the Properties dialog box of a system drawer, select the system drawer icon in the left frame with the right mouse button, and then select Properties.

3.16.1.1    Viewing General System Drawer Properties

You can view the system drawer's general properties by selecting the General tab in the System Drawer Properties dialog box.

3.16.1.2    Viewing Environmental Properties

You can monitor the system drawer's environmentals in the System Drawer Properties: Environment dialog box. This dialog box displays a warning limit and a failure limit for the fan, voltage, and temperature sensors of the system drawer. The warning limits are not user-configurable.

When a sensor receives a reading that meets or exceeds a limit, the system drawer is placed into the appropriate state. For example, if the system drawer's temperature sensor has a warning limit of 25 degrees Celsius, then the yellow status light on the system drawer will light when the temperature of the system drawer reaches 25 degrees Celsius.

You can view the system drawer's environmental properties by selecting the Environment tab in the System Drawer Properties dialog box.

3.16.1.3    Viewing Drawer Indicator Properties

You can view the settings of the system drawer's status lights in the Drawer Indicators tab of the System Drawer Properties dialog box. The status lights are either enabled (true) or disabled (false).

You can view the system drawer's indicator properties by selecting the Drawer Indicators tab in the System Drawer Properties dialog box.

3.16.1.4    Viewing Firmware Properties

You can view detailed information about the firmware running on the system drawer in the Firmware tab of the System Drawer Properties dialog box.

Select the Firmware tab in the System Drawer Properties dialog box. To fill in the dialog box, select Retrieve.

3.16.2    Viewing Properties of I/O Drawers

You can view the properties of the platform's I/O drawers. The I/O drawer properties display the I/O drawer's backplane type, power status, and the status of its PCI backplane manager (PBM).

To display the properties of an I/O drawer, select the I/O drawer's icon in the left frame with the right mouse button, and then select Properties. You can view the general properties by selecting the General tab in the I/O Properties dialog box.

3.16.2.1    Viewing Environmental Properties

You can view an I/O drawer's environmental properties in the I/O Drawer Properties: Environment dialog box. It displays a warning limit and a failure limit for the fan, voltage, and temperature sensors of the I/O drawer. When a sensor receives a reading that meets or exceeds a limit, the I/O drawer is placed into the appropriate state. For example, if the I/O drawer's temperature sensor has a warning limit of 25 degrees Celsius, then the yellow status light on the I/O drawer will light when the temperature of the system drawer reaches 25 degrees Celsius.

You can view the environmental properties of the I/O drawer by selecting the Environment tab in the I/O Properties dialog box.

3.16.2.2    Viewing Drawer Indicator Properties

You can view the settings of the I/O drawer's status lights in the Drawer Indicators tab of the I/O Drawer Properties dialog box. The status lights are either enabled (true) or disabled (false).

You can view the indicator properties of the I/O drawer by selecting the Drawer Indicators tab in the I/O Properties dialog box.

3.16.2.3    Viewing Firmware Properties

You can view detailed information about the firmware running on an I/O drawer in the Firmware tab of the I/O Drawer Properties dialog box.

Select the Firmware tab in the I/O Drawer Properties dialog box. To fill in the dialog box, select Retrieve.

3.16.3    Viewing Properties of Dual CPU Modules

You can view detailed information about each dual CPU module including the status of its CPU management module (CMM), its environmentals, frequency, and firmware.

The General properties tab of the Dual CPU Module Properties dialog box displays the module's coordinates, CMM IP address, CMM power state, CMM status, and CMM POST code.

To view the general properties of a dual CPU module, select its icon in the left frame with the right mouse button, and then select Properties. You can view the dual CPU module's general properties by selecting the General tab in the Dual CPU Module Properties dialog box.

3.16.3.1    Dual CPU Module Properties: Environment

You can view a dual CPU module's environmental properties in the Dual CPU Module Properties: Environment dialog box. This dialog box displays a warning limit and a failure limit for the fan, voltage, and temperature sensors of the dual CPU module. When a sensor receives a reading that meets or exceeds a limit, the dual CPU module is placed into the appropriate state. For example, if the module's temperature sensor has a warning limit of 25 degrees Celsius, then the yellow status light on the I/O drawer will light when the temperature of the module reaches 25 degrees Celsius.

