HP PA 8800 - Manual (Page 12)

Support Management Support Management Support Management Support Management
Station
Station Station Station (SMS)
The Support Management Station (SMS) runs the Superdome scan tools that enhance the diagnosis and testability of
Superdome. The SMS and associated tools also provide for faster and easier upgrades and hardware replacement.
The purpose of the SMS is to provide Customer Engineers with an industry-leading set of support tools, and thereby enable
faster troubleshooting and more precise problem root-cause analysis. It also enables remote support by factory experts who
consult with and back up the HP Customer Engineer. The SMS complements the proactive role of HP's Instant Support
Enterprise Edition (ISEE) that is offered to Mission Critical customers by focusing on reactive diagnosis for both mission-
critical and non-mission-critical Superdome customers.
The user of the SMS is the HP Customer Engineer and HP Factory Support Engineer. The Superdome customer benefits from
their use of the SMS by receiving faster return to normal operation of their Superdome server and improved accuracy of fault
diagnosis, resulting in fewer callbacks. HP can offer better service through reduced installation time.
Functional Capabilities Functional Capabilities Functional Capabilities Functional Capabilities:
The SMS basic functional capabilities are:
Remote access via customer LAN
Modem access (PA-8800 SMS only)
Ability to be disconnected from the Superdome platform(s) and not disrupt their operation.
Ability to connect a new Superdome platform to the SMS and be recognized by scan software.
Support for up to sixteen Superdome systems
Ability to support multiple, heterogeneous Superdome platforms (scan software capability).
System scan and diagnostics
Utility firmware updates
Enhanced IPMI logging capabilities (Windows-based ProLiant SMS only)
Console Access Console Access Console Access Console Access The optimal configuration of console device(s) depends on a number of factors, including the customer's data center
layout, console security needs, customer engineer access needs, and the degree with which an operator must interact with
server or peripheral hardware and a partition (i.e. changing disks, tapes). This section provides a few guidelines. However
the configuration that makes best sense should be designed as part of site preparation, after consulting with the customer's
system administration staff and the field engineering staff.
Customer data centers exhibit a wide range of configurations in terms of the preferred physical location of the console
device. (The term "console device" refers to the physical screen/keyboard/mouse that administrators and field engineers use
to access and control the server.) The Superdome server enables many different configurations by its flexible configuration of
access to the MP, and by its support for multiple geographically distributed console devices.
Three common data center styles are:
The secure site where both the system and its console are physically secured in a small area.
The "glass room" configuration where all the systems' consoles are clustered in a location physically near the
machine room.
The geographically dispersed site, where operators administer systems from consoles in remote offices.
These can each drive different solutions to the console access requirement.
The considerations listed below apply to the design of provision of console access to the server. These must be considered
during site preparation.
The Superdome server can be operated from a VT100 or an hpterm compatible terminal emulator. However some
programs (including some of those used by field engineers) have a friendlier user interface when operated from an
hpterm.
LAN console device users connect to the MP (and thence to the console) using terminal emulators that establish
telnet connections to the MP. The console device(s) can be anywhere on the network connected to either port of the
MP.
Telnet data is sent between the client console device and the MP "in the clear", i.e. unencrypted. This may be a
concern for some customers, and may dictate special LAN configurations.
If an HP UX workstation is used as a console device, an hpterm window running telnet is the recommended way to
connect to the MP. If a PC is used as a console device, Reflection1 configured for hpterm emulation and telnet
connection is the recommended way to connect to the MP.
The MP currently supports a maximum of 16 telnet connected users at any one time.
QuickSpecs HP 9000 Superdome Servers HP 9000 Superdome Servers HP 9000 Superdome Servers HP 9000 Superdome Servers
(PA-8600, PA-8700 and PA-8800) (PA-8600, PA-8700 and PA-8800) (PA-8600, PA-8700 and PA-8800) (PA-8600, PA-8700 and PA-8800)
Management Features
DA - 11721 North America — Version 13 — April 1, 2005 Page 12