HP Integrity NonStop J-Series - Manual (Page 183)

The external loopback test indicates whether or not the PIC circuitry is operational or faulty. Unlike
the internal loopback test, the external loopback test also checks the connector on the PIC.
CAUTION: Do not use the external loopback test on a PIC that you believe is operating normally.
Doing so shuts down ServerNet traffic through the PIC for the duration of the test (several minutes).
The action isolates the MSEB port occupied by the PIC, preventing the port from sending or receiving
ServerNet traffic. ServerNet traffic resumes when the test is finished.
Do not use the external loopback test if alarms are present on the peer fabric (the fabric opposite
the PIC you intend to test). If you do so, you might lose access to both fabrics, thereby isolating
the enclosure from the rest of the system. Multiple enclosures can be lost in this manner.
When to Use the External Loopback Test
Typically, you use the external loopback test to isolate the cause of a malfunctioning ServerNet
link where a PIC is part of that path. Use this test if you have run the internal loopback test on a
PIC, and the test passed, but you believe the PIC might still be bad. If both PICs of a ServerNet
link pass the external test, but the link is not usable, probably the ServerNet cable is faulty.
Internal Loopback Test
Tests the circuitry of a plug-in card (PIC) installed in an MSEB to determine if ServerNet traffic can
pass through the PIC.
CAUTION: Do not perform this test on a PIC that is operating normally because it will shut down
ServerNet traffic through the PIC. Also, do not perform this test on an NNA-type ServerNet PIC
because the test will fail even if nothing is wrong with the NNA PIC.
NOTE: This test fails if no device is attached to the PIC even if nothing is wrong with the PIC
itself.
PIF
Physical interface (PIF) objects are the ports on these resources through which LAN connections
are made:
• Ethernet ServerNet addressable controllers (E4SA SAC s)
• Fast Ethernet ServerNet addressable controller (FESA SACs)
• Gigabit Ethernet ServerNet addressable controllers (GESA SACs)
• Common Controller ServerNet addressable controllers (CCSA SACs)
• Token Ring ServerNet addressable controllers (TRSA SACs)
Location in OSM Tree: System > Group > Module > CRU > SAC > PIF
Example: TRSA PIF $ZZLAN.TRSA0.0.B
Attributes
PIF
Displayed in the Attributes tab and Attributes dialog box only if the value is
something other than OK.
Values
Service State
PIF 183