You can view the environmental properties of the dual CPU module by selecting the Environment tab in the Dual CPU Module dialog box.

3.16.3.2    Dual CPU Module Properties: Frequency

You can view the CPU frequency of the dual CPU module by selecting the Frequency tab in the Dual CPU Module dialog box.

3.16.3.3    Dual CPU Module Properties: Firmware

You can view detailed information about the firmware running on a dual CPU module in the Firmware tab of the Dual CPU Module Properties dialog box.

Select the Firmware tab in the Dual CPU Module Properties dialog box. To fill in the dialog box, select Retrieve.

3.16.4    Viewing Properties of CPUs

You can view detailed information about a CPU such as its coordinates, status, its memory modules, and their number and capacity in the CPU Properties dialog box.

To view the CPU's properties, select the CPU in the left frame using the right mouse button and then select Properties.

3.17    Using the Visual Editor

AMU uses hardware configuration templates and information provided by the SMLAN firmware to draw the hardware displays of managed platforms. Included with the AMU are a number of standard templates that represent the manufacturing layout of supported configurations. The Visual Editor integrated with SPM and AMU let you move beyond these standard templates.

The AMU Visual Editor lets you:

3.17.1    Accessing and Using the Editor

The Visual Editor allows you to design a new configuration (called a template) or modify an existing one by dropping and dragging a collection of graphics and moving those components within the template. You access the editor as follows:

When you first invoke the Visual Editor, its left frame contains all the standard hardware configurations of ES47, ES80, and GS1280 platforms. Selecting a template displays its hardware layout in the right frame, similar to what one sees in the AMU's hardware display in the right frame.

The cabinets, their contents, the position and size of each components, and the IDs from the thumbwheel settings are all included in the template. You can see a template's contents graphically in the right frame or as nodes of the platform's tree structure in the left frame.

Clicking on a template causes a graphical representation of that cabinet to appear in the right frame. By expanding the template's tree structure, you cause the cabinet's components to be displayed. You can then click on a component to see it highlighted in the graphical representation.

You cannot modify the default templates, but you can copy them and then modify the copy to create a new template configuration. After you save a newly created template, it is available in SPM.

To assign a new template to a configured platform is SPM select Modify in the platform's context menu ant then select the template from the Template drop-down box.

3.17.2    Creating and Modifying a New Template

You can create a template from scratch or from an existing template. You can also modify and delete any template you create:

Figure 3-25:  New Template Dialog Box

When you click OK in the New Template dialog box, the name you selected appears at the bottom of the Templates list in the left frame. To save the new template, right click on the template name and select save.

If you are creating a new template from an existing template or modifying a template, the right frame displays the layout of the existing template (Figure 3-26). If you are building a template from scratch, you must click on Add Cabinet to add a cabinet box for your template. The following list describes contents of the right frame:

Figure 3-26:  Visual Editor

The following list describes the basics for creating a template:

To save the template or discard changes, use the editor's File menu or the context menu of the template you are working on.

After you have saved a template, you can remove it (Destroy Template) or edit it using the File menu or the template's context menu.

You cannot remove or edit the pre-existing templates.

3.17.3    Adding Platforms to a Standalone AMU

You can use the Visual Editor to configure platforms to be managed by AMU in standalone mode. When you launch the editor from within AMU, the tree in the left frame contains a Platform Configurations node. To configure a new platform, do the following:

  1. Right click Platform Configurations and select New Configuration.

  2. In the New Configuration dialog box, enter a description and the NAT box IP address.

  3. Select the check box to enable the Templates drop-down box and select a template from the available list of templates.

  4. Click OK. The new configuration appears under the platform configurations node.

  5. Select Save from the context menu to save the configuration.

To manage a newly configured platform:

  1. Exit the editor.

  2. Select Open Platform from the AMU file menu.

  3. Select the platform you want from the list of available platforms in the dialog box.

To modify a configuration:

  1. Select Edit from the configuration's context menu.

  2. Select Properties

  3. Modify the property you want to change and click OK.

  4. Save the configuration.

3.17.4    File Locations

Templates created by the Visual editor are saved in a file named Templates.xml and configurations are saved in a file named Configuration.xml. The directory locations for these files are as follows: